Doing Genealogy as a Historian, 2019

Doing Genealogy as a Historian

Sarah McNair Vosmeier

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Course Description     This class explores the intersection of history and genealogy. Each discipline is strengthened by borrowing from the other, but historians and genealogists tend to have somewhat different mindsets and practices.
    You will do individual research on an American family of your choosing (your own family, for instance), and you will work with your classmates to prepare a client's genealogy.   The client this term will be David Collier, whose family has been connected to the College for over seventy years. We will also follow American history backward in time from 1940 to 1850 (the years when genealogical data is most accessible). Throughout, we will use genealogical best practices in our research and will work on mastering historical argument in readings and lectures.
    The television miniseries Roots, first broadcast in 1977, represents the intersection that this class explores. Enormously popular, it reshaped the way many Americans thought about both history and genealogy. Putting Roots in historical context and treating it as "appointment television" will help us understand its significance.

Calculating Final Grades

                    12%    biographical essay
                    17%    historical essay
                    16%     client presentations
                    15%     midterm
                    20%     final exam
                    20%     preparation and participation

Nota Bene
Our class time provides an opportunity, rare in modern life, to focus for an extended time on a single task and conversation. Please do not multitask -- to avoid distraction for others and temptation for ourselves, we will not use laptops, cell phones, etc. during lectures and discussions. Thus you will need to bring assigned texts to class in paper form. You will need a laptop for class time set aside for workshops.

Late papers will be penalized, and in-class assignments cannot be made up. If you have an emergency and want to request an exception to this rule, contact me before the due date.

Items needed for this class:
•    RootsMagic7 - database software (available at http://rootsmagic.com/RootsMagic/)
•    a bound journal
•    Hacker's Rules for Writers, 8th edition

•    Also note that all the reading assignments are available online, and you will need to budget for printing them out.

About Papers, Presentations, Exams, Preparation, and Participation:

Papers
    The biographical essay will make an argument about the life of someone in your family or our client's family (1000-1500 words).
    The historical essay will make a historical argument, supporting it with evidence from primary sources, including ones genealogists use, and scholarly secondary sources of the type historians use (2200-3000 words).

Presentations
    We will be giving two presentations to our client, updating him on the results of our research on his family. Each student will take responsibility for a different portion of the presentation.

Exams
    Exams will include identifications and essay questions.

Preparation and Participation:
    This class depends on everyone's preparing and participating fully. People who excel in this aspect of the class come to class with effective reading notes; they make useful comments in class or ask helpful questions, facilitating others' learning as well as their own; and they complete brief assignments included in this portion of the grade adequately and on time.
    Note that genealogy requires attention to detail, logical analysis, and care in managing sources, as does history, but small mistakes in genealogy can have painful long-term consequences in frustration and wasted effort. Thus, this portion of your final grade includes low-risk assignments that reward you in the short term for practices you'll appreciate in the long term, including genealogical proof arguments. Other brief assignments – such as marginalia checks or study guide contributions – allow you to demonstrate careful preparation and facilitate our common endeavors.
    The "Journal for My Descendants" and "Reliving Roots" projects are included in this portion of your grade.

Assignments

Introduction, Definitions, and Background

Sept. 3, 2019 (Tues.)
Lecture: "Defining Terms."
Workshop: "Journal for My Descendants."

Sep. 5, 2019 (Thu.)
        Lecture: "The History of Genealogy."
        Workshop: Use of sources and "Genealogical Proof Standard."
        For discussion: Pratt, "Master Accreditation of the Genealogical Institute," 2013 (online); "Genealogist's Code of Ethics," 2018 (online).
        For workshop: Vosmeier, "On Marginalia," 2016 (online); "Style Guide for Chicago Manual Footnotes" (online, with appendix).
        Fall Convocation begins at 3:30.

Sept. 10, 2019 (Tues.)
        Lecture: "Understanding the U.S. Census."
        Workshop: Getting organized.
        For discussion: Jones, "Coming Clean," 2012 (online -- click "print" at the top of the right-hand tools menu); Lewis, "Musings," 2003 (online); Irwin, "What Was the Greatest Era for Innovation?" 2016 (online).

Following Our Families through the Early Twentieth Century

Sept. 12, 2019 (Thurs.)
        Lecture: "The Great Depression."
        Workshop: Exploring the 1940 census.
        For discussion:    Roots, episode 1 (on reserve); "Reliving January 23, 1977" (online).

Sept. 17, 2019 (Tues.)
For discussion: Perlmann, "Who Stayed in School?" 1985 (online -- click blue "download pdf" button, and then print); our census data on education (OneDrive).
Workshop: Exploring the 1930 census.

