Help:Contact a Mentor

Categories: WikiTree Help | Mentors Project | Special Assistance | En-3 | Af | De | En-2 | Nl-1 | Fr

Mentors are experienced Wiki Genealogists who are happy to help others resolve their WikiTree problems.

To contact a mentor, click on their name on this page, then send them a private message from their profile.

Contents 1 Mentors 1.1 Stuart Awbrey 1.2 Missy Berryann 1.3 Rachel Bulmer 1.4 Brad Cunningham 1.5 Susanna de Bruyn - South African only. 1.6 Coen Jacob Dijkgraaf 1.7 Hilary Gadsby 1.8 Lizzie Griffiths 1.9 Deb Gunther 1.10 Feargal Hennigan 1.11 Darlene Hill 1.12 Denise Hunt 1.13 Isabelle Huth - French Only 1.14 Betsy Ko 1.15 Robin Lee 1.16 Dieter Lewerenz 1.17 Doug McCallum 1.18 Peggy McReynolds 1.19 Susie Officer 1.20 Ronel Olivier (South Africa / Afrikaans Only) 1.21 David Randall 1.22 Isabelle Rassinot (French only) 1.23 David Selman 1.24 Ellen Smith 1.25 Pam (Cormac) Cormac Smith 1.26 I. Speed 1.27 Gillian Thomas 1.28 Stephen Trueblood 1.29 Amy Utting 1.30 Elizabeth Viney 1.31 Joan Whitaker 1.32 Gill Whitehouse 1.33 Anne Young 1.34 Kie Zelms 1.35 Kathy Zipperer

Mentors

The following people are currently active Mentors:

Stuart Awbrey

New Members Sourcing Duplicates/Merging

I am an 6th generation Texan having lived all my life in Texas. Born in Kingsville and graduated from local Texas A&I University. Served 3 years in an Army Nike-Hercules Missile Battalion in Austin and did additional under grad work at U of Texas-Austin earning a Secondary Teaching Certificate.

Attended several family reunions in the 70s. Many years later my brother began a large collection of our US family history – 39 3-ring binders I now have. This got me started. Had the opportunity to visit the location of ancient Awbrey locations in and around Brecon, Wales in 2014. We visited again in 2016 and 2018. The last time, along with cousin Liz Shifflett, an Awbrey cousin and husband who live in England, we rented the ancestral house, Abercynrig (near Brecon), which a 9th great grandfather bought in the mid-1500s from his cousin.

Joined WikiTree in 2015. Became a member of the Wales Project in 2016 and soon after was appointed the Coordinator. Currently serve as the project’s Membership and Topics Teams Coordinators.

I am a Ranger, Greeter and do some Data Doctor work.

Missy Berryann

Sourcing Pre-1500 Pre-1700 Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging

I was born and still live in New Jersey (EST). All of my colonial American ancestors, found so far, came from England and a couple from Scotland. They all landed in New Jersey, New York and the New England colonies/states. I do have a maternal 2nd great grandfather who came from England in 1861 and a set of maternal 2nd great grandparents who came from Sweden in the late 1800s. I grew up always interested in hearing stories [about my ancestors] from my grandparents and my great aunt. I took everything I had learned from them and started researching our ancestors in the mid 1990s. My genealogy research did not turn into a daily obsession until after I joined WikiTree, however. I have been active on WikiTree for a few years. I am a member of the United States Project, the England Project, the Scotland Project, and the Sweden Project within the Nordic Project. My genealogy expertise is probably sourcing, especially in pre-1900 Swedish research. I am pre-1700 and pre-1500 certified, a Sourcerer, Data Doctor, a new Leader (I co-lead The Nordic Project) and now Mentor. Always feel free to contact me for help.

