When we travel down rabbit trails

Question

More a comment than a question.  Sometimes we start on a small profile end up going in a lot of new directions.  This is the most extreme example I have of that yet.

I found this profile in a list of new unsourced profiles for New Brunswick, my most common research area.  I subsequently found nearly 20 different sources, determined the person is notable, found additional information on historical context and a photo of the person from a scientific journal in 1939.

Just wanted to show off the effort.  Sometimes adding sources to an unsourced profile takes two days, involves writing 3 pages of material and a new Wikipedia Article (The first of those I've written)

Cheers

Matthew

Comments

Fantastic job!

---

Thanks for reminding us how fun bunny trails can be.

---

From an acorn grows the mighty Oak (and then many more)

---

The only issue is the squirrels that plant acorns in the wrong places (grin)...

---

Great profile Matthew, information can be so hard to come by and the profile doesn't get done overnight - weeks more likely.

I was contacted by a Pargetter family member looking for a picture. I am from Nanaimo where the Pargeter family emigrated to in the 1850's and have been down that rabbit hole for quite a while now. Going backwards into Staffordshire and Northamptonshire.

Congrat's on the profile. Wendy Jones

---

This profile; https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Harper-12458 came about from a rabbit hole.  Now he shares a category with Laura Secord.  

It started with a challenge to connect New Brunswick politicians.  Premier Andrew Blair's daughter fell through the ice and this man attempted to save her by jumping in after her.

---

A true Rabbitt hole was when I found a Charlotte Rabbitt who had a daughter Alice when researching someone else in the Queensland BDM.

---

N​​​​​​ow that's funny!

---

N​​​​​​ow that's funny!

---

I find it very amusing.  I have an entire "litter" of Rabbitts now.

Answer 1

One of the things I enjoy most about working on the profiles of Notables is uncovering the fascinating stories of their parents, siblings, spouses, children and other family members. I focus primarily on entertainment notables and am always surprised to see how many were products of a long tradition of performers, often dating back into 1800s if not further. Not all performers qualify as Notables but that doesn't make their stories any less interesting or their lives any less important and it gives me great honor to be able to give them the due they deserve.

Thanks for sharing, Matthew.

Answer 2

Thanks for sharing this great example of where research can take you!  It is a great encouragement to others.

Answer 3

This profile is very nicely laid out and researched.  Thank you for taking the time to run down that hole and come out the other side.  It really does generate a good deal of satisfaction to find such interesting stories about people.  Good job!

I hope others can learn that the rabbit holes are a good part of the enjoyment of WikiTree.

Answer 4

Very nice job Matthew!  You are eligible for the same award I got last April, which you can see on my profile, Rabbit Holes and Shiny Things. (created in fun but quite appropriate).

Rabbit holes do lead us in unexpected places sometimes.  More power to you for chasing this one down. 

Comments

That was 

-

Code for use (I rather hope people actually read the alt text if/when they mouseover) :

{{Image|file=Badges_20200401-33.png |caption='''Rabbit Holes and Shiny Things.'''<br /> (Inspired by [https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1213664/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-profile-badges?show=1214411#a1214411 the g2g comment] by [[Liard-1|Danielle Liard]].) |label=Rabbit sees Squirrel with all the Shiny Things, and lust is born in his heart. Rabbit sneaks up on Squirrel, rushes in and grabs a shiny red gem, then runs away, lickety-split. And he runs, and runs, and runs, until - finally - he gets back to his Rabbit Hole and gives the Shiny Thing to Mrs Rabbit, who Writes it up with Proper Citation. The End. }}

Answer 5

Hi Matthew,

You need to revisit The draft Wikipedia article as it was not accepted the first time. Wikipedia style is different to WikiTree style.

Also, I can't find a clear guideline on a person providing the same text to both websites. The potential issues relate to licence conditions, but don't seem to clearly address the original author contributing under any and all conditions. They are mostly about copying from one to another, not about providing the same text to both.

Cheers,

  Scott