TROY IRISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY

Troy, New York

The regular monthly meeting of the Troy Irish Genealogy Society was held on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at the Irish Mist Restaurant, Troy, New York. The following individuals were in attendance:

Kris Ayotte
Cathy McGrath
Dick Boland
Bill McGrath
Kay Brearton
Bill McMahon
Lisa Dougherty
Doris Moak
Debbie Gilligan
Mimi Nicotina
Mike Gilligan
Vince Nicotina
Karen Iacobucci
Lizette Strait
Jeanne Keefe
Jan Sullivan
Pat McAvey
Donna Vaughn
Kris White

The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. by President Kris Ayotte who noted that it was exactly five years since TIGS was formed here at the Irish Mist.

A motion was made by Jeanne Keefe and seconded by Mike Gilligan to approve the minutes of the August meeting; they have been posted to the web site. The motion was approved.

REPORTS

There were no reports from the President or Secretary.

Cathy McGrath, Treasurer, reported a beginning balance in the Treasury of $1234.38. $10.00 was received in dues and a $1.20 deposit for overage for the brochures. The current balance is $1152.58 and with $29.50 in the petty cash account. There are 102 paid members. The question was raised regarding the cutoff date for membership when dues are paid other than the prescribed date. This was discussed at an earlier meeting; the secretary will research the information and get back to the Treasurer with the decision that was made.

Jeanne Keefe, Webmaster, noted that Ancestry has taken over the administration of Rootsweb and, as a result, a few technical problems have occurred. Some links were lost but gradually everything is being restored.

Brad Miter, List Administrator, submitted a report indicating there are 199 list members as of September 10.

Bill McGrath, Project Chairperson, reported that Volumes 6 & 7 of the Rensselaer County Marriage Index are now up on the TIGS website and 26 other lists have been informed of its availability. There are now approximately 40,000 names on the website for Volumes 1 through 7 of the Marriage Index. Bill also noted that there was a Google Alert that the TIGS website is now linked to Olive Tree.

OLD BUSINESS

Jan Sullivan discussed the proposed plant sale. May 16 or May 23 was mentioned as possible dates for the sale. A location has yet to be determined. Several places were suggested; e.g., Brunswick Community Center, Tipperary Trading Company, etc. Jan will need help with placing plants in containers after being dug up. Containers are needed and members were asked to save items, such as plastic tubs that contained butter, Kool whip, cottage cheese, etc. Jan will send an e-mail to the TIGS list asking for help with this project.

Kris Ayotte discussed the possible trip to Salt Lake City. Kris White was there very recently and added some suggestions and reported her experience. A show of hands indicated that several members were interested in the proposed trip.

Mimi Nicotina reported on the upcoming address by Assemblyman Jack McEneny at the ICC in Troy on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. Lizette is handling publicity for the event. It was agreed that the ICC may handle any refreshments if they wish to do so. A basket will be provided for free will donations. A motion was made by Lizette Strait and seconded by Dick Boland authorizing Kris Ayotte to put together a raffle. A TIGS tote bag will be filled with items such as books, T-shirt, a bottle of liquor and other items. The motion was approved. Jeanne Keefe agreed to sell the tickets the night of the event. The winner must be present to win. Lizette Strait will provide the tickets and announce the winner. Kris Ayotte will address the attendees informing them about TIGS and introduce Mimi Nicotina who will introduce Mr. McEneny.

Donna Vaughn will send photos of the trip to Ireland to Jeanne Keefe for posting on the web site.

NEW BUSINESS

The members discussed participating in the Victorian Stroll scheduled for December 6 in downtown Troy. Members agreed to have a table at the event. Kris Ayotte has sent an e-mail message to the Victorian Stroll website and is waiting for a response.

Bill McGrath reported on the status of Volume 8 of the Rensselaer County marriage index. He asked for someone to volunteer to scan Volume 9 and enter the information on the laptop. Kris Ayotte offered to handle the scanning.

Bill shared a spreadsheet he developed to record the information on church memorials. Donna Vaughn told the members that she has photographed and recorded the memorials for St. Joseph’s Church in Green Island. Lizette and Kay will arrange to record the memorials from St. William’s Church in Troy which is one of the churches scheduled to close.

A location for future meetings was discussed and the members were receptive to a suggestion to hold the November meeting at Carol’s Place in Albia.

Donna Vaughn suggested that Tom Hanley, who is associated with Immaculate Heart of Mary in Watervliet, be invited to speak at a future meeting. She has spoken with him and he indicated that he would be willing to come to a TIGS meeting. Dr. Charles Orser, who is involved in Irish Archeology at the NYS Library, was also suggested as a speaker. Mimi Nicotina shared information about OASIS , an educational organization located at SUNY Albany, which offers very interesting workshops. Donna Vaughn shared information about the upcoming Heritage Hunters Fall Conference in Saratoga Springs on October 18. The title of the lecture at the conference is “They Came in Ships”. The registration fee is $35 for non-members.

The members discussed the possibility of sharing data with Ancestry.com. There has been some criticism of that organization and the members decided to wait until more information is available before proceeding.

Kris Ayotte congratulated the members who composed the recent newsletter. It was excellent.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Jeanne Keefe and seconded by Dick Boland to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved and the meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. There will be a brief business meeting at 6:00 PM on Thursday, October 16, prior to the scheduled address by Jack McEneny at the Italian Community Center.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Brearton, Secretary