Hi everyone!
It's time to get to know another wonderful WikiTreer. This week's member is Kelly Kley.
Kelly became a Wiki Genealogist in March 2020. She is active in our US Southern Colonies Project particularly with the Hatcher Name Study.
When did you get interested in genealogy?
I became interested in genealogy during my childhood on both sides of my family. My paternal grandfather was one of 14 children. We would have these big fun reunions every couple of years, over a 20-year period. My father started doing research on his family tree later in life. His family were Germans from the Russia Volga and Black Sea regions.
On my maternal grandmother's side of the family, she had a cousin that did research on her Harrison and Sheridon family lines in which she created a book. I always asked questions about the book, and she would tell me stories of her interesting history. After my children were older, is when I really started to research my family tree. I started asking family members what they knew, attending genealogy classes, and a conference to learn more. I have been working for over a decade on my family lines.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
I love to read spy or mystery novels in my spare time, go boating at the lake, play board games or cards with my family and friends, travel, and gardening.
What is your genealogical research focus?
I used to just focus on my direct family lines in the beginning of my genealogical journey. After joining WikiTree, I have learned to expand my searches into other family members, their in-laws, and extended family past 7 degrees. The areas of focus now are on the 1500's-1700's researching The Southern Colonies Project, the Jamestown, Virginia area, the Western part of Virginia, and the Huguenot Project.
Getting the entire story of the life of the person, who they interacted with, and the stories of the family and location is the most fascinating part of history. To be able to tell their stories on who these people were.
Are you interested in certain surnames or locations?
The surnames that intrigue me currently are Depriest, Cotham, Hatcher, Garrett, Harrison, Sheridan, Delaney, Hannah, Graves, Chunn, Bates, Cantrell, Bandy, Nix, and Popp. The main locations are Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Volga Russia, and Prussia areas.
Do you have a favorite ancestor?
My favorite ancestor is Randolph DePriest, my 5th great grandfather. Randolph's family was of Huguenot descendant. This also involves another profile his father William DePriest, on why he did what he did during the Rev War. His father was the leader of a counterfeiter ring against the British in 1760's in Virginia, he was caught and put in prison, his letters intercepted, died in prison, and his brother was hung for it. Randolph was the oldest child tutored under another uncle, before marrying and moving to South Carolina to participate in the Revolutionary War.
This is my favorite part. He served in a unit led by Captain William Young, a partisan officer. Part of his military activity was under Col. Sumter, Col. Nesbitt and Maj. (or Cat.) Lewis. He served as a spy among the Indians and Tories in the Southern Theater. He was in numerous engagements against the Tories. I want to learn more about the spies of the Southern Theater and what their missions were.
What is your toughest brick wall currently?
The toughest brick wall is Mack Booker Delaney. He is my 3rd great grandfather. His parents died when he was young, one of four brothers, and was raised by an Uncle Gunn. Nobody has any information on who his parents were. This will most likely have to be solved through DNA.
How long have you been on WikiTree?
I joined WikiTree in March of 2020. Trying to find more of the correct information on my family. I became involved by talking to others who were interested in the same profiles. We would collaborate by finding stories, theories, and other facts we have put together. Finding the correct story of the person we are researching. I have had a handful of distant cousins that are from different parts of the world reach out to me and tell me thank you for researching our distant relative. This is one of the reasons why I keep helping out on Wiki, to help others and find more cousins, I love to hear their stories.
What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?
I am currently involved in my Hatcher surname project. This can be considered as part of the Southern Colonial Project line. One of my distant great grandfather's Hatcher brothers died early in life. His friend Burton married Hatcher's wife and adopted his children. They ended up with the new husband's surname of Burton. I am currently looking up and connecting all of their descendants. The goal is to try to help find more male DNA to pinpoint the location of original immigrant William Hatcher born in 1613 in England. Making sure this tree line is correct and filled out on WikiTree. We could use volunteers on the old England areas. If anyone wants to help out contact me and I can get you in touch with the person in charge.
What inspires you to contribute so much of yourself to WikiTree's mission?
Working with WikiTree members has helped and inspired me grow my knowledge of genealogy. It has taught me to be more detailed in my research and being able to find all of the different resources to piece the life of the person together. Learning more on different areas of history, that you do not get from school history books. This is part of my legacy to help other family members, or anyone find their roots. I love learning about different cultures, locations, religions, and I plan to continue with all different types of projects on WikiTree. My goal is to learn more on the foreign countries of interest and how to effectively navigate them better.
What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?
The Sourcer app is my favorite feature WikiTree has. Prior to having this we had to manually input all of the sources which took time to do. It was not easy either. The Sourcer makes it easy to copy and paste the source to the profile. It is quick and correct.
Do you have a story about how someone helped you on WikiTree?
Not long after joining WikiTree, I wanted to learn more, so I had joined a Connect-a-Thon as my first project. I chose the team Cornbread Catchers for two reasons; the name was catchy, and the team was in the Southeastern part of the United States, where most of my maternal family was located in the past to help me research.
The Captain Debi M. was so helpful in patiently teaching me with any technical aspects to the profile. I was technically challenged on WikiTree back then, so it was harder for me to do. I had asked every question in the book to her. She chatted through our Messager app and taught me enough to get started. She is one of the best persons to teach new people how to navigate through WikiTree. Now, WikiTree is so much more user friendly with all of the different apps that they have created to help the new person along in their journey on genealogy.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to get more involved in our community?
The best advice I can give for anyone trying WikiTree out is: Jump in with both feet first. There are always great people to help you out with any questions or research. Be open to collaborating with others. These people want the best facts for the profile, and a good story to back it up is a bonus too. Try joining projects if you are interested in one of them for a longer period of time with detailed work. If you want something simple, join a Thon. This is a weekend project at your own pace a couple of times a year. It is a great place to start small. You will be meeting distant cousins that you did not know before. Wiki is a fun place to get started, gaining new colleagues, and family.
What could we do to inspire more people to participate in our mission?
To inspire others to join WikiTree, go on other social media platforms and post more. Projects, questions, and help others see how easy it is to get involved and their "why".
