Appalachia Project Newsletters - 2023 Archive
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Surnames/tags: Appalachia Newsletter Archive
Appalachia Project | Appalachian News | 2022 Archive |2023 Archive | Appalachia Project Newsletters - 2024 Archive
This is the archive of previously published issues. For comments about back issues, see the Archived comments on the Appalachian News page.
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Appalachian News
September Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in August:
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| Kathy Nava |
Member Spotlight: Kathy became a Wiki Genealogist in January 2016.
- When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
- While growing up I knew that I was adopted and wanted to know where I came from. It wasn't until I nearly died from sepsis in 2013 that I decided it was time to start working on my family history for my kids and grandkids.
- What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
- I love reading, watching the Hallmark channels, listening to music, my two dogs and one cat. The best outside interest is my family and spending time with the grandkids.
- Read the entire interview here:https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1606212/meet-our-members-kathy-nava
- Did you know that Kathy has ancestors from all over the world including Northern Appalachia?
Teams
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| Kristin Anderson |
- This idea came from fellow Project member, Kristin (Williams) Anderson. Thanks Kristin!
- We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details.
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Project
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- Projects Related to Appalachia: Great Wagon Road!
- I am thrilled to share this project that goes in and around Appalachia. Leader Emeritus, Liz (Noland) Shifflett, created the Great Wagon Road Points and Parts space page and gathered information currently on WikiTree.
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| Great Wagon Road |
- Simply put, the four parts of the Great Wagon Road are the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road -> Valley Turnpike -> Carolina Road -> Georgia Road.
- "Travellers headed west from Philadelphia to Lancaster, where they bought a wagon for the difficult journey ahead - a "Conestoga wagon," named for the Conestoga River that runs through Lancaster....
- There is so much history and information available on the Great Wagon Road Points and Parts page. Take some time to read all about it.
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WikiTree Tips - Location Helper (BEE)
- Suggested Locations from drop down list: if there's a location suggestion with dates that don't match the relevant date on the profile, it will be sent to the bottom of the list and highlighted in pink. Locations which match family members' locations will be highlighted in green and taken to the top of the list.
- In this example, 'Fayette, Pennsylvania, United States' matched a family member's location (green):
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- Find out all the details on the Location Helper on the BEE help page.
Appalachia
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| Quillian Lanier Meaders |
Cultural Item: Quillian Lanier Meaders
Quillian Lanier Meaders (1917-1998)
- Quillian Lanier Meaders (1917-1998)' Quillan Lanier Meaders (October 4, 1917 – February 5, 1998) was an Appalachian folk artist / potter best known for face jugs, for which he was regarded as a master of the form.
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- Lanier Meaders' grandfather, John Meaders, started a pottery business in White County, Georgia in 1893 eventually passing it down to his sons including Cheevers, Lanier's father. The community of Mossy Creek, Georgia was known for it's pottery. Cheevers would make it a lifelong profession. He produced churns, molasses and whiskey jugs, food-storage jars, milk pitchers, and other utilitarian vessels. Read more about Lanier's fascinating life, here.
WikiTree
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The event starts on Friday, September 29 at 8AM EDT (Noon UTC) and runs until Monday, October 2 at 8AM EDT (Noon UTC) BUT you must sign up before the start!
- If you would like to join a Thon Team for the Source-a-Thon, click here for details. It is a lot of fun!!
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we have two more demos of some of your favorite Apps: WikiTree BEE and Bio Check Help. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
August Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who joined in July:
- Donna (Smith) Hughes
- Tabitha (Daellenbach) Howell
- Alex Adkins-Langen
- Angela (Belt) Newcom
- Monica (Bryce) Pendleton
- Susan Hautala
- Mark VanHaelst
- Maggie (Seay) Church
- Derek Clutter
- Melissa Maynard
- Carol (Hunter) Sullivan
- Michelle (Wyatt) Oviatt
- Rachel Estridge
- B (McFeaters) U
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| Sharon Haynes |
Member Spotlight: Sharon became a Wiki Genealogist in April 2019.
- When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
- My uncle joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1973 so this year marks 50 years in genealogy. It wasn't only me who got into genealogy, my whole family embraced it.
- What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
- I still work full time. I also love to read. I try to talk with some of my cousins every couple of months to catch up and also to let them know if there have been any discoveries.
- Read the entire interview here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1599005/meet-our-members-sharon-haynes
Teams
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We now have so many awesome Notables connected: musicians, historians, miners, authors, painters, activists, and more. Our Notables All of your work helped made Appalachia shine a little brighter. Here are the results. Although many of us, including me, forgot to click on the Green Challenge Tracker button, all efforts were counted in our appreciation.
During August 2023, help us out with RAWK. See below for full details.
We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details.
Also in August:
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In August: Moonshiners, Bootleggers, and NASCAR Adding, BioBuilding and Connecting.
This month, the Appalachia Project is connecting Moonshiners, Bootleggers, and NASCAR profiles... or you can add profiles that are not already on WikiTree.
Don't forget to click the big green "Challenge Tracker" button after you add a profile! (Edits do not count.) Check out the 
Project
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WikiTree Tips - Stickers
- Have you ever wondered how many stickers you can put on a Profile? How many can you put on your own Profile? Can you put stickers on profiles that you do not manage?
