Registration opens Tuesday, February 20

So you didn’t make it to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January.

And you sat there the whole time watching people who share your interests learning new things and having fun… without you.

And you’re starting to feel distinctly left out …

Never fear. There are lots of options for expanding your genealogical education in 2024, and the first of this summer’s institute programs — two weeks of sessions at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) — will open for registration tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20.

For the first week — all virtual courses to be held June 23-28, 2024, registration begins at 1 p.m. EST. And for the second week — all in-person courses to be held July 14-19, 2024 at LaRoche University in Pittsburgh, PA, registration opens at 3 p.m. EST.

In either case, space is limited and there are some great options so… a word to the wise — if you want to attend one of the classes in what The Legal Genealogist calls “summer camp for genealogists,” be ready when registration opens.

GRIP is going into its 13th season this year, and its first year under the direction of the National Genealogical Society, so registration is going to be a little different from the way it’s been done in the past. There’s a ton of information on the whole process at the new GRIP web site, including an entire page of frequently asked questions (scroll down to the section titled Registration Process and Payments for specifics).

In particular, you’re going to need an NGS account to register, so make sure you create one before registration opens. You can register for a free account, of course, but hey… there are loads of member benefits including a discount on GRIP registration if you join NGS. (Just sayin’…)

So… what class (or classes!) should you take?

Well, in the virtual week (June 23-28), I’m coordinating a great course called Women and Children First! Research Methods for the Hidden Half of the Family. With my instructor team (Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD, Catherine Becker Weist Desmarias, CG, Alec Ferretti, Michael Ramage, JD, CG, Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, and Ari Wilkins), we focus on finding and recording the women of our families — all those mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives who so often were just tick marks in the census.

Other June courses are:

• Advanced DNA Evidence, coordinated by Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD

• Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills, coordinated by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

• Ireland and Northern Ireland Genealogical Research, PT II, coordinated by David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS

• Genealogical Organization: Increase Your Productivity, coordinated by Kelli Jo Bergheimer

• Mastering the Art of Genealogical Documentation, coordinated by Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG

• Not Just Farmers: Records, Relationships, and the Reality of Their Lives, coordinated by Cari A. Taplin, CG

• Midwest Family History Research: Migrations and Sources, coordinated by Jay Fonkert, CG

• Tools & Strategies for Tackling Tough Research Problems, coordinated by Kimberly T. Powell

• AI Genealogy Seminars: From Basics to Breakthroughs, coordinated by Stephen J. Little, Jr.

• Imaging – Its Past, Present and Future (as we now see it), coordinated by Maureen Taylor and Rick Voight

In the July in-person week — July 14-19 at LaRoche University, I’m coordinating the course Putting Those Records to Work, with instructors Kelvin L. Meyers, Kimberly T. Powell, and David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS. The whole week focuses on getting the most out of every record we find, since every document can be mined—directly or in combination with other records—for more: a deeper, richer context for our family members and their place and time.

Other July courses are:

• Advanced DNA Evidence, coordinated by Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD

• Hands-On Genetic Genealogy: Analyzing and Organizing Your DNA, coordinated by Kelli Jo Bergheimer

• Introduction to Ashkenazic Jewish Genealogy, coordinated by Emily H. Garber

• Marching Off to War: Advanced Military Research and Methodology, coordinated by Michael L. Strauss, AG

• Using US Church Records for Family History, coordinated by Sunny J. Morton

• Get Your Hands Dirty! A Workshop in Land and Property Records, coordinated by Kimberly T. Powell

• Working with Virginia Records from Jamestowne to the Civil War, coordinated by Barbara Vines Little, CG

• Records Loss: Overcoming Destroyed, Missing, or Non-Extant Records, coordinated by Kelvin L. Meyers

Because — as usual — this line-up is so solid, class space is going to go fast. If you want in, you need to be ready to go when registration opens — tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20 — at 1 p.m. Eastern time for June virtual classes and at 3 p.m. Eastern for July in-person classes.

Good luck getting into the course you want — and I hope to see you this summer!

Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “Get a GRIP for 2024,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 19 Feb 2024).