No products in the cart.
Course Schedule
| Date | Time | Price | Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please contact us at info@toptalentlearning.com or 469-721-6100 for this course schedule. |
Overview
Overview :
Building on foundational research skills, this course goes deeper into specialized record types and research methodology: military service and pension records, immigration and migration patterns, city directories and yearbooks, historical newspapers, timelines, wills and probate, and land and tax records. Students also learn to use AI-assisted tools for transcription, translation, and research support. By the end of the course, students will be able to plan and execute an in-depth, multi-record research project and evaluate documentary evidence to reach well-supported conclusions.
Course Schedule
Week 1: Starting Your Journey & AI in Genealogy
• A research “restart” checklist: reviewing and correcting existing research
• Primary vs. secondary evidence, and research budgeting
• Advanced Boolean, wildcard, and proximity search technique
• AI-assisted research: transcription, summarization, and a structured prompting method, with attention to verification and ethics
Week 2: Military Records
• Compiled Military Service Records, draft registration, and casualty reports
• Pension applications and bounty-land warrants
• Military census schedules by year and their identifying codes
Week 3: Migration and Immigration
• Tracing an ancestor’s arrival by immigration-wave chronology, colonial era through the 20th century
• Naturalization records and ship manifests
• Westward migration, the Homestead Act, and named migration trails
Week 4: Directories and Yearbooks
• Using city directories to bridge gaps between census years
• Reading period-specific directory abbreviations and structure
• Yearbooks for identity, social context, and cluster research
Week 5: Newspapers
• Newspaper content as a substitute for missing vital records
• Advanced search technique across historical newspaper databases
• Correcting for OCR transcription error; the FAN Club (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) search strategy
Week 6: Timelines
• Building a multi-source chronological research timeline
• Layering historical and social context onto a personal timeline
• A formal gap-analysis method for brick-wall research problems
Week 7: Wills, Probate, and Property
• Core probate and estate legal terminology
• Extracting family and migration evidence from wills and probate files
• Guardianship records and multi-document probate case research
Week 8: State and Federal Census Records
• Advanced census interpretation: terminology and question design by decade
• The FAN-club / cluster-genealogy method for pre-1850 census research
• Structured, multi-year census tracking
Week 9: Land Records and Maps
• Deeds, land patents, homestead records, and military land warrants
• The federal-land-state vs. state-land-state distinction
• Plat maps and surveys for locating ancestral land and neighbors
Week 10: Taxes and Wrap-Up
• A complete tax-record taxonomy and what each type reveals
• Using tax-roll patterns to infer birth, marriage, migration, and death
• Synthesizing land, tax, census, and probate evidence into one research conclusion
FAQ
What if I have to reschedule my class due to conflict?
Ten (10) business days’ notice is required to reschedule a class with no additional fees. Notify TOPTALENT LEARNING as soon as possible at 469-721-6100 or by written notification to info@toptalentlearning.com to avoid rescheduling penalties.
How do I enroll for this class?
Please contact our team at 469-721-6100; we will gladly guide you through the online purchasing process.
What happens once I purchase a class?
You will receive a receipt and an enrollment confirmation sent to the email you submitted at purchase. Your enrollment email will have instructions on how to access the class. Any additional questions our team is here to support you. Please call us at 469-721-6100.
What is your late policy?
If a student is 15 minutes late, they risk losing their seat to a standby student. If a student is 30 minutes late or more, they will need to reschedule. A no-show fee will apply. Retakes are enrolled on a stand-by basis. The student must supply previously issued courseware. Additional fees may apply.
What happens when I finish my class?
You will receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ once you complete the class. If you purchased an exam voucher for the class, a team member from TOPTALENT LEARNING will reach out to discuss your readiness for the voucher and make arrangements to send it.