History & Culture

You want to learn more about your ancestors, but your genealogy “brick walls” have you stymied. Maybe your ancestors left no records, or existing records were lost or destroyed. Trying a new approach to the problem can often pay dividends. Using case studies to illustrate successful resolution of a range of genealogical problems, this course will help you formulate better research questions, develop strategies to find the information you need, and analyze what you have found so you can finally break down those brick walls. Experience with basic genealogy research recommended, but not required.

(This course will be offered online via Canvas and Zoom. Course information, including a meeting link and login information, will be emailed to registrants within 1 week of the course start date.)

DNA test results can be overwhelming. How can you wade through thousands of DNA matches, and use them to identify relatives and common ancestors? In this course, you will learn practical methods to organize, analyze, and use the information provided by your DNA matches to determine relationships and discover new family connections. Several techniques, including shared matches, relationship verification, genetic network development, and segment analysis will be discussed and demonstrated. To benefit most from this class, students should have their autosomal DNA test results from one of the major DNA testing companies prior to class start date.

(This course will be offered online via Canvas and Zoom. Course information, including a meeting link and login information, will be emailed to registrants within 1 week of the course start date.)