Hi everyone!
It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Rob Wilson.
Rob became a Wiki Genealogist in March 2021. He is involved in our Ireland and WikiTree Apps projects. He was also a huge help during the India stop of our 15 Nations Global Tour.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
Two things got me going - my wife has an unusual Cornish last name - Jelbert, and, as we visited that county occasionally, I thought well, let's go and find some relatives. And graves, to my daughter's amazement! They still remember that! The other thing was the gift of a family Bible, with handwritten records from India (my father is the last of 4 generations who lived in "British" India).
I started way back in the pre-internet days, which involved travelling and letter-writing with SAEs (Stamped Addressed Envelopes for the uninitiated)!
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
Coding (which used to be called programming), and enthusing and helping schools with STEM-related projects. I'm working on a low-cost solar-power source for microbits right now.
What is your genealogical research focus?
I have had a huge change in the last few years, as I have discovered the value of DNA matches. Now I am focused on finding matches and connecting them up. That's where WikiTree is an amazing tool.
In fact DNA has enabled me to establish, fairly convincingly, the heritage of my great grandmother Isabelle Toomey. Her birth in 1870 and marriage in 1888 in India were recorded in that Bible, but there is only one official record of her in India - her death in 1902. The reason is probably because Roman Catholic records were not required to be sent back to Britain. But with a couple of DNA matches I have been able to construct a likely family, backed up by finding several interconnected families in what was probably a close-knit Irish group in India.
Are you are interested in certain surnames or locations?
My absolute favourite location is Berwick upon Tweed in Northumberland, where my Wilson ancestors came from. It's a beautiful town which is in England but close to the border with Scotland. That brings its own challenges because life and love did not respect the border, and the two countries have different laws and different record systems.
Do you have a favorite ancestor or brick wall breakthrough story?
My big breakthrough was Isabelle Toomey and DNA (above)! But my favourite is Margaret Woods who escaped the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. She married twice, raised 13 children, and lived on 3 continents (India, Europe, and Africa).
What is your toughest brick wall currently?
The wall I shy away from is Ireland. I have two sets of Irish ancestors who lived in India. Irish ancestry is difficult to trace, because of a lack of easy access to records. But DNA does give hope!
(interview continues in comments)
