November 10, 2012: Regular Meeting
The meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:05 a.m.
Susan Huston, who filled in for Carol Jones at the last meeting, noted that the minutes of the last meeting were available on the RCGS website.
The Treasurer reported a balance of $2,432.01 in the checking account.
Susan asked if there was some way we could reach out to the younger generation. After some discussion, Susan and Katrina Cole Cooper agreed to search for a contest to encourage kids to become interested in genealogy. It was noted that the National Genealogical Society may have an appropriate game and they would try that.
Karen Pruet asked about buying a locked vertical cabinet to put in the library’s genealogy room to store RCGS items. Pam Steed agreed to discuss it with Sue Otte. Carol Jones made a motion to buy the cabinet, Susan Huston seconded, and the motion passed.
Terri Stevens asked if there was some way we could help needy children during this holiday season. Carol Jones pointed out that the Elks had their annual Clothe-A-Child drive in progress to buy an outfit of clothes for each needy child in Rush County. Karen Pruet moved to donate $100 to this effort and Terri Stevens seconded. After some discussion, the motion was changed to donate $200 to the Elks Clothe-AChild and the motion passed.
The following slate of officers was presented by the Chairman of the Elections Committee, Linda Mahan:
President Carol S. Jones
Vice President Bill Baetz
Secretary Katrina Cole Cooper
Treasurer Susan Huston
Kathy Wright made a motion to elect by unanimous acclamation, it was seconded by Karmen Gulde and the motion passed.
Linda Mahan then presented a slide show of photos of historic Rush County that was enjoyed by all present.
The next meeting will be held on January 12, 2013 as there is no meeting in December.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:05 a.m.
Susan Huston, who filled in for Carol Jones at the last meeting, noted that the minutes of the last meeting were available on the RCGS website.
The Treasurer reported a balance of $2,432.01 in the checking account.
Susan asked if there was some way we could reach out to the younger generation. After some discussion, Susan and Katrina Cole Cooper agreed to search for a contest to encourage kids to become interested in genealogy. It was noted that the National Genealogical Society may have an appropriate game and they would try that.
Karen Pruet asked about buying a locked vertical cabinet to put in the library’s genealogy room to store RCGS items. Pam Steed agreed to discuss it with Sue Otte. Carol Jones made a motion to buy the cabinet, Susan Huston seconded, and the motion passed.
Terri Stevens asked if there was some way we could help needy children during this holiday season. Carol Jones pointed out that the Elks had their annual Clothe-A-Child drive in progress to buy an outfit of clothes for each needy child in Rush County. Karen Pruet moved to donate $100 to this effort and Terri Stevens seconded. After some discussion, the motion was changed to donate $200 to the Elks Clothe-AChild and the motion passed.
The following slate of officers was presented by the Chairman of the Elections Committee, Linda Mahan:
President Carol S. Jones
Vice President Bill Baetz
Secretary Katrina Cole Cooper
Treasurer Susan Huston
Kathy Wright made a motion to elect by unanimous acclamation, it was seconded by Karmen Gulde and the motion passed.
Linda Mahan then presented a slide show of photos of historic Rush County that was enjoyed by all present.
The next meeting will be held on January 12, 2013 as there is no meeting in December.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
November 10, 2012: Board Meeting
The Board of Directors of the RCGS met at 10:30 on 10 Nov 2012 with the following members present: Pam Steed, Bill Baetz, Linda Mahan, Karen Pruet and Carol Jones
After a discussion of the current officer tenures as stated in the By-Laws, Pam Steed made the following motion to add:
Article X:
At the discretion of the Board, the tenure of the officers may be changed by the Board of Directors with a majority vote.
Article XI:
The office of historian is changed from an elective to an appointed office, but remains on the Board of Directors. The appointment is to be made by the current President.
The motion was seconded by Linda Mahan and passed with a unanimous vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The Board of Directors of the RCGS met at 10:30 on 10 Nov 2012 with the following members present: Pam Steed, Bill Baetz, Linda Mahan, Karen Pruet and Carol Jones
After a discussion of the current officer tenures as stated in the By-Laws, Pam Steed made the following motion to add:
Article X:
At the discretion of the Board, the tenure of the officers may be changed by the Board of Directors with a majority vote.
Article XI:
The office of historian is changed from an elective to an appointed office, but remains on the Board of Directors. The appointment is to be made by the current President.
The motion was seconded by Linda Mahan and passed with a unanimous vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
October 6, 2012:
The monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:10 a.m. Eleven members were present.
The September 2012 meeting minutes were unavailable for review.
Treasurer Linda Mahan reported two new deposits from sales of publications brought the current balance in the account to $2,333.01.
Old Business
Cecilia Mathews and Betty Newhouse reported on the Library Project. Betty and Cecilia worked at the library on September 12 and September 26, 2012 and have another work day planned for October 17, 2012. They reported that the library staff is in need of volunteers to help re-shelve books in the Genealogy Room. All volunteers should be sure to sign in at the main desk before working in the room and should keep track of their time.
It was reported that there are now 10 books remaining from the last order of Civil War books. There was a brief discussion about when to re-order and it was decided that it was not necessary to place an order at this time.