Find out all the details on the Stickers: Rules on adding page.
Speaking of stickers... have you seen all of these? WikiTree Stickers category
Appalachia
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| Ty Cobb |
Cultural Item: Ty Cobb
- Tyrus Raymond Cobb Sr (1886-1961) Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb, nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and is widely credited with setting 90 MLB records during his career.
- In July, a Southern region Appalachian helped launched WikiTree's Sport's Notables, starting with Baseball Legends, by showcasing Ty Cobb. Ty grew up in the city of Royston, Georgia. He had 892 stolen bases, 2246 runs batted in, 4189 hits, and a batting average of .366. He also helped start and fund a local hospital in Royston, Georgia.
WikiTree
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If you would like to volunteer to help those being RAWKED, click here. It is a lot of fun!! Don't worry if you forgot to sign up... you can still help out!
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this month's Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we have a great way to try to figure out your family endogomy with Greg Clarke's X Friends App. Also, the Acadians Project, 15 Nations Global Tour, and a big surprise launch of something special with WikiTree. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
July Issue
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Members
Welcome New Members, who joined in June:
- Sharon (Stefan) Sustar
- Lisa (Kelsey) Murphy
- Eric Stamper
- Patrick Stacy
- Larry Jones
- Gregory Gilbert
- Don Bowman
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| John Tyner |
Member Spotlight: John became a Wiki Genealogist in May 2021.
- When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
- I started researching my family history in 2004, the year after my maternal great aunt died. She had written her memoirs and they were published just before she turned 90. I started reading it and that got me hooked!
- What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
- I love birdwatching and just wildlife in general. I love seeing moths and Dragonflies and other insects and identifying them! I am also interested in sports, specifically Football (soccer for you Americans!). I support Manchester United of the English premier League!
- Read the entire interview here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1282131/meet-our-members-john-tyner
- Did you know that John is our own researcher for ancestors from Ireland, England, and Wales? He has helped me out several times and extended my family lines in those Countries.
Teams
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Our Project now has official Monthly Challenges! For July: Connect our Notables. We have so many awesome Notables: musicians, historians, miners, authors, painters, activists, and more. Go to This List and pick one! Pick five to work on... pick as many as you would like. All of your work helps us make Appalachia shine a little brighter. DON'T FORGET TO USE THE GREEN CHALLENGE TRACKER BUTTON after you have saved a new profile! Details can be found HERE.
We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details.
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WT Challenge with the Kentucky Genealogical Society
Catch up on the details of the WikiTree Challenge with the Kentucky Genealogical Society where all Appalachians can join the fun. Mindy Silva creates every Challenge and this one was special because she also lives in Kentucky. Our own member, Kathy (Urbach) Nava was Captain.... and the Appalachia Project members really knocked this one out of the park. Project member, Patty (Luker) LaPlante, took the top score of 699 profiles added during the Challenge!
Project
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I thought about many ways to spread the news: via our Google Group email, a short message on our Discord channel and even on G2G. Instead, I selfishly took the day to celebrate it my own space. Let me tell you why... It is no secret that Appalachia is my passion, my favorite place in the world, and where 99.9% of my research has been done in my professional genealogy career. I have broken brick walls, found lost veteran's graves, and helped a few get DAR, SAR, Mayflower and even Jamestowne recognition all over Appalachia. I've connected lost families and solved DNA mysteries. All of that is great but from my private reflection I found that all of you are great and wonderful. I want to share a few things I realized about all of us as a collective group:
- I think about how I needed ten people to join before I could use the word "Project" and not just a space page. I reached out and every single one of the first 10 instantly said yes.
- To this day, when a new member joins, they do so enthusiastically but they also share "why" Appalachia is important to them. I just love that. They don't need to justify their part of Appalachia to me but I really love hearing their passion for it as well.
- Many of our new members, literally, just "walked" into our Discord channel and asked what we were about. Because everyone on our Discord channel is so welcoming, everyone stayed around to chat with us. By the way, "biscuits" is a great secret password.
- I have been approached via DM on Discord, WT Private Message, G2G, in Bingo, throughout YouTube chats of WT's Livecasts, etc.... What is Appalachia. I always give a (really long) answer that comes from my heart but most times, you, the members of the Project answer before I have a chance or in addition. I feel like a proud mama.
- Our members participate. Since the Project started, we have tremendous participation in all things WikiTree: Livecasts, Bingo, Saturday Roundup, G2G Pop Ups and G2G Questions, and so much more. By participating together, together we are sharing our love of Appalachia and having fun doing it. Thank you for being such great WT citizens.
- THE friendships I've made through this Project is truly something special. We might not all agree on something. We get frustrated at research or lack thereof on profiles. We need a laugh and there is always someone there to provide that. And, sometimes, we might need to support a member going through a tough time that has zero to do with genealogy. To call them friendships doesn't quite seem accurate enough. Calling each of you family seems perfect.
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- History of the Appalachia Project
- Sing-a-long with our Project's Theme Song and featuring a few members: I'm an Appalachian
WikiTree Tips - Drafts
- Have you ever created a "draft" profile in WikiTree and forgot to go back and finish working on it? To find all of your draft edits on WikiTree:
- At the top of your WikiTree page, click on the Find dropdown menu.
