In response to Jack Cox, it is not the typing of St. Marks that I need help with. All I need there is to find the time to do it. Once I get started, it won't take long. The thing that really needs to be done with that cemetery is--------- The listing I have is so out of date - nothing beyond 1960. It would be SO HELPFUL if someone would pay the priest in Emporium a visit and ask to look at the burial records that he, hopefully, keeps. Or perhaps there is a separate secretary for the cemetery that would be willing to open his/her records. I suppose if worse came to worse, the funeral directors would open records, too. It had always been my understanding that "Coppersmith's" had handled the Protestant funerals in Emporium and "Egan's" or whoever the "other" funeral director in town was handled the Catholic funerals. I would be willing to work with whoever would be interested in doing this. I walked Newton Cemetery by myself during hunting season one year and it was not the best experience I ever had. Too many hunters wandering through the cemetery in their cars. Guess there was nothing better to do at the time. Anyway, I felt very ill at ease being up there alone so kept moving my car so it would be handy. If anyone is interested in seeing if they could help out with this project, please contact me. Mary Ellen Smith _________________________________________________________________ Crave some Miles Davis or Grateful Dead? Your old favorites are always playing on MSN Radio Plus. Trial month free! http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio

Congratulations Mike on being elected on the board! Now, you are on your way.....next you will be president! Bernie

With thanks to Diane DeShong, I added family reports for Sterling, Hiney & Howlett Families! This section is growing. Send me you family report if you want it added. Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero

Mary Ellen, If you ever want help in transcribing the St. Marks list, just let me know. Glad to help out anytime in any format you want to use. Jack Cox ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Smith" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:43 AM Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Re: PACAMERO-D Digest V03 #320 > I feel compelled to air this subject one last time. > > Several years ago I wanted to transcribe the headstones of Newton Cemetery. > I contacted Jim Miller about looking through his records as I believe he was > the secretary of either the cemetery or the Historical Society at the time. > He never had the courtesy to respond to my letter but I understand he was > miffed because I suggested that I would bring a computer to Emporium to copy > his records. Apparently not too many people in Emporium care for computers. > (It seems I have some spies in Emporium, basically my relatives.) > > I was finally able to secure, for a small fee, a copy of the document > listing those buried in Newton from Sandy Hornung. The copy she made and > sent to me was corrected, added to, and written over in almost every blank > space. I had to re-type the entire document so that I could read it and get > it into some sort of readable order. > > After I walked the cemetery and noted the names on headstones that had not > been included in the list I got from Sandy, I retyped the new list on clean > white paper and even made a copy that I offered to Sandy FOR FREE only to > have her turn me down. I was absolutely floored. And I would bet that she > is STILL copying that old overwritten copy to anyone requesting a copy of > the burials. Apparently she doesn't think much of computers, either, and > she's only 1 year older than I am. (Honestly, I think my life would be very > dull without my computer.) > > Unfortunately there are probably people out there who do not realize that > the burials are all listed on the Cameron Co. website and can be searched > for free. I never realized there were so many cemeteries in Cameron Co. I > have the OLD list of burials for St. Marks Cemetery in my possession, thanks > to Mike, and plan to start working on it for inclusion on the website as > soon as I finish the 1880 census and the 1900 census. (Also have the 1920 > census to do, as well.) All in good time. I will never die because I have > too much to do and will probably never fiish. > > Here's to a more forward-looking group of people. Good luck with changing > the mind-set of the Historical Society. You may have to wait a full > generation before anything meaningful happens. > > Mary Ellen (Overmier) Smith > > _________________________________________________________________ > Is your computer infected with a virus? Find out with a FREE computer virus > scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! > http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > List your surnames in the Queries section of the Site to get the full benefit of what there is to offer. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero >

I agree with everything you said Mary Ellen..although all the cemetery listings are not online yet. The ones online are no later then the 1970's from the C.E Koppenheffer collection. I wanted to send pictures I've taken of grave stones to Mike for inclusion online but the people(including my parents, grand parents, etc.) are not listed. I have the Caskey Cemetery book and would love to add it's listings to site but Mike says it's copyrighted material and shouldn't be done. I would start typing today if we had perrmission to use them although they too are now outdated having been done in the 1990's. Pete Send ALL mail to: [email protected] Visit my "All American" Home Page at: http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger From: "Mary Smith" <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Re: PACAMERO-D Digest V03 #320 Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 08:43:40 -0800 I feel compelled to air this subject one last time. Several years ago I wanted to transcribe the headstones of Newton Cemetery. I contacted Jim Miller about looking through his records as I believe he was the secretary of either the cemetery or the Historical Society at the time. He never had the courtesy to respond to my letter but I understand he was miffed because I suggested that I would bring a computer to Emporium to copy his records. Apparently not too many people in Emporium care for computers. (It seems I have some spies in Emporium, basically my relatives.) I was finally able to secure, for a small fee, a copy of the document listing those buried in Newton from Sandy Hornung. The copy she made and sent to me was corrected, added to, and written over in almost every blank space. I had to re-type the entire document so that I could read it and get it into some sort of readable order. After I walked the cemetery and noted the names on headstones that had not been included in the list I got from Sandy, I retyped the new list on clean white paper and even made a copy that I offered to Sandy FOR FREE only to have her turn me down. I was absolutely floored. And I would bet that she is STILL copying that old overwritten copy to anyone requesting a copy of the burials. Apparently she doesn't think much of computers, either, and she's only 1 year older than I am. (Honestly, I think my life would be very dull without my computer.) Unfortunately there are probably people out there who do not realize that the burials are all listed on the Cameron Co. website and can be searched for free. I never realized there were so many cemeteries in Cameron Co. I have the OLD list of burials for St. Marks Cemetery in my possession, thanks to Mike, and plan to start working on it for inclusion on the website as soon as I finish the 1880 census and the 1900 census. (Also have the 1920 census to do, as well.) All in good time. I will never die because I have too much to do and will probably never fiish. Here's to a more forward-looking group of people. Good luck with changing the mind-set of the Historical Society. You may have to wait a full generation before anything meaningful happens. Mary Ellen (Overmier) Smith _________________________________________________________________ Is your computer infected with a virus? Find out with a FREE computer virus scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== List your surnames in the Queries section of the Site to get the full benefit of what there is to offer. http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero _________________________________________________________________ MSN Shopping upgraded for the holidays! Snappier product search... http://shopping.msn.com

