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
- Belong to a genealogical society
- Joined a group on Genealogy Wise.
- Transcribed records.
- Uploaded headstone pictures to Find-A-Grave or a similar site
- Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents)
- Joined Facebook.
- Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
- Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
- Attended a genealogy conference.
- Lectured at a genealogy conference.
- Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society/local library’s family history group.
- Joined the National Genealogical Society.
- Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
- Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
- Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
- Talked to dead ancestors.
- Researched outside the state in which I live.
- Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
- Cold called a distant relative.
- Posted messages on a surname message board.
- Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
- Googled my name (and those of ancestors – it turns up great info sometimes)
- Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
- Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
- Have been paid to do genealogical research.
- Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
- Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
- Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
- Responded to messages on a message board.
- Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
- Participated in a genealogy meme.
- Created family history gift items.
- Performed a record lookup.
- Took a genealogy seminar cruise.
- Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
- Found a disturbing family secret.
- Told others about a disturbing family secret (but not all of the secrets).
- Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
- Think genealogy is a passion and/or obsession not a hobby.
- Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
- Taught someone else how to find their roots.
- Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
- Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
- Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
- Disproved a family myth through research.
- Got a family member to let you copy photos.
- Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
- Translated a record from a foreign language.
- Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
- Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
- Used microfiche.
- Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
- Used Google+ for genealogy.
- Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
- Taught a class in genealogy.
- Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
- Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
- Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
- Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
- 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?”
- Have found many relevant and unexpected articles on internet to “put flesh on the bones”.
- Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
- Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
- Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
- Have an ancestor who came to America as an indentured servant.
- Have an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or Civil War. Yes, yes, and yes. Multiple times.
- Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
- Can “read” a church record in Latin.
- Have an ancestor who changed his/her name, just enough to be confusing.
- Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
- Created a family website.
- Have a genealogy blog.
- Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone. .
- Have broken through at least one brick wall.
- Done genealogy research at a court house.
- Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center(s).
- Found an ancestor in an online newspaper archive.
- Have visited a NARA branch.
- Have an ancestor who served in WWI or WWII.
- Use maps in my genealogy research.
- Have a blacksheep ancestor.
- Found a bigamist amongst my ancestors.
- Attended a genealogical institute.
- Taken online genealogy (and local history) courses.
- Consistently (document) and cite my sources.
- Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don’t live in) in search of ancestors.
- Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
- Have an ancestor who was married four times. Several three-peaters, though.
- Made a rubbing of an ancestor’s gravestone.
- Followed genealogists on Twitter.
- Published a family history book.
- Learned of a death of a fairly close family relative through research.
- Offended a family member with my research.
- Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
- Have a paid subscription to a genealogy database.
- Submitted articles for FamilySearch Wiki.
- Organized a family reunion.
- Used Archives in countries where my ancestors originated.
- 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.
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