'Tracing the History of Your House and Home' - a new course

I am starting an exciting new course entitled Tracing the History of Your House and Home.

Having written house histories for a number of years I feel I’ve got the process down to a manageable series of steps which I can pass on to others.

House histories weave together many stories, but cover two distinct strands. The story of who lived in a home, what they did there and what social factors cause the occupants to change is one part. Secondly, the story of the structure of the building can reveal what rooms were originally used for and how a house has been modified and expanded over time.

I am joined by Dr. Sarah Edwards in teaching this course. Sarah is an architectural historian with eight years university lecturing experience, she has also taught adult education classes for the past five years.

Together we will guide students through using historical records and physical analysis to build up a complete picture of a house and its occupants over the ages.

The course runs over two terms, the first is 11 September – 4 November 2010. The second term is from 5 February – 2 April 2011. Tutorials take place between 10am-2pm every alternate Saturday in the Town Close Room, Theatre Royal, Norwich.

Four of the 10 sessions will be field trips with opportunities to try out skills in practical situations. The course costs £375 and can be paid in instalments. There is a £25 discount to those choosing to pay the whole course fee up-front.

Tutorial and field trip dates are as follows:

Term 1: September 11th to November 6th 2010
September 11th Theatre Royal
September 25th Theatre Royal
October 9th Field Trip
October 23rd Field Trip
November 6th Theatre Royal

Term Two: February 5th February 19th April 2nd
February 5th Theatre Royal
February 19th Theatre Royal
March 5th Field Trip
March 19th Field Trip
April 2nd Theatre Royal

Free Access to 1911 census & other records during world cup matches on Find My Past

Free Access to Find My Past website during world cup games. http://www.findmypast.co.uk/home.jsp

See their website notice:


CALLING ALL WORLD CUP WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS!


The World Cup is now upon us and we thought it would only be fair to provide some entertainment for any non-football fans out there:


Whenever England play a match, you'll be able to access all our records for free!*


What you need to know about this fantastic offer:
- When England play, you don't pay: 30 minutes before each England game kicks off, all the records on findmypast.co.uk will be free to view for 3 hours
- You can view original images and transcriptions of all our records for free including birth, marriage and death records 1538-2006, census records including the 1911 census and our Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records 1760-1913 - to name just a few
- Normally you would need a subscription or PayAsYouGo credits to view our records - some of which normally cost 30 credits each - so to be able to see them for free is a rare opportunity
- Keep an eye on our blog for a competition question to enter during each England match. You'll need to answer all the questions correctly for a chance to win, so make sure you don't miss any. The prize is a goodie bag containing a digital camera, vouchers for a year's Full subscription plus much more


All you need to do to make use of this unique offer is register on findmypast.co.uk as you'll need to sign in to view the records. Visit our World Cup page for more information.


If you need a helping hand with your research, take a look at our video tutorials or our Getting Started page which provide clear advice on how to use our records.


We'd love to hear about any discoveries you make while our records are free to view - post anything you'd like to share with us and our readers on our Facebook page.


Please pass this on to friends, family or anyone else you think might want to make the most of our free family history records.


*All records available using our Full subscription (including the 1911 Census) will be free: Living Relatives searches and Memorial scrolls are not included.

Become a Better Genealogist

Become a Better Genealogist in England & Wales. Online course starts 10th June with Pharos Teaching & Tutoring. Tutor Gill Blanchard. Cost £49.99
http://www.pharostutors.com/

Become a Better Genealogist: Research in England and Wales (#101)
Genealogists who get results pay attention to methods, sources and the essential foundations of all research, history and geography. Regardless of how long you have been searching, there is something in this course that will make you a better genealogist. The lessons pay particular attention to how you tackle research problems, where you can find sources, and how to extract maximum value from online databases. Among classes of records discussed during the course you will discover some materials are available only in archives and libraries. You will learn how to locate original records, transcripts and copies. By the end of the course you will have acquired new skills and gained a better understanding of effective research techniques - from the present back to the 1830s.
Instructor: Gill Blanchard
Looking Around: Your Genealogical Landscape, present resources and past locations
Introducing Databases: large, small, free, paid etc.
Civil Registration
Directories and Electoral Registers
Census Returns
Parish Registers
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
STUDENTS SAID: "everything was well laid out and explained" "I enjoyed the support of the tutor and the other members of the class."Become a Better Genealogist: Research in England and Wales (#101)

Life, love and death on the ocean waves

The Index of Births Marriages and Deaths is one of the best transcribed and studied collections of documents in family history research. What many people often overlook is that there is also the index of Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea.

A person being born, married or dying on a ship is often part of a much more interesting story than if such an event occurs on land. Findmypast.co.uk is setting up an online database where anyone can join in on transcribing records from the index of Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea between 1854 and 1888.

These records could explain how a great aunt got onto a boat for America and came off with a different surname, or perhaps how a second cousin went on a voyage and returned with a child in tow. Clear instructions and a simple interface will be provided by the people running the project, so if you've got a computer and a broadband connection there's nothing to stop you getting involved.