Heritage

Many of the challenges genealogists face stem from the specific ancestries they’re researching. Some overseas ancestral origins, having the most complete and accessible records going back the furthest in time, are smooth research sailing. On the other hand, certain foreign ancestries represent the most intractable challenges of record availability, accessibility and usability. To help you navigate these ancestral waters, we offer ethnicity-specific classes to focus your research.

Choose from the courses listed below to discover your ethnic ancestry.

Irish Research 101

More than 30 million Americans claim Irish ancestry — that’s more than seven times the 4.2 million living in the Republic of Ireland today. If you’re among them, Irish Research 101 will help you trace your roots back to the Emerald Isle.
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Irish Research 201

Take your Irish research to the next level by learning advanced techniques and tools for finding your Emerald Isle roots. You’ll collaborate with other students to further develop the skills you need to build an effective research plan using Irish genealogical records.
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Find Your German Roots

To successfully trace your German ancestors, you need an understanding of Germany’s history, its records and your family’s path to America.
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German Genealogy 201

Building on our course Find Your German Roots: From America to Deutschland, this class focuses on skills German researchers need to dig deeper into their families’ pasts. You’ll learn tricks for reading German script and type, what the Family History Library system can contribute to your research, and how to track down German ancestors who lived outside of today’s Germany.
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Discovering Your Czech and Slovak Roots

Trace your Czech or Slovak roots back to the old country. This course teaches you how to overcome the challenges of East European genealogy.
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Finding African-American Ancestors in Newspapers: Research Strategies for Success

This course will equip you with key background information for newspaper research, expose myths pertaining to the use of white newspapers, and give you the skill and confidence to seek out and utilize African-American newspapers.
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Hungarian Genealogy 101

Trace your Hungarian roots from America to the old country. This course teaches you the how to use key records and overcome challenges of genealogy in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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Tracing Immigrants

Link your family tree to the “old country” by learning how to identify an immigrant ancestor and document his or her arrival to America.
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Finding Your Ancestral Village

Most genealogists hope to “cross the pond” as quickly as possible—but to do that, you need to know the name of the town or village where your ancestor lived. This course will teach you how identify your ancestor’s place of origin, show you the key tools you need to do so and give you an overview of the factors that likely influenced an immigrant’s decision to leave home.
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Research in Foreign Records: How to Find Your Family Across the Pond

After you’ve identified the immigrant in your family tree and pinpointed the place your family came from, you’re ready to begin exploring resources in the country. The third course in our immigrant research series walks you through the steps to successfully cross the pond and find your family in foreign records.
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