Sourcerers' Challenge Month of February 2018

+25 votes
1.6k views

February 2018 Sourcerers’ Challenge

Hello, Sourcerers! If the clock has rolled around for you, and we are in the new month it is time to start sourcing! Prior month stats will be posted soon.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please “answer” here (not comment) and let me know if you will be using the tracker or if you will be listing your profiles here in your post. Either one is perfectly fine : )  

To participate:

Remember, your sources need to be as full and specific as possible, so others find them useful. That means, if the source is online, you should link to it. If it is a page from a book, the page number should be included so others can easily see where you found the reference. 

When you can, it's great to do a bit more while adding sources, like clean up the gedcom leftovers or help the formatting from older profiles. Sources are important, but if you can't find them among all the other stuff, they aren't helping as much as they could.

On to the monthly challenge:

You only need to answer the post once. If you opt to use the Tracker you are good to go.  If you opt to  add your sourced profiles, add a comment to your answer with the required details. If you exceed the character limit add another comment.  Please number your contributions. Obviously, the Tracker is faster and less work for everyone.  If you have a problem with the Tracker let us know by posting a comment to the thread. 

* All profiles improved must come from the Unsourced categories or be already present on WikiTree and unsourced-you cannot create new profiles and add sources just to up your tally. The hope and goal is to improve the profiles already on WikiTree that need sources. Adding sources will help merges happen, too, which will improve our tree. Showing folks what sources you're using helps newer researchers see just what's available out there for us to access. Another great source of unsourced profiles is to check out orphaned profiles.

* The tally is of profiles improved, not sources added. That said, if you can add a number of sources to a profile, all the better.

*If you attempt to add sources to a profile and cannot find any, please add a note under a == Research Notes == section giving where you tried to find records and you can sign it with the four tildes (~~~~) so the date is applied as well. Something like "Looked for John in the US Census records for 1900-1940 and couldn't find him on FamilySearch or Ancestry" would be fine. Or, "Searched google for an obituary and didn't find one." That way the next researcher knows where to start. Do not remove the Unsourced Template and will not count in your tally.

* If the only source is a link to a profile, is a profile or search results page from another genealogy website or the words "Ancestry tree," "Geni.com," "Pedigree Resource Files" from FamilySearch, and the like, the profile is considered unsourced. If you add better sources to the profile include it in your tally.

* If you find a match and can merge a profile into an already sourced profile, that counts, too. You still found a source, plus you eliminated a duplicate. Awesome!

The Monthly Challenge runs from midnight the first day of your month and ends at 11:59 the last day of the month. The Challenge Tracker results page has up the minute stats for those of you using the Challenge Tracker. Ask any questions here in the thread, otherwise, SOURCE!  

in The Tree House by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (832k points)
Thanks, Laura, for getting Februarys post up!
You are most welcome!  Thanks for all the training!

The tracker will adjust to February's totals as the clock rolls us all in to February. Meanwhile, for those who are curious: February stats

Thanks Debi!
Thank you, Debi - Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. That single column count on the tracker makes it so much easier.
Excellent news, Hans, and you are welcome. Aleš deserves the real praise for building in the capability and teaching me how to set it up.
We are up to 2 pages so if you do not see your post please remember to check the next page of answers.
I merged unsourced unknown Maltby-2592 into Ely Maltby-2168 but removed the unsourced tag on the compare page.  How do I collect credit for the tracker count?
I think by posting the info here on the thread like you did will work.  I will check with Debi.
Beulah, make a small edit to Maltby-2168 and save. That will trigger the tracker again. For instance remove the "/" on either side of the surname in the bio. I'd rather things be in the tracker for the convenience *grin* said as I head over to work on January's totals.
Thanks.  Did a minor cleanup.  I have done a whole bunch of sources and
the merged line was not in the selections.  It just happened to be there in time for me today.  Serendipity!!  Case done and closed.
Way to go!  A little over 4 Thousand profiles have been sourced.  We are half way through the month.  Can we aim for 10 thousand?  If we all increase what we have done in the first half we might be able to hit it!

A little stretch objective!
Holly please post this as an Answer instead of as a comment.  It has to do with scoring.   The tracker shows up after you save your sourcing to the profile.  After hitting save at the top of the profile page a box will show up and press Challenges.    Then a box will open where you select Sourcerers

Make sure your WikiID is showing in the top field.

