Free Online Genealogy Course with FutureLearn

[groom]

I've always found that people on FL courses are friendly, but I think this one will be even more so, as not only do so many of us have a common interest, but we already feel as if we know each other through RC.

[lancs-lassie]

Just joined the course & Facebook group! Happy researching!

[Ruskie]

I have signed up for the course too.

I just received the email about the suggested texts and am thinking of downloading them to my Kindle.

"How to do Everything: Genealogy 4th Edition" is quite expensive, and looking at the rundown of what it contains, I'm not sure it is worth downloading at a cost of more than £12.  It seems that most of that information is available on various websites online (but of course you need to know where to look for it) and many things the book seems to cover, any of us who have done a bit of family history research probably already have a reasonable grasp of.

Does anyone recommend either of the suggested books? (I won't have time to read both of them before next week though)

[groom]

From other FL courses that I've done, although books are recommended as background reading, none have been necessary to complete the course. Usually each part of the course has links to online sites etc if you want to go further.

[maddys52]

I've also signed up for the course, looking forward to it. Thank you everyone for this thread, I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. I can see quite a few years worth of future study in lots of different areas opening up before me ...

[mezentia]

Just joined the FB group!

I got the Genealogy: Essential Research Methods book from Berkshire FHS, but I'm not sure if they have any copies left; it's a good read. I can also recommend "Family History Nuts and Bolts", 3rd Edition, by Andrew Todd. Not as easy a read, but worthwhile nevertheless.

[Regorian]

I haven't read the foregoing, but what I would find most useful, would be a complete comprehensive list of resources and where they can be found. A summary of what each item contains would be useful too.

[mezentia]

I don't know about a complete list  but Ancestral Trails by Mark Herber is a good start - 800+ pages, plus bibliography and extensive index. Just don't get a hernia when you pick it up 

[Ruskie]

Thanks for the comments about the reading material.

It will be interesting to see how the course pans out and whether or not the books will be useful.
I have Ancestral Trails and have read it, but that was some time ago.

I suppose any links they provide will suffice, especially for anyone who has done a bit of family history before and understands some of the basics.