Mike, One of the reasons for the great student/veteran' affairs in Cameron County is the active participation of our veterans in the two local organizations, the Miller/ Raffaele Post of the VFW and the Olkosky-Jessop American Legion Post 194. Cameron County has always been proud of our servicemen and also our one POW/MIA- Tom Clark. A visit to this site honoring him I recommend to you today. http://vfw8896.net/clark.htm Pete Send ALL mail to: [email protected] Visit my "All American" Home Page at: http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger From: "Mike" <[email protected]> Reply-To: "Mike" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Veteran's Day Service Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 11:34:03 -0500 It was nice to see the Genealogy Club so well represented at the Veteran's Day Service at the High School. Our own Kenny Ostrum was the guest speaker! School Principal, Dr. Wilson commented to Kenny and I that in all the schools he has taught, CCHS is the only one that really honors the Veterans and that the student really want to participate in the Service. The students were very respectful and attentive and put on a very nice service. Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== Come Visit The Cameron County Genealogy Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero _________________________________________________________________ Compare high-speed Internet plans, starting at $26.95. https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.)

Hi Mary Ellen, Your experience is not unique. Sandy is against computers. Why, I don't know. She has always been very helpful to me and has sent things without fees of any sort mentioned. Of course she has been a friend of my wife since they were children so perhaps I have special privileges. Enough of that. The 1860 census eludes me. Do you have it? Peter Huot Sonoma County, CA

I am much more optimistic than that Mary Ellen! LOL I am not that patient! :) Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Smith" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:43 AM Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Re: PACAMERO-D Digest V03 #320 > I feel compelled to air this subject one last time. > > Several years ago I wanted to transcribe the headstones of Newton Cemetery. > I contacted Jim Miller about looking through his records as I believe he was > the secretary of either the cemetery or the Historical Society at the time. > He never had the courtesy to respond to my letter but I understand he was > miffed because I suggested that I would bring a computer to Emporium to copy > his records. Apparently not too many people in Emporium care for computers. > (It seems I have some spies in Emporium, basically my relatives.) > > I was finally able to secure, for a small fee, a copy of the document > listing those buried in Newton from Sandy Hornung. The copy she made and > sent to me was corrected, added to, and written over in almost every blank > space. I had to re-type the entire document so that I could read it and get > it into some sort of readable order. > > After I walked the cemetery and noted the names on headstones that had not > been included in the list I got from Sandy, I retyped the new list on clean > white paper and even made a copy that I offered to Sandy FOR FREE only to > have her turn me down. I was absolutely floored. And I would bet that she > is STILL copying that old overwritten copy to anyone requesting a copy of > the burials. Apparently she doesn't think much of computers, either, and > she's only 1 year older than I am. (Honestly, I think my life would be very > dull without my computer.) > > Unfortunately there are probably people out there who do not realize that > the burials are all listed on the Cameron Co. website and can be searched > for free. I never realized there were so many cemeteries in Cameron Co. I > have the OLD list of burials for St. Marks Cemetery in my possession, thanks > to Mike, and plan to start working on it for inclusion on the website as > soon as I finish the 1880 census and the 1900 census. (Also have the 1920 > census to do, as well.) All in good time. I will never die because I have > too much to do and will probably never fiish. > > Here's to a more forward-looking group of people. Good luck with changing > the mind-set of the Historical Society. You may have to wait a full > generation before anything meaningful happens. > > Mary Ellen (Overmier) Smith > > _________________________________________________________________ > Is your computer infected with a virus? Find out with a FREE computer virus > scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! > http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > List your surnames in the Queries section of the Site to get the full benefit of what there is to offer. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero >

It was nice to see the Genealogy Club so well represented at the Veteran's Day Service at the High School. Our own Kenny Ostrum was the guest speaker! School Principal, Dr. Wilson commented to Kenny and I that in all the schools he has taught, CCHS is the only one that really honors the Veterans and that the student really want to participate in the Service. The students were very respectful and attentive and put on a very nice service. Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero

