Thank you to Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy for the opportunity to be an ambassador for the Intermediate Foundations course.
I’m going back to school! Extremely excited and honored to be taking the Intermediate Foundations course with the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) as an ambassador this fall.
It’s the perfect next step in my family history journey! My baby is starting kindergarten and I’m ready to put my self-taught family history skills to the test. Time to see how they measure up against genealogical standards. I’m also eager to strengthen my knowledge base and add to my tool bag of tricks – lots of brick walls to break down still!
Why now? Let me explain with a little background.
How I got started with family history
My formal genealogy training consists of two family history courses for religion credit from Ricks College in the early 2000s. From there I became the most passionate do-it-yourself learner. I found myself a mentor in my great aunt who tasked me with searches for photos and newspaper articles. Read more about those early days here.
Always moving forward, I have learned on the go – gathering resources from RootsTech, books, webinars, family history libraries, and anyone who would answer my questions.
“My family tree has been my classroom, and my brick walls are my syllabi.”
Leaning into my strengths – social media and journalistic research – has served me well! I have a Bachelor’s in Communication and completed coursework for a Master’s in Marriage Family Human Development. These definitely gave me a tremendous head start with my research skills!
Over the past five years, I’ve established myself as a resource for social media-based family history and every-day family history. Both topics I love and teach/share often about. But I am always looking at what is next in my genealogy journey. What skills do I need to develop/polish as I continue discovering and sharing family history?
What’s Next for My Family History Journey
Lately, I’ve felt the call to dig deeper and formalize my genealogy training. I’ve been learning as much as I can get my hands on – it’s time to put my DIY research methods to the test and see how they measure up to industry standards! That’s where the Intermediate Foundations course with Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) comes in! It’s part of SLIG Fall Virtual 2022.
When I read the course description, I knew it was my next step:
“Students who select this course already have some experience in genealogy, either self-taught or from a beginner’s course. They’re looking to enhance their research skills from home around their busy schedule but still receive an in-depth, institute-intense course, and build on their existing knowledge and experience. The course will expand their ability to find and analyze intermediate record types such as local and federal land, military, immigration, and naturalization, and find the underlying laws. They’ll also learn how to conduct research using best practices and following genealogical standards.”
Here’s what I am excited about:
- The class meets once a week virtually via Zoom while my children are in school. Get myself some snacks and treat myself to a weekly afternoon of family history learning? Yes, please!
- I’ve scratched the surface of looking at military, immigration, and naturalization records, but I haven’t even touched local and federal land records. I’m currently stuck on a Roser ancestor in New York and have some records I’d like to look at more critically. This will be an ideal opportunity to learn/polish skills to help me do that.
- The course is hands-on. I’ll get to practice my skills on original records.
- There’s professional feedback and networking opportunities in class and the private Facebook group. Often in my research, if I get stuck on a question – I go to social media Facebook groups or Twitter chats and cross my fingers for help. No need to cross fingers for this course! Help is provided!
Speaking of help and teachers, I am looking forward to learning from all of these experts during the Intermediate Foundations course.
- Annette Burke Lyttle, MA
- Angie Bush, MS
- Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
- Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL
- Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR
- Kimberly T. Powell
- Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
- Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
- Michael L. Strauss, AG
- Rich Venezia
Classes start September 8th so there is still time to register! As of August 1st, there are still seats available for SLIG Fall Virtual for the following courses: Intermediate Foundations, Advanced Hispanic Research, Overcoming Record Loss, and Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum. Registration is available here.
I am excited to share this next family history adventure with you! I love that I will be able to learn from the comfort of my own home and further my own family history research at the same time. It’s all about taking that next step forward!
As part of the class, I get to choose a personal family history project to apply my new skills to. Stay tuned for more on that! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter for monthly updates.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your recent family history adventures in the comments or on this social media post! What discoveries have you made lately? Are there tools/educational opportunities that have helped you? And if you have attended SLIG, any tips for this first-timer?!?
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