Rachel Bulmer

Pre-1500 Pre-1700 New Member Help Sourcing Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging
I discovered WikiTree in 2019 and haven't looked back. I enjoy the Connectathons and recently joined the Medieval project as I find the period 1300-1600 the most fascinating of all. I have worked extensively on my own family and have found three Huguenot ancestors in separate lines which led me to join the Huguenot Society to find out more about them. I've been most active in Yorkshire, Durham, Cumberland, Devon and Cornwall.

I have completed the three orphan trails and now feel it is time to give something back! I do believe that Wikitree is the only genealogy tool that is future-proof and would love to send the message far and wide!

Brad Cunningham

New Member Help Sourcing Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700
I have been active in Genealogy for about 20 years now, but only found WikiTree in March 2019. I am a member of the England Project and have been a Trail Blazer there. I spend most of my research time in England, Ireland, Australia, the US and Canada. I love helping others out with their research and with proper sourcing.

I was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, but have lived in Toronto, California and in England for periods of time. I was in the Hairdressing/Hair products industries for 38 years and I am now retired and do some volunteer work with various local charities.

I am a member of the UELAC (United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada) and with the BCGS (British Columbia Genealogist Society), spending some volunteer hours with both.

If I can be of any help with sourcing, research tools, biography building, connecting family member and duplicate/merging, please get in touch.

Susanna de Bruyn - South African only.

Hi everyone, I’m not a person of many words. I joined Wiki Tree in Febr 2014. My interest in genealogy started with my own family history and soon developed into nonstop research. I can’t help to remind myself of my struggle when I started here. For this reason I offer help to any WikiTreer in need. These are my mottos: “Education is the key to success” and “Persistence pays off”

Hi almal, ek is nie ‘n mens met baie woorde nie. Ek het by Wiki Tree aangesluit in Februarie 2014. My doel was om my eie familie geskiedenis deeglik neer te pen. Spoedig het die stokpertjie verander in ‘n volskaalse navorsings projek. Daaglik word ek herrinder aan my gesukkel toe ek begin het. My doel is om “WikiTreer” te help. My leuses: “Onderrig is die sleutel tot sukses” en “Aanhouers wen”

Coen Jacob Dijkgraaf

New Members Sources Duplicates & Merging Styles & Standards pre-1700 GEDCompare & GEDComs

I'm Dutch, although I was born overseas in Suriname, I lived in Dutch speaking places, including the Netherlands, until I was nearly 10 years old, but since 1977 have lived in New Zealand (NZST GMT+12 or NZDT +13 with daylight savings). So I'm fluent in English, and it is my Dutch that was a bit rusty, but that has improved due to having to read Dutch genealogy information. I've been doing genealogy since 1996 when my sister was contacted by a non-related Dijkgraaf, who doing a one name study of all Dijkgraaf families, so far there are 5 separate Dijkgraaf family trees. Since then I've also been researching my own ancestry, mainly Dutch, but also some German and Spanish, as well as doing some one name studies on Smouter, Rolffs & Meeuwis. I work full time in IT, so familiar with various computer technologies and tools, including some of the WikiTree Apps. I can help out with sourcing (especially the Netherlands), writing biographies, Styles and Standards, GEDcompare/GEDcoms, and duplicates/merging/data. I'm a Project Coordinator for the Netherlands Project, have been Team Captain for some Thons and take part in Sourcerers Challenge and Friday Date Night.

Hilary Gadsby

New Members Sourcing GEDCompare

I was born in England but have lived in Wales for over 28 years. My research has been almost exclusively in England. I have been on WikiTree for 10 years and am actively involved in several projects, but mostly England and Wales. I have been a Greeter for a large part of my time on WikiTree. I am also a regular participant on Mondays with Myrt and am a Geneablogger and member of the Guild of One Name Studies.

Lizzie Griffiths

New Members Sources Collaboration Styles & Standards Pre-1700

I was born in London but I’ve lived, since I was 3 years old, in the Northwest of England. I would describe myself as a fairly competent amateur genealogist who found Wikitree and fell in love with a community that collaborates and supports each other. I work in England and Wales Projects mainly, and also within Global Distasters on The Titanic Project. I like to help anyone, I keep an eye out on G2G when people ask for help, and I’m always happy to help anyone who needs a bit of advice (we all do now and again), trust me no query for help is ever too big or to small.