I feel compelled to air this subject one last time. Several years ago I wanted to transcribe the headstones of Newton Cemetery. I contacted Jim Miller about looking through his records as I believe he was the secretary of either the cemetery or the Historical Society at the time. He never had the courtesy to respond to my letter but I understand he was miffed because I suggested that I would bring a computer to Emporium to copy his records. Apparently not too many people in Emporium care for computers. (It seems I have some spies in Emporium, basically my relatives.) I was finally able to secure, for a small fee, a copy of the document listing those buried in Newton from Sandy Hornung. The copy she made and sent to me was corrected, added to, and written over in almost every blank space. I had to re-type the entire document so that I could read it and get it into some sort of readable order. After I walked the cemetery and noted the names on headstones that had not been included in the list I got from Sandy, I retyped the new list on clean white paper and even made a copy that I offered to Sandy FOR FREE only to have her turn me down. I was absolutely floored. And I would bet that she is STILL copying that old overwritten copy to anyone requesting a copy of the burials. Apparently she doesn't think much of computers, either, and she's only 1 year older than I am. (Honestly, I think my life would be very dull without my computer.) Unfortunately there are probably people out there who do not realize that the burials are all listed on the Cameron Co. website and can be searched for free. I never realized there were so many cemeteries in Cameron Co. I have the OLD list of burials for St. Marks Cemetery in my possession, thanks to Mike, and plan to start working on it for inclusion on the website as soon as I finish the 1880 census and the 1900 census. (Also have the 1920 census to do, as well.) All in good time. I will never die because I have too much to do and will probably never fiish. Here's to a more forward-looking group of people. Good luck with changing the mind-set of the Historical Society. You may have to wait a full generation before anything meaningful happens. Mary Ellen (Overmier) Smith _________________________________________________________________ Is your computer infected with a virus? Find out with a FREE computer virus scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

Since this year was the 100th anniversary of Harley Davidson motorcycles, here are some statistics from 1903 I found in one of the publicatons we receive: The average life expectancy was 47 years of age. Only 14% of the U.S. had a bathtub, and only 8% had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11. There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was the 21st most populated state in the Union. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour. The average American worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn an annual salary of $2,000, a dentist $2,500, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000. More tha 95% of all births took place at home. And 90% of all physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard." Sugar cost 4 cents a pound, eggs were 14 cents a dozen and coffee cost 15 cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were, respectively, pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke. The American flag had 45 stars; Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't yet been admitted to the Union. The population of Las Vegas was 30. One in 10 adults couldn't read or write, and only 6% of all Americans had graduated high school. Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been invented. Coca-Cola contained cocaine. 18% of all U.S. households had at least one full-time servant or domestic. There were only about 230 reported murders in the U.S. Times have changed....

Hi Mike, Walt, Bernie, I have no objection to the fees I paid to Sandy Hornung to copy the data I wanted from the Historical Society's microfilms. My dissatisfaction was with the fact that no one in all those years would make any of them available to anyone other then her. She had them, controlled them and charges a fee to allow searchers to access them. I also have no quarms with the tight security for objects at the museum. I object to the lack of sharing of the objects, especially any ones I may have donated. AAMOF I have some things I would like to donate to them right now but I'll be darned if I will until I see that they are going to display them. Those people in the Society have preserved history by restriction of information. That is what is completely wrong! Also Bernie what you said about the Potter County Museum if completely true. Others would not believe how helpful they are. Pete Send ALL mail to: [email protected] Visit my "All American" Home Page at: http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger From: "walt" <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Paying fees Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 15:47:09 -0800 In response to Burnie paying to join and not getting anything! About 20 years ago, I was researching my father's ancestors at Galena, JoDaviess county, Illinois Court House. At that time, I had to give them a list of people I wanted information on. They demanded $7.00 per item to look and see if they even had it. They gave me some information, but couldn't find anything for 11 names, $77.00 down the drain. A few years ago they had a computer print-out list and it is free to look up names on the list and only pay $10.00 each for a printed copy of what they have. Guess What? At least half of those names I wanted way back when have been reserected from the Dead (Files that is!). If you wanted to look up court cases on the second floor, they hand you the book and they will then let you copy by hand anything in the old records. Also the old Court House had a leaky roof and a lot of old records were stored in the attic. They were throwing the wet ones into a dumpster. A member of the Historical Society happened to see them and was trying to retrieve them to preserve those old records. A Court House Clerk threatened her with arrest if she took them. It took an emegency meeting with a Judge to rule that the Historical Society had every right to get them and dry them out and preserve those records. It was so nice in June 2002 when I was at the Emporium Court House to have them show me into the vault and then make copies at the most reasonable charge of any Court House in the U.S. and I have been to dozens of them across America. Walt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dial Broadband has arrived in California! Up to 5 times faster than traditional dialup connections from $13.33/month! See the demo for yourself at http://www.BigValley.net ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== Invite your family and friends to join us! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero _________________________________________________________________ From Beethoven to the Rolling Stones, your favorite music is always playing on MSN Radio Plus. No ads, no talk. Trial month FREE! http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio

