Probate records are crucial—but sometimes overlooked—sources for family historians. This online course will provide an in-depth tutorial on how to understand, locate, and leverage wills, inventories, guardianships, and other probate records in your family history research.

Available for purchase until:

If you have Catholic Ancestors, there is a wealth of information available when it comes to family history research. The Catholic Church keeps meticulous records of its congregants, and there are many records documenting baptisms, marriages, and more, which can help you trace your Catholic ancestors. Join us for this 5-session online seminar, where we’ll discuss the records, repositories, and strategies for tracing your Catholic ancestors.

Available for purchase until:

Scots have been migrating to and settling in America and Canada for centuries. Today, there are an estimated 25 million Americans of Scottish descent. Tracing your Scottish heritage is rewarding, but not without its challenges. This four-session online seminar will provide you with key historical context, strategies, and resources setting you on the right path to trace your ancestry back several generations in Scotland.

Available for purchase until:

Enemies for centuries, the British and French frequently found common ground on art—French art, that is! Join Curator of Special Collections Curt DiCamillo for a brilliantly illustrated exposé of French design and decorative arts within British townhouses, country estates, and palaces.

Available for purchase until:

In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he acknowledged the soldiers who fought and died in battle declaring, “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” This online course will delve into the many primary and published resources that exist to document your ancestors’ role in the Civil War and their contributions to either the Union or Confederate cause.

Available for purchase now:

Join the Jewish Heritage Center for an exclusive online program in which historian Dr. Jonathan Sarna and shoe designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Stuart Weitzman will explore the vital role of the Massachusetts shoe industry in the Jewish immigrant experience of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Available for purchase until:

For centuries, people have immigrated to America to escape religious or social persecution, claim a better life, or seek adventure. No matter what century your ancestors arrived in America, this online seminar will provide you with the historical context, records, resources, and research strategies for understanding immigration and naturalization in the United States since 1620. 

Available for purchase until:

Characterized by the convergence of diverse cultures—primarily French, Spanish, African, Native American, and Caribbean—Louisiana embodies a unique blend of people, geography, and history; a unique blend that has had a lasting impact on how family historians trace their Louisiana roots. While the Indigenous people and cultures of Louisiana have existed for millennia, this four-week online course will focus on the four centuries since colonization.

Research your ancestry long enough and you’re bound to hit a brick wall—the paper trail vanishes, the family seemingly disappears, and you’re unable to go back to earlier generations. Tackling a different research challenge each session, expert genealogists David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure, and Melanie McComb will provide real life examples and successful strategies for breaking down your genealogical brick wall.

Available for purchase until:

The Tudor dynasty was one of the most dramatic and troubled of all English royal families. Join Curator of Special Collections Curt DiCamillo for a sweeping lecture that sheds light on the Tudors' loves, personalities, art, architecture, and literature, all of which has come down to us today in many and surprising ways. 

Available for purchase until:

Perhaps no novelist inspired the idealized vision of the English country house more than Jane Austen. The reality is that Jane herself visited many of the great houses of England and used them as models in almost all of her books. This lecture will examine country houses that inspired Jane and left us with a fanciful world of English rural beauty unequaled in literature.

Available for purchase until:

Join experts from American Ancestors for a five-session online course that will explore the many resources, record collections, and research strategies for verifying your connection to the Mayflower. 

Presented by Lindsay Fulton, Christopher C. Child, and Kristi Schkade

Available to purchase until:

The participants in the 17th-century Great Migration to New England were drawn from the most committed English protestant reformers, those who most wanted the Church of England to make a full break with the Church of Rome. In this five-week course, Director of the Great Migration Study Project Robert Charles Anderson will explain the who, what, and why of the mass movement of people to New England from Old England in the 1620s and 1630s and the subsequent migrations in the generations to follow.

Available for purchase until:

Throughout its history—from Dutch colony to English Province to statehood—New Jersey has been characterized by its ethnic and religious diversity. This online course will help fill those gaps, providing a century-by-century look at the records, resources, repositories, and research strategies essential to exploring your New Jersey roots. We will also look at the historical context, settlement patterns, and migrations within the state.

Available for purchase until:

Now is the perfect time to write your family history! Think about the legacy you will be leaving if you write and publish your own family research: not only a legacy for current and future family members, but an important resource for current and future genealogical researchers. This five-session online seminar led by the writing and publishing experts at American Ancestors will provide you with a step-by-step approach to turning your raw data into an illustrated narrative, Register-style genealogy or Ahnentafel.

Available for purchase until:

Want to learn more about your family history, but don’t know where to begin? Have you already started researching, but are feeling overwhelmed and need a “reset”? Whether you are new to genealogy or have been conducting research for years, this five-week online course will provide practical steps for effective and efficient research, helping you find the answers you’re looking for! 

Available for purchase until:

The term "Medieval style" conjures visions of fortified castles, elaborate stone carvings, and pointed arches. From the austerity of 11th-century Norman architecture to the exotic Gothic style, introduced in the 12th century and based on Islamic buildings, to the exuberant English Renaissance style, which included the famous Prodigy houses built during the reign of Elizabeth I, to the 18th and 19th centuries and their fascination with the Medieval Revival style, Medieval design has evolved and adapted over 900 years.

When it comes to Irish research, knowing the county your ancestor came from is not enough! Join Irish experts at American Ancestors for an online seminar that will help you navigate the basics of Irish migrations to America and Canada, lead you to key records, provide strategies for finding origins when records fall short, and demonstrate how DNA can help. Finally, we’ll talk about next steps in making the leap across the pond. This online seminar will cover both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Available for purchase until:

At the heart of the Baroque style is drama. Originating in Italy in the late 17th century, the Baroque style influenced all of Europe, including English country houses. In this richly illustrated lecture, Curt DiCamillo will bring you on a virtual tour of the Baroque style as expressed across English estates including Uppark, Chatsworth House, Grimsthorpe Castle, and many more.

Available for purchase until

Few people in American history have collected art on such a voracious scale as J.P. Morgan. But the famous Gilded Age banker didn't just buy in quantity, he also had a very sophisticated eye. Whether viewed as a robber baron or an enlightened philanthropist, Morgan's contribution toward making the United States a center of world class art collections is undeniable.

Available for purchase until:

Advances in DNA have had huge implications for the field of genealogy and with the rise in popularity of commercial testing, the possibilities of connecting with previously unknown relatives is greater than ever. Whether you’re new to DNA testing or you have already taken a DNA test(s), this course will provide you with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to interpret your results, make important genealogical connections, and take your family history research to the next level.

Available for purchase until: