Free Geneology Courses.

[MrsS2012]

Can anyone recommend any free online geneology courses... Especially in things like studying old handwriting etc.
Am looking at a bit of extended time off work thanks to all this virus stuff and rather then stress about it I thought I'd use the time to do some studying. Of course money may be tight for the next few months due to lack of work before I invest in any paid courses I thought I'd see if you guys could recommend any decent free ones!
Thanks 

[rosie99]

I think that the future learn course may already have been suggested to you
https://www.futurelearn.com/

Sarah has also posted this list of things to do
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=827269.


Old handwriting can be difficult, I would imagine that most of us on here have learnt to read it with practice.  Why not try downloading old wills and trying to read them, then posting anything you can't read on here.  We normally suggest if you are asking for help with reading these documents that you post a snippet and tell us what you can read and get us to fill in the gaps that you can't.

[MrsS2012]

Thank you Rosie, yes I was having trouble finding my old thread.. Trying to navigate the site on my phone at the moment.
I know I previously looked at one of the courses recommended on my other thread and it was around £200.. So that will be something I'll look at once the work situation improves!
I'll check this one out

[Mart 'n' Al]

Subject corrected. Correct spelling is vital in genealogy.  Just look at the confusion caused by our forebears who made mistakes.

Martin

[MrsS2012]

Subject corrected. Correct spelling is vital in genealogy.  Just look at the confusion caused by our forebears who made mistakes.

Martin

I've noticed the spelling of so many of my ancestors surnames changing over the years. My nan's was Collingbourne, Collingburn, even Collins. Confusing! It's only because other details match up you know it's them!

[guest189040]

That is par for the course.

Names do vary in their spelling and can do so quite markedly, I have one who is down as Corn, or Curwen but considering he was from Northern Ireland and would have probably had a very heavy accent then Curran or Curren or Curwen or Corn could easily have been written down by the person making the record.

[JenB]

Subject corrected.

Oh no it isn't 

[MrsS2012]

Oh I just realised what you were getting at.. I've spelt genealogy wrong... Haha.. I'm such an idiot 

[Albufera32]

As I have posted elsewhere on these forums, I once came across a quote from the diarist John Evelyn in which he stated that anyone without the creativity to spell any word at least three different ways was a dullard, or words to that effect.

As I was reminded on the same thread, the concept of words having one single "correct" spelling is largely a modern concept - phonetic spelling (and the inevitable variations that caused) was the norm until quite recent times, even amongst those considered well educated.

Further (and I know this will horrify many, my apologies) in schools today, teachers are encouraged NOT to correct every single spelling mistake, especially in creative prose, as long as the context and meaning is clear.