Like I said earlier, my intention is that this is all in the past. Turn around will not happen over night, but it will happen...they are moving in the right direction and we can be there to point the way! Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pete Bennett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 10:16 PM Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Paying fees > Hi Mike, Walt, Bernie, > I have no objection to the fees I paid to Sandy Hornung to copy the data I > wanted from the Historical Society's microfilms. My dissatisfaction was > with the fact that no one in all those years would make any of them > available to anyone other then her. She had them, controlled them and > charges a fee to allow searchers to access them. I also have no quarms > with the tight security for objects at the museum. I object to the lack of > sharing of the objects, especially any ones I may have donated. AAMOF I > have some things I would like to donate to them right now but I'll be darned > if I will until I see that they are going to display them. Those people in > the Society have preserved history by restriction of information. That is > what is completely wrong! > Also Bernie what you said about the Potter County Museum if completely true. > Others would not believe how helpful they are. > Pete > > > > Send ALL mail to: [email protected] > > Visit my "All American" Home Page at: > http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ > > Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger > > > > > > > > > > From: "walt" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Paying fees > Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 15:47:09 -0800 > > In response to Burnie paying to join and not getting anything! About 20 > years ago, I was researching my father's ancestors at Galena, JoDaviess > county, Illinois Court House. At that time, I had to give them a list of > people I wanted information on. They demanded $7.00 per item to look and see > if they even had it. They gave me some information, but couldn't find > anything for 11 names, $77.00 down the drain. A few years ago they had a > computer print-out list and it is free to look up names on the list and only > pay $10.00 each for a printed copy of what they have. Guess What? At least > half of those names I wanted way back when have been reserected from the > Dead (Files that is!). > If you wanted to look up court cases on the second floor, they hand you the > book and they will then let you copy by hand anything in the old records. > Also the old Court House had a leaky roof and a lot of old records were > stored in the attic. They were throwing the wet ones into a dumpster. A > member of the Historical Society happened to see them and was trying to > retrieve them to preserve those old records. A Court House Clerk threatened > her with arrest if she took them. It took an emegency meeting with a Judge > to rule that the Historical Society had every right to get them and dry them > out and preserve those records. > It was so nice in June 2002 when I was at the Emporium Court House to have > them show me into the vault and then make copies at the most reasonable > charge of any Court House in the U.S. and I have been to dozens of them > across America. > Walt > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- > Dial Broadband has arrived in California! Up to 5 times faster than > traditional dialup connections from $13.33/month! See the demo for yourself > at http://www.BigValley.net > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > Invite your family and friends to join us! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > _________________________________________________________________ > From Beethoven to the Rolling Stones, your favorite music is always playing > on MSN Radio Plus. No ads, no talk. Trial month FREE! > http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > Invite your family and friends to join us! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero >

Mike I agree with Patti and Pete. Where would the gea

I will mention that to them....I think John is looking more into building an office from scratch. Thanks! Mike Wennin Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hockenberry's" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 6:38 PM Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] RE: The historical society > I was wondering if the old State Police barracks would be a suitable > building. I'd be nervous about some of the buildings in town since they've > had so many problems with storm water. > > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > List your surnames in the Queries section of the Site to get the full benefit of what there is to offer. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero >

I was wondering if the old State Police barracks would be a suitable building. I'd be nervous about some of the buildings in town since they've had so many problems with storm water.