- Select Drafts and a list will appear. If a list doesn't appear, then you do not have any.
- Hint: Drafts do expire. For more details, review: Draft Saves
Appalachia
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| William Goodell Frost |
Cultural Item: Berea College
- Rev William Goodell Frost (1854-1938) William Goodell Frost (1854–1938) was a Greek scholar and president of Berea College from 1890 to 1920. He is credited with coining the phrase "Appalachian American.'
Frost, who gained attention through his efforts seeking modern education for mountain youth, was president of Berea College from 1802 to 1920. He as the author of several books, including his autobiography, "For the Mountains," published in 1937. ....Read more about Rev Frost.
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we have a VEry Special Guest: The Ty Cobb Museum. They will be helping us launch the Baseball Notables subproject on WT! We are showcasing Accessibility options on WikiTree Browser Extension, the Poland Project, and how to get involved with WT Apps with Jamie. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
June Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in May:
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| Loretta Buckner |
Member Spotlight: Loretta became a Wiki Genealogist in 2020.
- When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
- While I could blame an overactive childhood imagination, (sparked by visits to graveyards and other historical artifacts,) I think it's mostly my grandmother's fault, this obsession... well, her father - he was the one to trace my maternal side back to the Mayflower.
- What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
- My new goal is to finish building my tiny house on wheels to travel to many of the cemeteries and plantations I've spent so much time researching. Submit your name now for a chance to ride along!
- Read the entire interview here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1561711/meet-our-members-loretta-buckner
Teams
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We are asking all interested Appalachia Project members to join in on the fun! The four members are John Tyner, Nancy (Cox) Wilson, Donna Lancaster, and Kathy (Urbach) Nava (adopted profile) + Kathy (Sharp) Nava (biological profile). Each have family to add across the globe. It is super easy to participate. All you have to do is go to their profile, click up to Grandparents and start adding profiles that connect to them. Totals will be kept all month long.
Thank you to everyone that helped us find Noteworthy Appalachians. We only had a handful on May 1st but now have over 200!
We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details. The next pop up will be something to do with Trailblazers.
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- One of our Team Member's, Susan Anderson, started a Pop Up for Memorial Day Weekend to add profiles of those that didn't survive from the USS Arizona.Review the list here: USS Arizona Casualties. WikiTree'ers added over 150 profiles but many more need added. There were over 1,177 Sailors and Marines that died on December 7th, 1941. Throughout the year, we will continue to add profiles until all are on WikiTree. Please join us on this special endeavor.
Project
Project Page of the Month - Coalworker's Pneumoconiosis: Also known as Black Lung. Although this is not an Appalachia-specific category/page, it is extremely important to Appalachia. I have been researching Coal Mining in Appalachia and was shocked to see the Coalworker's Pneumoconiosis category only had 5 profiles in it. I have since added a few more but I know there are more out there. It could be because no one knows the category is there. We tend to call it Black Lung and not by a medical name.
I encourage you to add your ancestors to this category if they developed Black Lung. It is not always easy to know because "back in the day" it was not popular to list black lung on death certificates. Most of those who had it came from word-of-mouth passed through the family.
WikiTree Tips - Veterans Stickers
Military and War Stickers Page Help:Stickers for Veterans
- Sometimes the military stickers can be a bit tricky. This help page lists all the military stickers at their basic level. You will need to click on the "Usage Instructions" to get the full and correct code for profiles. This is one of those pages that you want to bookmark.
Appalachia
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| Mary Sands |
Cultural Item: English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians
- Mary (Bullman) Sands (1871-1949) Mary Bullman Sands (April 8, 1872 – April 2, 1949) was an American Appalachian singer of old traditional ballads during the early part of the 20th century.
In 1916, English folklorist Cecil Sharp visited Madison County to collect and record traditional folk songs being sung in America that would have originated generations earlier in the British Isles. Sands sang 25 songs for him, 23 of which he included in his book, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians.
Liz found Cecil Sharp's Book online for free at Cecil Sharp's book in archive.org - https://archive.org/details/englishfolksongs00camp
WikiTree
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I also have exciting news for those of you with Kentucky Roots: There will be a June WikiTree Challenge with the Kentucky Genealogical Society where all Appalachians can join the fun
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we are showcasing The Sourcer App, Fun Genealogy Apps and celebrating Canada Day a little early. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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The June RAWK Event has arrived! It last all month and we could use your help!
If you would like to volunteer to help those being RAWKED, click here. It is a lot of fun!! Don't worry if you forgot to sign up... you can still help out!
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
May Issue
WikiTree is about to have it's One Million Member! Check it out, here.
Quarterly Team Meetup
- In April, we had a Project meetup on Google with Special Guest, Amy Johnson! Amy talked to our Project Members about When your Ancestor isn't in the Will
- Wow! Did we learn a lot about wills. Did you know that sometimes only $1 would be given so there could not be a claim against leaving someone out of the will? That was just one great piece of information we learned. Check out Amy's website for more great genealogy information. Thanks Amy!
- Mindy Silva gave a great demo on how to use Sourcer with WikiTree to add a new profile. She should us how quick and easy it was which was great because the Thon was just a few days away! Thanks Mindy!