Deb Gunther

New Members Sources Duplicates & Merging GEDCOMpare

I am a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, USA, where I worked as an engineering and project manager until my early retirement. I started my genealogy journey when I was a teen, recording my grandpa as he told tales of the roaring (19)20s and growing up in the lumberjack camps of central Wisconsin. Eventually I traced his father's ancestry back to the 1600s in Rhode Island, which amazed and delighted us. I also have some family and resources in Polish and English research, and can speak a bit of Spanish and French (not fluently). I joined the Data Doctors, and that's where I donate most of my time here on WikiTree, clearing up some of the more tricky errors in profiles. If you find you've been stuck on a problem for more than 5-10 minutes please feel free to reach out to me, don't think you have to continue struggling. I can often clear it up quite quickly, or direct you to someone who can.

Feargal Hennigan

New Members Sources Duplicates & Merging Pre-1700 Styles and Standards

I started my genealogical journey in 2015, finding my way onto WikiTree in 2019. I am a proud Irishman, and living in Ireland means I'm on GMT in winter and an hour later than that for summer. I have exclusively Irish ancestry (that I can prove, at least!) so I'm particularly placed to assist with anything Hibero-based, but I'm of course happy to assist with all things WikiTree. We all know what it's like to need a bit of help at some stage so I’m happy to be of assistance in any way I can!

Darlene Hill

Duplicates/Merging DNA Pre-1700 Pre-1500

I'm Texas born but spent the majority of my childhood years in Colorado. After college, I moved to Florida, where I spent 20 years before missing my mountains. I've lived in British Columbia, Canada for over 20 years. I have always loved to travel, so I spend about six months a year doing just that . . . I have been working on my genealogy for 40 years and have an extensive tree (75,000+ people) on ancestry. I got interested in genetic genealogy through helping a cousin prove a connection with mtDNA in 2002. I'm fortunate to have both of my parents DNA tested. I focus the bulk of my research these days on genetic genealogy working with autosomal DNA and mapping segments. I also spent several years researching medieval genealogy exclusively and fell in love with it. Upon discovering Wikitree, I was asked to lead the European Aristocrats Project and am now also a leader of the Medieval Project. In addition to those, I am the leader of the Nantucket Founders Project and the Kirkland One-Name Study as well as Co-Leader of the U.S. Southern Colonies Project, the United States Project, and the U.S. Pioneers Project. I am also a member of several other projects. I enjoy assisting others with their research and monitor the G2G forum seeing who needs help with what. As to time zone that I'm in: November to April, I'll usually be UTC -5 (aka Eastern US time zone); May-October I tend to be UTC -7 (Mountain US time zone).

Denise Hunt

New Members Sources Styles & Standards

I'm Denise Hunt from New Zealand. I have been doing genealogy since the 1990's and still love it for the detective work involved. I've thrown myself into Wikitree as I see it as the only way to keep all my years of genealogy alive. My present roles within Wikitree are: Profile Improvement Project guide, Scotland Trail Level 2 guide and Team Leader for the Fife area in Scotland which mainly involves sourcing Unsourced Profiles. I have completed both the Scotland Level 3 and England Level Two journeys. Although I participate in Connect-A-thons, my preference is the Source-A-Thons. I have ancestors who came from Scotland, England, Prussia, and Norway. I love helping others because I am still learning myself how to get around technology. I am certified for Pre-1700 research but have no interest in Pre-1500.

Isabelle Huth - French Only

New Members Sources

I'm French (from Lorraine). I fell into genealogy about twenty years ago. I can help new members on Wikitree, especially French new members. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. I will guide you as best as I can. Je suis française (de la Lorraine). Je suis tombée dans la généalogie il y a une vingtaine d'années. Je peux aider les nouveaux membres sur Wikitree, et spécialement les nouveaux membres français. Si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas à me contacter. Je vous guiderai du mieux que je pourrai.