The proof is in the pudding. What has the historical society accomplished compared to those that run and contribute to this club? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Davis Family" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 1:43 PM Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > I know exactly what Pete is talking about. I feel the same way about the > Cameron County Historical Society and have had many of the same experiences. > I found myself going to other counties to do my Cameron County genealogy > research in the past...I love to research so why would I pay someone else to > do it for me. Absolutely insane! > Wendy > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Pete Bennett" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2003 7:37 PM > Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > > > > Hi Mike, > > I feel bad about calling those people in the Historical Society old > phogies > > when I wrote my reply on Saturday night, but my reason for saying that is > > not to cause conflict but rather to point out their lack of forward > positive > > thinking. Sandy Hornung who is still on the board, is one of my favorite > > Ladies and helped me get started in genealogy by searching for my first > > grandfather for me from the files of the Society which she still has that > > are inaccessable to others except through her.....now that I come to think > > of it I paid her to look up that information! > > Several times over the years I suggested to her that wouldn't it really be > > nice if the Society had a place where people could search those microfilms > > themselves. She alway responded that there was no place available that > the > > board of the Society would consider to trust people in to do their own > > searches. Basically saying that they wouldn't trust anyone to have the > > access to them > > and because they were stored in her upstairs room no one could access them > > there, although I think she did tell Don one time that he could look at > > them. > > > > They never in all those years tried to find a place to put them to be > > accessable to the public. Why not the local library? Maybe in a separate > > room. That has been since 1995 when I started searching. > > No efforts made. > > And now this Geleski guy who has already cast his vote........... I would > > never ay that they were not nice people but they are being overly > protective > > of public informatiom. I just wonder if the wording in their charter > > mentions public protection of information or public access in any way? > > So much for old history about an old Historical Society.... > > Pete > > > > > > > > Send ALL mail to: [email protected] > > > > Visit my "All American" Home Page at: > > http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ > > > > Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "Pete Bennett" <[email protected]> > > Reply-To: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > > Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2003 04:08:48 +0000 > > > > Mike, > > I think your response to Mr. Geleskie's three "strikes against the > > merger"says way more to address any issue what might be good or adverse > > reasons to facilitate a merger of the Genealogy Club with the Historical > > Society then the whole group of them might come up with all together. > > They've been looked on as "old phogies" for so long and your suggestions > > frightens them because you are bringing in new blood to a stale, dying > > organization. I say, keep up the good work Mike, keep your course > straight > > as you have been and there little innuendos will not hurt you or you good > > intensions. You are a more legitimate then that ever were or will be. > Amen, > > keep up the good work! > > Pete Bennett > > > > > > > > Send ALL mail to: [email protected] > > > > Visit my "All American" Home Page at: > > http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ > > > > Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "Mike" <[email protected]> > > Reply-To: "Mike" <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > > Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 01:19:08 -0500 > > > > Hi! > > > > I want to bring you up to speed with regards to "merging" the Genealogy > Club > > with the Historical Society. At the recent Board Meeting a concern was > > raised regarding a letter dated Oct. 18 from a member of the Society > warning > > against such a merger. I received a copy of the letter today and have > > written the following response. It is still unclear to me the concerns > that > > this person wrote about. He presented 3 "strikes" against the merger. > > Strike 1 was regarding the Website providing free genealogy information. > In > > my mind the Website has nothing to do with the Club merging with the > > Society. Strike 2 was the website posting of Beer's History which, in > this > > person's mind, is total fiction. Strike 3 was something about some former > > member of the Society writing a book about Cameron County History using > > Beer's as a source. I still cannot not figure out what these 2 had to do > > with anything. There was also a fear of putting the total inventory of > the > > museum on the internet which I sure do not have the time or interest to > do. > > While I do not think that anyone on the Board will be swayed by this > letter, > > I felt it necessary to respond as I have heard other "rumblings" regarding > > this issue. People resist change...even good change! > > > > Here is my response. We are meeting again in a couple of weeks and I will > > let you know what happens! > > > > November 7, 2003 > > > > John Kautz, President > > Cameron County Historical Society > > PO Box 433 > > Emporium, PA 15834 > > > > Dear John: > > > > I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the > misconceptions > > in Paul Geleskie's letter of October 18th and to clear up any confusion > and > > uneasiness that Members of the Society may have regarding this issue. > > > > First, there are two separate and distinct entities being confused as one- > > The Cameron County Genealogy Project and the Cameron County Genealogy > Club. > > The Cameron County Genealogy Project is a website > > (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero) devoted to Cameron County History and > > Genealogy. It is one of several thousand such websites hosted by > > Rootsweb.com. These county websites are devoted to free access to public > > information and are designed to help genealogy researchers access > > information they normally would not have access to because many of them do > > not live in the areas they are researching. It is a tool in a very unique > > phenomena of people freely sharing information; volunteering to search > > courthouses, cemeteries and libraries for strangers; and offering > > suggestions and direction in other people's research. There is no other > > place where such camaraderie exists amongst complete strangers involving > > millions of people. It is about people helping people in its purist form. > It > > is a good thing. > > > > The Cameron County Genealogy Project attracts over 1000 visits a month, > some > > 41,000 visits since January, 2000. The Project contains over 450 pages of > > Cameron County historical and public information with more being added > > monthly. This information has been freely transcribed and contributed to > the > > Website by volunteers dedicated to preserving and sharing Cameron County > > History. Less than 20 pages of that information are J. H. Beer's History > > of Cameron County. We soon will have the entire book reproduced online. > > After receiving an email from Paul back in May of 2000, the Beer's page > has > > had this disclaimer posted on it : "Disclaimer: It has been brought to our > > attention that not all of the information in Beer's History is completely > > accurate. Like all such resources, it is a good starting place, but you > > might want to double check the information for accuracy. Please let me > know > > of any thing that you know is wrong and I will add notes to the offending > > section. All in all, the book makes for good reading!" A request to Paul > > for