Weldon Smith
Honor Code SignatorySigned 6 May 2016 | 8,834 contributions | 230 thank-yous | 1,665 connections
Many Projects here communicate outside of WT, via Google, discord, etc. I prefer G2G and PM for Wikitree communication.
BTW, just discovered the browser dark mode extension for WT. Nice work. Loving it.
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I've searched but can find no bio for me. Sometime soon, I'll be up on StoryWorth[1] (thx Barry for signing me up).
I join you as a student of life (still with a passing grade). As such, this introduction is now a more appropriate social one. After I receive life's final grade, I ask any kindly successors to recast this bio in an appropriate historical, genealogical style.
By joining you here at Wikitree, my branch is inextricably entwined in our global tree; once here, one can not soon be totally forgotten. We are enshrined here with everyone, including those persons of greatest consequence. In such a sense, Wikitree is a great equalizer.
Having advanced far enough in life to prove scientifically I am who I think I am, my genealogical tree begins with my biological (DNA-proven) parents. This is my one and only published scientific proof, important only insofar as identifying a biologically correct ancestral network, my existential origins.
Biology aside, an infant bonds with the first humans it recognizes as friendly and empathetic faces. Hopefully, among these will be found loving, on-the-scene parents to provide for the first two dependent decades of a human life; having caring parents who show up is all most really care about.
To my way of thinking, Wikitree is for the living to honor their ancestors and all other caring humans involved in fostering their well-being. We research, document, share; it's a simple, successful model. We are a research community and we are here to support each other's research and documentation efforts by reaching out on G2G.
When discovering relatives/benefactors we would otherwise never have known, we try to learn their historical details, gaining context for their way of life and the forces that shaped it. We can also highlight the importance of such contexts, by documenting them in Spaces (see links below for examples).
I assert a credo: the recording of wrong stuff is an insult to the honoree's memory. Most all WTers are likewise scrupulous, with Provable Accuracy! our battle cry. We help WT remain THE site for people who insist on accurate portrayals of family histories. The wrong-headed stuff we often encounter is mostly not deliberate falsification, but rather results from ineffective education and personality quirks, magnified by powerful negative social forces[2].
My goal is to be a competent sourcerer for my managed profiles and any to which they connect. Life being too short, I choose to focus my Tree Spirit on my immediate sphere of influence, my own lineages and their historical backgrounds. Most others who work on our Tree are likewise inspired to do respectable research rather than leaving it to the good Samaritans to clean up [3].
Let's give a great shout out to each of our relatives who preserved essential, private, otherwise irrecoverable facts from family documents, and then connected it all together into a family tree. While building on their efforts, it is appropriate to thank all family researchers, who have researched so thoroughly the treetops of our trees, creating an information-rich environment for goings-on during the last four centuries.
To pay forward this head start, WikiTree seems the best platform because we can envision it as one of the last bastions of restraint and scholarship in an increasingly profit-driven, 'facts don't matter' world. (Of course all is temporary, and being a .com site, the founders are suggesting a take-the-money-and-run eventuality, so best to keep our GEDCOM files high and dry.)
Finally, let's shout-out to all the team leaders for their efforts to improve the general quality of our tree. Your Team Spirit is admirable. We all owe to you the ambience and brother/sister-hood of our community•••.
Having neither professional standing nor academic credentials in genealogical research, profiles managed by myself derive mainly from my high level of curiosity, my lust for accuracy, and an ability to express myself that has gotten me this far in life.
Doing genealogical research on my ancestors for three decades, and DNA research for over two decades, we likely share experiences with prowling through courthouse basements, through unorganized boxes of documents at historical societies, through LDS-provided microfiche, through old historical volumes offered freely on the Internet, and through old cemeteries with indecipherable MIs. We have further been part of a much appreciated team of online, international relatives and interested bystanders, continually pushing the historical records for all they are worth. Go Team!
My Team, now headed by son Barry (Professor and academic research guru extraordinaire), has identified (by given name, surname, location, date) all 16 of my gg-grands and 28/32 of my ggg-grands (88%); the remaining four ggg-grand brick walls arise due to two 1700s unknown paternity events in England, and two undocumented wives in the 1700s (KY, possibly Nancy; NJ, likely Catherine). This accounts for my known 6th generation ancestry back to the Revolutionary War, about half American and half English.
Motivation
DNA Genealogy:
About My WikiTree Involvement:
Supplementary Information About Ancestors and Places in Spaces:
Online Essays, Cataloging My Intellectual Interests
My scientific proof that I am who I think I am (woohoo) is spread among my ancestral profiles. It validates my documented descent from most of my g-g-grandparents.
This week's featured connections have Italian roots: Weldon is 19 degrees from Frank Sinatra, 26 degrees from Pasquale Aleardi, 22 degrees from Lucrezia Borgia, 19 degrees from Frank Russell Capra, 22 degrees from Stefano Casiraghi, 28 degrees from Guy Lombardo, 27 degrees from Sofia Loren, 20 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi, 23 degrees from Pope Urban VIII Barberini, 20 degrees from Umberto di Savoia, 20 degrees from Martin Scorsese and 16 degrees from Rudolph Valentino on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Smith Name Study | England Project
I sent you a message a while ago as part of the England Project's annual check-in with project members. I haven't heard back from you. I hope you are well.
