It’s been ten years! I never thought I would keep it going this long. On a lark and in response to a challenge by Thomas MacEntee, I created a blog on February 10,2010 and joined the Genealogy Winter Games hosted by Thomas. Medals were awarded based on genealogy tasks accomplished. Here is a listing of the goals and how I did! 

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Winter Genealogy Games are over!

The Winter Genealogy Games have now ended and I have been reflecting on how much I have achieved.

To even enter the games, I needed to create this blog. Next, I created a flag to represent my heritage.

1 Go Back and cite your sources - I have been citing sources and earned a Bronze Medal.

2 Back-up Your Data -I have completed task C making a new DVD back-up of all my digital media. I also have MOZY back-up my data daily and store it on their servers. That qualifies for a gold.

3 Organize Your Research - I have individual files for each family line I am researching, and I also have digital folders for each family. A silver!

4 Expand your Knowledge - I learned how to create a blog and I played around with googlemaps. I also created a WORDL using the names of the families I am researching. Another gold!

5 Write, Write, Write! - I wrote a summary of my blog and listed the names I am researching. I also am participating in the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge. One more gold!

6 Reach Out - I index regularly for both ancestry.com and familysearch.org. I check message boards to see it I can help with a request, and I have begun following several different genealogy blogs. Gold again.

Summary: 1 Bronze, 1 Silver, and 4 Gold not bad for a newbie!

This list of goals has served me well over the years and with a few changes and additions, I have kept pretty much the same style.

In the past ten years I have written 445 blog posts, including this one. I have written about the people and places in the background of my grandchildren’s lives. I have read church records in German, Norwegian, Hungarian, and Latin. Usually it was a mix of Latin and another language. Using my blog as cousin bait, I have connected with “cousins” in Germany, Norway, and Ireland who still live close to the ancestral homes.

I am still trying to write weekly as part Amy Johnson Crow’s “ 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” campaign to encourage writing for family history. DNA often creeps into my writing as I look for more connections to far-flung family relatives and I haven’t even started on matches from Australia and New Zealand. I will be writing for a while yet!