World Chamberlain Genealogical Society (WCGS)

Minutes of the spring 2016

Executive Board meeting held WednesdayMay4, 2016

WCGS President Bill Mennel called the meeting to order at 9:11 a.m. in the Hampton Inn, located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts with a quick review of the agenda. In addition to Bill, executive board members present were Treasurer- Ted Chamberlain, andTrustees- Chuck Chamberlain and Pat Sugg. Spouses Faye Chamberlain, Judy Chamberlain, Lynne Johnson,and Jim Sugg also attended. Other WCGS members attending were Mrs. Adelina Healy, Stephen Chamberlin, and David Chamberlin Cole. The meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

  1. Reports:
  2. Bill Mennel, on behalf of Executive Secretary, Neil Chamberlainsought approval of the spring 2015executive board meeting minutes. Motion to approve made by Chuck Chamberlain, seconded by Ted Chamberlain. Being published earlier in the spring 2015Chamberlain Key and no corrections needed, the as publishedreportwas approved unanimously.
  3. Treasurer, Ted Chamberlain reported the Total Assets of the WCGS to be $8,659.47 as of 31March 2016.
  4. PNC Bank account balance is $8659.47
  5. Ted reported that during the period between January 2015 and April 2016 total income was $3455 and total expenses were -$3097. The result is a net income of $358.
  6. Corresponding Secretary, Pat Sugg reported membership currently stands at 100 active members, down from 103. We have 27 Life Members, 66 Annual Members, and sevenlibraries are complimentary members.
  7. Since the fall 2015 fall meeting, there have been 33 renewals and 5 new members. To date there are 26 people who have not renewed their membership. Three renewers opted to use the multi-year membership plan and threehavechosen to receive their Chamberlain Key electronically. We also had one member renew for ‘life’.
  8. Pat sent a renewal notice to those 26 members who have not renewed.
  9. Pat has sent twelve issues of the Chamberlain Key Hole since its creation.
  10. The WCGS Facebook page has 104 followers. Anyone having an interest in the Chamberlain surname is encouraged to join that group.
  11. We have 89 members with web site access to member only information (up from 85previously). If you do not have this access, you are missing the opportunity to see the entire collection of Chamberlain Keys, CAA2 Newsletters,English Research results, and the Chamberlain Chain newsletters. These are excellent sources of research findings from earlier Chamberlain surname researchers.Contact Pat Sugg if you need help.
  12. Editor Report- The Chamberlain Key editor Peter G. Chamberlain reported he recently received correspondence from a 20-year member offering his advice regarding content in the Key and observations of publication trends over the past few years. Triggered by those thoughts and Pete’s own observations of the subtle shifts in Key material, he wanted to share a state-of-the Key message with the membership. For the last couple of years, he has received lengthy and important (and long overdue) manuscripts on southern Chamb's that have helped restore an overall balance in the Key. Few other manuscripts, however, have arrived. The number of submitted manuscripts has sharply dropped to the point where Pete must simply publish every manuscript received. The only manuscripts currently in the pipeline for 2016 are the ones in James Parker's continuing Southern Chamb series. To continue to flourish as a society, we need more members to step forward with new material for the Key. Pete maintains a tall pile of ideas and promises of input for consideration, but the finished manuscripts are not appearing. Pete suggest the Board might help “stir the pot” by either contributing or suggesting to WCGS friends that they submit research results for consideration. Even a short review of a family Bible provides a spark to the Key. A lively, balanced Key depends on member contributions! Our 20th anniversary provides a great opportunity to hit the “refresh” button and ponder our own contributions to WCGS. In addition, it is a perfect excuse to re-read those early issues.
  13. Website activity,Jim Sugg reported that since the fall 2015 annual meeting we have posted both the fall 2015 and winter 2016Chamberlain Key editions. We have just completed uploading the last two generations needed to complete the Chamberlain Genealogical and Historical Book.
  14. WCGS Master Genealogy Database, Bill Mennel stated he had nothing substantial to report. He will be exploring how to most efficiently transport the master WCGS family tree from The Master Genealogist software to Family Tree Maker since a third party has acquired the FTMsoftware from Ancestry.com.
  15. Old Business:
  16. Electronic payment of dues- over the last year it has been discussed and approved to introduce this feature to the membership. Progress has been slow in researching the requirements and executing a plan. Trustee Chuck Chamberlain volunteered to get this moving.
  17. Annual Meeting Lansing, Michigan (September 12, 2016)- Judy Chamberlain has arranged for the meeting to be held in same room where the WCGS began 20 years ago, the Michigan State Library complex. Since it is state government facility, we, as ‘users’ must provide proof of liability insurance coverage. The annual cost for such a policy is approximately $270.00. The board approved incurring this expense, as it will be applicable wherever we meet, public or private. Look for planning updates during the late spring and early summer as the meeting date approaches in both the Chamberlain Key Hole, WCGS Facebook page, and on our web site (Chamberlain-Society.org)
  18. Original Chamberlain Association of America (CAA1) book- Asreported in the website activity paragraph the first draft of the compiled Chamberlain Genealogical and Historical Bookis complete. Project director, George Richard Chamberlin statesremaining efforts include: adding indexes to the volumes; comparing the documents’ text to our index to identify missing and erroneous entries; reformatting as needed to make the book a single document, not five independently created entities; and proof read and corrected prior to making copies. He also believes an attractive cover with original artwork is needed.
  19. New Business:
  20. Election of Officers- this fall marks the completion of the current board’s 2-yearterm. All positions are up for re-election- President, Vice President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer and 3 Trustees. Please consider serving in one of the positions. Not sure, what it entails? Corresponding Secretary/Trustee Pat Sugg can fill you in, as she will head the nominating committee.
  21. Meet once per year or continue to convene twice- We discussed the necessity of conducting meetings in both the spring and fall. The pros and cons of the current arrangement versus an executive board meeting the night before a general meeting to comply with the WCGS constitution and by-laws. No decision was made because the full board was not present. The general meeting would be more of an instructive program (discussions, presentations, how-to) than a business meeting.
  22. Other Business:
  23. WCGS member Jane Kelley ‘rescued’ a fragile collection of information about Joseph Edgar Chamberlain. With her permission, Jim and Pat Sugg will take it to the Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne Indiana on their way to the September meeting in Lansing, Michigan. All pages have been scanned into PDF files if anyone would like a copy.

5.Afterwards:

  1. Upon adjourning the meeting, the group enjoyed lunch at the nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant. Following lunch, several of us returned to the meeting room for an afternoon session of ‘how-to find’ and ‘brick wall’ banging. Chuck Chamberlain also presented his pictorial program showing the re-enactment of Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court Houselast spring.