Applicants for certification are sent a photocopy of an historical document that relates to the geographic areas and time periods in which they normally work. This part of the certification test gives each applicant an opportunity to demonstrate his or her ability to read handwritten records, analyze their contents, and design an intelligent research plan based on their content. The document sent to applicants for this work is chosen on that applicant’s research background as described in his or her Preliminary Application. For your enjoyment, we have posted here copies of two deeds so you can experiment with the kinds of work an applicant submits. For each document, applicants are asked to:

• Transcribe the document;
• Write a brief statement of a research focus—what or who you might have been investigating that caused you to look up this document;
• Abstract the document;
• Write a brief commentary about the genealogical significance of the document;
• Compile a first-steps research plan for examining other materials or using methods to pursue the same research focus.

You may use the navigation links on each page to find our examples of how a successful applicant might have performed each of these tasks. (Please understand, however, that these are examples only. Each applicant is expected to tailor replies to the documents themselves and to the geographic area and time period they represent.) We have included, also, a Help feature — in blue type — that explains how each task was done.

• 1781 North Carolina deed
• 1870 Wisconsin deed