Sept. 19, 2019 (Thurs.)
For discussion: Douglas, Listening In (2004), 3-21, 100-23 (online -- choose "Introduction" from the table of contents [left], and then "chapter download," which is the second icon at the top; next choose chapter 5 "Radio Comedy and Linguistic Slapstick" from the table of contents, and then chapter download; finally, print both pdf files); our census data on radios (OneDrive).

Sep. 24, 2019 (Tue.)
    For discussion: Roots, episode 2 (on reserve); "Reliving January 24, 1977" (online).
            Lecture: "The Twenties."
            Workshop: Exploring the 1920 census.

Sep. 26, 2019 (Thu.)
For discussion: Capozzola, "Legacies for Citizenship," 2014 (online -- click on "pdf full text" on left, and then print); workshop data on naturalization, immigration, and military service (OneDrive); "Reliving January 25-27, 1977" (online); Roots, episode 3 (on reserve, as assigned).
Biographical essay due Sept. 27.

Oct. 1, 2019 (Tue.)
    Lecture: "The Era of World War I."
    For discussion: Assignment t.b.a.; Roots, episode 4 (on reserve, as assigned).
    Workshop: Exploring the 1910 census.

Oct. 3, 2019 (Thu.)
For discussion: Almgren et al., "The Legacy of Hull House and the Children's Bureau in the American Mortality Transition," 2000 (online -- click on "pdf full text" on left, and then print); workshop data on childbearing (OneDrive); Roots, episode 5 (on reserve, as assigned).

Oct. 8, 2019 (Tue.)
    Review.
    Workshop: Preparing client presentation.
    Descendants Journal due.

Oct. 10, 2019 (Thu.)
Midterm exam.
Reliving Roots project due.

Fall Break, Oct. 11-16

Following Our Families through the Late Nineteenth Century
Oct. 17, 2019 (Thu.)
    Lecture: "Turn-of-the-Century America."
    For discussion: Roots, episode 6 (on reserve); "Reliving January 28, 1977" (online).
    Workshop: Exploring the 1900 census.
    Speaking outline and powerpoint file due.

Oct. 22, 2019 (Tue.)
Client presentation.

Oct. 24, 2019 (Thu.)
For discussion: Schwartzberg, "Lots of Them Did That," 2004 (online -- click on "pdf full text" on left, and then print); workshop data on marriage (OneDrive); Roots, episode 7 (on reserve); "Reliving January 29, 1977" (online).

Oct. 29, 2019 (Tue.)
    Lecture: "Post-Civil War America."
            For discussion: Roots, episode 8 (on reserve); "Reliving January 30, 1977" (online); Mills and Mills, "The Genealogist's Assessment of Alex Haley's Roots," 1984 (online).
            Workshop: Exploring the 1880 census.
            Reliving Roots project due.

Oct. 31, 2019 (Thu.) For discussion: McQuillan, "Mobility of Immigrants and Americans," 1979 (online -- click blue "download pdf" button, and then print); workshop data on geographic mobility (OneDrive).
Workshop: Exploring the 1870 census.

Nov. 5, 2019 (Tue.)
For discussion: Logan and Parman, "National Rise in Residential Segregation," 2017 (online -- click the "Full text pdf" tab to the left, and then print); workshop data on segregation (online).

Nov. 7, 2019 (Thu.)
For discussion: Hampson and Berry, "1619: Searching for Answers: The Founding Family You Never Heard Of," 2019 (online -- consider using browser functions like "simplify page" before printing).

Nov. 12, 2019 (Tue.)
    Lecture: "The Era of the Civil War."
    For discussion: Frank, "Rendering Aid and Comfort, 1992 (online -- click the "Full text pdf" tab to the left, and then print).
    Workshop: Exploring the 1860 census.

Nov. 14, 2019 (Thu.)
Lecture: "Antebellum America."
Workshop: Exploring the 1850 census.

Nov. 19, 2019 (Tue.)
    For discussion: Ferrie, "End of American Exceptionalism?" 2005 (online -- click on "pdf full text" on left, and then print); workshop data on occupation and net worth (OneDrive).

Further Research and Conclusions
Nov. 21, 2019 (Thu.)
    Frizzell, Independent Immigrants, 2007 (online -- click on the pdf icon, which is second from the left at the top, and then print).
    Historical essay due Nov. 22.

Nov. 26, 2019 (Tue.)
Meet in Science Center 215 (genetics lab). Lecture: "Recent Developments in Genealogy." Due: Collier file in GEDCOM format. Workshop: Preparing client presentation.

Thanksgiving break, Nov. 27-Dec. 2

Dec. 3, 2019 (Tue.) Review.
Speaking outline and powerpoint slides due.

Dec. 5, 2019 (Thu.)    Client presentation.
            For discussion: Orin and Cowan, "Career Spotlight," 2015 (online). Legacy Tree Genealogists, "About Us," 2018 (video online).
            Descendants Journal due.