Betsy Ko

New Members Sources Duplicates & Merging Pre-1700

Welcome to WikiTree! I started doing genealogy research in 2015 and found my way to WikiTree when an ancestor's profile showed up in a Google search. I became very active on WikiTree right at the end of 2020 and love the collaborative essence of our community. I'm a teacher by profession (flute and band), so it felt natural to transfer these skills to WikiTree. Since September of 2022, I've enjoyed leading our New Member Q & A via Zoom sessions each month. My research experience is in England, Canada, Scotland, the United States, and Taiwan (so far as my language abilities permit). It would be my pleasure to help others gain confidence with WikiTree; there's so much to learn and explore!

Robin Lee

Collaboration Sourcing DAR New Members

I live in California in the midst of "Gold Country" on PST. I have worked with many of the pioneer gravestone projects and have access to records which are not yet digitized. I am the leader of the US Presidents Project and love to help people validate their connections to US Presidents . I am also a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and can help with Patriot Ancestors. I am also experienced in Pre-1700 sources, and can help with Pre-1500 qualifications. I am retired, so I do have time to help with new members. I have had a lot of experience with new members. Seems like it wasn't that long ago that I was a new member. So, if you are confused or just need some coaching. Let me know.

Dieter Lewerenz

New Members Duplicates/Merging Sourcing Pre-1700

I was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and since 1985 I live in Lower Saxony. My time zone is Central European Time, CET / Central European Summer Time, CEST. I am a retired police officer and have been doing genealogical research since 1987. I became involved on WikiTree in 2020 and am active in several projects. In the Germany project, I am the Project Coordinator for collaboration in the G2G forum and for Translation, and the Team Leader for the Translation Team and the Schleswig-Holstein Team.

I am very familiar with German sources as well as the frequent territorial changes in the territory of the former Holy Roman Empire and often travel to various archives in Northern Germany. I am happy to help others and willing to answer questions.

Doug McCallum

New member help Sourcing DNA Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging

I’m a retired software engineer and have been working on genealogy for nearly 40 years. I started after asking an aunt about the family history and have been hooked on doing genealogical research ever since. About 10 years ago, i decided to stop doing genealogy and become a genealogist.

I have lived in Colorado for more than 35 years, went to school in Texas but grew up in Massachusetts. New England and Canadian Maritimes are where I have the most experience. I’m currently a Project Coordinator for the Categorization Project and a Team Leader for the Canada Managed Profiles Team.

Peggy McReynolds

New member help Sourcing Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700

I first became interested in “family history” about 2010, from curiosity about 3 small family cemeteries in NorthWest Arkansas. It took me nearly 5 years before I discovered WikiTree and realized it was a perfect fit for me. The people are incredibly skilled and friendly and their contributions seem never ending. And what an incredible G2G forum!

I’m a retired Architectural Engineer (University of Kansas) and met my husband in college. While I’m comfortable in the computer environment, I haven’t written a program since 1982. (Yes, technology has changed a bit in the past 40 years.) We lived in the Kansas City Area immediately after our retirement and then moved to northwest Georgia in the spring of 2019. We love the new climate here; still get to experience all the seasons but “winter” doesn’t seem harsh.

There’s so much depth to WikiTree, there will always be more to learn. I enjoy guiding new members who are trying to accomplish their WikiTree goals, I often learn a lot too.

Susie Officer

New member help Sourcing Style and Standards Pre-1700 Pre-1500

You can learn more about who I am from my profile. I love guiding people and my family tell me I am very patient but that I spend too much time on WikiTree! I’m an early adopter when it comes to technology so know my way around a computer (PC and Mac). There is much to learn about how to get things done on WikiTree and I find I discover new things every day. I am constantly learning how to improve the research I document and how I engage with WikiTree members.

