Hi everyone!
It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Kathy Evans.
Kathy became a Wiki Genealogist last August. She's a member of our Ireland, Profile Improvement and Acadia projects and also participates as a Data Doctor and Sourcerer.
What are some of the surnames you are researching?
Hopkins, Whitmore, Cooper, and Page (all in Rhode Island), and Knightly (County Kerry).
What are some of the locations you are researching?
Most of my ancestry is in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I have one Irish branch to Counties Kerry and Clare, and one Acadian branch to Salmon River, Digby, Nova Scotia.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy and family history?
About ten years ago, one of my cousins (I never knew her) sent a printout of the Woodbury line back to John Woodbury (PGM). It took my sister and I days to figure out what her printout meant, but we were hooked.
Who's your favorite ancestor and why?
My black sheep Samuel Knox Head. He was a very difficult ancestor to trace, however he was the gateway to a big section of my tree. Dr. Elizabeth Haven Hawley, a researcher, reached out to me for some information about Samuel, and that is when I found out about his obscenity trial in 1858.
Tell us about a brick wall you were able to break down.
It took me years to find the maiden name of my 4th GGM. DNA matches on Ancestry gave me a clue, and I was able to prove her maiden name, her husband, and her parents through Rhode Island land records. Finding that record was a milestone.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
I am a Daughter of the American Revolution, through Walter Woodbury. I have 11 other Patriots I have proved, and three more Patriots waiting to be approved. It’s a tremendous organization, and I am very involved in many committees, and am the webmaster for Maine State DAR.
(Interview continues below.)