Volunteer Spotlight

RootsWeb.com values each individual and organization that volunteers their time and talents to making our site one of the best on the Internet. We hope you enjoy meeting some of these outstanding volunteers whose dedication have made a difference to RootsWeb.com and other researchers.

Celia Snyder
Avid Genealogist, Website Designer, and USGenWeb Project Volunteer

Celia Snyder has a love for genealogy that stems from an interest in history. An aunt and distant cousin introduced her to genealogy by sharing their findings with her, but it was an introductory genealogy class at a local collage that sparked her fascination with the hobby. Celia has now pursued the hobby for over thirty years. In the mid-nineties, Celia discovered the Internet and found it to be a wonderful tool that renewed her excitement for genealogy; she found an online community that was searching the same families she had been searching.

Celia became interested in creating websites and in time she mustered up the courage to volunteer for the USGenWeb Project. She was also a member of the first USGenWeb Advisory Board, serving as webmaster for the USGenWeb Project for two years. The result of her service was the inauguration of an area for links and helpful information, and many other helpful tools for researchers.

Celia is an active member of RootsWeb.com. Initially, she became a participant of ROOTS-L, but she soon expanded her participation to other mailing lists. She is currently the administrator of six mailing lists.

In addition to her participation as a user and administrator on RootsWeb.com, Celia has been a USGenWeb Project volunteer since 1997. USGenWeb Project is an organization of volunteers dedicated to assisting genealogists via the Internet. These volunteers work together to provide websites for every county in the United States as well as several special genealogical projects. In her volunteer work for USGenWeb Project, Celia created and now maintains two websites that are hosted by RootsWeb.com and dedicated to Illinois history and genealogy.

The first website Celia maintains focuses on Champaign County, Illinois. The site receives an average of 9,000 hits each week. Celia has successfully compiled information on standard obituaries, military and probate records, and the early settlers of Champaign County. The site also provides links to other genealogical websites.

In addition to the Champaign County website, Celia maintains a site dedicated to Illinois History. Although specific records associated with locating ancestors are not found on this site, it is a great resource for discovering the historical events early-Illinois residents may have experienced.

Aside from the sites she has created in conjunction with USGenWeb Project, Celia created and now maintains two specialized genealogical sites as well as a personal site. These sites are dedicated to her local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the descendants of Lt. Jonathan Rudd. They provide specific information as well as links to other resources on the Internet. Celia's personal website includes information about the surnames on her family tree and the areas her family emigrated from.

The volunteer time Celia gives to maintain these sites and provide an excellent source of information is tremendous. Her service makes her an invaluable asset for family history research.

Celia, on behalf of RootsWeb.com and the entire genealogical community, we thank you.