JULY 2013


Whitewater Valley Genealogical Association met July 16, 2013 at the Trinity Episcopal Parish House with Vice President John Johnson conducting the meeting.

It was announced that Jennifer Church Brannon is a new member but was unable to attend tonight.

The secretary’s report was approved.  Sue Frank reported 14 members have paid their dues which were due June 1.  She will send post cards to those that haven’t paid.  The treasurer’s report showed $449.03 in the checking account, $1,180.04 in the savings account and $37.00 petty cash.  Sue had to transfer $500 from the savings to the checking to pay for the booklets we had printed.

At reunion day at the bicentennial several booklets were sold.  A thank you was extended to Jim Wicker, Sue Frank, Jack Witt, Louanna and Larry Booth, Susan and Jim Spence, and Pat and Roy Cudworth for helping with this project.  Someone needs to check with Karen and be sure she gets the booklets listed on the website.

Newsletters from other clubs have been received and were available for members to read.

John reminded everyone of the Civil War display at the library and told about attending a family reunion and that a relative there had recently written a book about the Civil War.  He also told how much he enjoyed reading the Neff Memoirs as they gave a first-hand accounting of the war.

John was one of the ones that attended a program in Rush County about the underground railroad.  He will contact Jeanne Regan Dinnius at the DNR and see if she would be available to present a program for the public possibly at the library in October.

Pat Summan gave the program.  She told that she had seen an article in the IGS on-line newsletter and Connersville was mentioned.  In further checking she found that two brothers by the names of Lycurgus P. McCormack and Zuinglius K. McCormack were the sons of Hezekiah McCormack who was born in Connersville.  After living in Connersville for 8 years the family moved to Indianapolis.  The two brothers died in 1908 and 1912 and their ashes sat at Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center for over 100 years.  Neither brother married and it was felt this was the reason the ashes were not claimed by a family member.  An organization called Missing in America in collaboration with the American Legion recovered the remains from the unclaimed storage vaults.  In May 2013 a memorial service was held in Indianapolis then the ashes were taken to Arlington National Cemetery for burial.

The State of Indiana is planning their bicentennial in 2016 and there is quite a bit of activity going on to get information on the early years when Indiana was formed.  Connersville was the home of James Brownlee who signed the state constitution and is buried in Fayette County.  There are three people by the name of James Brownlee buried here.  Diana Wright has been doing the research and was able to determine which James Brownlee signed the constitution.  The state plans to place wreaths on the graves of these men.

Pat has also received two requests for information on Andrew Kennedy who was a US Congressman and a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1836 to 1840.  He lived in Connersville as a child.  Shortly after he received his law degree he moved to Muncietown as it was called then.  There is a drawing of him on findagrave for Beech Grove Cemetery at Muncie.

Jim Wicker was thanked for providing the refreshments.  John Johnson will provide refreshments next month.  It will be either raspberry, cherry or peach pie.

Those present were Doug and Sandy Brown, Jim Wicker, Sue Frank, John Johnson and Pat Summan.

 

Pat Summan, Secretary