Linda Mahan reported on the marriage book transcription project. Linda and Carol Jones have almost completed transcribing Book 12, which runs through 1887/88. There are no plans to transcribe any more marriage books. A discussion was held exploring other possible transcription projects.
Shirley Biehl sent word that she had checked with Alice Leisure regarding records for Bell Cemetery that may have been stored at the Children’s Home. Ms. Leisure reported that the Home did not have any records.
Liz King sent word that she had touched base with Bonnie Brewer regarding records for Bell Cemetery. Ms. Brewer said that any records would be in Indianapolis.
New Business
A lengthy discussion was held about how RCGS can continue to involve and attract new members and have a greater presence in the community. Several members contributed ideas that included more media exposure, having a presence at state and local genealogical fairs and different ways to reach out to youth.
Linda Mahan reported for the Nominating Committee that candidates for the positions of Secretary, Treasurer and President were still needed. Vice-President, Bill Baetz, has agreed to serve as Vice-President next year. The duties of each office were reviewed and it was noted that a complete description of each office is contained in the Society’s by-laws which are posted on our website.
Linda Mahan, Pam Steed and Karen Pruet led a discussion about the position of Historian. According to the by-laws, the office of Historian is an elected position. It was discussed whether or not it should continue to be an elected position. To change the Historian’s office to a non-elected position would require a vote by the current board of officers to revise the by-laws. The officers agreed to meet prior to the November meeting to address this issue.
Pam Steed announced there is a new genealogical based server which should be tried. It is mocavo and can be found at www.mocavo.com.
Up-Coming Events
The Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair will be held at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis on October 27, 2012, from 9:00 to 3:30. If you would like to car pool to the event, please contact Pam Steed.
Our next meeting will be held on November 10, 2012. Elections will be held and Brian Sheehan will be presenting a program highlighting his collection of old pictures.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:20 p.m.
The monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:10 a.m. Eleven members were present.
The September 2012 meeting minutes were unavailable for review.
Treasurer Linda Mahan reported two new deposits from sales of publications brought the current balance in the account to $2,333.01.
Old Business
Cecilia Mathews and Betty Newhouse reported on the Library Project. Betty and Cecilia worked at the library on September 12 and September 26, 2012 and have another work day planned for October 17, 2012. They reported that the library staff is in need of volunteers to help re-shelve books in the Genealogy Room. All volunteers should be sure to sign in at the main desk before working in the room and should keep track of their time.
It was reported that there are now 10 books remaining from the last order of Civil War books. There was a brief discussion about when to re-order and it was decided that it was not necessary to place an order at this time.
Linda Mahan reported on the marriage book transcription project. Linda and Carol Jones have almost completed transcribing Book 12, which runs through 1887/88. There are no plans to transcribe any more marriage books. A discussion was held exploring other possible transcription projects.
Shirley Biehl sent word that she had checked with Alice Leisure regarding records for Bell Cemetery that may have been stored at the Children’s Home. Ms. Leisure reported that the Home did not have any records.
Liz King sent word that she had touched base with Bonnie Brewer regarding records for Bell Cemetery. Ms. Brewer said that any records would be in Indianapolis.
New Business
A lengthy discussion was held about how RCGS can continue to involve and attract new members and have a greater presence in the community. Several members contributed ideas that included more media exposure, having a presence at state and local genealogical fairs and different ways to reach out to youth.
Linda Mahan reported for the Nominating Committee that candidates for the positions of Secretary, Treasurer and President were still needed. Vice-President, Bill Baetz, has agreed to serve as Vice-President next year. The duties of each office were reviewed and it was noted that a complete description of each office is contained in the Society’s by-laws which are posted on our website.
Linda Mahan, Pam Steed and Karen Pruet led a discussion about the position of Historian. According to the by-laws, the office of Historian is an elected position. It was discussed whether or not it should continue to be an elected position. To change the Historian’s office to a non-elected position would require a vote by the current board of officers to revise the by-laws. The officers agreed to meet prior to the November meeting to address this issue.
Pam Steed announced there is a new genealogical based server which should be tried. It is mocavo and can be found at www.mocavo.com.
Up-Coming Events
The Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair will be held at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis on October 27, 2012, from 9:00 to 3:30. If you would like to car pool to the event, please contact Pam Steed.
Our next meeting will be held on November 10, 2012. Elections will be held and Brian Sheehan will be presenting a program highlighting his collection of old pictures.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:20 p.m.
September 8, 2012:
The regular meeting was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer had no report at this time, but we received a donation of $20.00 for some research done by Linda and Susan.
Liz King reported on their efforts with the Barrett/Bell Cemetery noting they had spoken with Bob Meyer, who used to go to church at the Bethel Presbyterian Church. They did discover a deed for the cemetery from Harvey Bell to the Bethel Presbyterian Church dated in 1838 in Louisville, Kentucky. When they checked with the Rush County Auditor, they were told it was a public cemetery. Cecilia Matthews reported that she had requested information from her Bell cousin, but had yet to hear back.
Cecilia, also, reported that they are meeting on Wednesday at 1:00 to work on the Indiana Room at the Rushville library.
Susan Huston reported that she had received a phone call from Priscilla Winkler at the Rush County Historical Society, who told her they were not trying to be difficult, but she had talked to the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and they told her it was illegal to publish mortuary records. Priscilla had called the Allen County Library to verify the information, but had not heard back from them. So, for now, the issue is closed.