Ronel Olivier (South Africa / Afrikaans Only)

Ek is gebore en getoë in sonnige Suid Afrika. My missie is om so veel moontlik Suid Afrikaanse profiele onder, die "South African Roots" projek, 'n plekkie in die son te gee. Ek is deel van WikiTree vanaf 2014 en omdat ek nog goed onthou presies hoe verlore ek in die begin gevoel het, bied ek my hulp aan om ander te help en te bemagtig. Vra dus gerus - ek is tot jul diens :-)

Ronel is beskikbaar om alle lede van Suid-Afrika te help asook diegene wat meer gemaklik voel in ons moedertaal, Afrikaans.

I was born and bred in sunny South Africa. My goals are to help build a global tree with as many South African profiles as possible. Giving each and every profile a place in the sun, to commemorate there joy and sorrows. If I can assist in any way please don't hesitate to ask.

Ronel is available to help all members from South Africa and also those who feel more comfortable speaking Afrikaans.

David Randall

New Members Sources Duplicates & Merging Styles & Standards Pre-1700

I was born and raised in Southern California but moved to Texas a little more than a decade ago. I worked for many years in social services before opening my own education center for adult-learners. I technically retired several years ago, although it would be false to state that I no longer work, as I am now a full-time live-in caregiver for my aging mother and autistic sister. I have been an enthusiastic genealogist for more than four decades, and in all this time my passion for the hobby has never wavered. One of my greatest joys is helping others to discover this same passion for themselves and I am always excited to help others in whatever way I can.

Isabelle Rassinot (French only)

Multilingual

Le français est ma langue maternelle (je suis française et vis en banlieue parisienne), contactez-moi si vous avez des questions et que vous êtes plus à l'aise pour discuter en français.

New to mentoring and here to provide help for French-speaking members who struggle with English.

David Selman

New Members Sourcing Duplicates/Merging Styles & Standards Collaboration Pre-1700 Pre-1500 Suggestions/Data Doctoring
Texas born and raised! Located in the CDT / CST time zone. Have been seriously interested in our family’s genealogy for the last 25 years. Our parents never shared the story about their ancestors, and, as most, I never thought to ask them until it was too late. I found WikiTree and have not stopped since. Thanks to the help index and other Wiki Leaders, Mentors and Volunteers, I was able to find my way around. I am a WikiTree Project Leader, Co-Leader of the Mentors/Mediators and G2G Integrators Projects, Greeter, Ranger, G2G Moderator, Pre-1700 Greeter, Project Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, Pre-1700 and Pre-1500 certified, and involved in several projects. I'm honored to be a Mentor. It seems only a short time ago I was a new member. Feel free to ask me for any type of help and contact me anytime. I try to get back to your request for help as soon as possible. Thank you, David

Ellen Smith

Collaboration GEDCompare DNA
I got engaged with genealogy as a side effect of taking a 23andMe DNA test in about 2011. I'm now reasonably well-versed in the basics of DNA genealogy. Most of what I know about traditional genealogical research I've learned as a result of my involvement with WikiTree since joining in 2014. I'm in the United States in the Eastern time zone and most of my genealogical experience is in that same time zone, where my ancestors have lived since the 1700s or earlier (New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, particularly the Puritan Great Migration, New Netherland Settlers, and Palatine Migration projects). I have been working and experimenting with the Gedcompare 2.0 process since it was introduced in September 2017, so I am fairly knowledgable about it. I respond to many questions in the G2G forum, which is a great resource for quick answers to many of the questions that newcomers have. If you contact me, please include "Wikitree" and "Mentoring Request" in the subject line so I'll recognize the purpose of your message. My hours of online availability are a bit unpredictable, so I may or may not respond quickly to your message.

Pam (Cormac) Cormac Smith

New Member Help Sourcing Duplicates & Merging GEDcompare Pre-1700 Styles and Standards

Hi, I'm Pam, and am from South Africa, so my time zone is SAST. I've been on WikiTree for a while and am always keen to learn something new - luckily for me, WikiTree gives me loads of opportunities to do exactly that. I struggled for a long time on my own before I realised what a wonderful community this is and that there was no need to battle along by myself. Don't be shy to ask for help....we all remember what it's like to learn something new.

