99 Things

Genealogy bloggers have been participating in the 99 Things meme this week.  I first saw this on Tonia's blog Tonia's Roots and at Valerie's blog Family Cherished.  I don't often participate in memes, but I wanted to get in on this one.  Tonia refers to it as a sort of "bucket list" for genealogists. I think she's right!

So, here goes....


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).

1. Belong to a genealogical society (three, in fact)
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. (Love these!)
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference. Thinking about it.
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 (I coordinate the WCGS publications on Lulu.com.  Does that count?).
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery. (Didn't get lost, but came pretty close!) 
16. Talked to dead ancestors. (All the time. Makes people wonder about me!)
17. Researched outside the state in which I live. (Mostly Virginia - My ancestors didn't get too far.)
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.  (Thought about it, but the big dog chained in the front yard convinced me otherwise.)
19. Cold called a distant relative. (I did send a letter ahead of time introducing myself.) 
20. Posted messages on a surname message board. (Frequently)
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. (Had my own!)
29. Responded to messages on a message board.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion. I'd like to keep it that way!
31. Participated in a genealogy meme. Yay! I just got this one.
32. Created family history gift items: watch my blog for more coming on this.
33. Performed a record lookup.
34. Took a genealogy seminar cruise. Definitely on my list!
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret. Not so far.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts.  More on this later.
39. Think genealogy is a passion obsession not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person. (Unclaimed Persons)
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots. (I love doing this!)
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure. (Don't want to think about that.)
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology –sometimes it’s borderline but it’s a great way to learn. I find learning new things exciting, but I do get overwhelmed after a day or two of conferences and brain doesn’t fit in my head anymore.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research. (No, we are not part Cherokee!)
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. This would be hard - I only speak one 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 (still struggling with the whole social media thing!)
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy. Hope to do this in the future.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century. 
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.  (I'll get there!)
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer (Does the cheat sheet at the archives count?)
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 – so going there someday soon.
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 to all 3!
67. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
68. Can “read” a church record in Latin. (have managed to decipher some, but only with a dictionary, reference book or Google) So far, my ancestors did not attend churches using Latin.
69. Have an ancestor who changed his/her name, just enough to be confusing. (Two, in fact,)
70. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
71. Created a family website. (Part of my blog)
72. Have a genealogy blog.
73. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone. I am more than willing to suffer this problem.
74. Have broken through at least one brick wall (but someone keeps putting up more).
75. Done genealogy research at a court house. (Some of my favorite research!)
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 (how can one not?).
81. Have a blacksheep ancestor. (ahem..."Uncle Pell")
82. Found a bigamist amongst my ancestors. 
83. Attended a genealogical institute. Definitely on my to-do list!
84. Taken online genealogy (and local history) courses. 
85. Consistently (document) and cite my sources. (I'm much better about this!)
86. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don’t live in) in search of ancestors. I can't seem to get "across the pond".
87. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes (how many is a “few”?)
88. Have an ancestor who was married four times. 
89. Made a rubbing of an ancestor’s gravestone.
90. Followed genealogists on Twitter. 
91. Published a family history book. Just did this, but shhh....it's a surprise!
92. Learned of a death of a fairly close family relative through research.
93. Offended a family member with my research. At least I hope not!
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. Anyone want to help?
98. Used Archives in countries where my ancestors originated.
99. Converted someone new to the love of all things genealogy. Guilty as charged!

What fun to see all that I have accomplished and what all I want to accomplish!  I can't wait to get started on the "blue" list.


Thanks to all those in the blogging community who have participated.  I've really enjoyed reading these posts.