Created by Julie Goucher, 2023

Once a genealogist has registered the surname with the Guild they agree to do essentially several things:

• Aim to make the study global
• Respond to all enquiries.

In fact the five broad principles can be seen here.

There is guidance for a study, the Guild has mentors and volunteers that will help guide you, answer questions and so forth. There is the book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom which was published by the Guild in 2012. There is a suite of courses available, all providing a mechanism to learn and develop.

• • Introduction to One-Name Studies course – a foundation for undertaking a study – learning about the numbers that reflect the people in your study, the history of surnames, and then drawing conclusions as to the history of your surname of interest.

• • Practicalities of a One-Name Studies course – focuses on tools that you can use in your study. I am often asked whether this should be taken first, or the Introduction course, and it is probably as broad, as it is long. If I was coming to this as a fairly new genealogists, or surname researcher, I would likely take both courses; they focus on different things and provide a rounded focus on researching a surname and developing a study.
• • Advanced One-Name Studies course – builds on the material learnt in the introduction course and is probably best taken when you have some time under your belt with a study. This provides the opportunity to create an article and for those who elect to, to have the article read and published in the Journal of One-Name Studies. 

Each time a course runs, students are invited to leave feedback. Feedback is important and provides a mechanism for me to develop the course, or perhaps create an additional paper. A recent addition, as a support document is guidance for developing, and building a study profile – you can download a copy HERE.

The details of your study are left up to you to decide – the core data, the storage of the data, when you go global etc. There is no prescriptive way and where you start may well depend on the origins of the surname.

I have stated several times that I research in three places at one

• • • Where I am (England)
    • Where my family originated (the surname is clearly Italian, and my own family are from Sicily)
    • Where they went (Italian migrated globally, but the key places are Argentina, United States and Australia. My own family line went to New York, Alabama and Louisiana, so those three states are my US focus).

Some members like to work on their studies in a more random approach and in some respects I like that too. If you decide to do this, I really recommend that you keep a research log, recording where what you have researched and your findings. If you do stop part way through a larger body of research you will be better placed, and able to pick up where you left off.

The One-Name Study that YOU register is YOURS, you decide how it is kept and maintained and consider the aims of your study. You work at your pace and enjoy the experience and research.