Volunteer Opportunities

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How to Volunteer with the Kentucky Project

So you've joined the Kentucky Project and now you're wondering what to do? Or maybe you aren't a member, but you'd like to participate if you can? Either way, welcome, we're glad you're here! Whether you are an experienced genealogist and WikiTreer, or are brand new to either, if you'd like to contribute to Kentucky on WikiTree we've got lots of ways you can help. Starting with...

1. Grow Your Tree of Kentucky Relatives

One of the simplest and most important gifts you can bring to our project is to add your own Kentucky cousins to WikiTree. If you are just starting out with WikiTree, be sure to take a look at the WikiTree Academy, designed to help you find your way around the site. It can help you learn the system and teach you to:

New to WikiTree? Check out the WikiTree Academy or New Member Q & A

• check for duplicates when you create profiles
• learn to collaborate with cousins on shared ancestors
• add primary sources to support the facts, and format those sources properly
• develop solid biographies
• include appropriate categories
• use WikiTree extensions to make your work easier

Are you already an experienced WikiTreer with a full ancestral tree? This is the perfect opportunity to take another look at that 2nd great-grandfather who lived in Kentucky, or even your maternal uncle's third wife's first husband, who happened to be born there. Dive back in and add those neglected siblings and forgotten spouses, then add their children and their spouses and so on (you'll be building Kentucky profiles, and growing your CC7).

Three important things you can do for the Kentucky Project:

1. Remember to add Kentucky location categories to your profiles. If, like many Kentuckians, your profiles are for rural people, this means add any and all categories for the counties they lived in. If the families you are working with lived in towns, choose those categories instead. Most of these locations in Kentucky have already had categories created, but if you feel you need one that's not there, reach out to the Kentucky team and we'll see what may need to be done. In the long run, this categorization will assist other researchers who use cluster methods to solve puzzles and break down brick walls. With the WikiTree Browser Extension, it will also enable you to see your connections to all the people in a given location category.
2. Carefully consider other possible categories. We'd like to see Kentucky profiles categorized as thoroughly as possible, including military, occupations, emigration/immigration, cemeteries, and any others that are applicable. Don't forget maintenance categories: if you've created a "stub" profile, remember to add [[Category: Kentucky, Needs Profiles Created]], [[Category:Kentucky, Needs More Records]], or [[Categorgy:Kentucky, Needs Biography]] as necessary. If you are working with Appalachian counties or USBH profiles, you'll want to familiarize yourself with their categories as well. If you need assistance with categories, let us know or...
3. Use G2G with the kentucky tag when you run into problems, so other members of the project will be able to assist you. It's also a good idea to simply share in the forums what you're working on in Kentucky, and invite others to work with you. And don't forget to participate in a Weekend Chat to talk about your current Kentucky research topic!

2. Contribute to a Surname-Based Study

One Name Studies Project

Targeted work on a particular surname can help break down brick walls and assist DNA researchers. While you may not want to start up a global name study, you can:

• Use WikiTree+ to find existing WikiTree Name Studies that already have subcategories for Kentucky. Simply click the link and a new page will open. Click the blue "Find Categories" button on the left side of the screen and the list will display. Then click through to the category you're interested in, and from there check the parent category for any pages or instructions from the coordinators. If you don't find the surname you are interested in the list:
• Check for the surname you're interested in at the ONS main category to see if a study already exists on WikiTree. Then you can create a free space page for your local Kentucky surname study, descendant study, or family brick walls.
  

You can build space pages for your work whether or not a current WikiTree global name study exists, just remember to add the appropriate categories. Most importantly, add the Kentucky Projects category, [[Category:Kentucky Projects]], so other Kentucky researchers will be able to easily find your work.

Kentucky surname pages on WikiTree are listed below. They are in various stages of development, and can give you some ideas for what you might like to do. If you need help getting started, leave us a comment - we'd love to help.

Kentucky Surname Study Pages

• Copes Families in Kentucky, open
• Ishmael Families in Kentucky, open
• Lucas of Kentucky, Manager: Jourdi Cleghorn
• Skinners in Kentucky, Manager: Rebecca Rose
• Wilsons in Carroll County, Kentucky, Manager: Michael Massey

3. Build a Location-Based Study

The Kentucky Project has several locations currently under active development, and many more just waiting for your attention. How can you get involved? It's a basic ABC multiple choice:

• Adopt: See a project or location you're interested in that has no coordinator? Don't hesitate to adopt and grow it.
• Begin: Have an idea for a new project? Be bold and start it up. If you need assistance, reach out to the Kentucky team; we're here to help! Be sure to add the appropriate categories and let us know to link it here.
• Collaborate: If you would like to assist with a project that is already underway, contact the page coordinator for guidance on how you can best help out.