a list of known errors went unanswered. To date, no one has advised of > > any misinformation regarding their family history as found in the book. I > > do not understand how Mimzi Skinner's writings (assuming this is the > > reference in "Strike 3") fits into this as they are not reproduced or > > mentioned on the Website. The point to all of this is, there just is no > > way that the Genealogy Project can be "merged" with the Historical > Society. > > > > In addition to the Website there is a separate E-mail List > > ([email protected]) with over 120 subscribers who are interested in > > Cameron County Genealogy and History. It is a place where people can > request > > and share information and ideas, talk about Cameron County and more. It > is > > from the subscribers of this list that the Cameron County Genealogy Club > was > > born. After my return to Emporium, I was asked by many of these > subscribers > > to please start a Genealogy Club where people could meet and share > > information on a regular basis. This need is not presently being > fulfilled > > by the Historical Society. In fact a request to start a Club was turned > down > > and we were told, after we started one on our own, that it would never > last. > > To answer a question brought up at the recent Board Meeting, it is this > > reason that these people did not join the Historical Society on the > outset. > > > > The Cameron County Genealogy Club was launched on March 1, 2003 with over > 50 > > Charter Members and has met monthly ever since with an average of 20-25 > > people in attendance- some members travel over 150 miles! Membership has > now > > grown to almost 70 people from all over the country and includes people > who > > do not have access to the Internet. Minutes of each meeting are posted on > > the Club's Website so that non-local folks can participate in the Club. > The > > Website (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero/club.htm) is housed with the > > Project Website as a matter of convenience. Also posted on the Website is > a > > list of surnames being researched and contact information for the people > > researching them. > > > > The stated purpose of the Club is as follows: > > > > 1. Education: To Provide speakers and/or classes to expose people to all > of > > the many sources of information available both online and locally; > > techniques for recording and storing information; and any other "how to" > > genealogy topics. Educate the general population about our hobby with a > > regular article in the Echo(this was written pre-Endeavor). Provide > speakers > > for local organizations and > > schools. Provide occasional Workshops to help new folks get into the > hobby. > > > > 2. Exchange of Information: We see this as a way to help internet and > > non-internet people exchange information on the families they are > > researching. A monthly article in the Echo would help achieve this along > > with postings on the website and email list and if the circumstances > warrant > > it- a newsletter. It would also be a great forum for helping each other > with > > brick walls. > > > > 3. Sourcing Data: We would like to see as much local data online as > > possible. We feel that a dedicated group of Club members could accomplish > a > > lot in that area. The Club would also be a place to share little known > > places to look for data and an opportunity for non-internet folks to share > > family photos and information on the internet. > > > > 4. Socializing: A great opportunity to share our success stories and to > pal > > around with folks with similar interests. > > > > 5. Down the road we talked about the possibility of an annual event > > (picnic?), touring (reading?) cemeteries, visiting area museums, visiting > a > > Family Research Center and more. We also talked about advertising our > group > > in the surrounding counties since, as far as I know, nothing like this > > exists in the area. > > > > It is these folks who now wish to "merge" with the Cameron County > Historical > > Society. They feel it will be a mutually beneficial existence. > > In actuality, they are asking for the Society to start a Genealogy Club. > > The Cameron County Genealogy Club would cease to exist. The present > members > > would become Members of the Historical Society and members of the Cameron > > County Historical Society's Genealogy Club. The Society would benefit > > greatly from this. It would provide a monthly Historical Society program, > > increasing and promoting the Society's presence in the Community. It would > > instantly add a possible 60+ new members to the Society. Many of these > new > > members would be active members and would become valuable assets to the > > Society as they volunteered to assist in Society projects. It is these > > people who network out in the world and would help attract new members and > > promote the Little Museum. The online presence of the Club would attract > > even more new members; increase attendance to the Little Museum and be an > > instant market for items the Society will sell in the future. All of this > > activity will not go unnoticed by the present Society Membership and the > > Community-at- large and will motivate them into more participation-people > > want to be a part of something happening! > > > > The main benefit for the present Club Members would be belonging to and > > supporting a prestigious organization with a reputation of preserving > > Cameron County History for some 80+ years. It will provide many of them > the > > satisfaction of being directly involved with that preservation and the > > sharing of that history. Ultimately, they would benefit from access to the > > Society's holdings that were donated to the Society by past family members > > to be shared with future generations. They feel this will be a win-win > > situation. > > > > Lastly, there has never been an "intent of placing a catalog and images of > > the museum's inventory on the "world wide web." However, there is an > intent > > of a presence for the Society and The Little Museum on the Internet. Such > a > > presence will only increase attendance to the Museum and help reach new > > members. Such a website can be viewed at > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero/society.htm. > > > > Society and Museum exposure on the Genealogy Project Website and E-mail > list > > this past year was directly responsible for no less than 60 of the people > > who visited the Museum this year, more than a dozen new members and the > sale > > of about 20 of Ira Collin's books. A Society website could easily increase > > these figures next year and into the future. > > > > I hope that this will clear-up the misconceptions and will satisfy any > > confusion or uneasiness regarding the Genealogy Club. If you have any > > further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am looking > > forward to our next meeting. > > > > > > > > Michael S. Wennin > > Coordinator Cameron County Genealogy Club > > County Coordinator - Cameron County Genealogy Project > > Member- Board of Directors - Cameron County Historical Society > > > > cc: Erwin Murray Jr. > > Pam Kautz > > Mary Louise Blumle > > Sandra Hornung > > Alvin Brown > > Marilyn Brown > > Pat Martin > > Tony Moscato > > Paul Geleskie > > > > Mike Wennin > > Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > > > > > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > > Come Visit The Cameron County Genealogy Project > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Great deals on high-speed Internet access as low as $26.95. > > https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.) > > > > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > > Celebrating Our 4th Year! Come check us out! > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > From Beethoven to the Rolling Stones, your favorite music is always > playing > > on MSN Radio Plus. No ads, no talk. Trial month FREE! > > http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio > > > > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > Come Visit The Cameron County Genealogy Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > >

