G2G: Meet our Members: Karen St. Jean

Question

Hi everyone!

It's time to get to know another one of our wonderful WikiTreers. This week's member is Karen St. Jean.

Karen became a Wiki Genealogist in March 2021. She participates in our Puritan Great Migration (PGM) Project.

When did you get interested in family history?

Growing up we had a family reunion every year, I wanted to know where in Canada our ancestors came from, and everyone kept saying Quebec.  Quebec is a big place, I wanted to know more.  Unsatisfied with everyone's answers, 25 years ago I started my family history journey.  It has been fascinating watching how technology has changed genealogy.

What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?

History, which goes with genealogy!  Bike riding is my go-to exercise. 

What is your genealogical research focus?

My main focus right now is probate records in New England! My theory was that probate would help break down a lot of brick walls.  Finding the probates for the immigrants who came in the 1600s and 1700s is the foundation of many family trees.  The hidden gems of genealogy mining are the aunts and uncles who don't have kids, and they mention their siblings and/or nieces and nephews in their last will. 

Are you interested in certain surnames or locations?

I am from New England, so anything New England.

Do you have a brick wall breakthrough story? 

A brick wall breakthrough happened when a fellow researcher placed a picture of a bible page on one of their ancestors.  The light bulb lit up and blew!  The bible page led me to a probate record of a brother, Ransom Welch who didn't have any kids, and left everything to his siblings. He had ten sisters and three brothers, all had kids, and all but one sibling was alive, so the probate court had to find all the nieces and nephews. It was so exciting to find a new line and to New Amsterdam!

What is your toughest brick wall currently?  

My toughest brick wall is my three-time great grandfather, Allen James Clark (Clark-66149), b. 1826 in Poundridge, New York, and died in 1907 in Lewisboro, New York.  He married Sarah Jane Boyd.  They had four children.  One dying young and buried at Sandy Hook Cemetery in Newtown.  His profile shows my research.

(interview continues in comments)

Comments

How long have you been on WikiTree?

I've been a member of WikiTree since 2021.  I joined because I wanted to learn how to create better citations.  The collaboration has been a nice byproduct!

What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?

Entering Probate keeps me busy. Probate isn't just the Will; it is also inventory, accounts, estate bonds, estate distributions, guardianships, and receipts for the estate are sometimes even more important. It gives you the history of what happened after the person died. What struggles did the family have losing someone? The FAN (friends, acquaintances, and neighbors) club is important in probate.  Who helped with the administration or who takes on the guardianship of the children may also be a clue to the direct family or a widow's LNAB.   One probate record can send me down a rabbit hole, and I end up adding or connecting several people.  Finding the connections, especially the hard-to-find connections is the best, and having a source is priceless.

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

I am fascinated by the idea of a one world tree like Family Search but managed so the integrity of the profiles is maintained.  The idea of WikiTree is awesome if it can be maintained.  My legacy is my genealogy research, so WikiTree is the manager of my legacy.

What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?

Family Anniversaries!  I challenged myself to write about an ancestor that had an anniversary on the day for one whole year.  I put a short post usually with pictures on FaceBook for my family and my husband's family to see. I am sure many rolled their eyes at me, saying here she goes again, but I think many enjoyed seeing the stories or hearing how I researched the person or even hearing the history of the guy who married my 3x great grandparents, W. H. H. Murray (William Henry Harrison Murray), who was known as the father of the Outdoor Movement.  His book "Adventures in the Wilderness" is cited as the reason "vacation" is used in the US.

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

Jump in!  There is a learning curve, but doesn't everything?  Learn something new, and enjoy being able to tell your ancestors' stories. There are so many great genealogists working on WikiTree, take advantage of them, and ask for help.

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Not only is your enthusiasm contagious, your probate work is really inspiring.  Thanks so much for leading the way for me to break down brick walls!

Answer 1

Congratulations on your M.O.M. award! 10th Cousin!

Quote:  My legacy is my genealogy research, so WikiTree is the manager of my legacy.  Well said!

Answer 2

Congratulations Karen on being Member of the Week and thank you Eowyn for her interview!

Answer 3

What a fun interview to read! Thanks! I especially loved the brick-wall breakthrough story - it's inspiring to think "if I just keep going..."

We are 11th Cousins (2R).