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in April:
- James Little
- Brooke (Baker) Alley
- Karen Lee
- Jon Crum
- Doug Leeper Jr.
- Linda Church
- Mary Ann (Gaylor) Simmons
- Susanna Yarber
- Rhonda Hill
- Teresa (Clary) Willis
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| Janine Isleman |
Member Spotlight: Janine became a Wiki Genealogist in 2017.
- When and how did you get interested in genealogy?
- My parents would tell me and my brothers stories as we were growing up, especially my mother’s side, as she knew more about her ancestors. It took my brother 40 years of research to figure my father’s paternal line out.
- What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
- I listen to audiobooks. I've been teaching myself to crochet. I enjoy sitting out in the backyard and enjoying being outside. When I am able, I go for short walks.
- Read the entire interview here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1547634/meet-our-members-janine-isleman
Teams
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We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details. The next Pop Up will be helping with Cemetery Categories again.
Project
Project Page of the Month -
Both you and your spouse were born in an designated Appalachian County. Then you and your spouse moved to California, where there are no Appalachian Counties. You had a son born in California. Your son's Profile would have the Applachian Roots sticker because his "roots" (you and your spouse) were from Appalachia. For details and the sticker code, visit Appalachian Roots
WikiTree Tips - Two New Stickers
- Two new stickers are available JUST FOR YOUR PROFILE:
Descendant of a Coal Miner + Generation Appalachian.
These stickers should never be added to profiles other than your own personal WikiTree profile. see them here.
Appalachia
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| Katherine Pettit |
Cultural Item: Settlement Schools and the Beaten Biscuit Crusade.
- Katherine Rebecca Pettit (1870-1936) Katherine Pettit was an American educator and activist, best known for her pioneering work with settlement schools. Along with May Stone, she founded the Hindman Settlement School, Hindman, Kentucky One Place Study in 1902, the first such school in the United States.
Beaten Biscuit Crusade.... It was commonly called the beaten biscuit crusade. It began like any cause, with good intentions. Across the United States the settlement movement was placing affluent volunteers in low-income communities with the goal of alleviating poverty. Dating back to colonial Eastern Shore, slaves and servants would beat biscuit dough on a tree stump and beat it for thirty minutes since yeast and leavening agents were rare products. Beaten biscuits have been referred to as “Pounded Biscuits”.
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we are showcasing Researching German Ancestors with the Germany Project, DNA with Mags, & more. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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Our very own Project member, Erin (Soltysiak) Robertson, was randomly selected to be RAWKED (Random Acts of WikiTree Kindness) during the month of May. A lot of amazing discoveries occurred during her RAWK event, including breaking down several Brick Walls with sources and DNA.
DO YOU WANT TO BE RAWK'ed? Although you can not nominate yourself, a fellow Project member can! Check out the details, here and if you want to be nominated, let Sandy know. The nomination period will end May 15.
If you would like to volunteer to help those being RAWKED, click here. It is a lot of fun!!
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
April Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in March:
- Doug McCammish
- E Bridges
- Jim Pattison
- Glen Harris
- Cinda (Todd) Laulile
- Ida (Gray) Houston
- Mary (Brawley) Fuat
- Amanda Stanley
- K. Jeffries
- Bob Nevin
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| Sandy Patak |
Member Spotlight: Sandy became a Wiki Genealogist in March 2016. She is one of our Ambassadors on social media and is active in the Disasters Project. She also co-leads the Appalachia Project and One Place Studies Project as well as hosts Friday "Night" Bingo.
- Sandy did a video interview with Eowyn and you can view it here.
- Stop in Discord and say hi to Sandy this month!
Teams
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We do have a few Pop Up Challenges now and again. Make sure to check out our Appalachia Project Challenges Page for details. The next Pop Up is to add the Cemetery Category to profiles located in the Winchester Cemetery, Winchester, Kentucky.
Project
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- Why is Kentucky a Commonwealth and not a State? At the time, Kentucky was part of Virginia. In 1790 when it separated from Virginia, Kentucky chose to retain the commonwealth moniker. During the Civil War, Virginia seceded from the union to become a confederate state. [1]
- The Commonwealth of Kentucky was granted statehood on June 1, 1792, making it the fifteenth state in the Union and the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains.
WikiTree Tips - WTx, Sourcer, & New Way to Add Profiles
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| Changes to Adding a Profile |
- How you noticed the New Way to Add Profiles to WikiTree? The look and feel is completely different so we encourage you to take it for a test drive and if you have any trouble, share it here.
- The much loved WTx is no longer being supported by the developer and it will no longer fully work with the new add profile system. Click here for the details. But there is great news....Sourcer does work with the new system.
- The Appalachia Project highly recommends the Sourcer "app" for creating new profiles, updating existing profiles and most definitely for sourcing any and all profiles. Learn how to do all of these at the Sourcer User Guide
- Please note that the Appalachia Project follows WikiTree's rules of having properly sourced profiles. Simply stating, "1950 Census" or "Personal Recollection" or "was my Great Grandfather" is not considered properly sourced. Our Project also has a few specifics on what does not constitute a source and can be reviewed here at our Reliable Sources page.
Appalachia
Cultural Item: How the Civil War affected a Kentuckian whose decision changed the course of his life.
