Registration Open for 15th Annual British Institute

The following is from the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History.

British Institute 2015 Features Instructors from the British Isles

The International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 15th Annual British Institute.  The Institute will be held September 21-25, 2015, at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, conveniently located in the center of historic downtown Salt Lake City and next door to the Family History Library (FHL).

This year’s Institute features four renowned genealogists from the British Isles — Else Churchill and Alec Tritton from England, Fiona Fitzsimons from Ireland, and Bruce Durie from Scotland.  They will be joined by board-certified genealogist Melissa Johnson, who specializes in writing and publishing. The instructional format includes plenty of time to research in the nearby FHL. 

The amazing course line-up includes: 

•    Researching Your English Ancestors with Else Churchill and Alec Tritton

•    Tracing Your Irish Ancestors with Fiona Fitzsimons

•    Everything You Need to Know about Scottish Genealogy with Bruce Durie, Ph.D., FSA Scot, FIGRS

•    Elements of Genealogical Writing, Editing, and Publishing with Melissa Johnson, CG

Speaker biographies and course outlines:

“Researching Your English Ancestors” — Else Churchill and Alec Tritton

Else is the Genealogist at the Society of Genealogists in London and a former member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.  She writes a regular column for the UK Family Tree Magazine and has been featured on BBC Radio 4 programs as well as the popular UK television shows Who Do You Think You Are and Find My Past. 

Alec is a former chairman of the Federation of Family History Societies and the Guild of One-Name Studies, as well as vice-chairman of the Society of Genealogists.  He has lectured extensively in England, presented at Who Do You Think You Are Live and the Society of Genealogists centenary conference, and specializes in burial grounds and obscure non-conformist sects.

The course will explore English records, resources for London ancestors, and solutions to seventeenth century research problems.

“Tracing Your Irish Ancestors” — Fiona Fitzsimons

Fiona is a popular columnist for History Ireland and contributor to Irish Lives Remembered.  She is founder and Director of Eneclann, a Trinity College Dublin Campus company; coordinated the Genealogy Advisory Service in the National Library of Ireland; developed workshops for the National Library of Ireland; and contributed research to Who Do You Think You Are (UK), Faces of America, and Finding Our Roots.

This course will focus on building the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to research Irish ancestors using records available through the Family History Library and Irish repositories.

“Everything You Need to Know about Scottish Genealogy . . . and Then Some” — Bruce Durie, Ph.D., FSA Scot, FIGRS

Bruce founded the post-graduate program of Genealogical Studies at the University of Strathclyde and served as Course Director for six years.  He is probably best known for his BBC radio series Digging Up Your Roots and A House with a Past.  He has authored 30 books, co-organizes ancestral tours, and co-manages the Scottish DNA Project.  He was recently elected to the prestigious Académie Internationale de Généalogie, the only member from Scotland. 

This course will demonstrate how to explore, understand, and use the best-preserved, most complete and accessible sets of records on the planet, available through Scottish repositories.

“Elements of Genealogical Writing, Editing, and Publishing” — Melissa Johnson, CG

Melissa’s work has been published in numerous journals and magazines.  She has written and edited family histories, biographies, narratives, and case studies and is experienced in layout and design.  She serves as the Reviews Editor of the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ) and Editor of the GSNJ Newsletter for the Genealogical Society of New Jersey.

This course will cover the principles of genealogical writing and the skills needed to turn your research into a well-written genealogical work in a variety of publication formats.

Registration Information:  Participants who register by August 15^th will receive a discount of $65 off the regular registration fee of $495.  Registration, lodging, and other information may be found at ISBGFH.org.  Once you have registered, you will receive an “I’m Attending” infographic to share on your favorite social media platforms.