Pam noted, for everyone’s benefit, that there would be no meeting in December.
Linda Mahan reported that she had decided to postpone asking the RCHS about an organizational membership because she was afraid the RCHS would think we wanted to join just to get at the Wyatt-Moore records.
The issue of joining the Chamber of Commerce was brought up again. Carol Jones reported that the cost was $180.00 a year and didn’t feel we would gain that much benefit from the membership. Linda Mahan made a motion not to join, it was seconded by Terri Stevens, and the motion passed.
Pam announced that Bill Baetz’s father passed away yesterday and felt we should send him a sympathy card. Carol said she would send him a card.
Pam announced that the Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair would be held October 27 and Carol Jones passed around a flyer on the event. We decided not to set up a table this year, but a number of members would like to attend the event. Any further decisions/discussion was postponed until the next meeting.
Susan passed on a request she had received from Steve Mahan at the RCHS asking everyone’s help in obtaining photos for the individuals who had their military uniforms donated to the RCHS.
Pam then asked about future programs noting that Brian Sheehan is scheduled for our November meeting. A number of members offered some good ideas for programs next year.
Linda noted that we will soon be electing officers for the next year and requested any volunteers to contact her.
Carol Jones then reqd an email she had received from Jane Berkemeier Howard about some photos that Jane had posted on Facebook that might be of interest to Rushville residents.
Pam announced that the next meeting would be October 13; but when it was discovered that neither she, nor the secretary or treasurer would be able to attend, Carol suggested that we move the meeting to October 6 and everyone agreed. The meeting was then adjourned and the next meeting will be October 6.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The regular meeting was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer had no report at this time, but we received a donation of $20.00 for some research done by Linda and Susan.
Liz King reported on their efforts with the Barrett/Bell Cemetery noting they had spoken with Bob Meyer, who used to go to church at the Bethel Presbyterian Church. They did discover a deed for the cemetery from Harvey Bell to the Bethel Presbyterian Church dated in 1838 in Louisville, Kentucky. When they checked with the Rush County Auditor, they were told it was a public cemetery. Cecilia Matthews reported that she had requested information from her Bell cousin, but had yet to hear back.
Cecilia, also, reported that they are meeting on Wednesday at 1:00 to work on the Indiana Room at the Rushville library.
Susan Huston reported that she had received a phone call from Priscilla Winkler at the Rush County Historical Society, who told her they were not trying to be difficult, but she had talked to the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and they told her it was illegal to publish mortuary records. Priscilla had called the Allen County Library to verify the information, but had not heard back from them. So, for now, the issue is closed.
Pam noted, for everyone’s benefit, that there would be no meeting in December.
Linda Mahan reported that she had decided to postpone asking the RCHS about an organizational membership because she was afraid the RCHS would think we wanted to join just to get at the Wyatt-Moore records.
The issue of joining the Chamber of Commerce was brought up again. Carol Jones reported that the cost was $180.00 a year and didn’t feel we would gain that much benefit from the membership. Linda Mahan made a motion not to join, it was seconded by Terri Stevens, and the motion passed.
Pam announced that Bill Baetz’s father passed away yesterday and felt we should send him a sympathy card. Carol said she would send him a card.
Pam announced that the Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair would be held October 27 and Carol Jones passed around a flyer on the event. We decided not to set up a table this year, but a number of members would like to attend the event. Any further decisions/discussion was postponed until the next meeting.
Susan passed on a request she had received from Steve Mahan at the RCHS asking everyone’s help in obtaining photos for the individuals who had their military uniforms donated to the RCHS.
Pam then asked about future programs noting that Brian Sheehan is scheduled for our November meeting. A number of members offered some good ideas for programs next year.
Linda noted that we will soon be electing officers for the next year and requested any volunteers to contact her.
Carol Jones then reqd an email she had received from Jane Berkemeier Howard about some photos that Jane had posted on Facebook that might be of interest to Rushville residents.
Pam announced that the next meeting would be October 13; but when it was discovered that neither she, nor the secretary or treasurer would be able to attend, Carol suggested that we move the meeting to October 6 and everyone agreed. The meeting was then adjourned and the next meeting will be October 6.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
August 8, 2012: (Regular Meeting Minutes)
The regular meeting was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported a balance of $2267.01 in the checking account.
President Pam announced that the 1940 census has been completely indexed and is online.
Linda Mahan reported on the East Hill Cemetery Celebration held in June noting they had a good crowd of between 100-150 people with air conditioned buses touring the cemetery. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and we built some goodwill with East Hill and we sold a couple of civil war books and marriage books. Susan Huston suggested that we adopt a cemetery next year to place flags on the graves, but the consensus was that most were covered by the DAR and service organizations.
Linda Mahan reported that she has not contacted anyone about cemetery restoration yet; she felt we needed to see what needed to be done first. Liz King reported on what they had found out about Barrett/Bell cemetery noting there were a number of trees down which would require a loader to move. They still haven’t discovered who owns the cemetery. Melissa Cowan suggested contacting the Indiana Historic Landmarks organization to see if they have anything on the cemetery. It was also noted that the DNR might be able to assist in cleaning up a cemetery. No decision was made and Liz and Hayden King will continue to try to find out who owns the cemetery. Betty Newhouse provided them with some contact information that might help.