If you could send me a quick message to confirm whether you are still interested in the project and wish to remain a member, that would be great. We ask all project members to reply to our annual check-in as a requirement of membership.
Thank you again for your contributions.
Steve on behalf of the England Project leadership
So YES, I plan to continue working within the purview of the WT England Project. We continue to make strides in extending our lines back there, growing a small contingent recently in 16th century Norfolk.
Cheers!
Thanks for the reply.
Delighted to hear you are making progress with your English ancestors; and that you are continuing as a member of the project.
Best wishes Steve
Thank you for contributing towards the goals of the England Project! Over the past year, a staggering amount has been done to improve English profiles on WikiTree and we couldn't have done it without you and our other project members.
The England Project leadership like to check in with all our project members at least once a year.
Are you happy to stay in your current project team/s? Or is there another team you would like to join or become more active in?
Please reply to this message by posting a reply below or sending me a private message. I look forward to hearing from you. Please also let us know if you have other feedback about the direction of the project.
Many thanks! Steve, on behalf of the England Project leadership
The Profile Improvement Project (PIP) is performing a check-in. The Project operates in a team structure with these participant PIP Teams -- The Category Team, the Unknowns Team, and three Biography Teams. There is also the Voyage Team which guides new Voyagers. See the Profile Improvement Project Teams for a brief outline of each team.
You're currently identified as a member of the Biography Team, working on profiles from your watchlist and other profiles that interest you. The other two Biography Teams work on Abandoned and Popular profiles from the provided lists. Please let us know if you are content with your current Team or would like to change to one of the others.
If you have not already done so, we invite you to join the email GoogleGroup and text chat Discord channel for our project. (You will need your Wiki ID for both). Neither is required; we also use the Profile_Improvement tag in G2G for Project announcements.
We thank you for all you do to help the Profile Improvement Project meet its goals. We would like to hear about the successes you’ve had and would also appreciate any feedback you have to help improve the Project. Please share your thoughts in a reply to this comment or via private message to one of us.
Sincerely,
Debi Hoag and Kay Knight, Co-Leaders, Profile Improvement Project
Robin Shaules, Project Coordinator, Profile Improvement Project
My biggest success has been to introduce my son Barry to our little club. He already claims a SuperStar prize, is published in the genealogy world (American Ancestors), and has worked back our paternal Smith line two generations beyond my ability, based just on 18th century Virginia tax list analysis and a sizable DNA database of related cousins he is compiling. Toot Toot!
I think Profile Improvement is just another word for Wikitree. We all do it. Loving it.
edited by Weldon Smith
Thank you for your commitment to the England Project and its goals in 2023. Together we are making English WikiTree profiles the best they can be!
I'd like to share our end-of-year 2023 Newsletter. You can read it here: England Project Newsletters. We hope you enjoy reading about what we have achieved in 2023.
On behalf of all the England Project Leaders, we wish you a peaceful, productive and enjoyable 2024!
Best wishes,
Steve, England Project Leader
edited by Weldon Smith
On behalf of the England Project, I would like to thank you for your commitment to the project's goals. Every single contribution you make helps improve English profiles!
The England Project Leaders like to touch base with each of our members periodically to make sure everything is going well. This is our formal annual check-in with you.
Are you happy to with your current project team choices? Would you like to join any other teams?
Also, we would really like to hear which team is currently your highest priority. If you are a member of more than one team, could you please rank them from highest priority to lowest? Thank you! If you don’t see yourself as being part of a team, please let us know.
We also welcome any feedback on things you would like to see the project do more of in the future.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please respond to this message by posting a reply below or sending me a private message.
On behalf of all the Leaders, thank you again for all you do and we look forward to you continuing to be a part of our collaborative and fun Project!
Kind regards,
Susie, England Project Leader
I am a member of three county teams, managing ~125 profiles (counting not my strength):
I divide my time among them ~proportionally (% profiles), fixing errors and continuing research.
Thanks for checking in.
Weldon
I would like to thank you for all your contributions towards the goals of the England Project during the past six months. We've achieved a huge amount during this period and we couldn't have done it without you and our other project members.
As the England Project Leaders, we are completing our six monthly check-in with all project members.
Are you happy to stay in your current project teams? Which teams are you most active in? Are there other teams you would like to join or become more active in?
Also, do you have any feedback on what the project is doing well and anything we could do better in the future?
Please respond to this message by posting a reply below or sending me a private message. I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks!
Amelia, England Project Leader
Through my ancestral connections, I am documenting a very little corner of our XXX-Project ancestry, but it is sufficient to keep me fully occupied.
Hope you can keep me in the Project on this limited participation basis. I strive to create excellent ancestor profiles, exceeding Wikitree norms, but still have a lot to learn.
See you on G2G.
Cheers, Weldon
edited by Weldon Smith
That's no problem! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the work you're doing :) Feel free to reach out in the future if you need anything.
Regards, Amelia