TIGR 2023 Home | Course Coordinators | Course Schedules | Registration
Course 1 – “A Walk Through a Texas Courthouse”
Coordinator: Kelvin L. Meyers
Take a virtual walk through a Texas courthouse with an extensive look at all of the offices and their impact on research in Texas. Examine the structure of the courts, both county and district, and gain a better understanding of the court system. Take an in-depth examination of each county office and discuss what records are available to the genealogist including how to access and analyze those records. Participants will discuss how best to approach a trip to the courthouse and how to get the most out of that trip.
Course 2 – “Moving Up to Glory Land – The Southern States After Reconstruction towards the New Century”
Coordinator: J. Mark Lowe, FUGA
The phrase, “New South,” was coined in 1874 by Henry W. Grady, a newspaper editor in Atlanta, Georgia.
Although textile mills, tobacco factories, and new industries emerged across the South during this time, the changing financial landscape, modes of transportation, and demands on land provides additional opportunities for researchers to discover amazing new details.
Course 3 – “Legally Texas: Advanced Legal Research in the Lone Star State”
Coordinator: Judy G. Russell, CG®, CGL(sm)
This course will offer an in-depth look at the unique legal history of Texas and its impact on researching in the Lone Star State. From the lingering effects of Spanish and Mexican civil law to the frontier rules of the Republic to the clashes with settlers from the old eastern common law states, knowing how to research Texas law and its application to records is essential. Sessions will explore the laws impacting Texas’s courts, land distributions, inheritance, family relations, and more, as well as the laws of slavery and Texas’s role in the Confederacy. Students will get assistance in finding law-related records held by the major repositories including the Texas State Library and Archives and the Texas General Land Office.
Course 4 – “Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy”
Coordinator: Catherine Desmarais, CG®
Come explore your potential role in the fast-growing field of forensic genealogy. The instructors – all experienced, practicing forensic genealogists – will introduce students to a broad spectrum of topics. Classes each day will be spent exploring business practices, work products, and skill development, and also the types of work in which forensic genealogists engage. Homework and social media discussions between sessions will enhance the learning process. Students will develop the fundamental skills needed to establish or strengthen their own forensic genealogy practice.
Course 5 – “Researching Families of Mexican Descent on Both Sides of the Border”
Coordinator: Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS
This course focuses on sources, strategies, and essential background information for researching families of Mexican origin. It covers colonial Mexico (New Spain), the independent country of Mexico, and people of Mexican ancestry living in what is now the United States. Families of Spanish and then Mexican origin have been repeatedly crossing and living on both sides of what is now a 2,000-mile-long border for centuries, which has created situations unique to Mexican and Mexican American genealogy. The course emphasizes records available online while also introducing lesser-known records that need to be viewed at or requested from physical archives. It is suitable for those still new to Mexican research yet challenging enough for those with more advanced knowledge. Case studies, problem solving techniques, and active learning exercises will deepen student learning. Fluency in Spanish is not necessary, but some familiarity with reading it is helpful.
Prerequisites: Registrants need not be familiar yet with doing Mexican or U.S. Southwest research. However, registrants do need to already be familiar with basic U.S. record collections as well as how to search and navigate around major genealogy websites such as Ancestry and FamilySearch.
Course 6 – “Researching African Americans Before and After the Civil War in the U.S.“
Coordinator: Ari Wilkins
This course will discuss common African American hurdles, examine genealogical sources and case studies pertinent to African American research, and trace Southern African Americans back into the Antebellum period.
Course 7 – “Intermediate and Advanced DNA for Genealogists“
Coordinator: Paul Woodbury, AG, MEd
In this course, take your genetic genealogy research skills to the next level as you pursue genealogical proof with genetic evidence. Learn advanced analysis techniques for ethnicity, Y-DNA, mtDNA, X-DNA, and autosomal DNA. Discover how to effectively organize DNA test results and leverage key methodologies to overcome the challenges inherent in historic, endogamous, or otherwise challenging research contexts. Explore more advanced analyses including coverage analysis, chromosome mapping, segment analysis, inferred mapping, and more.
Prerequisites: Completion of an introduction to genetic genealogy course from a genealogical institute (IGHR, GRIP, SLIG, TIGR) or through a university course (BYU, BYU-Idaho, Salt Lake Community College, Boston University Certificate). Completion of other courses or equivalent experience may be approved by the coordinator.
For more information, email tigr@txsgs.org
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