Meet our Members: Karyn Homburg

Question

Hi everyone!

It's time to get to know another wonderful WikiTreer. This week's member is Karyn Homburg.

Karyn became a Wiki Genealogist in December 2018 and is active in our Australia Project.

How did you get interested in genealogy?

For my 21st birthday I received some old family photographs from a cousin. Mum helped me put together a photo album, along with other photos that she had, added names that she knew and actually that was it until after mum passed away in 2003. Then I saw an advertisement on television for a genealogy website and from there the obsession began!

What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?

My children are my greatest joy. I have two daughters, both in their 20s now, and they still come with me exploring cemeteries and taking photographs. I enjoy listening to 70s music, binge watching old television series, and practicing mindfulness and meditation. 

Are you  interested in certain surnames or locations?

When I first read a small obituary for my great-grandmother it said she was the daughter of the late Captain Stephen Tonkin from St Agnes, Cornwall. I was fascinated! From then I have been interested in anyone and everything Tonkin, beginning a Tonkin name study on WikiTree last year. You can trace almost every Tonkin profile on WikiTree (over 2000 of them) back to Cornwall.

Do you have a favorite genealogical discovery?

I had a group of DNA matches that suggested a connection to a couple that married in Leicestershire, England in 1818 and emigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah. Looking at the wife’s family, I discovered her mother’s last name at birth was Chapman, as was my maternal fourth great grandmother’s. I could find no baptisms for either of the women, but noted they both had connections to Braunstone, Leicestershire. So I started looking at other Chapman marriages in that parish and found others that I could trace DNA connections with as well!  I searched through any Wills I could find in Leicestershire – and jackpot! My biggest breakthrough came with the Will of Robert Chapman of Whetstone, Leicestershire dated 1818! It records his eight daughters and their married surnames! To this day I can still recall the excitement as I realised my DNA connections were to these daughters mentioned in the Will.

What is your toughest brick wall currently?

My maternal great grandfather John Henry Amos. I was surprised to find his marriage registration was under two names: John Henry Amos Vickery and John Henry Amos! Reading the actual certificate, it stated he was the foster son of Thomas Amos. I have since discovered that he had lived with the Amos family from at least seven months old, when he was baptised as their son, but I have never been able to locate a birth registration. I have many DNA matches that would suggest he is connected to a McNamara family originating in Ireland – but I am well stuck.

(Interview continues in comments)

Comments

What brought you to WikiTree?

I discovered WikiTree in 2018. A cousin researching the same line of our family as myself said she had seen on WikiTree that a shared ancestor had actually died in infancy. I thought to myself, that is not right! So I found the profile, noted that the source was incorrect, contacted the profile manager and added the correct information (sourced of course)!

What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?

I spend most of my time on WikiTree sourcing and connecting South Australian profiles, especially profiles that were created very early on WikiTree and have not been added to in years. You can most certainly find new connections for those profiles with a little bit of digging around.

Which project are you most involved in?

I am most involved with the Australia Project. With 2022 being the year of Family Connections, I started to work on the Australia Project’s challenge to connect unconnected profiles. I have found some really interesting profiles and was able to find connections for them. One in particular was for Edward Wright (abt.1788-1859). He had a rather basic profile that was unconnected, and I discovered that he was actually quite an important person in South Australian history, with his sons being present at the proclamation at Holdfast Bay on 28 Dec 1836.

What inspires you to contribute so much of yourself to WikiTree's mission?

I read once that History remembers only the celebrated, Genealogy remembers them all! I love that! Everyone has an interesting story to tell, and a well sourced WikiTree profile is a great way to remember them. 

My grandfather was an Anzac who fought in World War 1. He was in a photograph taken in Adelaide, South Australia of a group of young men before embarkation in 1915. I had spent years researching the photograph, attempting to identify other men in the photo. Recently I decided to create a free space page and share that research to WikiTree. I have created profiles for every man that embarked from Adelaide on the same ship on that day, linking them to the free space page and connecting as many as I can to the tree (still a work in progress). I have found some wonderful images and stories of young men, 17 of them never returned home. Being able to publish this on WikiTree means that the photograph and stories will not be lost, a contribution I am proud of and hope others will find interesting.

What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?