Then either select a reason code from the list or type in your own.

Press add action and it uploads your sourcing to the main tracer page.

Laura
I have opened the Sourcerers' Challenge for March.  This, the February Challenge will end at 11:59 tonight.

Yes it is almost the end of March and I am just now posting the Feb Winner Stats!   (I am learning so it took me a little longer!)

DRUM ROLL:  We had 108 participants who added valid sources to 7318 profiles in 28 days.  That is over 261 a day!  And we lost people during Roots Tech Week.  

Our Winner with 2527 profiles sourced: HANS HOFMANN!

Our Top 10 for February:

Congratulations and THANK YOU for a job well done!

51 Answers

+9 votes
Hi.  Count me in; I'll use the tracker.

The weather may turn to snow this week -- but the primroses and daffodils are blooming!
by Janine Barber G2G6 Pilot (231k points)
It was 82F where I live today and tonight it is dropping into the low 30sF.

I can understand why the flowers are so confused!   Good Luck sourcing!

Great idea to do that if the weather is keeping you in!
Old man winter and Jack Frost -- two more profiles to build someday, but not in Wikitree!
Yep, Real people only please!  Good luck!
+9 votes
I have already done a lot of sourcing on two Saturday sprints as well as some I just did on my own.  Didn't think to check the box for this monthly one too, so I am starting late.  I'll use the tracker.
by Carolyn Martin G2G6 Pilot (283k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+9 votes
Count me in
by Kandita Post G2G6 Mach 4 (47.4k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+9 votes
What's happening???? My tracking page quit loading and so did the page that links to profiles to put the status updates.  Other Wikitree pages are working but not the two I need to do my sourcing.
by Carolyn Martin G2G6 Pilot (283k points)
It was all working for me today.  I just got home from being gone for several hours.   I have not seen any other comments it is not working.  Try clearing your browser and see if it works...  

I just tested it and it seems to be working..  I saved a file, the box came up, I was able to press challenges and select Sourcerers and was able to add it and see that it updated the tracker sheet.
It started working about 15 minutes later but had been done for an hour or so.  Don't know why it suddenly started up again.
Not sure.  It seems to be working now I just saved one.
+9 votes
I'm using the Tracker, and adding these as they come up. Sometimes I forget to log them in the Tracker, but progress is being made--of that you can be sure!
by Cynthia Larson G2G6 Pilot (180k points)
If you forget to do the tracker just go back to that profile.  Make a small change to the biography or source you added and resave it.  The tracker will be there and finish filling out what you did.
Can I go back and claim the ones I did for the sourcing sprints in Feb?
That is a Debi question.  The Sprints work differently than the month long event.
I know you can count both when you do the status update. I just wasn't signed in to track the regular sourcing challenge at the time.  Don't know if I can go back and capture them.
Carolyn, if you didn't put a check mark in the Sourcerers' Challenge box on the tracker when you counted your sprints, create an answer here in the sourcerers challenge thread and make a note of how many you sourced in each of the past sprints. We'll manually add those to any you tracked on weekdays when we do the final tally after the end of the month. Going forward, just put a check mark in both boxes when doing Sprints and don't put future Sprint totals in your answer. I think that's clear but, if not, ask me to clarify
Thanks, Debi. I will do an answer with the totals.
+9 votes
Signing up for Feb and trying remember the tracker :(
by Rose Edwards G2G6 Mach 1 (19.3k points)
See the note I just posted above about going back and resaving the item to bring the tracker back up.
+9 votes

Debi, 

Here are my totals for the two sourcing sprints I did earlier this month.  I would like them to count for this challenge as well, but did not check the box at the time I did them.  Thanks!

  • Saturday Sourcing Sprint (Feb 10th) - 53 (2nd place)
  • Saturday Sourcing Sprint (Feb 17th) - 42 (Tied for 1st place)
by Carolyn Martin G2G6 Pilot (283k points)
+9 votes
I will be sourcing for the month of February 2018. I will be using the Tracker.