Cecilia Matthews and Betty Newhouse then reported on their meeting with Sue Otte and Pat Coon at the library. They proposed a system to make it easier to file materials back on the shelves correctly. It was noted that no materials are allowed out of the library and patrons must sign in before using the room. Sue Otte agreed to work up a format for a “how to use the room” that would be available to each patron. The last item was to identify binders. There is a need of putting together present small binders with a hard protective covering. Sue Otte agreed to order the necessary materials. Cecelia reported that the material has arrived and Pat Coon will oversee how to proceed. After everything is in place and organized, the library would like volunteers to maintain the Indiana Room on a monthly basis. It was also noted that the library requested that we contact Sue Otte 24 hours before coming to help out in the Indiana Room.
Linda Mahan reported that she did send the letter to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore information and is waiting for a response. Linda Clarkson said she would be glad to contact Carol, also, if we thought that would help. We asked her to go ahead and contact Carol.
Carol Jones passed around the first of our monthly articles in the Rushville Republican.
Susan Huston reported that the National Genealogy Society had published a book review of our Civil War book in their most recent issue.
Carol Jones made a motion to drop our monthly meeting in July. The motion was seconded by Donna Tauber and passed.
President Pam brought up the need for a Nominating Committee to put together a slate of officers for election each year. Linda Mahan agreed to chair the committee and Susan Huston and Carol Jones offered to serve, also.
A discussion then followed concerning the question of approaching the Rush County Historical Society to see if we could join as an organization rather than as a group of individuals. Linda Mahan has discussed the idea with Libby Smith at the RCHS and Libby felt it would be possible. Linda Mahan made a motion to join as an organization at the $50 level, Pam Steed seconded, and it was passed.
Melissa Cowan asked if we had considered joining the Chamber of Commerce, but discussion was postponed until the next meeting.
The meeting was closed with the viewing of the Louis the Greek interview the RCHS had prepared. The next meeting will be September 8 at the usual time and place.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The regular meeting was called to order by President Pam Steed at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported a balance of $2267.01 in the checking account.
President Pam announced that the 1940 census has been completely indexed and is online.
Linda Mahan reported on the East Hill Cemetery Celebration held in June noting they had a good crowd of between 100-150 people with air conditioned buses touring the cemetery. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and we built some goodwill with East Hill and we sold a couple of civil war books and marriage books. Susan Huston suggested that we adopt a cemetery next year to place flags on the graves, but the consensus was that most were covered by the DAR and service organizations.
Linda Mahan reported that she has not contacted anyone about cemetery restoration yet; she felt we needed to see what needed to be done first. Liz King reported on what they had found out about Barrett/Bell cemetery noting there were a number of trees down which would require a loader to move. They still haven’t discovered who owns the cemetery. Melissa Cowan suggested contacting the Indiana Historic Landmarks organization to see if they have anything on the cemetery. It was also noted that the DNR might be able to assist in cleaning up a cemetery. No decision was made and Liz and Hayden King will continue to try to find out who owns the cemetery. Betty Newhouse provided them with some contact information that might help.
Cecilia Matthews and Betty Newhouse then reported on their meeting with Sue Otte and Pat Coon at the library. They proposed a system to make it easier to file materials back on the shelves correctly. It was noted that no materials are allowed out of the library and patrons must sign in before using the room. Sue Otte agreed to work up a format for a “how to use the room” that would be available to each patron. The last item was to identify binders. There is a need of putting together present small binders with a hard protective covering. Sue Otte agreed to order the necessary materials. Cecelia reported that the material has arrived and Pat Coon will oversee how to proceed. After everything is in place and organized, the library would like volunteers to maintain the Indiana Room on a monthly basis. It was also noted that the library requested that we contact Sue Otte 24 hours before coming to help out in the Indiana Room.
Linda Mahan reported that she did send the letter to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore information and is waiting for a response. Linda Clarkson said she would be glad to contact Carol, also, if we thought that would help. We asked her to go ahead and contact Carol.
Carol Jones passed around the first of our monthly articles in the Rushville Republican.
Susan Huston reported that the National Genealogy Society had published a book review of our Civil War book in their most recent issue.
Carol Jones made a motion to drop our monthly meeting in July. The motion was seconded by Donna Tauber and passed.
President Pam brought up the need for a Nominating Committee to put together a slate of officers for election each year. Linda Mahan agreed to chair the committee and Susan Huston and Carol Jones offered to serve, also.
A discussion then followed concerning the question of approaching the Rush County Historical Society to see if we could join as an organization rather than as a group of individuals. Linda Mahan has discussed the idea with Libby Smith at the RCHS and Libby felt it would be possible. Linda Mahan made a motion to join as an organization at the $50 level, Pam Steed seconded, and it was passed.
Melissa Cowan asked if we had considered joining the Chamber of Commerce, but discussion was postponed until the next meeting.