I know exactly what Pete is talking about. I feel the same way about the Cameron County Historical Society and have had many of the same experiences. I found myself going to other counties to do my Cameron County genealogy research in the past...I love to research so why would I pay someone else to do it for me. Absolutely insane! Wendy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pete Bennett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2003 7:37 PM Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > Hi Mike, > I feel bad about calling those people in the Historical Society old phogies > when I wrote my reply on Saturday night, but my reason for saying that is > not to cause conflict but rather to point out their lack of forward positive > thinking. Sandy Hornung who is still on the board, is one of my favorite > Ladies and helped me get started in genealogy by searching for my first > grandfather for me from the files of the Society which she still has that > are inaccessable to others except through her.....now that I come to think > of it I paid her to look up that information! > Several times over the years I suggested to her that wouldn't it really be > nice if the Society had a place where people could search those microfilms > themselves. She alway responded that there was no place available that the > board of the Society would consider to trust people in to do their own > searches. Basically saying that they wouldn't trust anyone to have the > access to them > and because they were stored in her upstairs room no one could access them > there, although I think she did tell Don one time that he could look at > them. > > They never in all those years tried to find a place to put them to be > accessable to the public. Why not the local library? Maybe in a separate > room. That has been since 1995 when I started searching. > No efforts made. > And now this Geleski guy who has already cast his vote........... I would > never ay that they were not nice people but they are being overly protective > of public informatiom. I just wonder if the wording in their charter > mentions public protection of information or public access in any way? > So much for old history about an old Historical Society.... > Pete > > > > Send ALL mail to: [email protected] > > Visit my "All American" Home Page at: > http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ > > Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger > > > > > > > > > > From: "Pete Bennett" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2003 04:08:48 +0000 > > Mike, > I think your response to Mr. Geleskie's three "strikes against the > merger"says way more to address any issue what might be good or adverse > reasons to facilitate a merger of the Genealogy Club with the Historical > Society then the whole group of them might come up with all together. > They've been looked on as "old phogies" for so long and your suggestions > frightens them because you are bringing in new blood to a stale, dying > organization. I say, keep up the good work Mike, keep your course straight > as you have been and there little innuendos will not hurt you or you good > intensions. You are a more legitimate then that ever were or will be. Amen, > keep up the good work! > Pete Bennett > > > > Send ALL mail to: [email protected] > > Visit my "All American" Home Page at: > http://members.fortunecity.com/petee77/ > > Chat with me I'm "Petee" on Microsoft Messenger > > > > > > > > > > From: "Mike" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: "Mike" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: [PA-CAMERON] Genealogy Club/Historical Society update > Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 01:19:08 -0500 > > Hi! > > I want to bring you up to speed with regards to "merging" the Genealogy Club > with the Historical Society. At the recent Board Meeting a concern was > raised regarding a letter dated Oct. 18 from a member of the Society warning > against such a merger. I received a copy of the letter today and have > written the following response. It is still unclear to me the concerns that > this person wrote about. He presented 3 "strikes" against the merger. > Strike 1 was regarding the Website providing free genealogy information. In > my mind the Website has nothing to do with the Club merging with the > Society. Strike 2 was the website posting of Beer's History which, in this > person's mind, is total fiction. Strike 3 was something about some former > member of the Society writing a book about Cameron County History using > Beer's as a source. I still cannot not figure out what these 2 had to do > with anything. There was also a fear of putting the total inventory of the > museum on the internet which I sure do not have the time or interest to do. > While I do not think that anyone on the Board will be swayed by this letter, > I felt it necessary to respond as I have heard other "rumblings" regarding > this issue. People resist change...even good change! > > Here is my response. We are meeting again in a couple of weeks and I will > let you know what happens! > > November 7, 2003 > > John Kautz, President > Cameron County Historical Society > PO Box 433 > Emporium, PA 15834 > > Dear John: > > I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the misconceptions > in Paul Geleskie's letter of October 18th and to clear up any confusion and > uneasiness that Members of the Society may have regarding this issue. > > First, there are two separate and distinct entities being confused as one- > The Cameron County Genealogy Project and the Cameron County Genealogy Club. > The Cameron County Genealogy Project is a website > (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero) devoted to Cameron County History and > Genealogy. It is one of several thousand such websites hosted by > Rootsweb.com. These county websites are devoted to free access to public > information and are designed to help genealogy researchers access > information they normally would not have access to because many of them do > not live in the areas they are researching. It is a tool in a very unique > phenomena of people freely sharing information; volunteering to search > courthouses, cemeteries and libraries for strangers; and offering > suggestions and direction in other people's research. There is no other > place where such camaraderie exists amongst complete strangers involving > millions of people. It is about people helping people in its purist form. It > is a good thing. > > The Cameron County Genealogy Project attracts over 1000 visits a month, some > 41,000 visits since January, 2000. The Project contains over 450 pages of > Cameron County historical and public information with more being added > monthly. This information has been freely transcribed and contributed to the > Website by volunteers dedicated to preserving and sharing Cameron County > History. Less than 20 pages of that information are J. H. Beer's History > of Cameron County. We soon will have the entire book reproduced online. > After receiving an email from Paul back in May of 2000, the Beer's page has > had this disclaimer posted on it : "Disclaimer: It has been brought to our > attention that not all of the information in Beer's History is completely > accurate. Like all such resources, it is a good starting place, but you > might want to double check the information for accuracy. Please let me know > of any thing that you know is wrong and I will add notes to the offending > section. All in all, the book makes for good reading!" A request to Paul > for a list of known errors went unanswered. To date, no one has advised of > any misinformation regarding their family history as found in the book. I > do not understand how Mimzi Skinner's writings (assuming this is the > reference in "Strike 3") fits into this as they are not reproduced or > mentioned on the Website. The point to all of this is, there just is no > way that the Genealogy Project can be "merged" with the Historical Society. > > In addition to the Website there is a separate E-mail List > ([email protected]) with over 120 subscribers who are interested in > Cameron County Genealogy and History. It is a place where people can request > and share information and ideas, talk about Cameron County and more. It is > from the subscribers of this list that the Cameron County Genealogy Club was > born. After my return to Emporium, I was asked by many of these subscribers > to please start a Genealogy Club where people could meet and share > information on a regular basis. This need is not presently being fulfilled > by the Historical Society. In fact a request to start a Club was turned down > and we were told, after we started one on our own, that it would never last. > To answer a question brought up at the recent Board Meeting, it is this > reason that these people did not join the Historical Society on the outset. > > The Cameron County Genealogy Club was launched on March 1, 2003 with over 50 > Charter Members and has met monthly ever since with an average of 20-25 > people in attendance- some members travel over 150 miles! Membership has now > grown to almost 70 people from all over the country and includes people who > do not have access to the Internet. Minutes of each meeting are posted on > the Club's Website so that non-local folks can participate in the Club. The > Website (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero/club.htm) is housed with the > Project Website as a matter of convenience. Also posted on the Website is a > list of surnames being researched and contact information for the people > researching them. > > The stated purpose of the Club is as follows: > > 1. Education: To Provide speakers and/or classes to expose people to all of > the many sources of information available both online and locally; > techniques for recording and storing information; and any other "how to" > genealogy topics. Educate the general population about our hobby with a > regular article in the Echo(this was written pre-Endeavor). Provide speakers > for local organizations and > schools. Provide occasional Workshops to help new folks get into the hobby. > > 2. Exchange of Information: We see this as a way to help internet and > non-internet people exchange information on the families they are > researching. A monthly article in the Echo would help achieve this along > with postings on the website and email list and if the circumstances warrant > it- a newsletter. It would also be a great forum for helping each other with > brick walls. > > 3. Sourcing Data: We would like to see as much local data online as > possible. We feel that a dedicated group of Club members could accomplish a > lot in that area. The Club would also be a place to share little known > places to look for data and an opportunity for non-internet folks to share > family photos and information on the internet. > > 4. Socializing: A great opportunity to share our success stories and to pal > around with folks with similar interests. > > 5. Down the road we talked about the possibility of an annual event > (picnic?), touring (reading?) cemeteries, visiting area museums, visiting a > Family Research Center and more. We also talked about advertising our group > in the surrounding counties since, as far as I know, nothing like this > exists in the area. > > It is these folks who now wish to "merge" with the Cameron County Historical > Society. They feel it will be a mutually beneficial existence. > In actuality, they are asking for the Society to start a Genealogy Club. > The Cameron County Genealogy Club would cease to exist. The present members > would become Members of the Historical Society and members of the Cameron > County Historical Society's Genealogy Club. The Society would benefit > greatly from this. It would provide a monthly Historical Society program, > increasing and promoting the Society's presence in the Community. It would > instantly add a possible 60+ new members to the Society. Many of these new > members would be active members and would become valuable assets to the > Society as they volunteered to assist in Society projects. It is these > people who network out in the world and would help attract new members and > promote the Little Museum. The online presence of the Club would attract > even more new members; increase attendance to the Little Museum and be an > instant market for items the Society will sell in the future. All of this > activity will not go unnoticed by the present Society Membership and the > Community-at- large and will motivate them into more participation-people > want to be a part of something happening! > > The main benefit for the present Club Members would be belonging to and > supporting a prestigious organization with a reputation of preserving > Cameron County History for some 80+ years. It will provide many of them the > satisfaction of being directly involved with that preservation and the > sharing of that history. Ultimately, they would benefit from access to the > Society's holdings that were donated to the Society by past family members > to be shared with future generations. They feel this will be a win-win > situation. > > Lastly, there has never been an "intent of placing a catalog and images of > the museum's inventory on the "world wide web." However, there is an intent > of a presence for the Society and The Little Museum on the Internet. Such a > presence will only increase attendance to the Museum and help reach new > members. Such a website can be viewed at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero/society.htm. > > Society and Museum exposure on the Genealogy Project Website and E-mail list > this past year was directly responsible for no less than 60 of the people > who visited the Museum this year, more than a dozen new members and the sale > of about 20 of Ira Collin's books. A Society website could easily increase > these figures next year and into the future. > > I hope that this will clear-up the misconceptions and will satisfy any > confusion or uneasiness regarding the Genealogy Club. If you have any > further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am looking > forward to our next meeting. > > > > Michael S. Wennin > Coordinator Cameron County Genealogy Club > County Coordinator - Cameron County Genealogy Project > Member- Board of Directors - Cameron County Historical Society > > cc: Erwin Murray Jr. > Pam Kautz > Mary Louise Blumle > Sandra Hornung > Alvin Brown > Marilyn Brown > Pat Martin > Tony Moscato > Paul Geleskie > > Mike Wennin > Come Visit the Cameron County Genealogy Project! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > Come Visit The Cameron County Genealogy Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > _________________________________________________________________ > Great deals on high-speed Internet access as low as $26.95. > https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.) > > > ==== PACAMERO Mailing List ==== > Celebrating Our 4th Year! Come check us out! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacamero > > _________________________________________________________________ > From Beethoven to the Rolling Stones, your favorite music is always playing > on MSN Radio Plus. No ads, no talk. Trial month FREE! > http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio >

