April Newsletter ~ Magna Carta Project
Member of the Month ~ Profile of the Month ~ Tip of the Month
Notes from the Field ~ April Project Challenge
First and foremost - THANK YOU Magna Carta Project members, both badged and affiliate, for all you do. And if anyone would like to join us, post an answer to [our G2G join post].
Member of the Month
Bettye Carroll is Pre-1500 Certified and working to add sources to profiles from Douglas Richardson's Royal Ancestry books (see WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry). "I enjoy doing this research work very much and think of this work as my way of contributing to the Magna Carta project and WikiTree as a whole," said Bettye. "I try to stay with profiles that I have a direct relationship with, but sometimes stray when I see an interesting name."
Thanks for your contributions Bettye!
Profile of the Month ~ A "two-fer", our Example Profiles
Tip of the Month ~ The Review Process, by co-leader David
One important function we perform as Magna Carta project members is to work toward the main goal of the Magna Carta Project by (1) developing the profiles in trails between a Richardson-documented Gateway Ancestor and a Magna Carta surety baron & (2) performing peer reviews of developed trails (peer reviewers have two requirements: you need access to a hard copy of Richardson's Royal Ancestry or the second edition of Magna Carta Ancestry, or both, and you must first go through the peer review process for a trail you developed).
These Magna Carta lineage trails are composed of profiles that represent the direct parent-child relationships that extend from the Gateway Ancestor to the Magna Carta surety baron. The development of profiles can be done by any WikiTree member, but to be listed at Base Camp as working on a trail, you need to be a badged member. The peer reviewer checks the profiles in the trail for accuracy and approval means that the trail meets the standards set by the project. This is a very important part of making certain that the profiles are well documented, accurate and that parent-child relationships are supported by the evidence contained in the profiles. Project-reviewed/approved trails have the main project box {{Magna Carta}} and the Descendant category of the Surety Baron the trail has been approved to. These elements are added (or unhidden) by the reviewer after all the profiles on the trail have been approved.
A helpful work aid to guide the work of the reviewer was developed by project members and leadership: the project checklist. It can guide both the developer and the reviewer to take the correct review steps to make certain nothing is missed in the review process.
Here's my tip! The Magna Carta Project's Checklist should be your at-hand reference when performing a peer review of the profiles in a Magna Carta lineage trail.
Notes from the Field, by project coordinator Michael
When David Douglass invited me to be a Project Coordinator, I was delighted. As a Brit, I've less direct interest in Magna Carta Gateway ancestors than some American Wikitree-ers. Why was I so ready to accept?
- The period covered by the Project is one in which I'm keenly interested. I'd already been doing bits of Project-prompted research.
- Some of my own ancestral lines link in to lines of Magna Carta Gateways.
- The Project has a clear focus on accuracy, sourcing and good presentation.
- Magna Carta trails from Gateway ancestors to Surety Barons bring in many of the more powerful medieval and Tudor families of England. They give insight into shifting alliances and how families gained or lost wealth and influence. Wikitree can be valuable for historians as well as genealogists.
I've focused initially on the Magna Carta trail of Mary Bourchier who came Virginia probably in late 1619. Past GEDCOM imports had left the Bourchiers in a degree of muddle, including one Bourchier married to his mother. It has been rewarding to help sort things out.
I've been looking beyond obvious sources like Douglas Richardson and Cokayne.* For instance, when I researched the burial of one Bourchier, a webpage footnote led me to a 2018 academic article on his tomb, life and family which I'd never otherwise have discovered. Do look not just at what is in the main text of books and webpages but also at footnotes on the sources they've used.
Finally, G2G is a valuable resource in its own right. There have been several occasions when I have sought help or advice on G2G.** We are a collaborative community, and between us there is a mass of knowledge and expertise which is generously shared.
* See WikiTree's Source pages: for Richardson's [Royal Ancestry] and [Magna Carta Ancestry] & for Cokayne's [Complete Peerage]
** A bit about tags, from Liz: When you post to G2G, you can link your G2G post to the WikiTree-ID for a profile or to a Space page. And in addition to tag(s) for the profile's LNAB/married name, you can also use the project tags magna_carta & euroarista, period tags pre-1500 & pre-1700, and a subject tag, such as sources (you can use six tags to bring your post to the attention of projects and people following those tags).
April Project Challenge: Clean-a-Thon participation, by co-leader Liz
We're resurrecting the monthly project challenge for the Clean-a-Thon (CAT). Have you signed up for the CAT yet? If not, head over to [G2G] & post an answer. If you do, and clean at least 100 database errors during the 2019 Clean-a-Thon (26-9 April), you'll earn a Challenge Met! sticker. If you have a pre-1500 badge, you might consider joining The Musty, Dusty Team (see [this page] for a list of teams - if you want to join a specific team, mention it when you post your answer to the [signup G2G]).
Project challenges, which were held monthly for most of 2018, are open to both badged members and project affiliates. Let me know if you think we should have additional challenges this year. If so, I'd love to hear your ideas for a challenge you think might attract a lot of participants (links to challenges held last year, can be found [here]).
