We at the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research had to make a difficult but necessary call to postpone Michael Strauss’s course, “Drafted, Deserted, and Volunteered: A Comprehensive Study of your Civil War Ancestors.” All currently registered students were notified of our decision privately yesterday morning.

Michael is on the east coast this week, in the path of Hurricane Joaquin. He has already had to leave the area to avoid a loss of electricity and/or flooding. The moderator for the course is in the same situation. For everyone’s safety, the best course of action is to reschedule.

The course is now tentatively rescheduled for December 5 and 12, at the same times (11:00am and 1:00pm Eastern (New York) Time). We will make another announcement once the dates have been confirmed.

The good news is that there is still time to register for this course. Go beyond just the volunteer army records that are so often discussed and learn about records of the other branches of the military!

Thanks for understanding!

Registration will close this Thursday night for our next course “Digging in Federal Land Records,” with Angela Packer McGhie. The course will begin Saturday morning, 19 September 2015, at 11:00am (U. S. Eastern).

Millions of Americans obtained land from the federal government either by purchase, donation, bounty land, or homesteading. The records created by these land transactions can be valuable for locating an ancestor in a particular time and place, and may also contain useful family information. Some land files include a detailed description of improvements to the land, evidence of military service, proof of naturalization, or testimony from neighbors.

This course will cover the distribution of land in the thirty public land states to individuals from 1798 to 1976. The sessions will take an in-depth look at the process for obtaining land, the records created, and the genealogical value they contain. You will learn about the surveying process and legal land descriptions, the Acts of Congress that authorized different types of transactions, the process for applying for land, and what can be found online and only onsite at NARA. We will examine records from each type of land transaction, including private land claims, bounty land warrants, cash and credit entries, homesteads, and donation land.

Angela Packer McGhie is a professional genealogist who has focused her career in genealogy education. She is the coordinator for the Intermediate Genealogy course at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford University, and the coordinator of the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). She served as the administrator of the ProGen Study Program from 2008-2014 and is now on the board of directors. Angela has been an instructor at the National Institute for Genealogy Research (NIGR) in Washington, D.C., the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.

Click here for more information and to register for the course!

Registration is now open for “Jewish Family History Research I,” with Nancy C. Levin, CG. The course will be held on four consecutive Thursday evenings, from 1 October through 22 October 2015. This is different from the usual schedule of consecutive Saturday mornings, so that it will not cause a conflict for those observing Shabbat.

The Plus option is also available for this course.

This course will focus on Ashkenazi Jewish family history research through ca. 1924. Brief overviews of cultural and religious traditions which are key to effective Ashkenazi Jewish genealogical research will be provided as will resources and research tools that can help the researcher track their families from the United States back into Europe. Specific topics include (but are not limited to) orthography and its affect on research; names and naming patterns; religious documents; gravestone inscriptions and landsmanshaftn burial societies; on-line research tools; JewishGen.org; SIGs (Special Interest Groups); and more. Some examples of early 20th century and 19th century overseas records will be provided.

The sessions will flow successively, with each evening’s material building on the material from the previous lecture. There will be handouts and homework which will require access to the Internet and Ancestry.com (a subscription-based website which is often available at local public libraries).

Nancy C. Levin, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist specializing in Jewish family history research. She has successfully traced 19th and 20th century United States immigrants and their descendants throughout the United States and then back into the “old country,” i.e., the Russian Empire (Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia); Alsace-Lorraine (France); Bavaria (Germany); Holland (the Netherlands); Galicia (Austria); England; and other locales.

Nancy has lectured internationally on topics pertaining to Jewish genealogy, immigration, and more. Past venues have included the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Society (IAJGS) annual conferences where Nancy led the Beginner’s Workshops in Jewish Genealogy for nine years. Nancy has written for AVOTAYNU: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy and is the author of two chapters in the Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 2004). Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont, a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University, and has been certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) with a specialty in Jewish genealogy since 1997.

Click here for more information and to register for the course!

Recordings for the Institute’s most recent course, “A Day in the Revolution: Researching Your Soldier” with Craig Roberts Scott, CG, FUGA, are now available for purchase in the Virtual Institute Store.

Researching your Revolutionary War soldier consists of understanding the war, the organizations created by the war, and the records created during the war and its aftermath. It requires a research strategy. Compiled Military Service Records are incomplete. Pension application files lead to other records. Pension ledgers and pension payments are generally ignored. Last and final payments can provide information not found in pension application files. Bounty land files may explain family migration.

All course recording packages contain the four lecture recordings, all syllabus material, and all assignments and answer keys. These packages are available for $69.99.