In response to Burnie paying to join and not getting anything! About 20 years ago, I was researching my father's ancestors at Galena, JoDaviess county, Illinois Court House. At that time, I had to give them a list of people I wanted information on. They demanded $7.00 per item to look and see if they even had it. They gave me some information, but couldn't find anything for 11 names, $77.00 down the drain. A few years ago they had a computer print-out list and it is free to look up names on the list and only pay $10.00 each for a printed copy of what they have. Guess What? At least half of those names I wanted way back when have been reserected from the Dead (Files that is!). If you wanted to look up court cases on the second floor, they hand you the book and they will then let you copy by hand anything in the old records. Also the old Court House had a leaky roof and a lot of old records were stored in the attic. They were throwing the wet ones into a dumpster. A member of the Historical Society happened to see them and was trying to retrieve them to preserve those old records. A Court House Clerk threatened her with arrest if she took them. It took an emegency meeting with a Judge to rule that the Historical Society had every right to get them and dry them out and preserve those records. It was so nice in June 2002 when I was at the Emporium Court House to have them show me into the vault and then make copies at the most reasonable charge of any Court House in the U.S. and I have been to dozens of them across America. Walt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dial Broadband has arrived in California! Up to 5 times faster than traditional dialup connections from $13.33/month! See the demo for yourself at http://www.BigValley.net

In a message dated 11/10/2003 11:18:17 AM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I forgot to mention in my last post that I have been elected to the Board of Directors of the Historical Society! Congratulations Mike! What great news. What a boost for those of us who have a heritage in Cameron County. You are the best caretaker for the past that I can imagine. Please keep us posted as to what we can do to help from afar. Cathi