1.3 Course Structure

There is a list of resources found in the textbook’s index that are key sources of solid information about genealogical research. Students should also look at the footnotes found within each chapter for sources of additional helpful information.

Each topic in the course is designed with reading and a coordinating assignment. Most of the chapters also have exercises or examples to help students understand concepts and practice new skills. Each chapter will provide knowledge about particular types of genealogical sources. Students will have opportunities to evaluate and gain experience using and analyzing those record types as they learn how the documents apply to history and family history. The best outcome will come to pass if students participate according to the assigned schedule, completing the readings, working through the exercises, and finishing the assignments along the way.

Historian and former executive director of the Congregational Library and Archives Margaret Bendroth reminds us, “Though the topic is the meaning of the past, we are really working toward a richer, more complex understanding of our own time and place.”1 By looking outside, one discovers hidden gems within.