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 > >