TROY IRISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY
Troy, New York
The regular monthly meeting of the Troy Irish Genealogy Society
was held on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at the Conference Room
in Troy City Hall. The following individuals were in attendance:
Kris Ayotte
Kay Brearton
Ann Distell
Margaret Farrell
Jeanne Keefe
Bill McGrath
Cathy McGrath
Doris Reilly Moak
Mimi Nicotina
Eileen Shea
Rick Shea
Lizette Strait
Donna K. Vaughn
The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by
Donna Vaughn, President. Donna welcomed Ann Distell and Margaret
Farrell to the group. On behalf of the members, Donna also welcomed
back Kris Ayotte.
A motion was made by Jeanne Keefe and seconded
by Rick Shea to approve the minutes of the August 25, 2005 meeting.
The motion passed. The minutes have been published on the TIGS website.
REPORTS
There was no report from the President
The Vice President, Kris Ayotte, had no report.
She pointed out that TIGS was begun two years ago this date.
There was no report from the Secretary.
Rick Shea, Treasurer, reported that there is currently
$140 in the TIGS treasury with a total of 28 paid members.
Lizette Strait, List Administrator, reported that
there are currently 120 list members; eight are subscribed in digest
form.
Jeanne Keefe, Webmaster, reported that everything
is current on the site. All links to surnames that have been submitted
to her will be done; she expects a few more to come in. Tomorrow
surnames without links will be removed from the website. The resources
section still needs to be reorganized.
Rick Shea noted that he has a CD that contains
the Griffiths Evaluation and would be glad to do lookups. Donna
suggested that he put that offer out on the list.
OLD BUSINESS
Bill McGrath spoke regarding the marriage index
project. Jeanne Keefe has obtained a new laptop computer for use
by TIGS and she will set up a training session for volunteers.
Bill also reported on the 1902 Troy City directory
project. It is almost finished. One volunteer who was working on
the C and D letters in the directory was unable to complete the
work; Kay Brearton offered to do those two letters and Kris Ayotte
offered to do the last letter to complete the project.
Lizette Strait distributed a draft copy of the
TIGS trifold brochure. There was one minor correction that was noted
and the members expressed their appreciation to Lizette for the
fine work she has done. When the brochure is printed, copies will
be distributed in local libraries and other appropriate locations
to inform the public about the organization. A motion was made by
Cathy McGrath and seconded by Jeanne Keefe to approve the necessary
expenditure to purchase one ream of paper for the printing. The
motion was approved.
Mimi Nicotina has spoken with Ruth Sweet, a member
of the staff of the Troy Public Library, who has agreed to speak
at the October meeting. After some discussion it was decided to
hold the October 20 meeting at the Troy Public Library and start
at 6:00 PM. Before posting the information regarding the meeting,
Mimi will confirm it with Mrs. Sweet. Once confirmation is received,
information regarding the meeting and speaker will be posted on
the website and list. Flyers will be developed by Lizette for distribution
at local libraries and other appropriate locations.
NEW BUSINESS
Kay Brearton reported that the American Canadian
Genealogical Society has agreed to allow local people proofread
the computerized records for St. Mary’s in Troy. David Bonitatibus
will be attending a meeting in New Hampshire at the end of September
and will bring back the first set of files. The staff at ACGS is
backlogged with the work that has been coming in and without assistance
from outside, St. Mary’s records might not be proofread for
years. It is hoped that we can successfully accomplish this work
and thereby hasten the printing of the information for St. Mary’s.
Joan Howe contacted Bill McGrath suggesting some
type of project be done utilizing information from a book entitled,
“The History of Watervliet” covering the period from
1630 to 1910. Joan sent him a copy of a page containing an alphabetical
list of names. The members need additional clarification regarding
what she had in mind to be done with this information. Bill will
get back to Joan for additional information.
Donna suggested a new activity for our Open Genealogy
Forum, or for a posting to our website or list, for members to share
about Famous, Infamous or Interesting Ancestors they have found
in their family trees. The Annual Irishfest will be held at the
Altamont Fairgrounds this Saturday with activities being held all
day. Discounted tickets are available at Price Chopper stores.
Donna also asked if there were any tours that the
group could participate in. The members discussed some of the possibilities,
but noted that there are fewer tours are conducted in the Fall and
Winter in our area. Jeanne Keefe will check with the New York State
Library to see if they could conduct a tour on a Saturday.
The recent “Historian” section of the
Troy Record had a photo of Doris Reilly Moak’s mother with
her brother and another photo taken in 1926 shortly before her parents
– Grace LaBelle and Walter Reilly were married. They died
two years ago after 72 years of marriage.
The October meeting will be held on October 20
with the beginning time and location to be announced.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Jeanne Keefe and seconded
by Kris Ayotte to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved and
the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Brearton, Secretary
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