In addition to Craig’s course, the following course packages are also available:

• Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD, “(Finally!) Understanding Autosomal DNA”
• F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German I: The ABCs of Gothic”
• F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German II: Introduction to German Church Books”
• F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German III: Fraktur, Civil Records, and Pre-Printed Forms”
• Billie Stone Fogarty, M. Ed. and Rick Fogarty, “Verifying the Family Legend of Native American Ancestry”
• Michael Hait, CG, “Writing Logical Proof Arguments”
• J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA, “Preparing the Field: Understanding the Agricultural Records of our Ancestors”
• Paul Milner, “An In-Depth Look at the ‘Big Four’ Records of English Research”
• Donna Moughty, “Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors”
• Craig Roberts Scott, CG, FUGA, “A Day in the Revolution: Researching Your Soldier”
• Maureen Taylor, “Family Photographs: Identifying, Preserving, and Sharing Your Visual Heritage”

Registration is now open for “Drafted, Deserted, and Volunteered: A Comprehensive Study of your Civil War Ancestors,” with Michael L. Strauss, AG. The course will be held on two consecutive Saturdays, 3 and 10 October 2015. The Plus option is also available for this course.

Historians and genealogists alike have studied the Civil War for many years. It has become very popular to visit battlefields to watch reenactments and see where you ancestors fought. These lectures focus on records and research strategies that will aid genealogists in obtaining more information about a civil war soldier and the organizations in which they served.

When examining Civil War sources, Compiled Service Records focused on the life of your ancestors while in service. Post war records of the Reconstruction Era emphasized how our nation sought to come together again. Discover how each of your family members was affected by the war, whether they provided aid to wounded soldiers on the battlefield, trod the quarterdeck of an ironclad, or remained on the home front with the civilian population. Discover how the war changed their lives.

Michael L. Strauss, AG, is an professional Accredited Genealogist for the Eastern States Region with the International Commission of Accredited Professional Genealogists (ICAPGEN) and a national genealogical lecturer.  A native of Pennsylvania and a resident of Virginia, He has been an avid genealogist for more than 35 years. Strauss holds a BA in History and is a United States Coast Guard veteran. He currently serves as President of the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society and is a licensed Private Investigator in Virginia and qualified expert witness in probate/estate matter in court in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Additionally he is an approved genealogist with the United States Army to locate DNA qualified persons MIA from Korea, Vietnam, and World War II.  In 2012 Michael Strauss was the film historian for the 2014 film “Finding Vivian Maier” where he was interviewed.  Michael has been involved in Civil War reenacting for more than 25 years, serving in two units, namely; the 99th New York Infantry and Battery A., 5th U.S. Artillery. He most recently took part in the 150th Anniversaries of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Cedar Creek.

Click here for more information and to register for the course!

Registration will close this Thursday night for our next course “A Day in the Revolution: Researching Your Soldier,” with Craig R. Scott, CG. The course will begin Saturday morning, 1 August 2015, at 11:00am (U. S. Eastern).

Researching your Revolutionary War soldier consists of understanding the war, the organizations created by the war, and the records created during the war and its aftermath. It requires a research strategy. Compiled Military Service Records are incomplete. Pension application files lead to other records. Pension ledgers and pension payments are generally ignored. Last and final payments can provide information not found in pension application files. Bounty land files may explain family migration.

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA, is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Revised) and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). He has authored seventeen books and several articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Family Chronicle, and other genealogical publications. He is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 5,300 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, on the editorial board of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and is a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. A faculty member for several years of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (Samford University) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and recently the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh. He is the coordinator for the 2nd Annual Heritage Books Genealogical Conference and Cruise. He was awarded the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award in 2008 and UGA Silver Tray Award in 2009. He became a Fellow, Utah Genealogical Association in 2014.

Click here for more information and to register for the course!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research Announces Upcoming Courses and Offers Memorial Day Drawing for Free Course

RALEIGH, North Carolina, 22 May 2015. Registration is currently open for six upcoming courses offered by the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research.

“We are very excited about these new courses, covering genetic genealogy; English, German and Native American research; and U.S. federal land and Revolutionary War records,” said co-administrator Michael Hait, CG. “The response to our courses has been outstanding! The Virtual Institute is an excellent option for in-depth genealogical education, especially for those with limited travel options.”

In celebration of Memorial Day, the Virtual Institute is also offering a drawing for everyone who registers for a course between Friday, 22 May 2015 and Monday, 25 May 2015 at midnight (U.S. Eastern). Each registrant will be entered into the drawing to win a free additional course ($69.99 value). Those registering for multiple courses will receive multiple entries. Three winners will be drawn. The prizes can be applied to any standard course prior to 31 December 2016, not including the original course registration.

Registration for the following courses is currently open:

• Paul Milner, “An In-Depth Look at the Big Four Records of English Research,” 30 May–6 June 2015
• F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German III: Practice Reading German Church Records,” 8 June, 15 June, 22 June, 29 June 2015
• Bille Stone Fogarty, MEd, and Rick Fogarty, “Verifying the Family Legend of Native American Ancestry,” 20 June–27 June 2015
• Craig R. Scott, CG, “A Day in the Revolution: Researching Your Soldier,” 1 August–8 August 2015
• Angela McGhie, “Digging in Federal Land Records,” 19 September–26 September 2015
• Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD, “Genetic Genealogy for the Professional Genealogist,” 7 November–14 November 2015

About the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research

The Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research offers year-round online education on a wide variety of genealogical subjects. Each course consists of six hours of live instruction, extensive syllabus material, and practical exercises. Limited class sizes and a Plus course option allow for a higher level of class participation and instructor feedback than typically offered by genealogy webinars. For more information visit www.vigrgenealogy.com or email [email protected].