Hi everyone!
It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Ralph Geer.
Ralph became a Wiki Genealogist in December 2022. He is most active in our Acadians and Louisiana Families projects.
When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and brought up in nearby Manchester. When I was about 14, in 1954, my father took us to our favorite beach at Rocky Neck. On the way, while on a country road in Lebanon, Connecticut, my father noticed a mailbox with our surname, Geer, painted on it. Out of curiosity, he stopped the car and talked to the dairy farmer owner, Elmer Nelson Geer, who invited us in to talk. One thing led to another, and he asked my father if we had seen the Geer book. Of course, we hadn’t. At this point, we didn’t know anything about our history except our relatives, who were still living. Elmer’s son, Harold Nelson Geer, would later become very active in the Geer Family Association.
Being a young, curious teenager, I ordered the Geer Genealogy by Walter Geer and got number 300 out of the limited edition of 400 copies. I found that I was descended from George Geer, who came from England to Boston in 1635. I found out further that George came to Boston with his brother Thomas and that they were descended from Walter Geere of Heavitree, Exeter, Devonshire, England, born about 1450
In 1964, while on leave in the army, I visited Heavitree (called Heavitree, or heavy tree, sorrowful tree, because it was the gallows for Exeter) and found the church where the records were supposed to be stored. I was disappointed to find that the church was closed. I thought the story of George was true until I joined WikiTree on December 3, 2022. DNA proved that George and Thomas were not brothers. Sources could not place George's arrival in America before 1651. Sources could not prove he was born in 1623. Sources could not prove his wife was 20 years younger than him. Sources could not prove he lived to 105. This, more than anything else, showed me the importance of sources and why WikiTree emphasizes having sources in profiles.
From the age of 24 until 80, genealogy was put on the back burner. Thinking about leaving information for my grandchildren, my interest renewed in genealogy. I started in Family Search and then Ancestry and Geneanet. As I searched, I found that the only reliable answers I could find were on WikiTree on Google. It was at this point I decided to investigate what WikiTree was all about.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
I have a YouTube channel called TrailCamHobbyist with 443 videos. I have put this hobby to the side to allow more time for WikiTree. I still do Sudoku puzzles and play Sheepshead (a Wisconsin card game originating in Germany called Schafskopf) online. We watch Jeopardy every night. I spend my day alternating between gardening and WikiTree. We have a card table set up where we do 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles casually, taking turns throughout the day. I volunteer to help friends with their computer problems. I used to do it as a part-time job but stopped charging after my wife, Mary, complained I was spending too much time away from home.
What is your genealogical research focus?
My main focus now is the Acadians Project censuses. I just completed the 1686 census and am currently starting the 1693 census. My secondary focus is helping other WikiTreers who have asked for help. My third focus is trying to source at least 100 unsourced Louisiana Families profiles each month. If I have any other time left in the day, I try to work on my own tree and those outside of WikiTree who have asked for my help with their tree.
(interview continues in comments)
