Hi everyone!
It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Tabor Fisher.
Tabor became a Wiki Genealogist in August of 2019. She is a Team Leader for the Appalachia Project.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by my mother's extended family -- my beloved Grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins -- and always appreciated what family gives you. My mother has been the go-to person regarding family genealogy and my family often sat around telling stories about earlier generations. I learned early from my mother what a first cousin once removed was and spent hours with her doing rubbings of gravestones. Add to that the way I was named and you'll see that I was fated to get into genealogy. My full name is Carole Tabor (Hoff) Fisher -- and the Tabor is a family surname. There is a lot of that in my family -- keeping people connected by passing on names.
Are you interested in certain surnames?
Names I follow are Tabor, DeHart, Smiley, Gibson -- the names of my Western North Carolina family. There is just something about the Smoky Mountains that makes my heart sing. I travel back each July to attend the annual Smiley Family Reunion (we just had our 96th reunion!). I happily joined the Appalachian Project as soon as it was rolled out -- and then they asked me to be a Team Leader (in the area that includes my beloved WNC). I said yes, because I think it's important to give back, after all that people have done for me.
What do you do when you're not doing WikiTree?
Interestingly, most of my hobbies resonate well with genealogy. I crochet and knit -- and the person who taught me how to do that was my Grandmother! I enjoy reading historical fiction (go figure!). And I love to hike. I was hiking in Nantahala this summer (that is in Western North Carolina where my ancestors are from). I also love to cook. Need I mention that I edited our Tabor family cookbook? It all circles back to family in the end.
What is your current focus?
I'm trying to understand my family's understanding of what it meant to be White in the South before Emancipation and why they made the decisions they did. That's why I'm tracing both my family and the people they enslaved. Many of my family members fought for the Confederate States of America and I get choked up when I read the stories of young widows or badly injured soldiers. It doesn't matter which side they fought for -- it is so tragic that so many people lost their lives in that conflict.
Who is your favorite ancestor?
My current favorite ancestor is John Sadoc Smiley, my second great-grandfather. He did fight for the CSA, but deserted for a time. He later told my great uncle (his grandson) that the right side won the war. He was the first superintendent of schools in Swain County, NC (which was formed in 1871). And he was just amazing. Check out his profile and you'll see!
What brought you to WikiTree and why did you start getting involved?
I started on WikiTree in 2019, amazed that there was this wonderful free resource. So far, I've done all my work by using WikiTree and FamilySearch and digging through my mother's records. All of that is free! You really can do a lot without breaking the bank and -- best yet -- other WikiTreers will help you out if there is a subscription service blocking you from getting something and they are already subscribers.
I was shy at first and didn't use the G2G channel much. However, connecting with folks over Discord, both during the Connect-a-Thons (go Cornbread Catchers!) and on the Appalachia project has made it possible for me to reach out for help -- and everyone is so generous. I don't think I've helped others much, although I try.
What is your favorite feature on WikiTree and why?
I love the BEE app. That has made adding new people so much easier! And many thanks to Debi Hoag for holding a Zoom session for the Cornbread Catchers to walk us through how to use the Bee.
Do you have a story about how you were helped through the work of others on WikiTree?
I have discovered, as so many of us with Southern roots are bound to, that my ancestors enslaved other human beings. That was painful. But I was very thankful for the help of Cheryl Cruise who works on the Black Heritage Project and gave me some great ideas in order to find the people who were enslaved by my third great grandfather and honor them by setting up their WikiTree profiles. Researching the formerly enslaved is challenging, but I'm continuing to fill out their family tree and was fortunate enough to visit and document their graves this July.
