Like any project you start, you don’t start out knowing how to do genealogy. There is learning and research, trial and error. But if you are a beginner and want to know how to start your family tree, there are a lot of ways available to learn how to do genealogy.
Free Genealogy Learning
Learning how to do genealogy is not limited to just classes, courses, books and schooling. There are many online blogs and websites that offer a wealth of information.

If you don’t already have a Pinterest account, you really should sign up. A simple search of the word Genealogy gets you a wide variety of genealogy topics.. These “Pins” can lead back to some pretty amazing blogs that provide great information and tips. And the cool part, you can save them to designated Pinterest boards to have the information for later.
YouTube

When you think genealogy, YouTube is not usually in the same thought. However, YouTube has become a learning tool. Whether you want to learn how to build a dog house or like in our case, learn genealogy, there is an endless supply of videos to help up on the way.

I know, this one seems a bit too easy, but Google is really is a great online research and learning tool. If you have a question, lets say “Where can I find South Carolina birth records?” chances are, Google will have an answer.
Genealogy Online Courses

The question here is really are you going to be using this learning for yourself, or charging people for professional genealogy services. There are many colleges and universities that offer genealogy online courses at a cost, but if you will be using the information for your own family tree research, there are ways to learn what you need to know for free.
If you want to become a professional genealogist, the National Genealogical Society has some great tips on how to do this. They also offer some basic online courses for a price (from about $65 to $200 for non members).
Free Genealogy Online Courses

With free online courses, you generally do not receive educational credit for them. Some may offer a certificate, but most are for your own personal use. If you require a credit or certificate for a genealogy course or class, it is best to look at colleges and university for enrollment information.
Familysearch.org
We already know that Family Search is a great online resource for researching family history, but did you know they offer free online lessons in the form of videos.
Ancestry
Whether or not you have a paid subscription to Ancestry.com, as long as you have an account, you have access to a great learning library. Ancestry Academy offers videos on everything from the basics of how to start your family tree to more in depth information such as understanding genealogical DNA.
Brigham Young University
Though these courses are not for credit, BYU offers a variety of free online courses to further you personal knowledge. And why stop at genealogy? They offer some basic math courses, too.
Genealogy Online Classes

One of the best genealogy online classes that I took was actually through my local library. It was a basic genealogy 101 class and it helped me greatly. The class was a video/ transcript style with tests at the end of each section. The class had an actual instructor who stay in contact with me for the whole duration of the course should I have any questions and gave me feedback on projects that were required. The best part, I could do it on my time.
Sign up with your local library online to see what great free courses and classes they offer. They are often a part of a bigger network that will open bigger learning opportunities for you.
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