Citizenship Reclamation Specialists

High School

Many high school classes will help you to build the skills and knowledge that you need to become a genealogical researcher. For example, computer science, data science, data analytics, and database management courses (as well as journalism classes) will teach you how to use the internet and gather, analyze, and store information. English, speech, and writing will help you to prepare letters of inquiry as you conduct research, write reports for clients, and communicate effectively with keepers of information such as archivists and record office clerks. Being proficient in at least one foreign language will be especially useful if you work as a citizenship reclamation specialist, so sign up for language classes and try to develop your foreign language skills with the help of Duolingo or similar software tools. You’ll also need a good understanding of history and current affairs, so be sure to take social studies and government classes.

Postsecondary Education

Many people enter the specialty of citizenship reclamation after first working as traditional genealogists. They gradually acquire specialized knowledge via classes and conferences that are offered by professional associations. Others pursue coursework at colleges and universities.

Some people earn genealogy-related degrees. For example, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, offers a bachelor’s degree in family history, which the university calls “an unusual hybrid of a liberal arts degree in history and a technical degree in genealogy.” Visit https://history.byu.edu/family-history to learn more about the program.

Certification

Some colleges and universities—such as Boston University, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake Community College, and the University of New Haven—offer certificates in family history research, genealogical research, forensic genealogy, and related fields. Many schools offer certificates in foreign languages and cultures.

The National Genealogical Society offers an advanced skills in genealogy certificate program for “genealogists preparing for professional credentialing, those planning to launch a professional genealogy career, and serious family historians committed to applying professional standards to their research.” Visit https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/advskills for more information.

Other Education or Training

The National Genealogical Society provides many classes for general genealogists such as American Genealogical Studies: The Basics; Reading Old Handwriting; Guide to Documentation & Source Citation; and Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents. You can learn more at https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cgs. The Association of Professional Genealogists offers webinars such as From Research to Reach: Marketing Your Genealogy Business Using Social Media; Client Reports: Do’s, Don’ts, and Maybes; Lessons Learned My First Year in Business; and Transitioning to a Full-Time Genealogy Career. It also hosts a Professional Management Conference each fall. Visit https://www.apgen.org for more information.

Colleges and universities offer specialized classes that will help prepare genealogical researchers for the field. For example, Boston University offers an online Genealogy Studies Program (https://cpe.bu.edu/genealogy/). To complete the program, students take the following courses in sequence: Genealogical Principles; Genealogical Methods and Evidence; and Genealogical Analysis. Then they select one of the following electives: Advanced Genealogical Writing; Forensic Genealogy; and Professional Genealogy.