TEXAS RESEARCH RAMBLERS

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

           Volume XV, No. 4, April 15, 2005     Bryan-College Station, Texas

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Last Meeting
2. Next Meeting
3. Officers
4. Treasurer’s Report
5. Future Seminars and Trips
6. Armchair Genealogy
7. Success Stories
8. Websites
9. Historical Moment
10. GenQuip

LAST MEETING

Ramblers last met on March 30, 2005 , at the College Station Utility Service Center in College Station with Bill Lay presiding. Rodger Koppa introduced Dr. Charles E. Gilliland, Research Economist from TAMU, who spoke on “Texas Public Lands.”  Four main areas he described included History of Texas Public Lands, Adoption of the Land Title Process, Public Lands to Private Lands , and Sources to Research. 

As a side note, did anyone have a chance to read “Bear Scrip” by O. Henry?  Perhaps we would understand O. Henry’s use of  “scrip” terminology now that we know what it is.

Welcome to our visitors and new members.  Patti Kruger introduced  guests Gladys and Marvin Dvoracek, and Kitty Anding introduced guests and new members Dean Duncan, deanduncan@cox.net , JoAnne Byrd, JoJuly@aol.com .  Another new member is Sylvia May, sylmay@txcyber.com .

Bill Lay conducted our business meeting, which included voting on two Executive Board recommendations:  1) sending $500 to the State Library to support the Heritage Quest section of TexShare program and 2) increasing the dues for the 2005-06 year to $20/person and $35/couple.  Following discussion on both issues, the group voted to accept the recommendations of the Board.  Several people informed the group about future trips, conferences, and workshops.  Thanks to Rodger Koppa for his flyer on “Some Tips for an Ergonomic Workplace for Genealogy Research.”

NEXT MEETING DATE AND PROGRAM

We will meet at the College Station Utility Service Center , located at 1601 Graham Rd. in College Station , on April 27, 2005 , at 9:30 a.m.   Our speaker, Dan Louis, will discuss “Tools of the Trade.”

OFFICERS FOR 2004-2005

President:  Bill Lay

Vice-President:  Mary Elizabeth Dresser

Secretary:  Georgianne Bigam

Treasurer:  Sue Foy

Corresponding Secretary:  Carol Lyon

TREASURER’S REPORT

Sue Foy reports the ending balance of $5,491.67 as of March 30, 2005 .  She also gave us a breakdown of Committee expenses.

FUTURE SEMINARS, TRIPS, AND WORKSHOPS

·        Every 2^nd Wednesday of the month:  a trip to Clayton Library in Houston .  Meet at Sam’s Club Parking Lot prior to 6:45 a.m. $7.50 to your driver.  Sack lunch.  Contact person:  Bliss Wolfe, 696-0170 or (even better) cell ph# 255-2429.

·        Every 3^rd Wednesday of the month:  Computer Users Group, headed by Bill Adams, will meet at the Exit Teen Center , 1600 Rock Prairie Rd., at 9:30 a.m.   Everyone is invited to eat at a local restaurant after the meeting.

·        Every last Wednesday of the month:  Research Ramblers will meet at College Station Utility Service Center , 1601 Graham Rd., at 9:30 A.M.   Everyone is invited to eat at a local restaurant after the meeting. 

·        Every 3^rd Tuesday, Rambler Writers will meet at the home of Sue Foy, 804 Vine St.., Bryan, at 4 p.m.    All are welcome to join us.

·        NEW:  Every 4^th Monday, Roots Magic Users will meet at the Bryan Public Library on the second floor from 9:30-11:30 A.M.   This is a new meeting place.

·        For a complete listing of events, see the Calendar posted by Barbara Althaus.

·        For workshops around the state, go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgskc/seminar.htm

·        April 23, 2005: “Doctor, Soldier, Farmer, Statesman” is a story about Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas that will be presented at Barrington Living Farm at Washington-on-the Brazos on Saturday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and on Sunday, 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.

·        April 23, 2005 : El Camino Real Historical Conference and Symposium in Cameron , Texas .  Speakers include Dr. Haskell Monroe, Liz Carpenter, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.  Call 1-254-697-4979 or e-mail www.tejastrail.org for more information.

·        May:  a trip to Carnegie Library.  Contact person:  Kitty Anding: kittyoncole@aol.com

·        For trips to the library in Salt Lake City , Utah , October 23-30, 2005 , to the library at Ft. Wayne , Indiana , in May, and the National Genealogical Conference in Nashville , Tennessee , June 1-4, 2005 , contact Travel Committee Chairman, Mary Elizabeth Dresser, meatd@cox.net .

·        Detailed information for the NGS Conference information can be found at   www.ngsgenealogy.org

·        A fun trip is to take a drive on the wildflower trail around Independence , where I took this picture.

ARMCHAIR GENEALOGY

Have you ever been in a panoramic photo?  This type of photo can be of special interest to family historians, writes Patricia Law Hatcher, in her article, “Panoramic Photographs” in the March/April 2005 issue of Ancestry, pp. 25-31.  Many companies took this type of photo because it appealed to different groups of people, especially if they were associated with the businesses or schools in the picture.  The military found panoramic photographs useful in tactical planning in WWI.  Two locations at the Library of Congress will give you access to panoramic photos.  Perhaps your family member is in one of them. 

