Genealogy Certificates Roll-Call

For me, this is going to be the Year of the Certificate.  I have set some goals for myself (why wait for next New Year? I have made this my January 1st, which is an idea I got from Jonathan Roche of the No Excuses Workout System).  And these goals are regarding certificates.  I decided to gather them from all over my flat (where some of them are in interesting places!), get archival sleeves for all of them, scan them for backup, and put them in some beautiful binders which I received for Christmas.

I have had to have two different sorts of binders and two different sorts of archival sleeves, because certificates used to be issued as long-and-thin landscape; now they are standard A4 portrait.  So, I have achieved the first goal: gathering them in from everywhere.  I have even put them in archival sleeves, and now I need to count them so I know how many more sleeves I need.

Birth Certificates
Long - 24
A4 - 19

Marriage Certificates
Long - 11
A4 - 5

Death Certificates
Long - 7
A4 - 16

It's a way of reassuring myself that I have got something as well as dates in a computer program.  Sometimes I get quite wistful when I hear/read others who have so much - especially photographs.

And the scanning?  I joined Scanfest originally - but I'd better not go again until I have some scanning under my belt, because it is so enjoyable that I found I ended up chatting and not scanning!  Scanfest is held once a month (usually the last Sunday of the month) at Miriam Midkiff's AnceStories blog.  Miriam answered the question "What is Scanfest?" like this:

" It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin."

It's just the "meeting" part which defeats me.  It's too delightful for words!  I'll have to just stick with the "kick in the pants" side of it and put it on my calendar.  And this year - I'll be scanning certificates.  Who knows, I might even be able to afford some new ones.  Look out, GRO, here I come!