Colletta, John Phillip. Great Courses Audio.

Great courses

Lecturer: John Phillip Colletta

Genealogy is a journey of self-discovery that can teach you as much about yourself as about those who came before you. But there's an obstacle that holds many of us back from unearthing our family history: uncertainty about how to go about it. With Dr. Colletta's 15 lectures, you'll learn the same skills and methodologies the experts use to solve genealogical mysteries, to create compelling nonfiction narratives, and to uncover information from the long-forgotten past in the most effective ways possible. These lectures provide you with smart and savvy ways to find-and use-the most helpful online and print resources available today, including U.S. population censuses, the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), and the National Archives and Records Administration. You'll also learn tools of the trade for working with these and other sources, as well as countless tips for making your own research more useful. You'll also discover how to write engaging historical narratives that can inform and entertain family members or general audiences. You'll explore seven steps for personalizing biographical facts; specific ways to construct and narrate the timeline of an ancestor from birth to death; four fundamental questions you need answers to before you start writing about your ancestors; and more. So grab that old photograph, sit down with an elderly relative, comb through old records, and prepare to embark on a personal adventure that can dramatically reshape how you think about your past - and yourself. All Lectures: 1. Interviewing Kin and Mining Home Sources 2. Genealogy Online-Gems and Junk 3. The Library-Shelves Full of Family History 4. Military Service and Homestead Records 5. How to Build Historical Context 6. Your Ancestors in Ship Passenger Lists 7. Your Ancestors in Naturalization Records 8. The Genealogical Proof Standard 9. Your Ancestors in the County Courthouse 10. Your Ancestors in State Records 11. How to Write Biography 12. Dos and Don'ts of Writing History 13. Searching in Your Ancestors' Backyards 14. Assembling an Account of Your Discoveries 15. Extending Your Family Tree Overseas

Mode of access: World Wide Web