The 99 Things + Genealogy Meme

Becky at Kinexxions began this genealogy meme. In her blog entry, she wrote:

"With the help of the genea-blogging community a list of genealogy things related to, or associated with, your genealogy research has been created, thus 'The 99+ Genealogy Things Meme' is born! It was inspired by The 99 Things Meme and a suggestion by a post on the MoSGA
Messenger (Missouri State Genealogical Association) blog. Contributors to the list were: Thomas MacEntee (items 31-43), Donna Pointkouski (44-73), LOOKING4ANCESTORS (83-87), Kathryn
Doyle (78-83), and Bibliaugrapher (88-92) who also reminded us that the list should be international in scope (Thank you). And I'm to blame for the first 30 items as well as items 74-77 and 93-99 (#97 is courtesy of a commentor on Donna's blog). Greta Koehl left a comment with items 100-104, which I couldn't resist! How could we forget the Happy Dance! LOL."

If you would like to participate, the list should be annotated in the following manner (no tagging of others is necessary):

Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

The 99 Things + Genealogy List:


1. Belonged to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) .
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Have been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
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.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. 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 or forum.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on 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.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
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. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
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. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
66. Visited the Library of Congress.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80. Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
82. Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
83. Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
90. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
91. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
92. Found a cousin in [Norway] (or other foreign country).
93. Consistently cite my sources.
94. Visited a foreign country [Canada] (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
95. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
96. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
97. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
98. Organized a family reunion.
99. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
100.Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
101.Have done the genealogy happy dance.
102.Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
103.Offended a family member with my research.
104.Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.


Great list--it really gives perspective on how committed the genealogy-impassioned can be.

Your Earliest, Scariest TV Moment?

I haven't started a meme yet, but I'm going to... right now! Many times I have pondered on some of the scariest things I encountered in the early days of television, and how they changed my perception of my little world and my own place in the universe. The Baby Boomer Generation is unique in the regard that it grew up with television--a new communication medium in the 1950s and 1960s, for better or worse.

My scariest early moment was watching the first epidsode of The Outer Limits, and what a first episode it was! The Galaxy Being, written and directed by Leslie Stevens, was filmed in black and white and aired in 1963. The story highlighted a creature far beyond anything I could have imagined at the age of ten: a nitrogen-based being from the Andromeda Galaxy which glowed and surged like electricity. The background sound even included lots of awe inspiring snapping and crackling from static electricity. Many subsequent episodes of The Outer Limits seemed to have a not-so-believable alien written in just for the sake of it, but the Galaxy Being was compelling, understandable, ominpotent, and well... horrifying, all at the same time.

Admonishing the military who come to the "defense" of the townspeople, the Galaxy Being warns them to rescind their violent ways: “Do not use force... There are powers in the universe beyond anything you know.”

Even though the Galaxy Being had me diving under the covers that night as I lay in bed, I was hopelessly fascinated. It was at that moment I became a science-fiction fan and began to read anything I could get my hands on that foretold the future. The funny thing is, I was never a horror fan; the only acceptable horror had to do with science and the future, and it had to have purpose. None of that bug-eyed, gobbling, drooling alien stuff for me!




The opening narration for The Outer Limits, 1963-1965:

There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits.

What was your earliest, scariest TV moment? How did you react? How did it change your perception of yourself, of your family, of the world? Did you develop any new interests as a result... or any revulsions? How do you think early television was different from the television shows being broadcast today, and do the modern shows have as much social impact? Were your family's routines altered by television? If so, how?

The Name Game

Randy at Genea-Musings recently posted this comment and challenge: "Here's a theme for my attentive readers and fellow genea-bloggers - if you had a chance to name your children again, what names would you choose to honor your ancestors?"


Fortunately, I'm still happy with what I named my children (hope they are, too!). But, if I were to select names based on my family heritage alone, then the following would be in the running for girls:


Lena Marie
(a half-sister of my great grandfather's who worked as a superintendent of schools in the 1920s--perhaps the first of my female ancestors to have a professional career and fulfill the American dreams of her immigrant parents)

Hattie Jorgene
(composite from the names of two little red-haired sisters who died from diphtheria before they had a chance to experience much of life)

Anna Maren
(there were more than a few Annas in my Norwegian family, and close to as many Marens back in Norway)

Emma Regine
(composite of more great-great-aunt names)

Bertina (Tina?)

