2026 IS OFF IN FULL-SWING
Life has been pretty busy lately, and I haven’t had the opportunity to post as much as I’d like. Incorporating a regular blogging practice is one of my goals for 2026, and I am failing so far. Still, 2026 has come at full speed, and I am participating in some noteworthy activities to build my skills and grow as a genealogist.
1
2026 SLIG VIRTUAL – ADVANCED GENEALOGICAL METHODS
I recently completed SLIG’s 2026 Virtual Institute course, Advanced Genealogical Methods. This course covered assembling and analyzing evidence to uncover forgotten ancestral origins, identities, and relationships; advanced research techniques for working with limited records; and taught you how to document your findings clearly with written proof summaries. It was a great experience overall, and I recommend it for anyone looking to level up their research skills.
2
PROGEN STUDY GROUP
I took the deep dive last year when enrollment opened for ProGen 70 and was lucky to be accepted into the program and earn a spot. ProGen is another building block in my professional genealogy journey, helping me become a better genealogist. There is a big time commitment to this program, and the assignments have been challenging thus far.
As described on the website, “ProGen is a self-study program enhanced by peer-review of assignments based on chapters from Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards. This program employs an innovative method of collaborative learning focused on developing genealogical skills and business practices. Read more about the program in these areas.”
3
NGSQ STUDY GROUP
Becoming better at understanding the National Genealogical Society Quarterly case studies has been another to-do on my development list. I found a group and took the jump to join to gain more skills in analyzing them. It is a monthly study group that runs January through November each year, and will examine one National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) journal article per month
4
IGHR INSTITUTE
I have the IGHR Institute in July and will be taking another developmental course to sharpen my skills in repository searching. In addition, I will be taking a once-a-week course starting in October to expand upon my knowledge in genealogical sources and methodologies. I am very much looking forward to this!
5
CONFERENCES
I will be in attendance (virtually) for RootsTech in March. I wish I could be in Salt Lake City this year, but money and time just aren’t on my side right now. LOL. One of the discussions I am looking forward to is “Which Date Is Right? Solving Birthdate Conflicts Through Genealogical Analysis”
by Carolyn Ladd. This is one problem area that keeps popping up in my own research, and it will be interesting to learn more from Carolyn’s experience.
I will also be attending the NGS 2026 Family History Conference in May. There is this really neat workshop, Hands-On Mapping & Geospatial Analysis with Google Earth Pro for Genealogical Research, by Colleen Robledo Green, that I am looking forward to. I love Google Earth, but know that there is so much more I can do with it that I am not doing, so I am definitely looking forward to this one!