What brought you to WikiTree and why did you start getting involved?
I was doing genealogy before the internet was a thing. As a computer nerd, I got on the internet when the Mosaic web browser was introduced in 1995. By 1998 I was on a couple listserv accounts on Rootsweb. I learned the importance of reliable sources, and all the resources I could find at the local LDS FHC (Latter Day Saints, Family History Center - now on FamilySearch.org). I moved around a bit and was fortunate to live in places where my colonial ancestors lived, so I also visited some sites and libraries in person.
I then took a break from genealogy while my son was in school. I got involved with editing articles on Wikipedia, starting in 2006. When my son got older I looked around, tried a different genealogy site but didn’t like all the multiple variations of the same trees, often without sources. It was hard to tell what was the truth. I also didn’t like the idea of companies making money from the hard work of volunteers. I made a small personal wiki for my Ungerecht line, but that was a lot of work. Looking around some more, WikiTree just made sense. I really liked the idea of one global tree and people from all over collaborate on the same profiles. I joined WikiTree in November 2017. WikiTree has approximately doubled in the number of profiles and members since then!
Which project or projects are you most involved in?
Lately I’ve been helping on the USBH (United States Black Heritage). I think many African Americans think there is not much of interest for them in family research, given the obvious lack of records before the Civil War, and general lack of opportunities for African Americans for another century after that. But there are still many interesting stories out there. I try to find slaves that volunteered in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, and find them in the censuses after that. It’s not always easy, for a few reasons (name flexibility as they adopted last names, many didn’t know the year they were born, for starters). I just now found testimony in the National Archives from a free black man in Virginia who was ordered by the Confederates, at gunpoint, to assist their cause, but refused. Later he lost property to the Union troops as they traveled through, and filed suit for damages. Somebody, someday, will find a personal connection to that story, and it will make their day.
How can others help the USBH project?
Emma MacBeath regularly posts about this project on the G2G, she has more information.
Do you have other ways you like to help people on WikiTree?
I like to improve old photographs. Some pictures can’t be helped much, at least by me, if it’s out of focus for instance. But others might have bad color balance or are cloudy with age, have a few creases. Those can be improved, sometimes dramatically, and it’s fun to see what can be done on an old favorite or a new find.
What inspires you to contribute so much of yourself to WikiTree's mission?
Initially this was for myself, to document my family and see who I could get bragging rights to. Now I spend most of my time on other people’s lines. I think we all have an innate desire to help others, to give something back somehow. When I was starting with real genealogy on Rootsweb, people I didn’t know took the time to look in their records for my names, and point out good resources to me. I know at least one of them has since passed on. This is now an area where I can give back, keep the chain of assistance alive. This and my volunteering in restoring natural spaces are both parts of my legacy that will live on after I’m gone.
What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?
I like the connections and genealogical relationships feature. It’s always fun to see who you’re related to, or connected through marriage. Only from WikiTree would I find something like that I’m 6th cousins to Kevin Bacon (my personal six degrees connection).
What feature or function would you most like to see added or improved?
Someday when I have time I would like to work on the help pages. I think some of them could be connected better and made easier to understand, particularly for people new to WikiTree who don’t know all the terminology and processes yet. This comes from my days working on Wikipedia articles, trying to improve them, making them easier to read for people who aren’t experts. More language support would be good, with help pages and perhaps G2G channels for other languages, to draw in people from places we haven’t really made inroads yet.
What could we do to inspire more people to participate?
I’m big on numbers and statistics. What’s interesting is that WikiTree is growing linearly and has been doing so for over eight years. Even the pandemic and work-from-home shift barely made a ripple in that growth pattern. I’m confident that people will continue to make their way to WikiTree, we just need to be able to welcome them, be informative, and be friendly.
