99 Genealogy Things Meme

September 10, 2011 at 5:06 pm (Uncategorized)

Wikipedia’s definition of meme is something that spreads from person to person within a culture.  In this case the culture is the internet. I got it from Tonia Kendrick of Tonia’s Roots who got it from Valerie Elkins of Family Cherished and so on…

Things you have already done or found – bold type
Things you would like to do or find – italics
Things you have not done or found /don’t care to – (or that I know hasn’t happened in my family).

99 Genealogy Things

1. Belong to a genealogical society
2. Joined a group on Genealogy Wise.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded headstone pictures to Find-A-Grave or a similar site
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents)
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society/local library’s family history group.  
12. Joined the National Genealogical Society.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants. 
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name (and those of ancestors – it turns up great info sometimes)
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it. 
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.  
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items.
33. Performed a record lookup.
34. Took a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space. 
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret (but not all of the secrets).
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion and/or obsession not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.  
    
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Used Google+ for genealogy. 
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy. 
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.  To steal Valerie’s answer, “isn’t that what the computers are for?”
61. Have found many relevant and unexpected articles on internet to “put flesh on the bones”.  
62. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills. 
63. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.  
64. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
65. Have an ancestor who came to America as an indentured servant.
66. Have an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or Civil War. Yes, yes, and yes. Multiple times.
67. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
68. Can “read” a church record in Latin.
69. Have an ancestor who changed his/her name, just enough to be confusing. 
70. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
71. Created a family website.
72. Have a genealogy blog.
73. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone. .
74. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
75. Done genealogy research at a court house.
76. Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center(s).
77. Found an ancestor in an online newspaper archive.
78. Have visited a NARA branch.
79. Have an ancestor who served in WWI or WWII.
80. Use maps in my genealogy research.
    
81. Have a blacksheep ancestor.
82. Found a bigamist amongst my ancestors.
83. Attended a genealogical institute.
84. Taken online genealogy (and local history) courses.
85. Consistently (document) and cite my sources. 
86. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don’t live in) in search of ancestors.
87. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
88. Have an ancestor who was married four times. Several three-peaters, though.
89. Made a rubbing of an ancestor’s gravestone.
90. Followed genealogists on Twitter.
91. Published a family history book. 
92. Learned of a death of a fairly close family relative through research.
93. Offended a family member with my research.
94. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
95. Have a paid subscription to a genealogy database.
96. Submitted articles for FamilySearch Wiki.
97. Organized a family reunion.
98. Used Archives in countries where my ancestors originated.
99. Converted someone new to the love of all things genealogy.  I hope I have.

It looks like I have a few things I still want to do.