Hi everyone!
It's time to meet another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Marsha Richardson.
Marsha has been a Wiki Genealogist since 2013 but rediscovered WikiTree earlier this year. She is a Team Leader in our Scotland Project, helping to oversee Clan Forsyth.
What surnames and locations are you currently researching?
I am researching Brooks, Cain, Cason, Croy, Forsyth, Hurst, Irvine, McDonalds, Oaks (aka Carvalho), Rhodes, Smith, Thornton and Yancey, to name a few. While my dad’s side of the family are all from the southeast U.S. as far back as I’m able to trace them, my mother’s are from the Azores, Ireland and Scotland.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy and family history?
My interest began when my son was applying for college scholarships and one was available to descendants of Confederate soldiers. The hunt started then and I was soon hooked.
Tell us about a brick wall you hope to bust through.
The Confederate soldier that started my genealogy addiction, Garland Yancey, is also part of my biggest brick wall. While I know who his father is, and have pretty good evidence that his grandparents are Charles and Mary Yancey of Grandville, North Carolina, I cannot find proof of who his parents are. Autosomal DNA does connect us to that line, but Y DNA testing does not. So my guess is his mother was an unmarried daughter of Charles and Mary Yancey. Big Y DNA has given some clues, but so far no luck in breaking down the brick wall.
Who is your favorite ancestor and why?
I guess my favorite ancestor would be my maternal grandfather, James McDonald Forsyth. I was only about 12 years old when he died, but I can still hear him calling me his lassie with his beautiful Scottish brogue.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
In addition to genealogy I enjoy reading, gardening and traveling with my husband. I’m also the Clan Forsyth Society USA newsletter editor. We put out a quarterly 18 page newsletter so this does take much of my free time. In addition I co-manage the Forsythe Y DNA project.
(interview continues in comments)