Becoming a Certified Genealogist

I became a Certified Genealogist® officially on December 22, 2018 and will hold the certification for five years. I was so excited when I got the news. I submitted on October 5 and waited (not so patiently) over two and half months. What helped, was I started working on another project: looking for the father of Samuel Johnston.

To become certified, I had to submit a seven-part portfolio to the Board for the Certification of Genealogists that demonstrated my ability to follow the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).[1] It really was the culmination of many years of research practice, several years of education, and then putting together the portfolio. This portfolio was then judged by three competent genealogists who use a rubrics to determine whether I have met the standards of the GPS.

Education was a major factor in helping me prepare for certification. I had started conducting genealogy research as a self-taught researcher. I read The Source and attended presentations by top speakers such as Elizabeth Shown Mills and Thomas W. Jones. Next, I participated in an 18-week study group called ProGen. We studied the book Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills,[2] and were given monthly assignments, which we then turned in and were critiqued by our fellow classmates.[3] This was the real beginning for me. It showed me that I could work at the professional level.

Then I began to take week-long courses at genealogy institutes. There are several and I have attended classes at three of them:

• Salt Lake Institutes of Genealogy (SLIG)[4]
• Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP)[5]
• Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR)[6]

These week-long institutes allow for deep study in a single topic. I took classes in researching at archives, advanced German research, reading German handwriting, using the law in genealogy research, and studying women and children. But the two courses that helped most were two held at SLIG: the "Advanced Genealogical Methods," coordinated by Thomas W. Jones, and "You Be the Judge," coordinated by Jeanne Bloom.

In the Jones class, I worked at solving tough genealogical problems, and although I did not always have the right answer the next day, I learned a lot about to approach the different problems.  In Bloom’s course, we studied the Genealogy Standards and each of the rubrics by which the judges grade the portfolio. The main point I learn was I did not have to be perfect. The rubrics really helped hone in what the product should look like.

I went on the clock two months after the You Be the Judge class. “On the clock” means that I submitted an application to the BCG and paid the application fee. I would have one year to submit my portfolio. I went on the clock at the same time as two other friends, who had just completed their ProGen course. Later they invited me to participate with their cert-peer study group, where they discussed their progress over the week. It was what I needed to be accountable.

Still, when the year was up, I was not finished. I had to submit an extension and pay another fee.

What helped next was taking the Certification Discussion Group (CDG) presented by Jill Morelli, CG.[7] It was a seven week online course that broke down the certification process by breaking down each requirement. Seeing portfolio elements along with judges’ comments was the most helpful. Following this course, I felt I could do this. I just needed to do the work.

Six months later, I submitted.

I want to thank the following board-certified genealogists for their assistance in my education. Their instruction is much appreciated.

• Thomas W. Jones, CG
• Judy G. Russell, CG
• Jeanne Bloom, CG
• Warren Bittner, CG
• Barbara Mathews, CG
• Jill Morelli, CG

I do hope to live up to being a Certified Genealogist.

Lisa S. Gorrell, CG

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[1] Board for the Certification of Genealogists, https://bcgcertification.org/process/portfolio/

[2] Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed., Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001.

[3] For the ProGen Study Group, see: https://www.progenstudy.org/.

[4] For SLIG, see: https://ugagenealogy.org/eventListings.php?nm=484#er50

[5] For GRIP, see: http://www.gripitt.org/

[6] For IGHR, see: https://ighr.gagensociety.org/

[7] The Certification Discussion Group, https://thecdgseries.wordpress.com/the-series/

Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.