Start a One-Place Study

If you have a particular place in Kentucky that is near and dear to your heart, you can start a One Place Study for a city street, an orphanage, or any other entity you can think of. The primary goal is to add profiles for people in whatever Kentucky location you are interested in, share information, and invite others to help you. Kentucky has a few location-based studies already in progress. You can reach out to a coordinator to volunteer assistance, or start your own!

Localities

One Place Studies

• Aarons Run, Kentucky One Place Study
  Coordinator: Pam (Dale) Fraley
• Burning Fork, Magoffin, Kentucky One Place Study
  open
• Disputanta, Kentucky One Place Study
  Coordinator: Tricia (Payne) Aanderud
• Little Cake, Kentucky One Place Study
  Coordinator: Chuck Sinclair
• Spring Fork, Kentucky One Place Study
  Coordinator: Tricia (Payne) Aanderud

Early Settlements

• Low Dutch Settlements in Kentucky
  Coordinator: Connie (Daniels) Graves
• Early Kentucky Stations, Forts, and Camps
  Manager: Robin White
  • Martin's Station One Place Study, open
  • Ruddle's Station One Place Study, open

Schools

• Hindman Settlement School, Hindman, Kentucky One Place Study, Coordinator: open
• Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan, Kentucky One Place Study, Coordinator: open

Historic Houses

• Meadowstone, Georgetown, Kentucky One Place Study, Coordinator: Lukas Murphy

4. Enhance Notable and 5-Star Profiles

We are currently reviewing Kentucky's notable and 5-star profiles (5-star profiles are those that receive the most internet traffic). We want to see these profiles really shine! If this is an key area of interest for you and you'd like to help with organizing this work, reach out to the Kentucky Team and let us know.

5. Assist with General Maintenance Needs

You may have noticed our task lists and to-do lists on our home page. As we work to revitalize the Kentucky Project, we're reviewing the status of our maintenance needs. Watch for some updated goals in the future to see where we need the most work - but you don't have to wait, jump in any time and work on what you enjoy!

Maintenance Needs 2023 (2nd Quarter) Unsourced Need Biography Need Birth Record Need Marriage Record Need Death Record 2519 786 119 68 46 Need More Records Unknown County Conflated Profiles Need GED Cleanup Need Profiles Created 1789 15 1 27 1460 Undated Profiles "Unknown" Profiles Unconnected Profiles Unlinked Profiles 5 Stars Biocheck 1038 5024 42641 10368 889

You can also find fun and collaborative ways to participate in various challenges associated with growing and keeping our shared family tree healthy on our Kentucky Project Challenges Page. You can participate with one of these, focusing on Kentucky profiles, and reap twice the benefit by helping two projects at the same time. Most require no on-going commitments, so try one out!

6. Add to Kentucky's Resources

One key to good collaboration is sharing resources. The Kentucky Project has a couple of ways you can help out with this.

• If you've got boots on the ground somewhere in Kentucky and are willing to offer your time occassionally to checking for court records or taking photos, be sure to add the Kentucky Research Assistance category to your personal profile: [[Category:Kentucky_Research_Assistance]]. This will enable Kentucky researchers looking for assistance to find you.

• Add your hardcopy books for Kentucky research topics or Kentucky counties to the Kentucky Source Records list on WikiTree. Need help formatting your source page? We can help!

7. Collaborate

If you follow the kentucky tag, you'll see our occasional challenge posts. You can also find them on our Challenges Page. These are great opportunities for us to work together on a particular Kentucky topic or location, and we'd welcome your participation!

Are you actively involved with another project on WikiTree whose interests overlap with Kentucky? We'd love to network with you in finding new ways to bring WikiTree's collaborative power to the table in making Kentucky's representation on WikiTree the best it can be.

Are you a social media user? Share your WikiTree work with the Kentucky Project on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you like to hang out online. The WikiTree Ambassadors Project can give you tips, tricks and links to share across several platforms.

We started this activity list with one of the simplest but most important things you can do to help; we're ending the list with another: reach out to any of the Kentucky team members and share your ideas about what the project can work on and how you can help.

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