G2G: Meet our Members: Jacquès Julie

Question

Hi everyone!

It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Jacquès Julie.

Jacquès became a Wiki Genealogist in April 2019. He created the Mauritius Project and is also active in our France and Global Projects.

When and how did you get interested in genealogy?

I've always been fascinated by history and human origin. I think my passion for genealogy sparked when I was about 6 years old and had been told many stories by that time about my family origins and the island of Mauritius that we came from. I always had questions the family couldn't answer and this lead me to begin my own research at the age of 12 to find answers to those questions and that's where my journey began. I've been researching for the past 18 years almost.

What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?

I'm probably the biggest tech geek around. A self taught full stack web developer with multiple projects in the air most times I'm also fluent in 3 languages, a tattooist and web designer. Jack of all trades, master of none?

What is your genealogical research focus?

I'm currently pursuing becoming a full time genealogist by trade and WikiTree has been an immense growth platform and helpful community in my pursuit. I've met such amazing people as well as like minded professionals and will be able to take the knowledge gained with me into my career. My focus initially began with my own heritage but as time has gone by, I've expanded this focus thanks to WikiTree and have started the Mauritius Project which is a place for people like me to find their own ancestors and records without the hassle I had. The project has been viewed nearly 4000 times and we are close to 1000 Mauritian ancestors in the database. You can take a peep here.

Are you are interested in certain surnames or locations?

My attention has shifted as of late to France and I'm nearing the Pre-1500 test that I've avoided for sometime now haha! The surname in question is Caiez d'Épinay (my father's side of the family) and dates back till about 1580. Things get tricky this far back and sources really need to be studied closely so its been a challenge.

Do you have a favorite ancestor?

My favorite ancestor is Antoine Zacharie Adrien Caïez d'Épinay who was notable in Mauritius. He was a lawyer and politician from Mauritius who at the beginning of the 19th century helped found the Société royale des Arts et des Sciences de l'île Maurice, the Bank of Mauritius and the first independent and daily newspaper in Mauritius, Le Cernéen, after the Portuguese name for the island. He also helped a huge deal with the abolishment of slavery on the island and there are statues and memorials all over the island in memory of Adrien.

(interview continues in comments)

Comments

What is your toughest brick wall currently?

My great grandfather... We are a lot darker than the rest of the Julie and Ducasse family and rumour has it that my great grandmother had a romantic escapade in her youth and through it my grandfather was conceived. There's a HUGE question mark and I have absolutely no idea where to begin. 

What brought you to WikiTree and why did you start getting involved?

I joined this awesome community in 2019. I love the idea of one large family tree, the wiki layout and ease of use and the amazing and helpful team behind WikiTree. My journey with WikiTree began by populating my own family tree and led me to the Mauritius Project which I mentioned above. I'll be around for many more years and hope to make WikiTree an even better community and give back as much as I can.

What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?

I try to balance my time. If I'm not adopting orphaned profiles and trying to find sources for them, I'm helping out in the France Project, the Global Project and Categorization Project. The Mauritius Project is ongoing and I would need some muscle to undertake sourcing some of the unsourced profiles that have landed on our doorstep and I warmly welcome any and all members to join our cause!

Which project are you most involved in?

I would have to say the Mauritius Project has been a large priority as of late. Its grown so much since its birth in late 2019 and alongside a handful of amazing members, we are single handedly doing all we can to continuously meet WikTree standards as well as source as many profiles as possible while adering to the formatting structures in place.

How can others help the project?

We could definitely use some help with importing new profiles into WikiTree and into the Mauritius Project from the Mauritius Ancestry databases Archives and resources available to the public. We could also use some help tagging and categorising existing profiles of people born in Mauritius or that have Mauritian ancestors. It's a work in progress and I'm sure there are many other ways we could make the project better with the assistance of WikiTree "experts" so I am open to any and all suggestions!

What inspires you to contribute so much of yourself to WikiTree's mission?

I'm deeply committed to WikiTree's mission because I believe in preserving our shared history and connecting families. Contributing here feels like leaving a lasting impact and contributing to the collective knowledge.

What is your favorite feature on WikiTree?

My favorite feature on WikiTree is the collaborative nature of the platform. It's incredible to see people from around the world come together to piece together family histories.

Do you have a story about how someone was helped through your participation on WikiTree?

I remember a few occasions where someone was able to discover a long-lost branch of their family tree thanks to my efforts on WikiTree. It was incredibly rewarding to help them connect with their roots!

Do you have a story about how you were helped through the work of others on WikiTree?

I was stuck researching my own family history on my mothers side, and a fellow WikiTree member provided a breakthrough by sharing a ton of research and documents he had gathered. I've found hundreds more family members thanks to his help. His generosity and expertise is invaluable! Turns out he is also a family member to me so that was amazing! We continue to collaborate today and he can be found here.

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Do you have any tips for someone who wants to get more involved in our community?

To get more involved, start by actively participating in discussions, joining projects that interest you, and sharing your knowledge.

Collaborating and learning from others is key! 

What could we do to inspire more people to participate in our mission?

This might already be done at WikiTree I'm not sure, but we could organize online workshops and webinars focused on different aspects of genealogy and family history research. This could engage newcomers and foster a sense of community. Also, tell your story to family members and get them excited about their heritage and then have them sign up and join our amazing platform.

Answer 1

Great interview! Nice to meet you, Jacquès.

Chris

Comments

Thanks Chris! Appreciate it and nice to meet you too

Answer 2

Thank you for sharing, Jaques!  I really enjoyed reading this!

You wrote: I was stuck researching my own family history on my mothers side, and a fellow WikiTree member provided a breakthrough .... Turns out he is also a family member to me

That happened to me also!  Those that helped me here in WikiTree turned out to be my cousins!  It makes you view things much differently when this happens!

Congratulations! You are 1 in a million!  Literally!

Comments

Thanks David  makes us 2 in a million!

Answer 3

Loved the interview Jacques.  Very interesting to read about your ancestor, Antoine Zacharie Adrien (d'Épinay) Caïez d'Épinay (1794 - 1839). What a great profile.

BTW, we are connected (18*) through Johanna Petronella (du Plessis) Solomon (1789 - abt. 1851) of Paarl, SA.

Keep up all the exciting work that you do with WT.

Comments

Thanks so much Brad! Appreciate the kind words. And Wikitree makes the world feel that much smaller, feels like we are all related somehow. I'll check out the profile and connection

Answer 4

For me yours is a fantastically interesting interview Jacques! You are so active and making such a huge and perhaps somewhat different contribution to Wikitree. Thank you! Much of what you say resonates with me. We have a 25 degree meandering connection through the Lake family.  From the bottom of the world in Aotearoa New Zealand I have an interest in Mauritius and France. I have met and admire Filipe Fanchette from Mauritus, here and in South Africa.

Comments

Thanks so much for the kind words Claire and you're very welcome! It's been an interesting journey so far and we are far from finished. Loads of cool things planned for the new year too, watch this space. Nice to meet you and will look at the Lake family too

Answer 5

Thank you for sharing that interesting interview!  It is so fun to see the variety of places and backgrounds that WikiTree members come from.  And yet we all have a larger, common purpose here!  Thanks again!  Good to meet you!

Comments

Bartley thanks a ton and glad to meet you too! We are all from different walks of life and have the same mission here on Wikitree... It's a great community and I'm right at home