I. Speed

New Members Sourcing Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700

I am an Australian living in Japan. My ancestry is mostly English and Scottish with a dash of Irish, Channel Islands and who knows what else. My main research focus is England and Australia. I am a member of the England Project and enjoy researching the 1500-1700 period. I am familiar with English research resources and can help newer WikiTreers to learn how to find and cite reliable sources.

As a co-founder of the Accessibility Angels Project, I am committed to reducing barriers for people who are blind or have low vision, limited mobility or similar disabilities, so they can find their way around WikiTree’s webpages and contribute to the single family tree.

I am a lawyer by training. However, I don’t give legal advice on WikiTree about copyright laws and related issues.

Gillian Thomas

Duplicates & Merging New Members Sourcing

I'm from New South Wales in Australia and have been doing my family history for about 25 years. I am more experienced in doing genealogy in Australia, England and Scotland, where most of my family came from, but can help out with any English-speaking country. I've been on WikiTree now for a few years and love what can happen when people collaborate on a shared tree. I enjoy making sure that duplicates are merged together and that the right parents are connected to the right spouses and children. Having completed - and highly recommending - the Profile Improvement (PIP) Voyage and the Scotland Project Tartan Trail, I'm pretty confident with most aspects of creating great profiles, including writing biographies with inline sourcing and adding categories and stickers, although images aren't my forte! Ask me if you don't know what the PIP Voyage and Tartan Trail are :-) I'm not an expert on the genealogy of Australia's First Nations People but I'm a co-leader of the Indigenous Australians project, and would be really happy to work with you if you are researching your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander family history. I'm also a co-Leader of the Australia Project and the Arborists Project.

Stephen Trueblood

New Members Sourcing Duplicates & Merging Pre-1700 Profiles Styles and Standards

I was born in Pasadena, California. My childhood was peripatetic and now I live in London. I am married to a lady from Hong Kong and we have three children. By profession I am a geologist.

I am a proud American whose ancestors can be divided into fourths: 1. The Quakers. Pre-1700 arrivals in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, later moving to Indiana; my paternal grandfather. 2. The Louisianians. Acadians and others descended from the earliest ships arriving in Nova Scotia in 1610. Plantation builders, lawyers, doctors, newspaper editors; my paternal grandmother. 3. The late-comers. Poor farmers arriving in the 1860s from Scotland and Germany; my maternal grandfather. 4. The Great Migration ancestors. Puritan arrivals on the Mayflower and Governor Winthrop's fleet; my maternal grandmother. With that background I am particularly focused on helping with the link from the colonies back to the mother countries; it's endlessly fascinating if often frustrating.

Amy Utting

New Members Sources
I live in Auckland, New Zealand, though I have ancestry predominantly from the British Isles and the rest of Europe. I have been interested in genealogy for several years now, though I only began to consider myself an amateur genealogist once I started to find my feet and figure out where I stood within the spindling branches of our tree. When I first joined WikiTree, I was hardly active—I felt daunted by the experience and knowledge of those around me and within the community. After beginning to reach out to the community, I've started to truly find a home within WikiTree and I do believe that the community of WT is the greatest out of the genealogy websites currently available.

I am a member of a number of projects, and I try to be as active as I can be while juggling school work and my collection of books. I like to think that I'm a helpful and approachable person, and I'm always happy to try and help wherever I can—and if I can't, I try to find someone who can. I've grown a lot since I joined this marvellous community, and much of that is thanks to the brilliant members of it, so I'm thrilled that I'm now able to give back to say thank you for the patience and support I've been given. Living where I do, I'm in GMT+12 (except Daylight Saving), but I'm almost always available.