But for the guys, I probably wouldn't use "Ole" - sorry, Great Grandpas! I've known more than few German Shepherds who were also given that name, and it somehow wouldn't work anymore. Names for boys among my ancestors are more restrictive, because Ole, Lars, and Hans just don't roll off the tongue well in today's American schoolyard jungles. My grandfather's name was Ernest, but I wouldn't want my kid to be called "Ernie," so there you have it. These are the best composites I came up with for boys:

Martin Benhardt
(composite of two great grandfathers' middle names)

Tor Gulbran
(spelled "Tor" because the name "Thor" is usually Americanized with a soft "Th"--a sound not made in the Norwegian language; Gulbran is a great great grandfather)

Erik Louis
(a father and son who were separated by a tragic accident)


I guess I could also use "Stephen," which is what my mother would have named me had I been a boy...

Non-Fiction Meme

I've been tagged for a non-fiction meme by Lori Thornton at Smoky Mountain Family Historian.


Q: What issues/topic interests you most--non-fiction, i.e, cooking, knitting, stitching, there are infinite topics that has nothing to do with novels?

My books have been packed away for so long that I'm in danger of not remembering them, but as I recall, most of my personal library has been, and is, non-fiction dealing with the following subjects and more: writing; genealogy; pioneer history; Scandinavians; World War II history; history of China; astronomy; science-fiction in the media; English gardens and architecture; antiques and depression glass; travel.

If it is permissable to mention non-fiction books about fiction, then one of my earliest reference treasures is the Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain. It's just the thing if you want to know where all of those old English poets and literary geniuses are buried. I use my writing and citation books the most, but I am also fond of books that send me into a creative haze, like the Laura Ashley Book of Home Decorating.


Q: Would you like to review books concerning those?

Once in awhile I am so inspired by a book, like Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, by Linda Lawrence Hunt, that I type up a review and send it to friends, but that's about all I'd like to do.


Q: Would you like to be paid or do it as an interest or hobby?

No thanks... just when the mood strikes me. Once you are paid to do something, it loses a bit of its attraction.


Q: Would you recommend those to your friends and how?

Oh yes. I recommend books to my friends and family by pulling them off the shelf, or by taking them along to writing groups, for the most part. Then, there's always this blog, you know.


Q: If you have already done something like this, link it to your post.

If my own book doesn't count, then I guess there's nothing to link!

A Blog Caroling We Will Go...

Thanks to footnoteMaven for coming up with the idea of blog caroling! I'm going to pick one of my 87-year-old mom's longtime favorite carols. Can't you just picture her grooving to this in her purple and lime green "Grumpy" pjs (of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fame)?

Though Mom would prefer a hot chocolate and a cozy spot near the woodstove while listening to Nat King Cole croon, I'll opt for an Irish Coffee and catching my Hubby under the mistletoe.

Now kids, don't let that fire go out while you are busy singing along!

The Christmas Song

(Merry Christmas to You) or

(Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
Merry Christmas to you.

"The Christmas Song" was written by Mel Torme and Bob Wells in 1944 during a blistering hot summer. It was first recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946, and his 1961 version remains a favorite today, even though the carol has since been recorded by many artists, including: John Denver, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, the Jackson Five, James Taylor, The Supremes, Chicago, The Lettermen, Natalie Cole, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Carpenters, Trisha Yearwood, New Kids on the Block, Twisted Sister, Charlotte Church, Al Jarreau, Whitney Houston, and, whew! Well, there are a lot...


Source: Wikipedia

The 161 Meme

"Turn around, Bright Eyes..." and there's another meme challenge! Well, this is a whole lot more fun than chain letters. So, here goes. My friend, footnoteMaven,, has tagged me for this meme. The rule is: pick up the book you are reading, turn to page 161, and divulge the contents of the sixth sentence on that page.