The meeting was closed with the viewing of the Louis the Greek interview the RCHS had prepared. The next meeting will be September 8 at the usual time and place.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
August 8, 2012: (Board Meeting Minutes)
The Board of Directors of the RCGS met at 10:00 on 11 Aug 2012 with the following members present: Pam Steed, Bill Baetz, Linda Mahan, and Carol Jones
Linda presented a current list of members with those highlighted who have not yet paid their dues and made a motion to drop these members from our roles. It was seconded by Bill and passed unanimously.
A discussion then followed about the possibility of joining the Rush County Historical Society as an organization rather than as individuals. The board finally agreed to present to the members at our regular meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The Board of Directors of the RCGS met at 10:00 on 11 Aug 2012 with the following members present: Pam Steed, Bill Baetz, Linda Mahan, and Carol Jones
Linda presented a current list of members with those highlighted who have not yet paid their dues and made a motion to drop these members from our roles. It was seconded by Bill and passed unanimously.
A discussion then followed about the possibility of joining the Rush County Historical Society as an organization rather than as individuals. The board finally agreed to present to the members at our regular meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
June 9, 2012:
The regular meeting was called to order by Susan Huston at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported a balance of $2169.01 in the checking account. Carol Jones reported that our tax returns have been filed.
Randi James reported that the monthly newsletter article was ready to email to Kevin Green at the Rushville Republican. Susan asked if there had been any response to the letter written to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore Mortuary records. Linda Mahan reported the letter had not been sent, but would be after some revisions were made. Susan then asked for a report on the library project noting we did not want to “drop the ball” on this project. Betty Newhouse and Cecilia Matthews agreed to take over on this project and would meet with Susan Otte as soon as possible.
A trip to Fort Wayne or Cincinnati library was discussed extensively. It was decided that Carol Jones would send an email to the membership requesting their preferences on the trip. She would then report on the results.
Susan then asked about this year’s cemetery restoration project. Two cemeteries were proposed; Locust and Barret/Bell both need help. Carol Jones suggested we consider Barret/Bell because of the accessibility issues with Locust. Hayden King agreed to find out who owns the cemetery and gain permission for us to work on it. Linda Mahan
agreed to contact Randy Morehead and request his assistance, which would include an estimate of his fees. Carol Jones suggested we ask a local boy scout troop to help out and agreed to contact the troop leader about the project.
Susan also informed the members that, according to our by-laws, we need to hold a Board meeting each year and we need to get that scheduled.
Susan presented a letter received from our member, George Hibben. He has published a book on his family and the letter provided a link to it. Susan commented that this was an outstanding example of how to do a book right!
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 p.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, August 11 as there is no meeting in July.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The regular meeting was called to order by Susan Huston at 11:00 a.m. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported a balance of $2169.01 in the checking account. Carol Jones reported that our tax returns have been filed.
Randi James reported that the monthly newsletter article was ready to email to Kevin Green at the Rushville Republican. Susan asked if there had been any response to the letter written to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore Mortuary records. Linda Mahan reported the letter had not been sent, but would be after some revisions were made. Susan then asked for a report on the library project noting we did not want to “drop the ball” on this project. Betty Newhouse and Cecilia Matthews agreed to take over on this project and would meet with Susan Otte as soon as possible.
A trip to Fort Wayne or Cincinnati library was discussed extensively. It was decided that Carol Jones would send an email to the membership requesting their preferences on the trip. She would then report on the results.
Susan then asked about this year’s cemetery restoration project. Two cemeteries were proposed; Locust and Barret/Bell both need help. Carol Jones suggested we consider Barret/Bell because of the accessibility issues with Locust. Hayden King agreed to find out who owns the cemetery and gain permission for us to work on it. Linda Mahan
agreed to contact Randy Morehead and request his assistance, which would include an estimate of his fees. Carol Jones suggested we ask a local boy scout troop to help out and agreed to contact the troop leader about the project.
Susan also informed the members that, according to our by-laws, we need to hold a Board meeting each year and we need to get that scheduled.
Susan presented a letter received from our member, George Hibben. He has published a book on his family and the letter provided a link to it. Susan commented that this was an outstanding example of how to do a book right!
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 p.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, August 11 as there is no meeting in July.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
12 May 2012
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with seven members. President Pam Steed called the meeting to order at 11:05.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved as corrected. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,858.36 in our account.
Carol Jones reported that Ashley Stiers agreed to prepare our return and the report to the State for $50.00. Pam noted that she has already filed the Business Entity Report with the State.
Randi James reported that she contacted Kevin Green about publishing a monthly article covering queries and events. He said to keep the article to 400-500 words and they would be glad to publish it.
Linda Mahan reported that Steve Mahan wants to give us material from the Rush County Historical Society that he feels are of more genealogical value than historical. We just need to find a place to store the material. Linda noted that she has prepared another letter to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore records in a final attempt to allow us to index the material.
Susan Huston and Linda Mahan reported on the East Hill Cemetery meeting they attended to begin organizing for the anniversary celebration of the cemetery. It has been agreed that they will hold it on Jun 24 during Fair Week. They want a short program to kick things off. They plan to have individuals at the graves of prominent people to answer questions or explain the importance of the individual buried there. They plan to have a van to transport people around the cemetery. The Rush County Historical Society and our Society will have tables set up with various materials. Linda and Susan have agreed to prepare a pamphlet as a hand out the day of the celebration.