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| Wounded in Action. |
- Kentucky's citizens were split regarding the issues central to the Civil War. In 1860, slaves composed 19.5% of the Commonwealth's population, and many Unionist Kentuckians saw nothing wrong with the "peculiar institution". [2]
- Oliver Logsdon (1829-1910) was 33 years old when he made the decision to join the U.S. Civil War. He was married with small children and agreed to serve for a year. He quickly engaged in the battle of Chaplin Hills where he was wounded. But, instead of gaining treatment from the Military medical staff, he chose to go home..... read more about how he was called a deserter and eventually was given a military pension: Oliver Logsdon (1829-1910)
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we are showcasing Greeters, Adoption Angels, Cemeterist & Titanic Projects & more. This is also a great time to get your questions answered about any of these Projects.
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Our very own Project member, Erin (Soltysiak) Robertson, was randomly selected to be RAWKED (Random Acts of WikiTree Kindness) during the month of May. Erin's CC7 started at 498 and is now over 1100 all because fellow WikiTree'ers helped her build her tree. A lot of amazing discoveries occurred during her RAWK event, including breaking down several Brick Walls with sources and DNA. We can't share them here... yet. The Big RAWK Reveal will be livecasted in early April. But, we can share this Irish Brick Wall: John Peter Downes (1895-1957), Erin's GG and his brother, James M Downes (1881-1960).
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
- Footnotes
- ↑ Why is Kentucky called a Commonwealth
- ↑ Quisenberry, A. C. “KENTUCKY UNION TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 18, no. 54, 1920, pp. 13–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23369562. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
Have something you'd like to see covered? Post a comment to this page.
March Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in February: * Azure Robinson * C. (Vernon) Verworn * Emily (Cole) Ledford *Brad Scott * Jeremy Stone * Reese Vaughn * Amy (Childers) Phillips * Cindy (Worley) Beam * Peg Hill * Ival Secrest * Sjana Lee (Dreyer) Bauer * Deborah (Jones) Vietzke
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| Erin Robertson |
Member Spotlight:
- One of our Project members, Erin (Soltysiak) Robertson, was selected to have her WT branches improved during the WikiTree RAWK event. This is an entire month to join together and help improve the existing profiles and add new ones in Erin's tree. RAWK stands for Random Acts of WikiTreer Kindness.
- Erin was born in Maryland (Go O's!) and after graduating high school, she joined the United States Navy as a Machinist's Mate in June 2002 where she deployed multiple times onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Oscar Austin (earning Sailor of the Year in 2010), precommissioned the USS Gerald Ford, and was medically retired in February of 2018.
- Erin spends her time volunteering with Cub Scouts, the Parent Teacher Organization at her kid's school, and of course Wikitree-ing, especially on the Appalachia Project. Currently she is researching Appalachian cemeteries in Washington County, Maryland and creating/updating space pages for the Appalachian counties of Georgia. Erin is very active in Appalachia's Discord and always lends a helping hand with cemetery creation. Stop in Discord and say hi to Erin this month!
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Teams
Team Goals: Which Regional Team can add the most "missing" Cemetery Categories this month? Check out our Appalachia Project March 2023 Challenge.
In an effort to help Improve Profiles throughout Appalachia, this Month's Challenge is to add the existing cemetery categories to profiles that are missing it.
Project
Project Page of the Month - Kanawha pre-Civil War Salt Makers: The saltmakers formed a "trust," the Kanawha Salt Company, in order to regulate the quality and price of salt and to discourage foreign competition. This was the first "trust" in the United States. This cooperative helped the salt industry grow until it reached its peak in 1846, producing 3,224,786 bushels that year. At that time, the Kanawha Valley was one of the largest salt manufacturing centers in the United States. Note - The space page was renamed 12 August 2023: Kanawha Valley Salt Makers.
WikiTree Tips - Appalachia Project Maintenance Categories
Sometimes a profile needs more time than you can devote to it at the moment. If this happens to you, add the appropriate Maintenance Category to the profile so that you or another Project Member can re-visit at a later time. If a profile needs project attention but does not fit into one of the "Appalachia Project Needs..." categories listed below, please contact the project.
Appalachia
Cultural Item: Women's History Month... and Moonshine
- How does Women's History Month and Moonshine combine? They are both our Cultural Item and "Notorious" of the Month.
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- How Did Moonshine Come To Appalachia? The Scots-Irish immigrants brought their home whisky-distilling methods with them to Appalachia. This "whisky" became widely known as moonshine due to it being mostly made by the light of the moon to avoid (evade?) law enforcement. It was successful in Appalachia because the mountains provided isolation from federal excise taxes, state and municipal alcohol law enforcement, and competition from legal distilleries.
Notorious:
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- “Well-behaved women rarely make history,” is one of my most loved quotes. It has been attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, Anne Boleyn, Marylyn Monroe and a few others commonly gathered together as "Unknown". Although it isn't confirmed who said it, the quote leads us to our Appalachian of the Month: Mahalia (Collins) Mullins (1824-1898).
- Mahalia (Collins) Mullins was an amazing woman and independent business person. She was famous both for her unique, craft moonshine and for her weight. Her girth protected her illicit activity ...read all about this activity, her secrets to success and learn how popular her 'shine was. Thanks to Project Member, Tabor (Hoff) Fisher, for adding the Biography & Sources.