Elizabeth Viney

Sourcing Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700 Styles and Standards

I was born in Australia and have lived in both Queensland and Tasmania. My family were mostly emigrants from England although I do have a dash of Manx, Jamaican and Prussian for added spice! I especially enjoy working with pre-1700 profiles and love collaborating with others to resolve knotty genealogical tangles. I am one of the co-leaders of the England Project. I also have a leadership role with the British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories project and the Jamaica project. Helping people make the most of all that Wikitree has to offer is something that I aspire to.

Joan Whitaker

New Members Sourcing Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700

I have lived in Yorkshire, England all my life. I have been researching my family for over 30 years, spending many hours trawling through information in record offices in the early days. My family never left England, so that is where all my research is located. I joined WikiTree in February 2017, and have become totally addicted to it. I love sharing my research and helping with others with theirs. I work mainly in the England Project and the Disasters Project. Many of my ancestors were coal miners and I have developed an interest in coal mining disasters, especially those that occurred where my family were. Its a privilege to be a WikiTree mentor and I hope I can help.

Gill Whitehouse

New Members Sourcing Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging Pre-1700

I remember how difficult it was to get started on Wikitree. I'm a trailblazer and co-project coordinator with the England Project and happy to answer any Wikitree questions at all, whether genealogical or technical. England-oriented, so not much help on other countries!

Anne Young

New Members Sourcing Duplicates/Merging

Hello from Australia. I joined Wikitree in 2014 and have been slowly transferring my family history to the site.

In a post of 26 April 2019, the genealogist Kitty Cooper discusses why you should add your research to WikiTree. She starts her post “A heartbreaking moment for any family historian is when you discover that your late genealogist cousin’s wife has shredded all his papers. This actually happened in my family.” Sadly, this has happened in my family too. However, with Wikitree I believe my research will be there as a resource for my descendants and my cousins to use now and indefinitely into the future, safe, I hope, from accidental or malicious damage.

I find, like others, that the interface of WikiTree is clunky and takes a little while to get used to - but once you get used to it it is effective.

As the Help page says: “Genealogy without sources is mythology!” I have found the WikiTree Sourcer browser extension incredibly useful for research and building profiles.

I like the idea of collaborating on our family history and that my family members and distant cousins can make use of what I’ve found and review sources to make sure that I didn’t get any of it wrong. I agree with the idea of “genealogy as a perpetual work in progress”, and that we should share what we know. Not having to replicate complicated research that someone else has already done can save a lot of time.

I am happy to help others gain confidence with WikiTree so that they can share their family history.

Kie Zelms

New Members Sourcing Styles & Standards Duplicates/Merging

I am a retired teacher and military spouse living in southwest Illinois (Central Time). I was born in Kansas, as were my parents, but grew up in northwest Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie. There is more than anyone ever wanted to know about me on my profile!

My paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother were both actively researching their ancestry during my childhood and I love building on what they started. I started delving deeply into my lesser known ancestry in 2000 and never stopped. I lived in Wiesbaden, Germany (then West Germany) for 3 years and enjoy using my rusty German to decipher old records and handwriting. I am active with the Palatine Migration Project, the Quaker Project and am a newbie to the Penn Project.

I confess to a WikiTree addiction! I look forward to helping members contribute to our one world tree. I am a bit of a night owl (almost always due to a WikiTree puzzle) and usually answer emails pretty promptly.

Kathy Zipperer

New Members Sourcing Styles & Standards

I was born in Ohio, lived in Michigan, went to college in Tennessee, met my husband in Rhode Island at a math conference, and we now live in Georgia. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in my ancestry and have taken on the roll of keeper of family names and dates (which is what I used to think genealogy was).

I’m currently an active Data Doctor, where I make corrections nearly every day, and a somewhat active member of the Southern Colonies Project focusing on the state of Georgia (USA) where I currently live. I really love WikiTree and like to explain parts of WikiTree profiles to anyone who will listen. I’m excited to help new WikiTreers get better!

This page was last modified 21:40, 9 April 2024. This page has been accessed 32,712 times.