Susan Huston noted that Ancestry has now purchased Archives.com. So that will become a searchable database on Ancestry.
Carol Jones asked if we would want to consider a group trip to the Allen County Library or down to Cincinnati this summer. It received a favorable response for future discussion.
Katrina Cole Cooper asked if anyone had heard of the $99 offcer through Ancestry for DNA reports. No one had, but will check further on the offer.
After a discussion of who would write the monthly newspaper article, Randi James agreed to write the article with assistance from Susan Huston.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, June 9.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with seven members. President Pam Steed called the meeting to order at 11:05.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved as corrected. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,858.36 in our account.
Carol Jones reported that Ashley Stiers agreed to prepare our return and the report to the State for $50.00. Pam noted that she has already filed the Business Entity Report with the State.
Randi James reported that she contacted Kevin Green about publishing a monthly article covering queries and events. He said to keep the article to 400-500 words and they would be glad to publish it.
Linda Mahan reported that Steve Mahan wants to give us material from the Rush County Historical Society that he feels are of more genealogical value than historical. We just need to find a place to store the material. Linda noted that she has prepared another letter to Carol Hester about the Wyatt-Moore records in a final attempt to allow us to index the material.
Susan Huston and Linda Mahan reported on the East Hill Cemetery meeting they attended to begin organizing for the anniversary celebration of the cemetery. It has been agreed that they will hold it on Jun 24 during Fair Week. They want a short program to kick things off. They plan to have individuals at the graves of prominent people to answer questions or explain the importance of the individual buried there. They plan to have a van to transport people around the cemetery. The Rush County Historical Society and our Society will have tables set up with various materials. Linda and Susan have agreed to prepare a pamphlet as a hand out the day of the celebration.
Susan Huston noted that Ancestry has now purchased Archives.com. So that will become a searchable database on Ancestry.
Carol Jones asked if we would want to consider a group trip to the Allen County Library or down to Cincinnati this summer. It received a favorable response for future discussion.
Katrina Cole Cooper asked if anyone had heard of the $99 offcer through Ancestry for DNA reports. No one had, but will check further on the offer.
After a discussion of who would write the monthly newspaper article, Randi James agreed to write the article with assistance from Susan Huston.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, June 9.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
14 Apr 2012
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with twelve members and one guest present. President Pam Steed called the meeting to order at 11:00.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved as corrected. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,858.36 in our account.
Linda Mahan and Carol Jones reported on their recent trip to Salt Lake City. Although no new revelations were found, Carol brought back enough copies of information that she had to pack some in Linda’s bag to stay under weight at the airport.
Linda Mahan reported that she, Carol Jones, and Susan Huston would be attending the Rush County Historical Society’s annual dinner next week and planned to take a few copies of the Civil War book “just in case someone wanted a copy.”
President Pam noted that we had 18 copies of the book remaining and we would be setting up a table at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of East Hill Cemetery in June. Pam was also working on the CD version of the book.
Pam asked if it would be appropriate to set up a separate email for queries and have them go to one particular person. Everyone agreed it would be a good idea and Susan Huston agreed to respond to the queries received.
President Pam then asked about the church records Cecelia Matthews referred to at the last meeting. Cecelia noted that the records were in Sue Otte’s office at the library and were in desperate need of organizing.
A discussion of this year’s cemetery project was started when Pam asked about the Amish cemetery. Cecelia noted that the cemetery was very primitive with no facilities and it would be a difficult job. Any decision was postponed for further consideration.
President Pam reported that she has set up a forum on a message board in order to keep track of who has done what at each of the county’s cemeteries. On that same subject, she asked whether we wanted to include tombstone photos in the cemetery book. A motion was made by Carol Jones to not include tombstone photos in the book. The motion was seconded and passed.
After some discussion about our tax return and who we should have prepare it, Pam Steed made a motion to use Ashley Stiers to prepare the return and the report to the State of Indiana. However, we should ask her if she would consider lowering her fee. The motion was seconded and passed.
Pam reported that we can participate in the indexing of the 1940 census and reviewed the process. Terri Stevens explained how to find your relatives if you knew the address of their home in 1940.
Carol Jones reported on the changes for 2012 Family Tree Maker noting in particular that Family Tree can now be synced with your tree on Ancestry.
The meeting was then turned over to Jim Huston who gave a fascinating presentation on DNA and how it can be used in genealogy research.
Before the meeting was adjourned at 12:30, our guest, Marcia Borem was introduced. The next regular meeting will be held Saturday, May 12 at 11:00 at the Elks Lodge.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with twelve members and one guest present. President Pam Steed called the meeting to order at 11:00.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved as corrected. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,858.36 in our account.
Linda Mahan and Carol Jones reported on their recent trip to Salt Lake City. Although no new revelations were found, Carol brought back enough copies of information that she had to pack some in Linda’s bag to stay under weight at the airport.
Linda Mahan reported that she, Carol Jones, and Susan Huston would be attending the Rush County Historical Society’s annual dinner next week and planned to take a few copies of the Civil War book “just in case someone wanted a copy.”
President Pam noted that we had 18 copies of the book remaining and we would be setting up a table at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of East Hill Cemetery in June. Pam was also working on the CD version of the book.
