Member of the Week: Kristin Anderson

Question

Hi everyone! 

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

Kristin became a Wiki Genealogist in April 2019. She is one of our enthusiastic Appalachian Project members. 

When did you get interested in family history?

I would say that I have been interested in family history since I was a small child. I have a great aunt who every holiday, would give me a picture of a relative and say oh that was so and so. She also would say we were descendants of General George Rovers Clark but never how we were related and that drove me crazy, so I decided to investigate it. At least according to WikiTree I may finally have an answer, George and I are supposedly 1^st cousins 8 times removed.

How long have you been on WikiTree?

I technically joined WikiTree in 2011, added a few family members and then went “now what?”. It wasn’t till 2019 when I googled a relative’s name and came across their WikiTree profile (that I had created) that I rediscovered WikiTree.  So, I decided to give it another go and that is when I discovered the magic of working on profiles for those outside my immediate family. Around this time, I also was introduced to the joys of headstone cleaning and one thing led to another and I ended up joining the Cemeterist Project. For new members I recommend really exploring the different facets of WikiTree, that while it is a genealogy website, it is so much more!   

Which projects are you most involved in?

I would say I am most active in the Appalachia Project (Biscuits!) and the Cemeterist Project. The Appalachia Project is super welcoming and there is always someone on Discord willing to lend a helping hand. When Appalachia Project members mobilize you know you are in for surprises. For instance, I had been stuck at under 300 for my CC7 for ages and in a week, they managed to get it above 1,000! The Cemeterist Project is dear to my heart as well, for a cemetery to me is like an outdoor archive that is eroding to the ravages of time. To capture a headstone image now, when it is at the best it will ever be, is important for future generations, when the actual stone may no longer be legible.     

What is your nickname?

So in the Appalachia Project I am known as the Queen of Tabs because I may have over a 100 browser tabs open at any given time. I do occasionally x out of them but then I fall down a rabbit hole and end up doubling what I originally started with . 

What is your genealogical research focus?

One of my genealogical focuses has been digitizing genealogical materials and then making them available (when possible) online. Shameless plug: For those that have relatives that lived in Franklin County, KY, here is the link to digitized yearbooks that I have scanned. 

What feature or function would you most like to see added or improved? 

I wish there was a way to be more specific regarding surname tags. I follow Williams and Roberts and honestly I tend to ignore that part of the daily email. Now if I could get notifications say about Williams in Ohio that would make me more interested. 

Answer 1

Hi Kristin,

Thanks for what you do!  Never thought of the capturing of gravestones as the best they will ever be, but you are right on...

I love that you re-found your own profile via google.

Thanks also Eowyn for your continued support of our fantastic members.

Answer 2

Awesome to meet you, Kristin! I agree with Rick, helping to capture gravestones is so important for helping us remember those we have lost. It is great to see how WikiTree has helped you with finding your family. Thank you for an excellent interview, Eowyn.

Answer 3

Thanks Eowyn for introducing us to Kristin.

Nice to meet you Kristin.

Answer 4

Kristin, what a great commitment you have about preserving cemetery headstones. Sometimes, when there is a dearth of records for a person in a given community, the tombstone is the last proof of evidence! This was actually that case for one of my relatives.

This interview with you is inspiring. Thanks for telling us about Kristin.

Answer 5

Congratulations Kristin on being Member of the Week and thank you Eowyn for Kristin's Amazing interview!

Answer 6

Nice to make your acquaintance, Kristin, and thanks for all you do for WikiTree.

Answer 7

Kristen thank you for all that you do.

Answer 8

Hi Kristin. I was impressed with your work in digitized yearbooks.Thanks Eowyn for interviewing Kristin.

Answer 9

Hi Kristin, my 8th Cousin (1R)! I am also descended from Daniel Maupin!

But rather than cousins, I feel we might be siblings in regard to open browser tabs!  I too try (occasionally) to close some, but those rabbit holes do make them multiply!  At least an open browser tab is more affordable than an open bar tab!

Thanks for an interesting interview!

Answer 10

Congratulations cousin on your Member of the Week / Meet Our Members recognition.  We are 6th cousins! That is getting close to family reunion close. 

 My 1st great grandmother, Ellen (Deweese) Draper (1850-1940) married into the Draper family in 1880.  But the story your family and mine were involved in was right out of the pages of the "wild wild west"!  The Draper and Deweese families were caught and targeted to be executed by bounty hunters paid by the Knights of the Golden Circle for their involvement in the Iowa Underground Railroad in 1864! Both families fled 200 miles west to the area where Dawson, Nebraska is today exactly 160 years ago this week!  (see Ira Dillingham Draper)  

Seeing you recognized, and discovering you are family, certainly made my day! Hugs!

Answer 11

Congratulations and keep up the good work!!!

Answer 12

Congrats on being Member of the Week, Kristin. Not sure what happened with the link that should be General George Rogers Clark, as I thought that would be who you were referencing. My hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee is named for the man. Not close enough to fall into Appalachia though.

You also have reminded me to get back to my cemetery project in Wisconsin that I left on the back burner for months now.