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Immigration Master Class: How to Find Immigrants, Ancestral Villages and Foreign Records

Want to kick-start your research of your immigrant ancestors? The Immigration Master Class is an eight-week intensive of the following classes, giving you three courses for the price of two:

Many people get interested in genealogy because they want to learn more about where their family came from—specifically, to find out which ancestors came over from the “old country” and when. In the first part of the session, you’ll learn how to pinpoint when and where they left and how to locate records documenting their immigration.

To “cross the pond,” you need to know the name of the town or village where your ancestor lived. The second part of the Master Class 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.

After you’ve identified the immigrants in your family tree and pinpointed the place your family came from, you’re ready to begin exploring resources in the home country. The third part of our Immigrant Master Class walks you through the steps to successfully cross the pond and find your family in foreign records.

COURSE BEGINS: View upcoming course schedule for dates
COURSE LENGTH: 8 weeks
TUITION: $199.99 ($179.99 for VIP)
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa A. Alzo (Bio)

 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • How to gather immigration information about your immigrant ancestors
  • Which US sources to consult in tracing an immigrant ancestor, and what they can tell you
  • Where to look for your ancestor’s naturalization records and/or passenger list—online and offline
  • How social history and migration patterns can help you track your ancestor
  • Key immigration time periods and the factors that influenced immigrants to leave their homelands
  • Historical geography, how outside forces influenced place name changes, and terms you need to know
  • How ethnicity and religion can help you track your ancestor
  • Key tools for locating your ancestral town, such as atlases, gazetteers, maps and online resources
  • Ways to access records from countries all over the world without traveling there
  • Tips for writing to overseas archives and record offices, including sample letters
  • Guidance for interpreting foreign language documents
  • Tips for planning an overseas research trip

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

  • People who wish to learn where their family came from outside the United States
  • Descendants of fairly recent immigrants—e.g., late 19th- and early 20th-century arrivals—who have just a few generations to trace in US sources
  • Researchers who have traced a family line as far back in America as they can, and want to take their research to the next level
  • Genealogists with roots in Europe
  • Researchers who want to learn how to find and access genealogical records from other countries

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: REQUIREMENTS & SUPPLIES

  • This course assumes you understand the basics principles of genealogy and have done some investigation into your family history. If you are a total beginner, consider taking the Discover Your Family Tree course before enrolling in this class.
  • Access to Ancestry.com and other subscription genealogy databases will help you get the most from this class. Many libraries offer free on-site access to these websites.
  • An audio recorder, video camera or some other device to capture oral history interviews is recommended but not required.
  • A foreign-language/English dictionary for the language of your ancestors’ country is helpful, but not required.

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