Week 17 of The WikiTree Challenge for Connie brought some jaw-dropping results while bashing those brick walls down! Team members once again impressed us with their dedication and research skills. People were grouping up to tackle those more stubborn brick walls, and took many of them down this week!
These challenge participants added 501 profiles to her branches. There were 135 new direct ancestors and 366 nuclear relatives of ancestors. 42 of the new ancestors were completely new to Connie!
Altogether, more than 25 members made 4,304 edits to her ancestor profiles. Many did research, while others worked on profile narratives, looked up articles, added categories, and contributed in other ways. We even had one team member drive to the parking lot of a research repository to get a record we couldn't evaluate!
Here are some highlights from our discoveries:
- The Nixon & Newby families were both Quaker families, whose descendants continued to worship at the same Meeting Houses for many generations. Zachariah Nixon, said to be the progenitor of the Nixon line in the Carolinas, went from England to Virginia, and then to Pasquotank Precinct about 1663.
- Mads Hansen (Connie's 3rd great-grandfather) was baptized at home. He stood about 5'3". He managed the farm in Lindelse, and so was later sometimes called by the name of Lind. Lind had served as a soldier in 1828 at Kronen's Regiment (The Crown's Regiment). There were 10 new direct ancestors added to his and his wive's lines.
- William McFarley Smith married an Almeda Smith, and there are now more than 50 new-to-Connie ancestors on those lines. They stretch back to pre-1600 with many DNA matches on some of the profiles.
- George Simmons’ father John did not have parents when we started the week out. They turned out to be John Simmons & Sarah Phibbs. This added 25 new ancestors beyond her!!
- George’s mother Mary was another example of where finding the right records (in this case for a maiden name) can break down a brick wall. His father John had married a Mary Fullwood which led to 10 new ancestors beyond her!
- Wilhelmina Coss' lines were some of the first brick walls to come down, and they crashed down loudly! Those Clovis and Coss families were a little tricky, but now there are more than 60 new ancestors on Wilamina’s lines. Some of those lines were already existing and stretch back to the 11th century!!
- Connie now has 728 ancestors within 12 generations. Her 10th generation was taken from 6% known to 25% known!!!
Team Captains: Mindy Silva & Cheryl Hess
MVP: Ole Selmer
Top Bounty Hunter: Ole Selmer
For more information see the challenge scoring explanation and check out the week 17 statistics to see a summary of all contributors.
If you missed the wrap-up LiveCast and want to see Connie's reaction to our endeavors, you can view it at any time on YouTube.
Quotes:
- Oh my gosh, it's going to take me a year to get through all this. Wow!!!
- Wow! You guys are awesome! You guys have done more than one week than I could do in a lifetime, I think.
- I'm amazed! I'm just blown away! This is a line I was just so focused on other brick walls that I haven't even touched this line.
- Bravo! That is fantastic! You guys are awesome! Thank you so much! And thank you, all the volunteers, oh my gosh!!! What a gift!
