There’s a new feature on Ancestry.com
called “Ancestry Academy.”
There are quite a few courses you can take on
a variety of genealogy subjects. Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings wrote a great
blog post about it here.
I decided to take a test drive and went through the 1940
Census class because it was free. In fact the classes using Ancestry’s products
such as Fold3 and FamilyTreeMaker are free.
"You Found What in the 1940 Census?" with Anne
Gillespie Mitchell was about an hour long but presented in short 4-5 minute
segments so you don’t have to complete it all in one setting. I have been using
the 1940 census since it has been available but I still learned quite a bit
from this course.
Each segment begins with the learning objectives. The
learning objectives are reviewed again after the presentation. The images all
through the presentation were very clear and great searching tips are given as
well. Many of the points she made can be applied to the other U.S. census
records as well. Besides learning about each column on the census sheet, she
covered how to present the data and write the source citation. Anne Mitchell’s
presentation of the subject was superb.
At the conclusion, there is a test to test your
comprehension of the material. You have all the time needed to complete the
test. I passed with a 100% and received a certificate of completion, shown here.
I recommend trying out the free courses, especially this
1940 census class.
Copyright © 2015 by Contra Costa County Genealogical Society.