Thank you for your help, Laura.
by Holly Lathrop G2G Crew (470 points)
Great Thanks!   Good Luck1
I have Merged 91 matches from downloading my GEDCOM into WikiTree last night. Was not given the option for "Tracker".  Thank you
Gedcom imports are new profiles.  New profiles do not count in the Sourcerers' Challenges.  They have to be already existing profiles that have been sitting here unsourced to count.   You won't see the challenge tracker show up on new profiles.
Oh, I thought if I was merging with existing profiles it counted. My apologies. Thanks!
+9 votes
Looks interesting - starting a bit late, but will do what I can. Will try using the tracker
by Emily Holmberg G2G6 Pilot (155k points)
Great Thanks.Good Luck
I added sources to Anderson-82 Rev Moses Anderson - not sure what went wrong, but got an error message when I attempted to use the tracker.
what did the error message say?

Also did you check to see if it did record in the tracker?

I just edited the sources again and got the same error message when I tried to use the challenge tracker 

"User ID not found: 18940056

Note: Profiles created after sunday, protected profiles and merged profiles are not part of public database.

UserID = ProfileID = 54838 IP=71.83.57.6 Error in parameters."

Could it be because my profile is new? 

I also changed the sources by using the "C" button this time - I think I did it correctly, but only the information for the first two sources shows up, the others only show as numbers. 

 

Yes. Profile was created after the latest dump on 18th. That is the reason, I can't find the profile. It will work next week.
So for this week you will need to post a list of the profiles you added sources to and what kind of source.  We will manually add them in.
Sources I added last week:

Anderson-82 Moses Anderson: added 1900 US Federal Census, 1910 US Federal Census, 1880 US Federal Census, 1870 US Federal Census, General Index to Civil War and Later Pension Files, Louisiana Statewide Death Index, Wikipedia article on the 2nd Louisiana Regiment Native Guard Infantry.

Jones-100 Oliver O. Jones: added Find A Grave Index, Michigan Death Certificates, Michigan Births & Christenings, Ontario Marriages, 1920 US Federal Census, 1880 US Federal Census.

I should be able to continue using the tracker
Great!  Sorry for the week of inconvenience.

Well, the tracker still isn't working for me so I'll put in the other ones I completed:

3) Pitre-75: edited biography and added first source 1850 US Census

4) Pitre-210: edited biography and added first source 1850 US Census, also added sources already mentioned in biography without citation - apparently not the correct Pitre

5) Pitre-212: edited biography and added first source 1850 US Census

6) Pitre-213: edited biography and added first source 1850 US Census

7) Pitre-214: edited biography and added first source 1850 US Census

8) Avery-17: edited biography and added first sources 1860, 1870, 1880 & 1900 Census records and excerpt from biographical sketch of father in "The New Jersey Coast in Three Centuries, History of the New Jersey Coast with Genealogical and Historic-Biographical Appendix"

9) Avery-18: edited biography and added first sources 1860, 1870, 1880 & 1900 Census records and excerpt from biographical sketch of father in "The New Jersey Coast in Three Centuries, History of the New Jersey Coast with Genealogical and Historic-Biographical Appendix"

 

Hi Emily, Ales is at the Roots Tech convention and evidently none of the trackers are working if what I saw in the Data Doctor thread is correct.

It might just be for people and profiles that need to be updated through the weekly update.  

I am having computer problems and my posts are not always taking for some reason.   Hope you see this!
As of this morning, I had finally gotten past the original error message - but the ones I did this morning it was the site taking too long to respond per my computer.

If it isn't one thing it's another! LOL
As I understand it, Ales was able to fix the problem.  So it should be hopefully working for you now!
+9 votes
A bit late! but count me in using tracker
by Kevin Sweet G2G6 Mach 1 (18.1k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!  It has been a crazy month!
+9 votes

I found a few for February 2018:

  1. Wilson-5817 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  2. Wilson-5818 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  3. Wilson-5819 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  4. Wilson-5820 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  5. Wilson-5816 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  6. Wilson-5821 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  7. Wilson-5822 edited biography and added first source: 1850 U.S. Federal Census
  8. Wilson-5839 edited biography and added first source: 1900 U.S. Federal Census and Find A Grave Memorial
  9. Capps-92 edited biography and added first source: 1900 U.S. Federal Census and Find A Grave Memorial
  10. Wilson-6111 edited biography and added first source: 1870 U.S. Federal Census and Find A Grave Memorial
by Ann Dysart G2G6 (7.0k points)
Great Thanks!

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