Pam asked if it would be appropriate to set up a separate email for queries and have them go to one particular person. Everyone agreed it would be a good idea and Susan Huston agreed to respond to the queries received.
President Pam then asked about the church records Cecelia Matthews referred to at the last meeting. Cecelia noted that the records were in Sue Otte’s office at the library and were in desperate need of organizing.
A discussion of this year’s cemetery project was started when Pam asked about the Amish cemetery. Cecelia noted that the cemetery was very primitive with no facilities and it would be a difficult job. Any decision was postponed for further consideration.
President Pam reported that she has set up a forum on a message board in order to keep track of who has done what at each of the county’s cemeteries. On that same subject, she asked whether we wanted to include tombstone photos in the cemetery book. A motion was made by Carol Jones to not include tombstone photos in the book. The motion was seconded and passed.
After some discussion about our tax return and who we should have prepare it, Pam Steed made a motion to use Ashley Stiers to prepare the return and the report to the State of Indiana. However, we should ask her if she would consider lowering her fee. The motion was seconded and passed.
Pam reported that we can participate in the indexing of the 1940 census and reviewed the process. Terri Stevens explained how to find your relatives if you knew the address of their home in 1940.
Carol Jones reported on the changes for 2012 Family Tree Maker noting in particular that Family Tree can now be synced with your tree on Ancestry.
The meeting was then turned over to Jim Huston who gave a fascinating presentation on DNA and how it can be used in genealogy research.
Before the meeting was adjourned at 12:30, our guest, Marcia Borem was introduced. The next regular meeting will be held Saturday, May 12 at 11:00 at the Elks Lodge.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
10 Mar 2012
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with twelve and three guests present. Vice President Bill Baetz called the meeting to order at 11:05. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,923.61 in our account.
Old Business
Vice President Bill asked how many Civil War books we had available to sale. The consensus was that we had about 18-19 available at this time. He then asked about the idea of making a CD of the book and how much we should charge. After much discussion, Carol Jones made a motion to sell CD’s of the book at $10.00 each for pickup and $12.00 each for mailing. The motion was seconded by Karen Pruet and was approved.
Linda Mahan then asked if the group traveling to Salt Lake City should take a copy of the book for the LDS Library. Susan Huston said she knew someone associated with the library and would check with them on the donation of materials. Susan also noted that she had sent a copy of the book the National Genealogy Society and an article on it should appear in the June issue.
Carol Jones reported that she had provided CPA Ashley Stiers with our financial information, but had not been in contact with Ashley to find out what we needed to do and how much it would cost.
Karen Pruet then reported on the library project and requested volunteers. She received three responses to her request.
Bill reported that Pam Steed needs a complete list of who did what sections in East Hill Cemetery. She also indicated that she would send Carol a list of photos needed for the cemetery book so Carol could begin taking photos of tombstones.
Bob Lee reported that the mechanism for the Rush County Genealogy Group on Facebook was available, but we need to start using it. Donna Tauber and Terry Lafollette agreed to work out how it should be used.
New Business
Susan Huston reported that her husband has agreed to give a basic DNA presentation at our April meeting. Bill reported that he had again been in touch with the Indiana Archives and they would be happy to give us a tour of the facility any weekday, but we would have to check back in July to schedule a speaker at one of our meetings.
Susan noted that Rush County naturalization records of the Indiana Archives are now online.
Bill reported that Pam had arranged for Brian Sheehan and Kevin Harr to present a program. Donna Tauber moved to invite them to our August meeting, seconded by Terry Lafollette and passed.
Bill read and passed around a letter Pam had received from Megan Barnes. She is a student at BRMS and has been selected to join the People to People tour of the British Isles this summer. As the trip will cost $6500, she is asking for donations to help with her trip. Donna Tauber moved to donate $100, seconded by Cecelia Mathews, and passed. Terry noted that she would write an article for the newsletter about the young lady.
Bill then reported on a number of queries we had received on the website. He passed them around and some agreed to pursue research on individual requests. After an extensive discussion of how to handle these queries, it was stressed that we should respond to each query even if we can’t help the person requesting assistance.
Terry then showed the members a 12-generation chart she had found online and noted that she would be glad to order some for our members. She was greeted with an enthusiastic YES!
Carol Jones reported that she has started maintaining a spreadsheet on births, marriages, anniversaries, and deaths reported in the Rushville Republican and will eventually work backwards on these records. Her goal is to have this index of information available at the library.
Betty Newhouse then suggested that we publish an article in the Rushville Republican on a regular basis publishing the queries we receive and any other appropriate information. Randi James agreed to pursue this with Kevin Green at the paper.
Karen Pruet noted that she had brought binders with her to show the members how she was maintaining the historical information of our group. Everyone agreed that she was doing an outstanding job and complimented her on her efforts.
Bill announced that the Ohio Genealogy Society would be holding a conference on April 12-14, the Indiana Genealogy Society would be meeting in Fort Wayne, and the Midwestern Roots Conference is scheduled for Jul 20-21.
