Tell us about a brick wall you were able to break down.
There had been a big brick wall in the Shaules line which had withstood the work of a number of family members and several professional genealogists during the 1990s into the 2000s. We were stuck in what turned out to be a "name game" that wouldn't let us get back prior to the 1800s.
When the rest of us gave up, there was one determined family member, a former WikiTreer, who I had worked with over the years outside of WikiTree, who continued on alone. Unfortunately, he died before breaking down the wall. It was near to that time that my interest was rekindled and I found his work on WikiTree. One of our biggest problems was that the surname Shaules had been anglicized from a French name, Chasles. Learning that was the first step, but since I do not speak or read French, I was fortunate to find a fellow WikiTreer who does both. The French and the English were brought together with her help, and we were able to trace the ancestry back to the 1600s. And the wall came tumbling down. This was probably my biggest lesson in the value of collaboration -- both using the work of my deceased Shaules friend and the help of my newly found WikiTree friend.
What are some of your interests outside of genealogy?
As time goes on, and the inevitable age advances, my outside interests become less adventurous. Both my husband and I love the ocean and we spent many wonderful times over the years tent camping along the Pacific coast. He surfed while I spent time exploring and photographing the surroundings. Today we still love the ocean, and live within a mile of the coast. But now our trips there, though often, are short and limited to occasional walks. We also live within a few miles of the beautiful Redwoods and a lovely river, which we also enjoy visiting. More at home, I enjoy knitting, crocheting, and cross stitch. I always have a project or two going. Reading is also a great diversion. I read a little of everything -- fiction, non-fiction, history, biographies, mysteries, even children's classics. My favorites are the old classics -- Austen, Trollope, George, Dickens to name a few.
Another interest that I have just recently developed is collaborating with my Japanese friend, who is an associate professor at a Women's University in Tokyo. She became very interested in an American poet, Ina Coolbrith, who was California's first Poet Laureate, and the first poet laureate of any American state. She was also the granddaughter of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. My friend has been able to obtain copies of many of Ms. Coolbrith's letters and is hoping to have the letters published as a collection. I had also become interested in the same poet after she gifted me with a copy of the poet's biography. I have been developing profiles for this poet and her family. My friend and I are now collaborating on this project. Since English is not her first language, and English handwriting is even more foreign to her, I have been doing the transcription of these letters. Not only am I helping her, but these letters will allow me to build on Ms. Coolbrith's WikiTree profile.
How long have you been on WikiTree and what do you spend the most time doing?
March 2021 makes four years that I've been on WikiTree. Initially all I did was add people, with very little proper sourcing, but I learned "it just isn't done that way" quickly. But I'm still finding and correcting errors I made in the beginning. But I spend most of my time today working on the Profile Improvement Project, and the Cemeterist Project. I've worked on a number of the 'thons' and I think that is what changed my level of involvement from just personal to community. I am also a Sourcerer, Data Doctor, and Connector.
What brought you to WikiTree?
Actually, I don't remember how I came to learn about WikiTree, but I believe it was from a family member who was also working on family history. This probably happened at a time when I wasn't doing much genealogy. Once I visited the site, I was intrigued. And once I started adding profiles, I was caught. I've been working steadily ever since, becoming more and more involved with the community.
