Why Your Genealogical Education Plan Should Include Institutes

IGHR July 2026 Week Registration Ends in Just Two Weeks: June 27, 2026!

The Importance of Genealogical Education

Sometimes I sound like a broken record when it comes to talking about education in genealogy. I feel so strongly about this. I honestly believe that we don’t have as many brick walls as we think we do. Often, the brick wall is in our own brains, either from personal biases in how we approach the research problem or from a lack of understanding of how to approach it. This is where expanding our own genealogical education comes in. You don’t know what you don’t know until you realize you must not know something that you need to know. Read that out loud ten times.

We all found our way into genealogy at different times and from different angles. Some of us started before computers and the Internet, many years ago. Others started recently by building an online tree and/or taking a DNA test. The tools we use as we stumble our way through those first few years will be heavily influenced by how we became family historians in the first place. Once we have gone through this early phase, we start to realize that there must be more to what we are doing, but many of us don’t know where to start.

This is when we begin to explore genealogical education. There are so many different avenues to follow for learning: books, periodicals, blogs, videos, podcasts, webinars, seminars, conferences, and institutes. Most genealogists are self-taught and wander through educational options as they encounter them in their daily interactions with fellow genealogists. Taking the time to learn how to research is the way to move yourself forward, and all these options are wonderful ways to help you succeed. But, at some point after doing most of these things for years, you find yourself ready to do more or learn more. The answer to that is deeper education from genealogical institutes, particularly from The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), which has exemplified superior education and served our community since 1962.

Consider your options today and start planning your yearly genealogical education to include one, two or three IGHR courses throughout the year. Watch the website for upcoming courses (https://ighr.gagensociety.org)

Want to learn more about institutes? See my free webinar, Genealogy Institutes: A Deep Dive Into Dynamic Education, https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/genealogy-institutes-a-deep-dive-into-dynamic-education 

A Firm Foundation in Genealogical Education

I listened to a lecture by Paul Milner about 25 years ago in Ohio in which he stated how important it is for us—once we have been at this for a long time—to go back and review a beginner’s book. He said that after we have already been actively engaged in genealogical research, looking at the instructions given to beginners will be eye-opening. We will see the things we have skipped or missed in our research processes. We will note the things we learned the hard way or the things we have yet to learn. This lesson has really stuck with me all this time. IGHR offers a three-course series of foundational courses, which can be completed in less than two years.

Last year, I encouraged two of my study group students, both researchers for about 20 years, to attend the first course at IGHR: Core Course One: Methods and Sources in Practice (https://ighr.gagensociety.org/course-one/). Both ladies said it was the best thing they had done for themselves. Rebecca Koford and her team of instructors give us a firm grounding in genealogical methodology, with hands-on exercises that set us on a more productive research path. “Despite researching for several years I felt I needed to go back to basics and learn how to research and organiz[e]. And boy did this course fill in the gaps!”

Core Course Two: Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies (https://ighr.gagensociety.org/course-two/), is running once a week this fall, on Thursdays, October 15–November 12, 2026. This means you could attend both Course One and Course Two in the same year! Coordinator Debra Hoffman and her excellent instructors will take an in-depth look at the research process of analyzing and correlating evidence to solve research problems. The hands-on exercises in this course give you time each week to explore what you learn as you 

go.

Core Course Three: Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis (https://ighr.gagensociety.org/course-three/), also runs during July’s IGHR week this year. An expert team of instructors, led by Judy G. Russel, lead you to develop and foster advanced skills by concentrating on problem-solving techniques using the GPS and a wide variety of record types to solve complex research problems. This course is the pinnacle of education in genealogical methodology!

IGHR courses take place in a virtual classroom with Zoom. All of our courses are recorded, and students have access to those recordings for one month after the course ends. We have already sold out four of our twelve 2026 courses. We hope to see you this year and in the coming years in an IGHR classroom. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team!

Cyndi Ingle, IGHR Executive Director
ighr@gagensociety.org

IGHR Registration Information

Cost for each course: $545. GGS members get a $50 discount. Members: look for your discount code in the Members Area on the GGS website. Non-members: join GGS before registering at https://gagensociety.org/why-join-ggs/.

Check out the IGHR gift certificates here:https://ighr.gagensociety.org/ighr-gift-certificate/. You can give a gift certificate anonymously!

Any questions about the courses? Call (or text) IGHR Executive Director Cyndi Ingle at 678-439-7503 or email her at ighr@gagensociety.org.

For registration questions, call (or text) IGHR Registrar Stacy Cole at 470-837-0529 or email ighrregister@gagensociety.org.

About IGHR—Excellence in Genealogy Since 1962

The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), an education program of the Georgia Genealogical Society (GGS), provides an educational forum for the discovery, critical evaluation, and use of genealogical sources and methodology through intensive study led by premier genealogical educators who are leading researchers and scholars in the field. IGHR consists of multiple courses that take place during the spring, the last full week of July, and the fall. Course levels range from basic skills to advanced methodology and evidence analysis designed to solve complex research problems; course topics range from resources for specific geographic locations to in-depth skill development in specific subjects such as land records, military records, and DNA analysis. Read more at ighr.gagensociety.org.

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