One of the books I am currently reading--the most grab-able one, anyway--is a biography/autobiography: "Hazel Wolf: Fighting the Establishment," by Susan Starbuck, University of Washington Press. Wolf is known for her environmental activism and connections with the Seattle Audubon Society, and typically used plenty of smart one-liners to help throw her modest weight around. An incredible Pacific Northwest woman...

Wolf's statement on the sixth line of page 161 is:

"I"m going to clam up, for the simple reason that if I say that I know them, they're going to be tarred as Communists, and they'll be hounded and harassed, and I'm not going to have that happen to any of my friends, or anybody that signs anything or is associated with me in any way."

Hmmm, who do I tag? The rule is five people. I'm going to go with a smattering of geographic locations, from Spokane in my home state of Washington, to Carmichael, California, and then on to St. Louis, Missouri, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; finally, across the Big Water in the UK:


Ladies and gentlemen, consider yourself tagged for "161":


Miriam of AnceStories

Craig of GeneaBlogie

John of Transylvanian Dutch

Brian of Zalewski Family

and Nikki-ann

Balance - Never Static (or: Balance, What Balance?)

I have been tagged for a Meme by a friend and fellow blogger, FootnoteMaven, to answer some questions regarding balance in life. This Meme (unit of cultural information) was begun by Lillie Ammann, A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye. Genealogy is all about sharing and discovering, so why not discuss cultural practices of the present, as well as of the past?

The assignment is to write about balance in life, and address any or all of the following questions:

How do you achieve balance in your life?
What is your biggest challenge in balancing your life?
What are your priorities?
How have your priorities changed over time and why?
What advice can you share to help all of us balance our own lives?


My first comment is that balance (as in "balancing act"), is never static. I believe no one ever achieves ultimate balance, but rather, is continually in the process of trying to establish it. That said, I can only address what I am doing at present to seek a mid-point where I am neither listing to the left, nor to the right.

One of my biggest challenges is making the time to be creative. If I am to be happy, I must be creative, but exactly what I create has changed over time. For the past few years, I have been tending my dream of writing. As with many people, I have priorities of family and employment. Continuing education has definitely been a priority; I finished a degree in history, one course at a time, while working full time. More recently, I completed a year-long certificate program in Genealogy and Family History, participated in a writing seminar, and became a member of a small Norwegian-American writers support group, all while working full time. Connecting with people is important, and so is exploring every facet of nature's beauty. Astronomer Carl Sagan, someone I admire, said: "In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." There is a universe of beauty to behold and ponder during our limited time on earth. 'Nuff said.

What gets in the way of sopping up all that beauty and creating my own little tributes? Fatigue and long commutes, for the most part. To have time for research and writing, I have to make choices. Being an introvert and a sensitive one at that, I quickly become depleted if I do not have time to myself. So, I dedicate certain evenings or hours to doing what I love. Having projects with deadlines helps tremendously. Having a supportive husband helps even more. I don't cut myself short on the important things, but there is very little TV viewing, and often, only crisis intervention in relation to housework.

I want to speak to the ladies for a moment. We women know that it is all too easy to get caught up in meeting the needs of other people. This is fine and well (relationships are our specialty, after all), but remember to give yourself at least as much time and attention as you would anyone else. Financial guru Suze Orman warns women that they should never put themselves "on sale." For me, that means I can no longer postpone my creative urges while life happens around me; it must be a part of my life. If we truly want to accomplish something, we will find a way: step by step, and "bird by bird." [1]

My ultimate life-in-balance would include having a time machine to conduct research firsthand, living where there are no freeways, watching trees grow by day and stars glimmer by night, and looking up from my writing to watch ducks cavorting on a green, sunlit pond. I cannot have all of that (especially the time machine), but I can come closer to achieving balance by realizing that dreams are every bit as precious as reality, and they deserve my attention. I wish you success in realizing and tending your dreams and your balance.

I extend a open invitation to all genealogy bloggers to answer this Meme.

[1] Anne Lamott. "Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life." New York: Pantheon Books, 1994. (The phrase "bird by bird" essentially refers to accomplishing overwhelming tasks by focusing on one step at a time.)