You can find so many interesting things using the My WikiTree tab at the top right of your profile page. I really like how easy it is to see Anniversaries, Connections and Cousins you will also find on WikiTree. I also really like the information you will find if you click on the highlighted surname of a person’s profile. It will take you to a list of all the profiles on WikiTree with that surname, shows related surnames and so much more! Especially useful on this page under the surname tab at the top right of the page, is DNA connections, showing all WikiTree members who have connections to that surname, that have taken a DNA test.

Do you have a story about how someone was helped through your participation on WikiTree?

I have received emails from non-members who have come across a profile that I have created on WikiTree. One in particular was thrilled to see my research on Joseph Jones (1797-1885) using free sources that they could also use.

Do you have any tips for someone who wants to get more involved in our community?

Join a project that interests you, and try a challenge. I really enjoy the Sourcerers Challenge each month, it’s easy to do, plus you will get an Owl Milestone sticker on your profile at the end of the month, which is really cute!

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Karen, my ancestors too, come from St. Agnes, though are not Tonkins. We are a mere 16 degrees via the Trezise family.

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Hi Fiona, I can see the Trezise connection! How exciting!

Answer 1

I want to thank everyone for the positive and lovely messages and comments I have received! Yesterday was the 98th anniversary of the death of my great grandfather John Henry Amos, the brick wall in my interview and on a hunch, I did another search of the Victorian Birth Index, this time with only "John Henry" in the first name field, nothing in the surname field, and an exact year of birth 1874. I thought there were going to be thousands of results! Luckily there weren't! One stood out, although not Hickley or Vickery, the birth was for a John Henry Heatley, with only a mother recorded. Long story short - I bought the pdf, started researching the birth mother (turns out she had another son 2 years before) and bingo! DNA match with a descendant of the birth mother's brother (for myself and another person!). I was thrilled, burst into tears actually! It was my biggest break through in 20 years - I was thrilled! I have a question if someone can answer, can I add a birth mother to his profile, keeping his adoptive parents as well?

Answer 2

Wonderful interview Karyn! Thanks for sharing some snapshots of your family history journeys with us. Marvellous work you are doing in South Australia!

Comments

Thank you Gillian!  

Answer 3

Congratulations, Karyn, and thank you for all you do for our tree.  I enjoyed your interview.  Thank you Eowyn for introducing us to Karyn.

Comments

Thank you Mark!

Answer 4

Inspiring interview Karyn, thank you. I particularly like your approach to your grandfather’s Word War 1 service.

Comments

Thank you very much Margaret

Answer 5

Great interview.  And that quote is going straight to the pool room (well, the introductory pages of Family Book Creator which is the book program that works with Family Tree Maker).

Comments

Love it Lauren! (and The Castle!) I did not know that family tree maker had the ability to create a book! I haven't used it for years, I wonder if I can still access it, I would love to produce a book!

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https://www.familybookcreator.com/en/

It's very impressive.  Gazillions of options.

Answer 6

Great interview Karyn! Love your grandfather's ship to WWI "project", we have contemplated something similar. This is Vicki's earliest ancestor from Adelaide - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hendrickson-2120 he has provided us many hours of research with a most interesting link to the Jacobites still being fully researched!

Comments

Thank you Roger, it has been a pleasure to research the photograph and the men, I can totally recommend creating a free space page!

Answer 7

Great interview Karyn.Loved your quote"History remember only the celebrated, but Genealogy remembers them all!".  

I also have a whole chunk of family from Cornwall.  Great sources!

Comments

Thank you Brad! My husband is a Cunningham, in South Australia though 

Answer 8

G'day from Sunny Mackay, QLD!!

I loved reading your story.

Much of my dad's family comes from Cornwall too, so I understand the fascination you have with the Tonkin name. For me, it's all thing's Ladner.

There is a Tonkin-Ladner marriage in the early 1800s but it's not on WikiTree... yet. My current research question goes up the Ladner tree but then takes a side-step before that relationship. So it will have to wait.

Like you, I also have a maratime project: it's to do with people that built or boarded the S.Y. Aurora. The ship that took Sir Douglas Mawson to the Antarctic. The husband of a Ladner was Chief Officer on that voyage, which is what got me interested to do something to celebrate the lives of those people. I'm loving the research and all the reading that comes with it.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas! All the best busting down your brickwalls!

Cheers,

Gaz.

Comments

Thank you Gaz! The story of the S.Y. Aurora sounds interesting! I will have a look for the Tonkin-Ladner marriage, we have to get that one on here!