Live Instruction Offerings for Beginner Genealogists
Do you prefer to learn synchronously, in a live setting? Many genealogy societies offer free monthly beginner-level classes. These have historically been taught in-person, but due to the Covid pandemic, some societies now offer these virtually using Zoom or a similar platform. These virtual instruction opportunities mean that you can "attend" regardless of where the society is located.
- Orange County California Genealogical Society (OCCGS): Beginning Genealogy WebinarsOCCGS, based out of Huntington Beach, California, provides FREE monthly webinars for beginning genealogists. Check their events calendar for upcoming dates and times.
- California Genealogical Society (CGS):CGS, based out of Oakland, California, offers a FREE intro online class the first Saturday of every month. Look for the "Classes and Events" section on their homepage to view the upcoming schedule.
Recommended Reading & Viewing
How to Do Everything: Genealogy, Fourth Edition by
ISBN: 9780071845922Publication Date: 2015-02-02Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Discover your genealogy using the latest methods Thoroughly revised to cover new tools, techniques, and data, How to Do Everything: Genealogy, Fourth Edition uniquely addresses all the major genealogical record types and explains traditional and digital researchstrategies. Genealogy expert George G. Morgan shows you how to research your family history using the most current websites, mobile apps, social networking sites, record archives, census data, digital records, DNA research, and more. Discover your family's past with help from the new edition of this bestselling guide. Start an effective, well-organized genealogical research project Work with traditional, electronic, and genetic research Analyze and organize your family information Locate and access genealogy records in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, and Australia Place your ancestors in geographical and historical context Learn successful Internet search techniques Locate vital, civil registration, census, and church records Track down military, property, and immigration and naturalization records Access libraries, archives, and other repositories online Research and verify your ancestors using geneticgenealogy (DNA) Get past brick walls and dead ends Incorporate social networking into your researchThe Family Tree Toolkit by
ISBN: 9781631582196Publication Date: 2018-11-06The popularity of studying our family history has been fueled by popular TV shows like Genealogy Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, and Who Do You Think You Are? The ability to access records online has opened up the one time hobby for genealogy enthusiasts to the mainstream. Companies like Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage have spent millions of dollars making records available around the world. DNA technology continues to evolve and provides the instant gratification that we have become use to as a society. But then the question remains, what does that really mean? Knowing your ancestry is more than just ethnic percentages it's about creating and building a story about your family history. The Family Tree Toolkit is designed to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming and sometimes treacherous waters of finding your ancestors. Here is a roadmap to help you on this journey of discovery, whether you are looking for your African Asian, European, or Jewish ancestry. The Family Tree Toolkit guides you on how and where to begin, what records are available both online and in repositories, what to do once you find the information, how to share your story and of course DNA discoveries.
- FamilySearch Learning Center: Learning Center Video ClassesFamilySearch has a larger library of FREE recorded webinars, many of which focus on beginning genealogy topics, or an introduction to a particular topic. Look for terms like "beginning" or "intro" in the class title list.
- FamilySearch Wiki: Family History for BeginnersThe FamilySearch wiki, part of FamilySearch, is hands-down my favorite reference tool for quickly learning about any genealogy topic. The wiki has a very good "Family History for Beginners" sections to get you started.