Spotlight on Courses: Advanced Land and Maps | Genealogical …
I have found that nothing feels as good as a supportive spouse when you take on a hobby or passion such as genealogy. Better yet is being married to another genealogist. Rick and Pam Sayre are one such couple who exhibit their passion for genealogy through the lectures and courses they teach including “Advanced Land Research: Locating, Analyzing, and Mapping.”
We are honored to have the couple at GRIP again this year, this time teaching a hands-on course all about land research. Last year GRIP audiences got just a taste of this dynamic duo’s instructional methods in the popular evening lecture on Google Earth. This and more awaits their students in this July’s course. Check out the exact lecture titles, descriptions, and schedule (including computer lab time) to see if this is the course for you this year.
Advanced Land Research: Locating, Analyzing, and Mapping
by Pam Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL and Rick Sayre, CG, CGL
Land genealogy is equally as important as people genealogy if you hope to solve those family mysteries. Until the twentieth century America was primarily an agrarian society, and most of our ancestors bought, sold, leased, inherited, or otherwise touched land at some point in their lives.
Don’t be fooled into thinking a deed will merely provide a name, a date, and a boring description of a piece of land. In fact, investigating the land records of your ancestors can yield rich details about their lives and relationships, migrations, wealth (or lack thereof), and occupations.
Should you take this advanced land research course? If you have a good foundation knowledge of basic genealogical principles, you should be ready. Perhaps you’ve taken Pam Sayre’s Techniques and Technology course at Samford’s IGHR, Paula Stuart-Warren’s American Research and Records course at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the NGS Home Study Course, or Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program. Any of these courses or their equivalent should have prepared you to succeed in this advanced land course.
Register now while there’s space available, and then roll up your sleeves. We’ll work hard learning the history of land in the United States, how our ancestors might have acquired theirs—from the “40-acres and a mule” small dirt farmer to the greedy developers who lapped up thousands of acres to the soldiers who received bounty land as partial payment for their service. We’ll meet them all and get to know them well, and you’ll learn how to do the same kind of research for your ancestors.
The half-day hands-on computer lab reinforces classroom learning. You’ll learn to use websites and programs such as DeedMapper platting software, Google Earth, and Earthpoint to visualize land plats and see the terrain and surroundings where ancestors lived. Students will share lab computers for these structured exercises.
Please come join us in Pittsburgh. We’ll work hard and have a lot of fun! (Enrollment limited to 30 students.)