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch this months Friday Night Bingo. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC) which means you have four chances to win the most coveted Bingo Mug! This month we are showcasing ONS, OPS, Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Greeters, Adoption Angels, Cemeterist & Titanic Projects.
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RAWK Volunteers Needed RAWKERS Wanted! Do you want to help a fellow WikiTreer fill out their branches As part of our 15th Anniversary celebration in 2023, we're introducing the new We Will RAWK You Event. It's a lot like the WikiTree Challenge except that we'll be researching three lines each for five fellow WikiTree members. Our own Project Member, Erin (Soltysiak) Robertson was one of five selected to improve her CC7 by being RAWK'ed! Let's join together as a Project and add profiles to Erin's tree!
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine. See this space page for additional details: 15-for-15 Tracker
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- Footnotes
- ↑ Why is Kentucky called a Commonwealth
- ↑ Quisenberry, A. C. “KENTUCKY UNION TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 18, no. 54, 1920, pp. 13–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23369562. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
February Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in January: *Tonya Bryant *Teresa Davis *Karen Thompson *Lukas Murphy *April Stacy *Melody (Tice) Nabors
Project
Project Page of the Month - Frontier Nursing Service
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These videos provide a visual history of the Frontier Nursing Service.
The Frontier Nursing Service also happens to be our February Project Challenge! We are on a mission to add the original nurses and members (aka donors) to WikiTree. Will you help us document this fantastic group? Details on our Appalachia Project Challenges Page.
WikiTree Tips - Quick Links
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- Did you know that our Project Pages have many resources at the click of your mouse?
- Appalachia Project Page - Did you know that this one page has access to our Stickers, List of Counties, Notables, Reliable Sources and more?
- Appalachia Project Template/Appalachia_Sticker - Did you know that our stickers are case sensitive?
- Counties of Appalachia - We classify profiles as being in Appalachia only if the location is included on this page. Did you know that the Shenandoah Region of Virginia is not in Appalachia?
- Appalachia Project Notables - During Normal Project Maintenance, we are renovating our Notables Category. Did you know that all Project Notables should be submitted via this form? Did you know that an Appalachian Notable just being born or lived in Appalachia does not necessarily qualify as an Appalachian Notable?
- Appalachia Project Reliable Sources - Are you adding the proper sources to profiles? Do you need help on where to find sources? Do you know what sources should not be included on profiles?
Appalachia
Cultural Item: Affrilachia
- Affrilachia is a term that focuses on the cultural contributions of African-American artists, writers, and musicians in the Appalachian region of the United States.
- The term "Affrilachia" is attributed to Kentucky-based writer Frank X Walker, who began using it in the 1990s as a way to negate the stereotype of Appalachian culture, which portrays Appalachians as predominantly white and living in small mountain communities.
- Visit the Affrilachian Artist Project's Facebook page for more details on the thriving Affrilachian art community.
Notable:
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| John Marsden Ehle, Jr. |
- He has been described as "the father of Appalachian literature".
- American author, WWII veteran, and anti-poverty campaigner in the state of North Carolina. His daughter is the actress Jennifer Ehle who gained fame for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice.
Teams
- Team Space Pages - Northern | North Central | Central | South Central | Southern
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Make sure to catch the next Friday Night Bingo, on 3 February. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC), showcasing Jewish Roots Project at noon and USBH Project at 6.
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RAWK Volunteers Needed RAWKERS Wanted! Do you want to help a fellow WikiTreer fill out their branches As part of our 15th Anniversary celebration in 2023, we're introducing the new We Will RAWK You Event. It's a lot like the WikiTree Challenge except that we'll be researching three lines each for five fellow WikiTree members.
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15 for 15 Mission Help:15_For_15|WikiTree's 15 for 15 Mission List To accept this mission of missions, first go to this G2G post and reply with answer. Something as simple as "I'm going to participate!" works fine.
- Then, choose missions from the list below that you want to complete and work on them throughout the year. When you complete a mission, reply to your G2G answer with a comment stating which one you've finished.
- When you've completed 15 missions, post an answer in this G2G post to get the sticker for your profile. If you go on to complete 30 or 45 missions, you can answer in the same post to get those stickers as well.
- Betsy Ko created this excellent free-space page with a tracker you can copy and paste elsewhere to document your progress throughout the year.
- Congrats to Appalachia Project members that have already completed the 15 for 15: Eric Weddington (first to complete 15 for 15 of all WT), Pam (Dale) Fraley, and Mark Lemen
January Issue
Members
Welcome New Members, who who joined in November: April Kiskis * Matthew Wheat * Shelley (Mair) Monson * Bob Moon
Member Spotlight: Ronald R. Robinson
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From Ronald's profile (Robinson-25135), we can see his own genealogical information and that he's a member of the Appalachia Project. In October, he answered the G2G question, "Why do you love WikiTree?", saying in part that "I have been using Wiki Tree for about 5 years now, When I first started with it, I was overwhelmed but decided to give it few months and see. I have now been in a few challenges, and recently joined a project." I think being overwhelmed is something we can all relate to - I know that I found WikiTree's learning curve pretty steep when I first joined. The project he joined was ours (in September) & we're happy to have him!
