Registration opens Tuesday, February 4
An awful lot of folks in the genealogical community had long sad faces last week.
Watching online all week along as people who shared their interests in learning new things were doing just that at the 2025 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy — and having fun along the way.
But the long-sad-face folks felt distinctly left out.
If you were in that long-sad-face category last week, don’t despair. There are lots of other for learning new things and having fun in 2025, and the first of this summer’s institute programs — two weeks of sessions at the GRIP Genealogy Institute — will open for registration today, Tuesday, February 4.
For the first week — all virtual courses to be held June 22-27, 2025, registration begins at 1 p.m. EST. And for the second week — all in-person courses to be held July 13-18, 2025 at LaRoche University in Pittsburgh, PA the University of Pittsburgh (that’s an ooops…), 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 14th season this year, its second year under the direction of the National Genealogical Society, and its first year in-person at new digs at the University of Pittsburgh. With all the changes, you’ll want to be sure to check out the veritable ton of information at the 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 in-person week (July 13-18), I’m co-coordinating (with Rick Sayre) a great course called Legal Landscapes: Mapping Family History Through Law Library Records. We’ll be joined by instructor Alec Ferretti, focusing on making sure students have a thorough understanding of basic legal concepts applicable to family history research. (Hint: there’s a field trip to the law library involved…)
If that one doesn’t float your boat, there’s more to choose from.
In the June virtual week (course names are hotlinks to more info):
• AI & Genealogy: Innovations in Family History, co-coordinated by Stephen J. Little & Mark D. Thompson.
• Chinese American Genealogy: Silver Linings, coordinated by Grant Din.
• From Results to Revelations: Making DNA Fun Again, coordinated by Blaine T. Bettinger.
• Inclusive Genealogy: Navigating Complex Family Trees, coordinated by Carly Morgan.
• Irish Research III: Ireland Law & Government, coordinated by David E. Rencher.
• Beyond Digging Deeper: Sources, Methods, and Practices, coordinated by Paula Stuart-Warren.
• The Spirit of the Inland Seas: Research in the Great Lakes Region, coordinated by Cari A. Taplin.
• Marching Off to War: A Case Study Approach, coordinated by Michael L. Strauss.
• Merging & Separating Identities: Strategies and Tactics to Identify and Solve, coordinated by Jan Joyce.
Other in-person July courses are:
• Advanced DNA Evidence, coordinated by Blaine T. Bettinger.
• Advanced German Research, coordinated by F. Warren Bittner.
• Mining and Extraction: Building Skills with the Coal Industry, coordinated by Cecelia McFadden.
• Navigating the Genealogical Research Process: Advanced Strategies for Success, coordinated by Julie Cahill Tarr.
• Navigating the Past Part 1: Migrations on North American Waterways, 1825-1925, coordinated by Pamela J. Vittorio.
• Advanced Pennsylvania Land Research: Proprietor and Commonwealth Land Records, coordinated by Gerald H. (Jerry) Smith.
• Practical Family History Writing: Preserve and Share Your Stories, coordinated by Kelli Jo Bergheimer.
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 — today, Tuesday, February 4 — 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 2025,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 4 Feb 2025).
