All Missions
The complete Operation Granny Files curriculum: 30 practical genealogy lessons with native case files and downloadable research tools.
Mission 30: Building a Legacy — Preserving, Sharing & Publishing Your Research Specialty
Preserve, organize, and publish your research so it remains usable for future generations.
Mission 29: Before the Revolution — Colonial & Pre-1850 Research Specialty
Push past the 1850 wall with tax lists, colonial records, pension files, and paleography.
Mission 28: Graveside Intelligence — Cemetery Records & What the Stones Tell Specialty
Read headstones, plot layouts, sexton records, and cemetery symbols as evidence.
Mission 27: Frozen in Time — Photos, Artifacts & Oral History Specialty
Date family photographs, preserve artifacts, and capture the voices behind the records.
Mission 26: Crossing the Ocean — Scandinavian & Nordic Research Specialty
Decode patronymics and follow Nordic families through parish, household, and emigration records.
Mission 25: The Complete Genealogist — Your Volume 1 Capstone 401
Complete a documented research project and proof summary using the full Volume 1 toolkit.
Mission 24: Writing Your Family History — From Research to Narrative 401
Turn research and source documents into an accurate narrative people will want to read.
Mission 23: Advanced DNA — What Your Match List Is Actually Telling You 301
Shared-match clustering, the Leeds method, and chromosome mapping for genetic networks.
Mission 22: Finding Freedom — Tracing Family Through America's Hardest Records 301
Freedmen's Bureau records, cohabitation registers, and a path through the 1870 brick wall.
Mission 21: The Paper Trail of Everyday Life — City Directories, Social Security & More 301
City directories, Social Security, and the records that fill the years between censuses.
Mission 20: Breaking Through Brick Walls — When the Trail Goes Cold 201
Five moves to try when your ancestor vanishes from the record.
Mission 19: Weighing the Evidence — Introduction to the Genealogical Proof Standard 201
Learn to evaluate sources, information, and evidence against the Genealogical Proof Standard.
Mission 18: The Shifting Map — Historical Geography, Gazetteers & Boundary Changes 201
Use gazetteers and boundary-change tools to learn where your ancestor's records moved.
Mission 17: The Courthouse Files — Court Records Beyond Probate 201
Find guardianships, divorces, and disputes in court records beyond probate.
Mission 16: Staking Your Claim — Land Records and the Dirt Your Ancestors Stood On 201
Decode land patents, deeds, and property transfers.
Mission 15: One Iron Skillet, Well-Seasoned 201
Decode wills, inventories, and estate records to reconstruct family relationships.
Mission 14: Reporting for Duty — Military Records and Your Ancestor's Service File 201
Find service records, pensions, and draft registration cards.
Mission 13: The Paper Trail Across the Water 201
Trace passenger lists, naturalization records, and border crossings.
Mission 12: Baptisms, Burials, and the Books That Came Before 201
Navigate parish registers and denominational archives.
Mission 11: The Spit Test — DNA Testing & Genetic Genealogy 201
Use genes as evidence through testing, matching, and interpretation.
Mission 10: Blueprint for Your Own History Project — Genealogy 101 Capstone 101
Turn scattered research into a plan you can actually follow.
Mission 9: The Neighbor Effect — Cluster Research & Community Links 101
Find ancestors through their neighbors, associates, and community networks.
Mission 8: Extra! Extra! - Newspapers That Bring Your Ancestors to Life 101
Use historical newspapers to reconstruct everyday lives and relationships.
Mission 7: Born, Wed, Dead — Vital Records That Map a Life 101
Use birth, marriage, and death records to map a life.
Mission 6: Count Me In — Census Records 101
Decode federal and state census records and work around the lost 1890 census.
Mission 5: File Before You Forget 101
Organize research with durable naming conventions and software choices.
Mission 4: Branch Mapper – Initiate Tree Growth 101
Build a pedigree chart, family group record, and research log.
Mission 3: The Biscuit Tin Dossier 101
Sort, catalog, and preserve family documents, photos, and heirlooms.
Mission 2: Operation Tea & Tattle 101
Interview living relatives and preserve their stories.
Mission 1: Identity Confirmed 101
Start with five practical steps for a sound genealogy research foundation.