New NGS Course: Transcribing, Extracting & Abstracting Genealogical Documents

NGS Introduces New Online Course: 

Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents

The National Genealogical Society today announced its newest course in our Continuing Genealogical Studies series: Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents. The course is designed to teach family historians the skills needed to examine, analyze, and apply information accurately from any kind of document to further their genealogical research. It serves both as a refresher course for the experienced genealogist and as a comprehensive tutorial for those who are working to acquire these skills.

The purpose of family history research is not merely to trace your ancestors but also to prove their relationships in your family tree. Simply duplicating documents will not accomplish these goals. The way to build a family tree accurately and successfully is through the careful examination and analysis of those documents. This can be accomplished by fully transcribing a document, extracting selected portions, or abstracting the important information while leaving the nonessential legal language out.

In a step-by-step format, Julie Miller, CG®, CGLSM, FNGS, a full-time professional researcher, speaker, and writer, teaches how to transcribe, extract, and abstract documents along with when to use each process. The course includes multiple examples, videos, and guidelines for working with deeds and wills as well as other types of documents. The many exercises in each of the ten modules give students hands-on experience working with documents and refining their skills. To learn more about Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents, visit the NGS website.