It’s time to start planning some ways we can enhance our genealogy skills and find our hidden ancestors. Here are four digital sources that can help:
— The first suggestion I have to offer is no surprise: www.ancestry.com. Just log onto the site; you don’t have to be a subscriber. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the “support center,” and click on that. On the following page you’ll see the “learning center” at the top of the page. One of the drop-down options is webinars. The user can see them by title or date. Topics include Ancestry.com features, ethnic research and FamilyTree Maker training.
— FamilySearch gets in on this trend as well. Go to https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Research_Process. That page has some good steps to follow when doing your ancestry research. On that page is also an offer to “Search Learning and How-To’s.” I went to “Instruction and Methodology” and found some online presentations there.
— Lisa Louise Cooke is another great source for online instruction. Her specialty is “The Genealogy Gems Podcast.” She gives the participant monthly episodes of “inspiration and innovation” that last about 30 to 45 minutes. You can subscribe and receive episodes in your e-mail as they are produced, or select them through her website. Either way, they’re completely free, and can be played on your regular computer, iPod, iPhone or iPad. Visit www.GenealogyGems.com.
— YouTube is also on the genealogy bandwagon. Go to https://www.youtube.com/channels?q=genealogy. Lessons are found by topic and the organization producing them. I noted contributions by Allen County Public Library and the National Genealogical Society, for example.
Have some fun while picking up research tips.
Emily Schroeder runs a genealogy club at the Maine State Library.