Registration for four courses through the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research are currently open. Visit http://vigrgenealogy.com/schedule/ for more information about these and other future courses. 24–31 January 2015: J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA, “Preparing the Field: Understanding the Agricultural Records of our Ancestors” Most researchers have at least one ancestor who practiced the ancient science of Agriculture (i.e. Farmers), or provided related services. The records created about these ancestors can help us paint a clearer picture of the Agricultural efforts of this ancestor, his neighbors, and the larger community. This course will outline the records that exist, provide hands-on activity using these records, and provide the steps to build a profile of the researched individual. Farming is more than tilling the soil or raising cattle. While using available resources, students will learn how to collect and develop a profile for a farm family. We will learn what tasks or procedures were required to raise crops or livestock to market. Assignments will help students see how the resources fit together, and be able to discuss a complete farm profile. Students will be given a reading assignment for preparation and several hands-on activities to reinforce their understanding. 21–28 February 2015: Maureen Taylor, “Family Photographs: Identifying, Preserving, and Sharing Your Visual Heritage” Family photograph collections come in all sizes and shapes. It’s possible that a single photo can unlock a genealogical mystery if you know what to look for and how to examine the evidence. Taking care of those precious images is simple if you understand the do’s and don’ts of photo care and storage. It’s natural to want to share what you’ve learned about your family history including your pictures, but it’s important to be aware of how to share images on the internet and the best places to do so. This course introduces basic photo identification from types of pictures to fashion clues as well as common sense photo preservation strategies. The final lecture explores websites for joining the online photo community. 23 February, 2 March, 9 March, and 16 March 2015: F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German I: The ABCs of Gothic” F. Warren Bittner, CG, is a genealogical researcher and lecturer. He is a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He holds a Master of Science degree in history from Utah State University. His master’s thesis looked at the social factors affecting illegitimacy in nineteenth-century Bavaria. He has coordinated German research tracks at the Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. For six years he was the German Collection Manager for the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He has done research in more than fifty German archives and in more than forty U.S. archives and record repositories. 7–14 March 2015: Donna Moughty, “Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors” Success in Irish research is highly dependent on discovering the exact location in Ireland of ones ancestors and typically clues to the location are in records in the United States (or other country where they settled). Although researching in Ireland can be a wonderful experience, research at home is key to successfully identifying your Irish ancestor. In the first session we’ll identify the problems inherent in Irish research due to the destruction of records in the Public Records Office fire in 1922, as well as the government’s destruction of census records. We’ll define the administrative districts of Ireland and the records kept within each jurisdiction and look at the types of records in North American that can help identify your ancestor’s place of origin. The subsequent sessions will look at other record groups, both online and off, to continue your research in Ireland. The focus will be on major collections such as civil registration, land and tax records, and church records. In each case, strategies for effectively utilizing these records will be presented. Because of Irish naming patterns there are frequently multiple people of the same name living in the same area. The assignments for this course will focus on strategies for using multiple resources to identify your specific ancestor. Michael Hait, CG(sm) [email protected] http://www.haitfamilyresearch.com Author of *Online State Resources for Genealogy* ebook More information at http://haitfamilyresearch.com/onlineStates.htm CG and Certified Genealogist are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic competency evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.