• www.lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/187_pans.html  will put you into Prints and Photographs Reading Room, which opens the door to many types of photos, such as Historical Photos.

• www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/ is a link to 4200 digitized images.  When I typed in “ Texas ” in the search box, 206 titles were accessed, from a 1928 panorama of the National Democratic Convention in Houston to a 1930 Bathing Girl panorama in Galveston . If you click on “Military” you can access 513 WWII military camps. 

• http://www.hrc.utexas.edu is a quick site to a photography collection at UT-Austin

• Below is a panorama from fellow Rambler, Elton Lacey.

In this portion of a panorama photo, we can locate Elton’s father, James David Lacey, who was in the Civilian Conservation Corps and was assigned to help build the Garner State Park , located 10 miles south of Leakey , Texas . 

If you look closely, you can see JamesLacey in the second row behind the first white cap on the left.  (The white hat guys were the cooks).  Standing next to him on the left and looking towards him is a civilian representative. What a treasure!

SUCCESS STORIES/FYI (for your information)

For Your Information is a section about a lesson from a Rambler that benefits all members.  This month’s information comes from Barbara Brodigan.

 She writes, “My parents bodies are buried in a mausoleum in Pennsylvania .  The middle area was all wood where services were held.  This area caught fire and there was a lot of water and smoke damage.”

In addition, she said, “The owners won’t allow anyone in to check on their families.  There is now a big case pending with people from all over the country worrying about their loved ones.  I’m sure my parents thought their burial would not cause any problems for my brother and me.  In other words, keep track of mausoleums as well as cemeteries.”

Barbara’s experience is certainly something for us to be aware of for our own families.

WEBSITES

http://stlgs.org/NatSearch.aspx is the website of The Saint Louis Genealogical Society, which now has an on-line collection of naturalization cards from St. Louis , Missouri , 1816-1906.

http://immigrants.byu.edu is a website of Brigham Young University’s Immigrant Ancestors Project.  Volunteers are creating databases using records in emigrant home countries to locate the birthplaces of immigrants which are missing many port records and naturalization documents in arrival countries.

HISTORICAL MOMENT

In our last issue we learned that the delegates at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted The Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836 .  In this issue we learn of the turmoil and success that followed.

·        March 6:  The end of a 13 day siege of the Alamo led by Gen. Santa Anna resulting in the death of the remaining defenders.

·        March 10:  Sam Houston abandoned Gonzales and retreated eastward to avoid the advancing army.  Many panicked settlers also retreated to avoid being captured, which was known as “The Runaway Scrape.”

·        March 27:  About 350 Texas prisoners, including their commander James Fannin, are executed at Goliad by Santa Anna’s order.

            (Courtesy of http://www.texasalmanac.com )

April 21: The Battle of San Jacinto was the defining battle of the struggle for independence.  Sam Houston had learned that Santa Anna’s blue-uniformed soldiers were camped near the juncture of the Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River .  He had also seen that the Mexican forces had built the barricade high that separated them.  Knowing they would be tired and most of the 1265 men would take a siesta, Houston knew his plan. 

            On that decisive morning he made sure his 910 men had a good breakfast of bread, using the flour confiscated from one of Santa Anna’s barges, and meat, from the slaughtered beeves the day before.  Then he told his men that Vince’s bridge had been destroyed, penning in the Texans and the Mexicans with only one route for escape. About 3:30 p.m. Houston ordered his men to “Advance.”  The Texans, already bitter and hurt at the loss of family and friends, rallied to attack with Houston ’s words, “Remember the Alamo ” and “Remember La Bahia.”

            Many of the surprised and panic-stricken Mexicans threw down their guns and ran.  “Me no Alamo ” and “Me no Goliad”, they cried, but the avenging Texans showed no mercy even when General Houston tried to restrain his men. 

            Santa Anna, wearing the uniform of a common soldier, escaped into the woods, but the Texans captured him as well as other fleeing soldiers.  When he marched into camp, his own men, also prisoners, greeted him with “El Presidente,” which identified him.

            On May 14 public and private treaties were signed at Velasco, recognizing the end of the war and the recognition of Texas independence.  Thus, the revolution of 1836 ended, which established Texas as a free republic.

(Courtesy of http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/batsanjacinto.htm )

If you’d like to see what it was like, attend the state’s largest Battle Reenactment at the San Jacinto Day Festival on April 23, 2005 , from 10 A.M.-5 P.M. in La Porte , Texas . For more information, call (281)-479-2421 or access www.sanjacinto-museum.org .

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/battlesh/activities.htm is the website of the San Jacinto Battleground, Battleship TEXAS, and the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte , Texas .  You will see not only this picture but also information about the park.

GENQUIP

Speaking of soldiers, Jackie Gleason once remarked, “If you think old soldiers just fade away, just try to get into your old uniform.” 

Questions, comments, or concerns, contact Helen Kunz, hkk@tca.net

The Research Rambler Newsletter is published by the Texas Research Rambler Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 11195, College Station, Texas 77842-1195. Editor,  Helen Kunz, hkk@tca.net