The fifty-eighth annual meeting and reunion of the Sheldon Family Association
was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Sunday through Tuesday, October 12-14,
1997. Our hosts were Rose and Jim Newton.
The Reunion was held at the beautiful Fort Wayne Hilton at the Convention
Center, a two block walk to the Allen
County Public Library, the second largest genealogical collection in
the USA with more than 3,200 current subscriptions and more than 41,000 titles.
Individual articles may be accessed through a variety of indexes including
the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI), compiled by the department staff.
The entire focus of the meeting was on genealogy research--no other activities
were scheduled. President Rose Sheldon
Newton had specifically planned the meeting at this time of year when
traffic at the library is generally low, so Sheldons would have unencumbered
access to the library's collection.
The Board meeting was held on Sunday afternoon.
A. Keith Sheldon, Secretary, read
the minutes of the last meeting and they were approved. Donald C. Sheldon,
Treasurer, gave his report and it was approved. Keith M. Sheldon, Genealogist,
gave the Genealogy Committee report. The Board agreed to defer any further
discussion on the publication of the lineage books until the databases are
updated and corrected. The Board agreed that certain SFA books held by the
President should be donated to the Allen County Public Library.
Wayne E. Nelson, Sheldon Publication
chair, presented his report on the sale of Sheldon publications over the
past year. He presented the report of the Nominating Committee and it was
adopted by the Board. Meeting Notices Chairman, Al Hogan, presented his report
on publicity for the SFA 1997 meeting.
Ways and Means Ad Hoc Committee members, Rosemary Hogan and Rose Sheldon
Newton reported on their activities. Rosemary Hogan presented a
Sheldon Family Association tote bag that is available
for $15.00 plus $3.00 postage and handling. Rose has
SFA lapel pins available for $5.00 plus postage.
Marge Phelon and Eleanor Kern, hosts for the 1998 meeting
in West Suffield, CT, scheduled for July 24 and July 25, 1998, reported
on their plans for the meeting.
Hosts, Rose and Jim Newton, invited the Board to dinner at their lovely new
home on Sunday evening. It was a special treat and everyone had delightful
time.
Monday morning was spent browsing the SFA Display Room and checking the sights
of Fort Wayne. The business meeting commenced at 1:00 p.m. Jim Newton welcomed
everyone to Fort Wayne. Guests were recognized and gifts were awarded to
the youngest, oldest, furtherest, etc. Committee reports were read and there
was a brief memorial for deceased members. The meeting culminated with the
election of officers and board members:
President - Bruce H. Robertson (2-year term)
Vice President - Margaret B. Jones (2-year term)
Secretary - A. Keith Sheldon (1-year term)
Treasurer - Donald C. Sheldon (1-year term)
Directors-at-Large:
Lucille Harney (1-year term)
Kim Bemis Nelson (1-year term)
Willard R. Sheldon (1-year term)
Martha N. Bradley (2-year term)
Russell C. Shelden (2-year term)
Mary M. zurBurg (2-year term)
Frank W. Sheldon (3-year term)
Ruth Sheldon Hall (3-year term)
Steven W. Sheldon (3-year term)
Dinner on Monday night was an Italian style buffet. Curt Witcher, Manager,
Historical Genealogy Department, Allen County Public Library, spoke on
Voices of Your Ancestors. Wayne Nelson
and Rose Newton capped the evening with a "crackerbarrell" session on Hints
on Buying a Computer, and a demo of the Family Tree Maker genealogy software.
All day Tuesday was available for research at the ACPL. Many successful links
were reported. The dinner speaker was Margery Graham, C.G.R.S., who gave
a humorous talk on Landscaping Your Family
Tree. Rose Sheldon Newton gave awards to members who had been
helpful to her during her 12-year reign as President, and our new President,
Bruce H. Robertson, gave a rousing
and inspiring talk on genealogy. Wayne Nelson followed with an internet tour
of the Sheldon Family Association Web Page and surfed other genealogy on
the internet.