If you aren’t familiar with WikiTree, it’s a free, crowdsourced, single-family tree that stresses collaboration, accuracy, and sources. This year they are doing the WikiTree Challenge where teams of amateur genealogists attempt to break down brick walls of “leaders in the genealogy industry and top professional genealogists.” I’m honored and thrilled to have been chosen as one of the September guests!
My week kicked off last Wednesday, September 15th, with an interview, and my “big reveal” was this Wednesday, September 22nd. (You can watch them on YouTube here and here.)
The WikiTree Challenge created a highlight page for my week. They shared they had found EIGHTEEN new direct ancestors! Amazing! Here are a few more of their discoveries from that page:
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- Frenia (Kline) Quigley’s German lines exploded, thanks to the careful research done by team members. Frenia was Dana’s 5th great-grandmother and she now has nine new direct ancestors behind her!
- In an amazing feat, a team member (Melanie McComb) worked outward on the Stewart line, adding sources that proved each link on the way. The end result was that Dana’s 9th great-grandfather had his father proven: Adriaen Vincent, Dana’s 10th great-grandfather! Read his profile for more about the lawsuits for slander. He was quite protective!
- Several Peters brick walls came down. Jacob Eckhard Peters’ father was proven to be Johann Peters. His wife Hedwig gained a paternal grandfather as well! It turns out her mother, Anna Margaretha Ahrends, married two men with the surname Borgwardt. It was Eckhard’s father, however, that was the direct ancestor for Dana. This added six new direct ancestors on that line!
- Francis Adam’s line had tremendous Westphalen and Prussian growth! Ten direct ancestors were added on his paternal side, and eleven on his maternal side!
- Interesting tidbit for the superstitious: Dana knows that James Bedford Dickson died in 1968. His obituary was published on Sunday the 15th in Jackson, Tennessee. The interesting part is that he had died on the Friday before – Friday the 13th. His FindAGrave memorial says December 15th to match the obituary, and his tombstone says Dec 1968, with a blank spot for the day. The US Federal Death Index states December 15th. So, were they superstitious? Or was there an error when his death was reported?
Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash
I want to say a HUGE “Thank You!” to all of the volunteers who spent so many hours working on my tree! It is such an incredible gift, and I cannot thank you enough!
Now it’s time for me to be a “good genealogist” and review all of the work. I can’t wait to dig into all of these goodies!
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