Beyond the Internet Geneameme

I was thrilled to see this morning that Pauleen from the Family history across the seas blog has created a Geneameme which focuses on genealogy resources beyond the Internet. I am also delighted that she has used the term 'geneameme' that I coined for my last meme "The Ancestors' Geneameme".


As I have been involved in ancestor hunting for nerly 25 years I had to use many offline resources in my early days of researching.


Here is my response to Pauleen's challenge:

Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

1. Looked at microfiche for BDM indexes which go beyond the online search dates.
2. Talked to elderly relatives about your family history. Shold do more before teh aunts drop off their perches)
3. Obtained old family photos from relatives.
4. Have at least one certificate (birth/death/marr) for each great-grandparent.
5. Have at least one certificate (birth/death/marr) for each great-great-grandparent.
6. Seen/held a baptism or marriage document in a church, church archive or microfilm.
7. Seen your ancestor’s name in some other form of church record eg kirk session, communion rolls.
8. Used any microfilm from an LDS family history centre for your research. (Family History Library in Salt Lake City)
9. Researched using a microfilm other than a parish register (LDS family history centre/other).
10. Used cemetery burial records to learn more about your relative’s burial.
11. Used funeral director’s registers to learn more about your relative’s burial (an old card index for Campbelltown, NSW).
12. Visited all your great-grandparents’ grave sites.
13. Visited all your great-great-grandparents’ grave sites.
14. Recorded the details on your ancestors’ gravestones and photographed them.(and found extra valuable information in snowy Scotland and northern England as well as hot, dusty Australia)
15. Obtained a great-grandparent’s will/probate documents.
16. Obtained a great-great grandparent’s will/probate documents (Does a great-great-great count?).
17. Found a death certificate among will documents. (At State Records NSW)
18. Followed up in the official records, something found on the internet.
19. Obtained a copy of your immigrant ancestors’ original shipping records.
20. Found an immigration nomination record for your immigrant ancestor[iii]. (GGmother)
21. Found old images of your ancestor’s place of origin (online or other).
22. Read all/part of a local history for your ancestor’s place of residence.
23. Read all/part of a local history for your ancestor’s place of origin.
24. Read your ancestor’s school admission records.
25. Researched the school history for your grandparents.
26. Read a court case involving an ancestor (online newspapers don’t count for this). (Old Bailey record before they became available online)
27. Read about an ancestor’s divorce case in the archives. (State Records NSW and TNA, Kew)
28. Have seen an ancestor’s war medals. (Have and treasure my Dad's)
29. Have an ancestor’s military record (not a digitised copy eg WWII). (From NAA before digitisation)
30. Read a war diary or equivalent for an ancestor’s battle.
31. Seen an ancestor’s/relative’s war grave. (Villers-Brettoneux in France)
32. Read all/part of the history of an ancestor’s military unit (battalion/ship etc).(But no mention of my Dad)
33. Seen your ancestor’s name on an original land map.
34. Found land selection documents for your immigrant ancestor/s.
35. Found other land documents for your ancestor (home/abroad)
36. Located land maps or equivalent for your ancestor’s place of origin.
37. Used contemporaneous gazetteers or directories to learn about your ancestors’ places.
38. Found your ancestor’s name in a Post Office directory of the time.
39. Used local government sewerage maps (yes, seriously!) for an ancestor’s street.
40. Read an inquest report for an ancestor/relative (online/archives). (A suicide from Victorian archives)
41. Read an ancestor’s/relative’s hospital admission.
42. Researched a company file if your family owned a business.
43. Looked up any of your ancestor’s local government rate books or valuation records. (Hornsby Council)
44. Researched occupation records for your ancestor/s (railway, police, teacher etc).
45. Researched an ancestor’s adoption. (Don't know of any)
46. Researched an ancestor’s insolvency. (Scotland - sequestration)
47. Found a convict ancestor’s passport or certificate of freedom.
48. Found a convict ancestor’s shipping record.
49. Found an ancestor’s gaol admission register. (And got a great mugshot from State Records NSW)
50. Found a licencing record for an ancestor (brands, publican, etc).
51. Found an ancestor’s mining lease/licence.
52. Found an ancestor’s name on a petition to government.
53. Read your ancestor’s citizenship document. (All Aussie or British - no citizenship docs)
54. Read about your ancestor in an undigitised regional newspaper. (In Scotland and Australia - tedious trawling through old microfilms)
55. Visited a local history library/museum relevant to your family. (Lots England, Ireland, Scotland and Australia)
56. Looked up your ancestor’s name in the Old Age Pension records.
57. Researched your ancestor or relative in Benevolent Asylum/Workhouse records.
58. Researched an ancestor’s/relative’s mental health records.
59. Looked for your family in a genealogical publication of any sort (but not online remember). (Lots)
60. Contributed family information to a genealogical publication. 

Looks like I need to bite the bullet and check land records - a job I've been avoiding for many years.