Notes from the President
19 Nov 2009
This just in!
Vermont State Archives (previously Vermont Public Records) in Middlesex has just announced new (reduced) Reference Room hours starting Monday, 30 Nov 2009, as follows:
Mondays: CLOSED
Tuesdays through Fridays: 9 AM to 4 PM.
Reason for the changed hours was expressed in an email as follows: “The change in hours is due to several factors but primarily the need to balance staff time in the Reference Room with staff time for projects that would make records more readily available to researchers. Our statistics show that Mondays are the slowest day in the room with very few researchers, if any. The same was true for the 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM time period.”
Fall Conference a Success
Despite a smaller-than-normal turnout, the GSV Fall Conference was a notable success. Three speakers enlightened those present about Northeast Kingdom railroad history, changes in genealogical resources available on the internet, and experiences in transcribing newpaper notices of genealogical import. The facility at Lyndon State was one of the best we have ever had, and everything went off without a hitch. There are any number of reasons for the light turnout, including the Vermont Historical Society’s annual meeting in Montpelier on the same date (we were scheduled first!), the relatively remote location in northeastern Vermont and, of course, the economic difficulties facing us all.
Newsletter Editor
I am pleased to announce that effective with the February 2010 issue of the Newsletter, Deidre Dagner of Louisa, Va., will be taking over as editor. Deidre has an impressive background as author and editor, as well as a long history of volunteer service to historical and genealogical societies. We welcome Deidre to the GSV team. Please support her by sending items in for publication in the Newsletter. She will welcome such support.
Kudos to Bill Budde
As one Newsletter editor takes over, we wish our editor of the past four years, Bill Budde, well in his future endeavors. Bill has given valuable service to GSV over these years. The Newsletter took on a fresh new look when he took over, and he worked hard to constantly improve the content and to maintain a look of professionalism. He achieved both goals and for that we are grateful.
Vermont Vital Records
GSV Secretary Mary Pat Brigham and I met recently with Richard McCoy of the Vermont Health Dept. That agency has been directed to provide a status report on Vermont’s vital records and what recommendations they might make to improve the integrity and security issues that have been raised in recent years. Richard invited us in to get input from someone representing the genealogical community. Look for a complete report on this issue in a future Newsletter, and if there are related issues (proposed legislation, e.g.) needing your attention I will let you know here.
Vermont Probate Courts
An item worth following is a recent recommendation of a cost-reduction committee to consolidate Vermont’s probate courts from the current 14* to five. How this would impact genealogical researchers is not currently clear, but you can be sure that it will probably not be beneficial. (* GSV Vice President Stevens points out that there are, in fact, 18 probate courts in Vermont, as each of the southern counties has two districts each.) As we learn more we will try to keep you informed.
Vermont Families in 1791, vol. 3
Jonathan Stevens still needs well-documented submissions for the third volume of this important work. He especially is desirous of having families from the northern part of the state, as most of the submissions he has to date are for “southerners”.
Upcoming Meetings
We are still trying to arrange a joint meeting with the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists in the spring of 2010, and would like to locate a venue in the Lebanon-White River Jct. area that will be reasonably priced to keep the conference affordable. Contact me if you have suggestions, and if we have already selected a place by the time you reach me, we will consider your suggestion(s) for a later conference. Speaking of which, we are also making plans for the Fall 2010 conference. Rutland, Castleton and Poultney have been suggested as possible sites. Suggestions for meeting places (Castleton State College?) that meet our budgetary limitations will be appreciated, as well as suggestions for speakers and topics. I might mention that our recent successful conference at Lyndon State College was largely due to the fine work of member Doug Steward making the necessary contacts at that institution. A member with contacts at Castleton may be able to work similar magic…
Bob Murphy
rmm@sover.net
Previous Notes:
Page last updated 22 November 2009