Meet our Members: Bruce Simons

Question

Hi everyone!

It's time to meet another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Bruce Simons. 

Bruce became a Wiki Genealogist in November 2022. He is active in our England, Australia and New Zealand projects.

When and how did you get interested in genealogy?

My father had made hand-written notes on what he thought my parent's trees were, so when he died in 1995 I started filing the notes and checking his work. Little did I know how much work was involved.

What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?

Road cycling, especially riding through the European Alps when I can get over there, and bushwalking in Australia. 

What is your genealogical research focus?

The focus is on my son's ancestors. Although the focus has never changed, the process keeps evolving as different technology and resources become available. Initially it required searching through microfiche and microfilm at local libraries and Family Search Centres. Then as more data and on-line resources became available it required re-checking earlier data and assumptions. 

Are you are interested in certain surnames or locations?

Not specifically. The families I'm interested in have all come from different parts of Scotland and England to Australia, some via New Zealand. I try to find out a bit more about the specific locations, and if possible visit them, to get a better idea of their living environment. 

Do you have a favorite ancestor?

I'm grateful that they all did what they did to enable me to be here! However, I do have a least favourite ancestor: my great grandfather David Cross Melville. Prior to my discovering that he may not have been who I thought he was I had chased those Scottish lines back to the 1600s. He is now my toughest brick wall.

I thought had been solved on my very first visit to a research centre back in the mid-1990s. My great grandfather, David Cross Melville was born in Tayport, Fife, Scotland in 1848 and married in Australia in 1877 (Melville-1442). On checking on-line resources in 2022 I found the David Cross Melville I thought this was had married in Tayport in 1867 and had two children there (Melville-1484). I have documented the various David Melville, seafarers,on a WikiTree Free Space (Space:Multiple_David_Cross_Melville_mariners) but it will probably require genetic testing to resolve.

How long have you been on WikiTree and why did you start getting involved?

I've only recently joined WikiTree. I stumbled across a WikiTree profile of interest to me in late November 2022 managed by Andrew Lancaster. He responded to my query and added "I do not think WikiTree is perfect but I think it contributes more to the overall progress of genealogy, because everyone has to work together there to agree on the facts, explain their reasoning etc. I find on {elsewhere} that it is too easy for people to create more and more variant trees just by adding together random records."

This really resonated with me. At last I'd have a resource I could trust and rely on. Little did I know how few of my ancestors actually had WikiTree profiles. 

(interview continues in comments)

Comments

What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?

I am adding profiles for individuals from my own data files and my Ancestry.com tree. Rather than doing a bulk Gedcom upload, I decided to add each individual manually. This provides an opportunity to search for more sources, check accuracy and write a biography for each individual. Participating in the England Project "Orphan Trail" and Scotland Project "Tartan Trail" has provided insights into what they consider 'best-practice'. This has meant me balancing effort between adding new individuals and upgrading my earlier work.

Which projects are you most involved in?

I am a member of the England Project, having completed the Orphan Trail part 1, am in the process of completing the Scotland Project Tartan Trail, and a member of the Australia and New Zealand projects. My contribution to these projects has been limited to attempting to meet the Trail requirements and participating on the "Twisted Tartans" July Connect-a-Thon team. 

How can others help these project?

I am very new to WikiTree and the various projects so can't really speak on their behalf. However, judging by the discussions held in these projects I would say that they are all screaming for help in whatever areas people are prepared and able to assist, whether that is sorting out various categories, locations, sources, biographies, relationships, etc. Whatever and wherever there is something of interest to someone, there will be a Project that could do with that help.

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

I started trying to document my many years of work into family history publications. This approach had major shortcomings, such as limited access, maintaining currency and incorporating feedback. WikiTree overcomes all of these, so yes I see WikiTree as a mechanism for me to publish my work and expose it to peer review.

What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?

This is hard to say. The capacity to write up an individual's biography is an excellent way of publishing what we know about the person. However, the Research Notes and Sources sections provide a way to assess the accuracy, reliability and thinking of the Profile's authors.

What feature or function would you most like to see added or improved?

I would like to see the way we cite common resources standardised. Most of us have profiles from different parts of the world, so trying to conform to the different project recommendations can be difficult. For me, FamilySearch, FreeReg, FreeCen, FreeBDM, GRO, ScotlandsPeople, FindaGrave, etc. should all have the same format, no matter which profile they are on. The Sourcer tool can provide the mechanism, but it would require agreement between Projects (I think the Sourcer format is even different to the FreeCen and FreeReg "WikiTree" citation).

A related function would be a better way to incorporate actual transcriptions. For WikiTree to become a genealogy resource, and not just a collection of individual stories, then it needs to be able to display original documents and their transcriptions, not just the source with interpretive text. Copyright and readability issues will always hinder the use of images, but it is unclear how actual transcriptions should be presented. 

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

The community is very welcoming. It is also very experienced and knowledgeable. This can be daunting initially. However, joining one of the WikiTree Projects will put you in touch with an awful lot of people who are very keen on helping you become more involved. 

What could we do to inspire more people to participate in our mission?

Different aspects of WikiTree will appeal to different people. For me it was the idea of one fully referenced and reliable tree. For others it will be the joy of writing interesting and readable biographies, or the challenge of adding new profiles, finding new connections between profiles or errors, or socially interacting with people with common interests. WikiTree provides all the opportunities that make genealogy so interesting and attractive. So why are so many still content to just publish their own, probably flawed, trees on-line without engaging with others? Maybe, like me, they don't know WikiTree exists. In which case, having more profiles on WikiTree will increase the likelihood of finding out about it. Finding the profile is not sufficient though. It must also have a good biography and excellent sources. 

There are a number of people out there trying to publish the most accurate work they can to on-line trees. Perhaps the best way to get those people engaged with the WikiTree community is by direct invitation. If a WikiTreer(?) identifies an on-line tree that appears well-researched and sourced, but the individuals in the tree are not yet on WikiTree, send a request to the author to join us.

Answer 1

I enjoyed reading your interview!  You hit the nail on the nail on the head with this statement:

Different aspects of WikiTree will appeal to different people. For me it was the idea of one fully referenced and reliable tree. For others it will be the joy of writing interesting and readable biographies, or the challenge of adding new profiles, finding new connections between profiles or errors, or socially interacting with people with common interests.

Congratulations on your MOTW!  You are 1 in a Million

Answer 2

Wow!  As David said, "You hit the nail on the head..."  quite a number of times in your interview!!  You articulated the advantages of WikiTree very well!  With regard to attracting people to WikiTree, I especially liked: "Finding the profile is not sufficient though. It must also have a good biography and excellent sources."  Like you, I believe that quality is what will bring people over to WikiTree.  

Thanks for a great interview and a fun read.

Answer 3

As you mention, visiting the actual sites that your ancestors lived gives you more insight into their lives. I'm also surprised that many of those rural areas are still rural today... except my one ancestor who didn't like what was going on in Connecticut, so he followed a small group into the wilderness to found New Ark. Now called Newark, New Jersey, it's across the river from New York City.

Answer 4

Thanks for your contributions to Wikitree, David. All the aspects of your interview resonate with me in one way or another. I can visualise you wandering in the Australian Bush - thoroughly enjoyed my times doing that. Especially appreciated going down to Dr Dark's Cave in the Blue Mountains. Being in such places in any country gives me a sense of the presence of all the peoples who walked there before me. Cheers.