Short course
How to begin your Family Tree
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
19/05/2027 - 16/06/202717:00 - 19:00
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£190.00
'To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?' Cicero.
This course will provide an introduction to some of the key datasets used for family history research. We will be combining sources which are readily available online through websites such as Ancestry and Findmypast with a site visit to an archive and practical guidance about how to use original documents. The course will cover the key datasets of civil registration records, parish registers, censuses, electoral rolls, and newspapers, which will provide students with the background knowledge they need in order to tackle their family tree. We will primarily focus on 19th and 20th century resources for this short course, but students will be given guidance about how to extend their research further back in time.
Please note that students will need to purchase subscriptions to Ancestry and Findmypast in order to study this course fully. Students are encouraged to bring an electronic device with them to class if possible so they can work through the digital resources in real time.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Contact the team
Phone: +44 (0)1865 280900
Courses starts Wednesday 19 May 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Wednesdays, 5.00-7.00pm.
Week 1: Creating a Family Tree, and Civil Registration Records
Our introductory session will allow students to share why learning about their family history is important to them. We will discuss the various methods for compiling and preserving a family tree and the associated documentary evidence to support it, and begin our look at records themselves with a guide to using civil registration records (births, marriages, and deaths) from the present day back to 1837.
Week 2: Parish Registers and and Paleography Troubleshooting
Our second session will draw on the grounding we gained in our exploration of civil registration to move on to parish registers instead, which theoretically survive (sometimes sporadically) from 1538 onwards. We will explore how to examine digitised parish registers online, and how to locate non-digitised records in local archive catalogues. We will also spend some time working on basic paleography, because, although many records have been transcribed, the transcriptions cannot always be relied upon, and as the family historian is drawn away into earlier time periods understanding handwriting can become challenging.
Week 3: Census Records and Electoral Rolls
Our third session will explore how to trace the ancestors we have found in civil registration and parish records through the censuses of 1841 to 1921. We will learn how each different census can tell us a varying amount of information about their lives, and how we can use them as a starting point for further research. We will also explore electoral rolls, which can be used to augment the later census records and are particularly useful for tracing ancestors through the early 20th century.
Week 4: Excursion to Oxfordshire History Centre
[SUBJECT TO ARRANGEMENT] Our fourth session will be held off-site at the Oxfordshire History Centre to give students some hands-on experience of how to use an archive and the types of non-digitised records that can be found there. Although the students may not have Oxfordshire genealogy, the skills learned from this trip are transferable to any local archive they might want to visit for their research.
Week 5: Newspapers, and Next Steps
The final session will explore how to use the ever-expanding resource of digitised newspapers from across the country to flesh out the lives of our ancestors, and learn more about the places where they lived. We will also discuss other pre-19th century resources not covered in the main content, so that students will be able to continue their research if they want to. We will conclude with a reflection on why family history is important.
Please note: students will have to arrange their own transport for the field trip, and cover the cost of any entry fees.
Course aims
By the end of the course students will be able to make progress with researching their family tree.
Course objectives
This course will enable students to:
- Develop their understanding of the range of written records available for researching family history.
- Explore new record sets they may not have encountered before.
- Build their own family tree based on their research.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Understand how to use digital software to create a family tree;
- Have knowledge of the range of digital and archival sources available to conduct family history research;
- Have made progress in their own research.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.
Teaching methods
This course will combine a lecture and seminar format, with detailed guidance about how to use various datasets as well as hands-on activities with primary source material.
Assessment methods
This course is non-accredited, so there are no assessments.
Dr Charlotte Parsonson-Young
Dr Charlotte Parsonson-Young has a PhD in English Civil War sequestration from Royal Holloway, University of London. She was a genealogist and social historian at Sticks Research Agency for over a decade, where she has worked on programmes such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and ‘Tracing Your Roots’. She was an Honorary Visiting Fellow in English Local History at the University of Leicester before joining the Department for Continuing Education, where she teaches genealogy and early modern British history. She is also a Professor of History for Wake Forest University’s study abroad programme in London, and the Vice Chair of the Cromwell Association.
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £190.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All short course students (online and in-person) may register to borrow from the Oxford Lifelong Learning Library, for the duration of their course.
Further information about the Oxford Lifelong Learning Library can be found on the library website.
Preparatory reading
- Nick Barratt’s Guide to Your Ancestors’ Lives: A Guide for Family Historians / Barratt, Nick
- Family history, historical consciousness and citizenship: a new social history / Evans, Tanya
- ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Intimate Pasts Made Public / Lynch, Claire
Module code: O26P490LHW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.