Before he adjourned the meeting, he asked that the three visitors introduce themselves. Catrina (Cole) Cooper, Jennifer Flann?, and Elaine Six introduced themselves and were invited to return.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15; the next meeting will be held April 14 at the Elks Lodge at 11:00 a.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
February 11, 2012
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with nine members and three guests present. Vice President Bill Baetz called the meeting to order at 11:05.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved as amended. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,843.18 in our account.
Before we proceeded to the meeting, guests Betty Newhouse, Melissa Cowan, and David Wilson introduced themselves.
Old Business
Cecelia Mathews reported that she had her list of church records for the library project. Karen Pruet distributed some ideas she had come up with concerning the Indiana Room at the library and distributed them to the members. After a lively discussion, Karen requested help with the project and that everyone send her their suggestions for the project.
Linda Mahan and Carol Jones noted that after checking, they had discovered that the third marriage book was correct, but the cover needed to be corrected to accurately reflect the exact contents.
Vice President Bill asked if we had a program for April yet. Nothing had been determined yet, but Susan Huston suggested that we consider another cemetery clean-up project when the weather was warmer.
It was reported that we are down to about a half dozen Civil War books at this point and needed to determine if we wanted to order more and how many to order. Susan reported that she had been in contact with the publishing company and that we would need to re-order a minimum of 25 books. However, the price would be the same per book as in our original order, which was a little more than $13.00. There would be a shipping charge and that’s all on this order. It would take about ten days from the order date to receive the
books. Carol Jones made a motion to order 25 more books, seconded by Linda Mahan, and it was passed. Susan then noted that we could put the book on CD and that Pam Steed had a program that we could use to burn a picture on each CD. The general consensus was favorable, but no action was taken. She then noted that as a member of the National Genealogy Society, she could donate a copy of the book to the NGS. In return, they would publish an article on the publication in their magazine with information on where to order it. Randi James made a motion to make the donation, seconded by Cecelia Mathews and it was approved.
New Business
Melissa Cowan told about a cemetery south of Milroy on an Amish farm that her young historical club membership had started to clean up, but it needed a lot more work. Carol suggested that might be a good project for our cemetery cleanup later in the year, but no action was taken. Bill reported that he had been in contact with the Indiana Archives about making a presentation at one of our meetings. Their response had been that their speakers were booked for several months, but they could handle a group visit. It was suggested that we work around their time table for a speaker and Bill will pursue that option.
The subject of DNA genealogy was raised because it was mentioned as a possible program at the last meeting. After an extensive discussion, Susan agreed to try to put together a program for the April meeting on DNA.
Bob Lee explained that we could do a Rush County genealogy group on Facebook. He was in a couple of groups associated with other counties and it resulted in tons of information and pictures being shared by the group. He was asked to see about setting one up for Rush County.
Melissa Cowan then shared some of the photos and materials she had obtained from her Aunt Johanna in Germany about her father and grandfather and told us some stories of each. It was a fascinating presentation with some fabulous materials that made us all jealous. Before adjourning the meeting, Bill announced that the next Roots
Conference is scheduled for Jul 20-21, but no agenda had been released as of this date. He would keep us informed.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:45; the next meeting will be held March 10 at the Elks Lodge at 11:00 a.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones
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14 January 2012
The regular monthly meeting of the Rush County Genealogical Society was held at the Rushville Lodge with 8 members and two guests present. President Pam Steed called the meeting to order at 11:05.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,189.94 in our account.
Old Business
Linda Mahan reported that her employer is unable to donate the copier not in use because the hard drive contains personal information. Donna Tauber requested an update on the library Project. After a report and some discussion, Karen Pruet agreed to head up a committee to proceed with the project of organizing the Indiana Room of the library. President Pam Steed reported that we have sold half of the Civil War books and presented a copy to Steve Mahan for the Rush County Historical Society. He reported on the RCHS project to organize and add items to their library and this would be a welcome addition. Carol Jones circulated an article that she and Susan Huston (mostly Susan) had prepared for submission to the Rushville Republican. It was suggested that the article be submitted to surrounding newspapers and emailed to area libraries. President Pam reported that two cemeteries in Anderson Township have been completed for the cemetery book, and asked for assistance in completing the remaining cemeteries. Carol Jones asked her to email her the cemetery information Pam needed and she would start taking photos when the weather warmed. Karen Pruet expressed concern about Hopewell Cemetery and the work Cathy Lindley was doing. President Pam indicated that Cathy had provided Pam with her photos.
New Business
Linda Mahan reported that the fourth marriage book covering dates from 1862 to 1876 is now completed and will sell for $15.00. She also noted there may be an error with the third book and will research that the next time she visits the courthouse. Our guest from Indianapolis, Curtis Heywood, introduced himself and asked for assistance in how to properly research his family. Several members offered tips, advice, and assistance. He was most thankful and noted he does plan to return and join our organization. President Pam then asked for suggestions on possible programs to offer at the meetings. Some of the subjects suggested were German research, Genealogy 101, Early Pioneers of Rush County, Indiana Archives digital work, and DNA genealogy research. President Pam thanked everyone for the suggestions and asked those who offered suggestions to follow up with possible speakers.
Donna Tauber and President Pam then presented a program on online genealogy research and distributed DVDs with additional information. The meeting was adjourned at 12:00; the next meeting will be held February 11 at the Elks Lodge at 11:00 a.m.
Secretary,
Carol S. Jones