Hi WikiTreers!
It's time to meet another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Dave Welburn.
Dave became a Wiki Genealogist in December of 2014. He is a team leader for Yorkshire in our England Project as well as a Ranger and Connector.
What are some of the surnames you are researching?
I started off just researching my own surname 'Welburn' and the various spellings. From there, I obviously followed other surnames as Welburns married. One diversion was following my Grandmother's surname Rosling, and doing a lot of research in conjunction with Hilary Gadsby, for her One Name Study. Nowadays, although I do keep dropping back to my roots, I research and document nearly any surname that crops up. This will be explained more further down my answers.
What are some of the locations you are researching?
Again I started off mainly in Yorkshire, but followed relatives around the country, and eventually the world. I am part of the Yorkshire Team of the England project, but for one challenge I ended up working on Derbyshire profiles. Having just been asked to co-lead the Yorkshire Team, I am back concentrating on that area, but as with Derbyshire, people tend to move around the country (and the world) so really I research wherever a profile takes me.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy and family history?
In about 2004, I was off work with a broken wrist, and wanting something to occupy myself, so I turned to the internet to research my family tree. My Mother had done this as a mature student many years ago, and although I had never seen her results, it was something that kept popping into my mind. I actually thought it would be easy. How many people out there could be called Welburn? It's not as if it is Smith. Can't be that many. How wrong I was.
Who's your favorite ancestor and why?
Took me a while to think about this one. It is probably Lucy Wellburn and her family.
Her father Henry, was champion weight-lifter of Yorkshire, but died when unloading sacks of corn from a wagon about the same time that Lucy was born. Born into a family with 5 siblings, Lucy was passed around the relatives to take the pressure off her mother. She was educated in Germany, and on the suggestion of the family doctor entered the London School of Medicine. She was one of the first female doctors in the country, which caused a problem. She married Ernest Naish, also a doctor, and as a wedding present he bought them into a practice in Halifax. That never lasted as the other (Male) doctors at the practice wouldn't have a Female doctor. They moved to Sheffield and set up the first free infant welfare clinic. During the First World War, they worked in the factories, and taught medical students. Lucy became Lecturer in Osteology in the University of Sheffield. Together they had 8 children, 4 of whom became doctors. One of those was Dr Alice Mary (Naish) Stewart -'The woman who knew too much'.
Tell us about a brick wall you were able to break down.
Brick walls? I've smashed a few, but nothing noteworthy. One of my own is a Welburn family in the Easingwold area of Yorkshire. I have documented most of the lines, but at the moment just cannot connect them to the 'One Tree'. Its one of those families that I keep going back to when I get chance.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
I am retired now, so have plenty of time on my hands. I like walking, and exploring the historic area we live in. I also dabble in a bit of programming, something I have always been interested in. Reading, yes, I suppose that's an interest. I have always been a voracious reader, and in this computer age we are now in, I have turned to E-Books. I must have about 20,000 on my PC. I am slowly getting through them.
[Interview continues below.]
