TROY IRISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY
Troy, New York

TROY IRISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY MEETING MINUTES
August 18, 2016 at
The Shamrock Tee Tavern at Brunswick Greens
1004 Hoosick Rd., Troy, N.Y.

Present: Chris Connell, Timothy Stone, Lizette Strait, Alan Strait, Heidi Klinowski, Carl Klinowski, Kathy Buckley, Ron Vaughn, Donna Vaughn, Marta Kirsis, Margot Kirsis, Noreen Iacobucci, Jan Sullivan, Bill McGrath and Joan Durso.

1. Call to Order: President Chris Connell called the meeting to order.

2. Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s Report was presented by Lizette Strait. Balance as of 7/31/2016: $4,290.97; Expenses: None; Deposits: $20.00; Balance as of August 17, 2016: $4,310.97; Petty Cash: $21.63; Total Assets: $4,332.60; Paid Members 2016: 89 (2 membership renewals); 2015 Paid Members: 81

3. Membership Report: Donna Vaughn, Membership Chair reported Facebook: 797 likes; List Subscribers: 309

4. Old Business/ Project Updates:
Status of TIGS website update – The proposal is still being refined.
Chris Connell and Tim Stone met with the proposed vendor regarding moving the data from the old website to the new one. TIGS will have to prepare spreadsheets of the data for the conversion to the new website. The vendor will help with training for the conversion. Some knowledge of Excel will be helpful for those assisting with the conversion.

Projects Completed / Recent additions now on the TIGS website: Reported by Bill McGrath, TIGS Project Manager
• Marriages in Troy Newspapers 1797 – 1860. 13,000 names from 450 cities, towns and villages of N.Y., 800 people from other states. There are 350 different cities and towns in those states. Dick Eastman will be publishing an announcement in his newsletter which usually brings hundreds of hits. Https://blog.eogn.com/2016/07/20/newly-available-online-marriage-notices-appearing-in-troy-new-york-newspapers-1797-1860/
• WW II - Honor Roll – Sixth Ward - South Troy – is posted on the website under Military Records.
• First Reformed Church of Wynantskill – is posted on the website under Church Memorials and Family Names. These names go back to the 1700’s.

Ongoing Projects:
• Gravestones in St. Agnes Cemetery showing foreign place of birth – being transcribed by Jan Sullivan.
• Gravestones in St. Agnes cemetery Section 2 Recorded in Eagle Scout Project – being transcribed by Kris Ayotte.
• Erection of Tombstones for Civil War Veterans – almost finished; the data has been transcribed and the introduction to the database has been written
• Burial of Civil War Soldiers – transcribed and proof read; needs assembly, review and introduction.
• St. Agnes Cemetery Lot Purchases 1867 – 1922 – 175 pages, most of which have been transcribed and are now being proofread. The pages have to be assembled into one file and reviewed and an introduction to the database needs to be written.
• St. Jean’s Cemetery, Troy – 50 plus pages of typed names have to be scanned before transcription project can be started. Chris will scan them at the Watervliet Historical Society; volunteers are needed to help with the scanning.

5. New Business:
• Heritage Hunters Fall Conference – 10/15 Schuylerville, Irish genealogy speaker: Dennis Hogan; four workshops – Search U.S. records, Brickwalls, Fulton Postcards, Googling for Genealogy
• Timeline of World History – Schuyler Flatts Park, Watervliet on 8/20 & 8/21
• Genealogy help – TIGS helper session and look-up days this fall – select dates / locations

6. Guest Presentation – Margot Kirsis gave a very interesting presentation on her search for her Great Great Grandfather William Mahon, a Civil War veteran who served in the Navy.

7. Next TIGS Meeting: The next TIGS meeting will be September 15, 2016 at 6:30 P.M. Location TBD

Respectfully submitted by: Joan Durso, Secretary