His badges include several thon badges (he's already signed up for this month's Connect-a-Thon, joining the Mid-Atlantic Team), a 1000 contributions badge & a lot of 100 contributions badges, the Family Star badge, the Pre-1700 badge, the DNA badge, and the 2,000 Connections badge. Are you related to Ronald? Click the "Relationship to Me" link in the dropdown menu below his WikiTree ID in the mini-menu at upper right of his profile (but in a separate tab or after you finish reading this issue of the Appalachian News LOL).
Ronald is a member of the Northern and the South Central Appalachia Teams. His Appalachian ancestors - at least one branch - descended from the German immigrant Hans Andrew Andreas Grimm (1718-1801). His Robinson line descends from the Irish immigrant James Robison (abt.1833-abt.1879). WikiTree also shows that he is a descendant of John Donelson Jr. (1718-1785), who was a co-founder of the frontier settlement of Fort Nashborough[3] and one of the signers of the 1780 Cumberland Compact (a project related to Appalachia, although not quite in Appalachia).
The profiles of coal miners involved in disasters are a recent focus of him. As he told Sandy in response to questions she e-mailed him, he recently "learned about the mine disasters, which has my interest." He also works on building out his lateral lines, having gotten his lines about as far back as he can get. WikiTree shows he has colonial immigrant ancestors all along the East Coast.
Here's the rest of the interview that Ronald had with Sandy:
- Why did you join the Appalachia Project? First off, Janine reached out and said she had a project that may be to my liking, After reviewing the material and seeing that it not only encompassed my maternal (Eastern TN) side of the family, but also my paternal side (Southwest PA), and that the focus was on thorough well sourced profiles, I signed up.
- I have always had an interest in family research, I was unaware that Appalachia covered such a large area, but after reading through the material I understood why the locations are what they are. Coming from a long line of Farmers and Coal Miners, the project helps focus me on documenting the family more thoroughly.
- Why I WikiTree? I am unable to walk, sit, or lay for any length of time and was forced into retirement. This helps me pass my day and keep my mind active at my pace. I feel I am providing something back to others and try to treat each profile as if they are notable. My biggest problem, is I get started on one, but then have to stop, and when I come back I do not always complete the profile the way I saw it in my mind. To be blunt, if I would not have joined the group, most likely I would have just left things the way they were and found something else to pass my day. My goal is low - to get only 1 profile per day as close to complete as I can. Adding on to my CC7 is just the bonus.
- A bigger bonus is being part of the group, collaborating on profiles or chatting with everyone, even if it is about Biscuits (BTW: my Granny Dodson made the world's best biscuits, you put the jelly or honey on the plate to set the biscuit on so it would not float away).
- What are your interests in the Appalachia Project? That varies, I like researching and the areas the project covers has many many locations that my family was either born in or migrated to or through. The group on Discord keeps me interested in continuing to research, not only my family, but finding those connecting families that tie the group ever closer as cousins. I am interested in the coal regions (mainly as I have visited a lot of them, as at my previous job I was stationed at a lot of Coal fire power plants for IT project work). I also enjoy it when I find that piece of documentation, that allows me to correct other mis-information found on the internet about a specific relative or even non-relative. For example, being able to make Find a Grave (FG) suggestions connecting relatives together. One issue is that on FG it may not be done, but here on WT [WikiTree] my input is visible for others to review. I was previously unaware of the Cemetery Project on WT, but the group pushes to be good WTr's and help out, so I am currently working on a couple cemeteries where my family is buried, ensuring they are categorized properly, and starting to upload tombstone photos to profiles for them.
Teams
Team Goals: Have you checked your Team's page lately? Does it have posted goals that you could help achieve? If you don't know how to help or where to start, you can always check out a location category for one of the counties covered by the Team and see if any of the profiles are on your watchlist (click the [Limit to Watchlist] link at upper right of a category page). If the Team page doesn't list category pages for its counties, check out the project's Counties of Applachia page, which lists counties in Appalachia by state.
Lost track of the URL for your Team? There are links to them on a lot of project pages, which can be found in Category: Appalachia Project. And of course, links to them are on the main Project page too: Project: Appalachia. The following is from the top of the Counties of Applachia:
- Team Space Pages - Northern | North Central | Central | South Central | Southern
Project
Project Page of the Month - History of the Appalachia Project: Time flies! Can you believe it's been 6 months since Sandy started the Appalachia Project as a space page? It's true! Check out the history of our fledgling project here. It includes a list of our founding members - those who joined in June and July - as well as the following highlights from the News section:
- August 2022 - The project's premier issue.
- October 2022 - EXTRA!! Virtual Appalachia Team Places 2nd in 2022 Source-a-Thon! Read All About It (also announced in G2G, on 5 October 2022).
- November 2022 - EXTRA!! Writeup of the Appalachia Project's webcast with singer-songwriter Denton King, who was interviewed 4 November 2022 by Sandy Patak for a special presentation during the celebration of WikiTree's 14th Anniversary! (also announced in G2G, on 10 November 2022)
WikiTree Tips - Timeframe "DBEs" related to Appalachia
- While I'm told that the "Category Picker" is a great convenience, I don't use it myself, so I was a bit bewildered by the number of profiles with "Category: Appalachia, Virginia" (which is for the town of Appalachia, established in 1898, in Wise County).
