Fun with Family Tree Maker
Organized files.  Photo storage.  Beautiful forms.  Self-published book.  All this is possible with Family Tree Maker software available from genealogy.com.  This class will show the participant the ins and outs of FTM usage. 

How to Use a Genealogy Library
This virtual tour of a genealogy library will help the participant the next time they go researching at a library of any size.  Whether it’s the first time or the ninety-ninth time they have entered the doors, this class will help them to find new information housed in any library.  They will learn library terminology and how to find the gems hidden in the corners.

 Looking for Your “Indian Princess”
 The Dawes Roll (1898) and the Guion Miller Roll (1909) are the premier tools for Native American research.  Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes were included in the “census”.  Information on the rolls, finding aids and indexes will be discussed. 

Military Records at the Genealogy & Local History Library
When asked to think military, pension files, service records and unit histories come to mind.  But there are many nontraditional sources that can help us track our ancestors’ military service.  The Draper Manuscripts, Antebellum Southern Plantation Records, county histories and census forms also contain valuable military information.  Join teacher Angela McComas as she demonstrates research techniques and shares examples from these and other records available at the Genealogy & Local History Branch of Mid-Continent Public Library.

PAF to the Rescue
A FREE genealogy program?  How good can it be?  Join this class to look at Personal Ancestry File 5.0 available as a free download at www.familysearch.org.  Print charts, forms and reports that look professional. 

Septs, Clans, and Leprechauns
Irish genealogy is more than shamrocks and St. Patrick.  The Green Isle is home to Gaelic, British, French, and German families.  This class will explore the “native” population of Ireland, immigration patterns, and records for Irish genealogy research. 

Ten-Year County: Census Research
This class explores the United States Federal Census from its beginnings in the Constitution to the newest records available in 2002.  Topics will include the census process, how information was gathered, what information was gathered, and common errors in reading and interpreting census data.  If time allows, discussion will include state census information and census images online.

Treasure Hunt (Internet access helpful, but not necessary.)
Sometimes you just have to go digging in the original sources.  Taking a trip to research your family history has more to do with the planning than the actual travel.  This class will help you develop a checklist of materials and questions to take with you as you walk in your ancestor’s footsteps.  Internet and query sources will be investigated.

Unlocking the Past – Beginning Genealogy
This class looks at the fundamentals of beginning and organizing a family research project.  Home sources, vital records, census records, and research in print, microform, and Internet venues will be discussed.

Using ILL Without Getting a Headache  (Internet access helpful, but not necessary.)
Your library doesn’t have everything you need?  Unbelievable!!!  Using InterLibrary Loan expands the walls of your library to encompass a world of information.  Come learn how to order microfilmed newspapers from across the country, books from other libraries, and films from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT.  Techniques will cover Internet sources and archival research. 

Where In The WWW Are They?  Beginning Internet Research (Internet access helpful, but not necessary.)
The participant will learn how to sort through the thousands of hits found during a genealogical Internet search.  This class will focus on search techniques, evaluating websites, and researching some of the best genealogy sites on the Web.

Snail Mail Genealogy
Letters to relatives. Letters to courthouses. Letters to societies. Family historians write a lot of letters. If you're not, you should be. This course will go over the basic format for a query letter and discuss tips on increasing the success rate of your correspondence.

Location, Location, Location – Using Land Records to Trace Family History
Land was a symbol of power and wealth.  Following land transactions can help researchers track the family’s move across the country.  Analyzing these records can also help distinguish one man from another.  Land records survived when other records didn’t because they were reconstructed as soon as possible after a courthouse disaster.  This class will also explore how to locate records through county courthouses, published sources, state archives, online records and microfilm. 

Reading Writatous Wordmongery

Didn’t they teach penmanship way back when?  This class will provide the tools to help you work with old handwriting styles and archaic language.

Genealogy Research with a Pro

Have you hit a brick wall?  Have you done everything you can think of to find great-great-grandfather John?  Maybe it’s time to pick someone else’s brain and hire a professional.  These researchers know of records not readily accessible to the amateur genealogist.  Topics will include choosing and working with a professional genealogist.