INSSAR Elects 2009-2010 State Officers

Indiana Society

Sons of the American Revolution

2009-2010 State Officers

Second from left is State Historian John G. West (member of TSGS & the Ohio Valley Chapter [OVC] INSSAR) and in the center of the photo (seventh from left in a Revolutionary War uniform) is State Chaplain Don Counts (member TSGS & OVC). Also in this photo is INSSAR District One Director J.D. Strouth & District Two Director Dr. T. Rex Legler, II both members of OVC. Counts & West were recently re-elected to these offices at the April 2009 Annual House of Delegates Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The OVChapter will meet later this morning at Willard Library... TSGS members Ken Gilkey, President & Chris Myers, Secretary. West serves as the Chapter Treasurer while Counts is the Chapter Vice-President.

- Photo submitted by Don Counts (photographer unknown)

"True Little Genealogical Helper"

Young Caine is filling in for his 4th. Great Grandfather's Grave Marker

My grandson Caine was with me while I was looking for his gggg-grandfather, Benjamin Gill's, grave at Oak Hill Cemetery. Benjamin did not have a grave marker, taking pictures was not working out too well, since there was nothing there. I ask Caine if he'd sit where the tombstone should have been. The sun was so bright he started rubbing his eyes.

After viewing the picture at home, I noticed what his shirt said, WARNING I'M NOT IN MY HAPPY PLACE and he looks like he's crying. How appropriate, no one wants to be a grave marker. A true Genealogy Helper!

- Submitted by Doretha "Dee" Diefenbach-Hines

Tombstone Thursday - The Wisdom Family

Little Kaleya & two of her ancestors!

(Click on image to enlarge it)

This is Kaleya McClellan next to the graves of her paternal great-grandmother, Lois (Wisdom) Williams (1925-1988) and Lois' mom, Kaleya's great-great-grandmother, Zebedee (Daniel) Wisdom (1899-1985). Both women are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Kaleya was 3 years old at the time this photo was taken in 2007. Click on the links to their Find-A-Grave listings, Lois' is here and Zebedee's is here.

- Submitted by Taneya Koonce

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

THE CAPTAIN'S LOG –TSGS News

TSGS Meeting Program 12 May 2009

During last night's Tri-State Genealogical Society monthly membership meeting (at Willard Library), Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG, presented her program on her Smithland, Kentucky Project. Researching the people of this small river city which is the county seat of County during the 1830-1850 time span. Brenda had several interesting tales and several murder cases. The program was entitled: "Smithland - Genealogy of a Kentucky River Town."

TSGS Elects Officers & Directors

for 2009-2010

Board of Directors: (Seated L-R) Janet Mann, Gloria Strott, Becky West, Karin Kirsch, Don Counts and (standing to the left) Larry Goss. Also elected a Director, but not present for this photo is Rena Goss. Officers (standing L-R after Larry Goss): [Brenda Legate - Tri-State Packet Editor not present for this photo], Don Pierce - Membership Chair, Mary Lou Bevers - Program Chair, Bettie Cook - Treasurer, Sue Hebbeler - Corresponding Secretary, Brenda Jerome - Recording Secretary, Douglas Korb - Vice President, and John G. West - President.

We had a nice attendance of about 30 people, many attended the HELP Session conducted by Mr. Mark Lammers entitled "Research at the Family History Library."

Top photo taken by JGWest with photo of officers taken by Ken Gilkey.

John G. West, President

THE CAPTAIN'S LOG –TSGS News

TSGS meeting tonight at Willard Library. The 6:30 HELP Session "Research At the Family History Library" will be led by Janet Goebel with the 7:30 p.m. regular meeting "Smithland - Genealogy of a Kentucky River Town" will be presented by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG as our program speaker. We will conduct the election of officers for 2009-2010.

Our ClustrMaps Counter on our regular TSGS web site shows that we have been visited by 30 different countries... we are attracting attention around the world! We have had over 58,000 hits to our web site since near the beginning of our site being on the Internet in 1996.

John G. West, TSGS President

Marker/Plaque/Monument Monday

DAR Marker to Recognize

The Red Banks Trace

For Mother's Day, Becky & I went to Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana and found this marker erected by the Vanderburgh chapter Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution in 1966. It is located near the new zoo entrance on Mesker Park Drive. It is to commemorate to Indian trail known as Red Bank trace.

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

"Happy Mother's Day!"

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I can not go visit Mom, but I can remember her today in a special way:

Bernadine Long

11 Jul 1921 - 01 Oct 1997

My favorite photo of Mom

One of my very first photos that I took as a kid was of Mom in our house in the country (Warrick County, Indiana)

She was the mother of four children: Glen, me, Tina & Don.

She told us story after story about her family that always fascinated me and kindled my life-long love of genealogy. Mom did not like country living and times were kind of tough for work for Dad as a construction worker during the two economic recessions of the 1950's. After I graduated from high school, we moved back to Evansville: Mom's beloved city and home. Every year, without fail, Mom went out to decorate all of the local family grave sites in all of the various cemeteries with flowers... it was a very important responsibility on Memorial Day to remember family members who had died. Don, took her around each year after Dad died with me taking her around every two or three years. Now that Mom is gone and younger brother, Don, passed away in 2000, the responsibility, actually duty, is for me to decorate the family graves. I try to make Mom's the first & most special grave to decorate & remember. I miss you, Mom!

While Mom was the first woman in my life, this is the second woman... the mother of my three sons! Becky McIntyre [adopted name... birth name Meredith] with our first son, Phillip G. West (the other two sons are JJ & James). Happy Mother's Day, Becky!

- Submitted by JGWest