- Putting Category: Appalachia, Virginia on a profile for someone who died before the town was established (in 1898) will cause a database error (DBE). DBEs based on timeframe are triggered when a category includes a start or end date (or both) and the profile the category was added to is outside of that timeframe. Using our Appalachia, Virginia example, placing that category on a profile with a date of, say, 1820 in the death date datafield results in the suggestion "Died before category time frame" (DBE 886).
- If you scroll down on that page (DBE 846) - or any space page for a DBE, you'll see a "Suggestions Reports" section with links to the latest information about DBEs. Clicking on the link listed in the green box for the "Latest report" will take you to a report for all DBEs found in that week's database scrub. Clicking the text for the latest report just above the green box will take you to the same report, but already at that DBE's entry - Space:Data_Doctors_Report_2022-12-25 and Space:Data_Doctors_Report_2022-12-25#DBE_846, respectively. Timeframe errors are also reported for templates.
- How do you avoid adding to the "Suggestions Reports"? Or, maybe a better question: How do I know what the timeframe is for a specific category or template?
- Easy! Check the information box on the category page or the template page - that's the source of the information for the database scrub. (Last I checked, regardless of a specific date, only the year is considered, with 1 January being the default day and month for a start date and 31 December for an end date.)
- The weekly database scrub will compare a profile's datafield entries for birth and death dates if it has a category or template with a stated start or end date, to see if the profile's dates are within the timeframe of that category or template, as displayed in the Timeframe row of the page's information box. If not, one to four DBEs will be triggered and appear in the profile's Suggestions list (updated every week, after the database scrub is completed):
- categories
- templates
- For example, the Location CIB (Category Information Box) for Category: Appalachia, Virginia includes the line "Timeframe: (1898 - )", meaning anyone whose profile has the category added to it cannot show a death date before 1898 - the person needs to have been alive in 1898.
- The project box for one of the other projects I work on is a good example for a template's timeframe. The Template Information Box for the project box's documentation page, in the case of the Magna Carta Project, includes the line "Timeframe: 1215 - 1715", which means that the person whose profile is displaying the project box cannot have died before 1215 (the date of the Magna Carta) nor been born after 1715 (the scope of the project runs from the Surety Barons for the Magna Carta to Richardson's Gateway Ancestors, who immigrated to America before 1700; we used 1715 to match 1215, giving the template a 500-year span). To see other templates with timeframes, see the Automated:Template_Index, which lists all templates and has a column for timeframes.
- A lot of errors are reported because the "now" location is given in the datafields for place when that location did not exist at the time - usually for counties. To given an example based on the three Maryland counties that are in Appalachia, someone born before 1777 would have Frederick County as the location category, although the "now" location would be Washington County (created from western Frederick County in 1777), Allegany County (created from western Washington County in 1789), or Garrett County (created from western Allegany County in 1872).
- WikiTree's policy of "use their conventions instead of ours" applies not only to names (e.g., LNAB should be based on the birth record, if there is one) but also to places.[4]
Probably the most common timeframe error for the Appalachia Project revolves around West Virginia, which was admitted to the Union on 20 June 1863. Prior to that date, it was still Virginia (other dates are involved, but for WikiTree purposes, we use the date of statehood except for those states that were also colonies, in which case 4 July 1776 is used, regardless of when a colony declared its independence from England or the date it ratified the Constitution of the United States).
Appalachia
Cultural Item: Candles in the window
- In old time Appalachia, many inhabitants would place lit candles in their window late in the year. There is no mystery or celebration for this. It was mostly because they needed to see out the window. Lit candles also signified to visitors that the family was home and could welcome guests.
- Slowly, the candles in the window became a Christmas event in Appalachia as many would visit the elderly, sick or infirmed to deliver gifts of food or trinkets around the Holiday.
- Although lit candles are not usually used now, electric and battery powered ones can still be found throughout the Appalachian region as a Christmas tradition.
Notable:
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- Manchin started the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Program (REAP) which removed more than 100.000 junked cars from West Virginia. This program was used as a guideline for nearby Appalachian States.
WikiTree
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Bingo Fridays got off to a great start! Did you see the Bingo on 23 December about our very own project? You can catch it on YouTube. Make sure to catch the next Friday Night Bingo, on 6 January. Four Bingo cards will be played - two at noon Eastern Time (5 pm UTC) and two at 6 pm ET (11 pm UTC), showcasing Banyan Tree (India Profiles) at noon and Native Americans at 6.
- Footnotes
- ↑ Why is Kentucky called a Commonwealth
- ↑ Quisenberry, A. C. “KENTUCKY UNION TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 18, no. 54, 1920, pp. 13–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23369562. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
- ↑ Wikipedia: John Donelson (accessed 30 December 2022).
- ↑ From Help:Location_Fields (the "Location Field Style Guide" section):
- Our guiding principle for location names is the same as the one for Name Fields: "use their conventions instead of ours."
Applied to locations, this means using place names in native languages and using the names that people at the time used, even if they now no longer exist.
- Our guiding principle for location names is the same as the one for Name Fields: "use their conventions instead of ours."
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