Last month, I finished up the Analysis and Skills Mentoring Program, Part 1 at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. This class afforded a chance to get personal instruction from several instructors. The class began with a short series of assignments designed to assess your genealogical analysis and problem solving skills after taking the beginning level classes. You are asked to analyze hypothetical situations and form a simple research plan based on that data.
The class includes two individual and at least one group consultation. Any registered student can attend almost any group chat session at any time - this class requires that you attend at least one.
I felt very reassured by my two individual sessions with instructors. The purpose of both is to gauge your genealogy knowledge and experience to this point, and address any major concerns you have after taking the beginner's level genealogy classes. Both instructors thought that I was doing very well, and made helpful suggestions about certification and research in general. It was good to speak with people who could serve as mentors about my progress, as I do most of my work online and haven't taken many opportunities to interact with other researchers yet.
Speaking of which, the group chat session was also helpful. Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to communicate with each other, as only one person besides the instructor had a working microphone (I had to type questions, as I have not figured out how to get this mic to work right on this computer). There were not many people there, as it is difficult to coordinate many people in different time zones coming to a session at the same time.
I was able to chat quite a bit with fellow blogger Julie Cahill Tarr (http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com). It was great to speak to her also, because we share a lot of the same concerns about certification and training. Good luck, Julie!
I'm also taking:
-Methodology Part 3
-US: Religious Records - Part 2
-US: Vital Records, Understanding & Using The Records
More on those to come. Right now, I have some very important hockey to be watching.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
New Ways to Follow
Just a short update with some new features. I have created a new Twitter and Facebook page for my genealogy updates, and also updated my personal website. All of these are linked at the side of this page and here.
Follow me:
- On Twitter: @geneapprentice
- On Facebook: Geneaprentice Facebook Page
- On my website for current and potential clients: http://www.sarahboehm.vpweb.com
Thanks!
Follow me:
- On Twitter: @geneapprentice
- On Facebook: Geneaprentice Facebook Page
- On my website for current and potential clients: http://www.sarahboehm.vpweb.com
Thanks!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
One Lovely Blog Award
I have received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from Donna at Hanging from the Family Tree. Thanks so much! I am sorry I took so long to respond.
Here are the rules for this award, from Donna's blog:
"Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.
Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for the award."
Here are the blogs I have chosen:
Here are the rules for this award, from Donna's blog:
"Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.
Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for the award."
Here are the blogs I have chosen:
Angela McGhie, Adventures in Genealogy Education
- Tracy Collins, The Family History Researcher
- Tami Osmer Glatz, Finding Family Stories
- Mary Staub, I'm Related to Whom?!
- Joleen Aitchison, Genealogy Your Way
- Ancestral Journeys
- Danielle, Pid Was Her Name
- Resting In Pennsylvania
- Sheryl Lazarus, A Hundred Years Ago
- Christine, Genealogy Tours of Scotland
- Jeri, Lost in the Family Tree
- Banai, The Ginger Jewish Genealogist
- Deanna Martin-Osuagwu, Totally Related
- Jacqueline, My Journey Back
- Suzie Grogan, No More Wriggling Out of Writing Woman...
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sláinte agus táinte this Saint Patrick's Day!
Since it's Saint Patrick's Day, I thought I'd take a side-step from the Brenton line to talk about some of my Irish relatives.
Only a small step, since my great-great-great grandfather, Isaac Brenton, married Jane K Johnston, an Irish woman. Jane was born around September 1839 in Ireland (according to the 1900 census), probably Northern Ireland. I don't know exactly when she immigrated, nor when she married Isaac, but I do know that she gave birth to her first child (that I know of), my great-great grandfather, Johnston Playford Brenton, on 28 Feb 1859, in East Pike Run, Washington County, Pennsylvania (according to his obituary). Isaac and Jane had seven children besides Johnston. On the 1870 census, a Thomas Johnston lived with Isaac and Jane. He is probably Jane's father, since he was 73 years old on that census, and Jane named her first son Johnston. Isaac does not appear with the family on the 1880 census, so I think that he died between 1870 and 1880. Jane would live in Washington County with her family until sometime between 1910 and 1920. She does not appear on the 1920 census; I am presuming for now that she died sometime in between those censuses.
Unfortunately, though, most of my information on Jane comes from census records. Since she and her father had such a common surname, I will have to use some different strategies to find more information than "the Johnston family from Northern Ireland." Since Jane was born around 1839, and immigrated before 1859, it seems possible that she and her father were affected by the Great Famine; but, I'll still have gather some more details on the two before a search of those records would be effective. I'm tempted to go off and do that now; but one line at a time! Hopefully gathering more information on Isaac and their children will tell more of Jane Johnston's story.
Only a small step, since my great-great-great grandfather, Isaac Brenton, married Jane K Johnston, an Irish woman. Jane was born around September 1839 in Ireland (according to the 1900 census), probably Northern Ireland. I don't know exactly when she immigrated, nor when she married Isaac, but I do know that she gave birth to her first child (that I know of), my great-great grandfather, Johnston Playford Brenton, on 28 Feb 1859, in East Pike Run, Washington County, Pennsylvania (according to his obituary). Isaac and Jane had seven children besides Johnston. On the 1870 census, a Thomas Johnston lived with Isaac and Jane. He is probably Jane's father, since he was 73 years old on that census, and Jane named her first son Johnston. Isaac does not appear with the family on the 1880 census, so I think that he died between 1870 and 1880. Jane would live in Washington County with her family until sometime between 1910 and 1920. She does not appear on the 1920 census; I am presuming for now that she died sometime in between those censuses.
Unfortunately, though, most of my information on Jane comes from census records. Since she and her father had such a common surname, I will have to use some different strategies to find more information than "the Johnston family from Northern Ireland." Since Jane was born around 1839, and immigrated before 1859, it seems possible that she and her father were affected by the Great Famine; but, I'll still have gather some more details on the two before a search of those records would be effective. I'm tempted to go off and do that now; but one line at a time! Hopefully gathering more information on Isaac and their children will tell more of Jane Johnston's story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)