GRAND RIVER BRANCH UELAC ANNUAL MEETING REPORTS MARCH 20, 2011 BRANTFORD, ON PRESIDENT: ELLEN TREE VICE PRESIDENT: PAUL GRAY SECRETARY: MARILYN MCMILLAN TREASURER (ACTING) ELLEN TREE
President s Report As I begin this report I want to thank the membership for the confidence that they placed in me by nominating me to be President for the years 2009 and. It has been a great experience for me to give leadership in this capacity. I want to express appreciation to the members of the Executive who have given me support throughout the two years as well. In additional copies of the book Families of the Grand River Branch Vol. II were sold as well copies of the CDs. A few copies of Sarah s Diary were also sold throughout the year. In my report for 2009 I had mentioned that three meetings in March, April and May and three more meetings in September, October and November would be held at the Oakland Community Centre and that meetings in June, July and August would be held in other locations. The meeting in June was interesting in that it was held at the Woodstock Public Library, which was a Carnegie Library, and the speaker s topic was Carnegie Libraries. In July several members went to Owen Sound for the meeting which was held there. All of the members from the Owen Sound area were in attendance at that meeting. The meeting in August was back in Cambridge. In 2011 similar arrangements are being made but the three meetings in the spring and in the fall respectively will be held at Friendship House, Brantford and the meetings in June, July and August will be held in Woodstock, Guelph and Kitchener. Details are in the Newsletter. The Committee, Marilyn Branch UE, Ronald Fink UE and Ellen Tree UE have completed the revision of the Constitution and it will be presented to the Annual Meeting in March 2011. The committee has spent many hours working on this document but they now feel that it is as up-to-date as it can be and appreciation is expressed to them for completing their arduous task. Three members attended the Annual Conference in Vernon, BC. They were Bev Balch UE, Lola Timson UE and David Morrison UE. Bev gave a very interesting report on the Conference at the meeting in September. Sue Hines UE and Ellen Tree UE attended the Dominion Council Meetings in. Several members attended the Central Western Ontario Regional Meeting in London on April 19 when several people made presentations. In we lost several members through death. Some were active members in and others had been active when their health was such that they were able to attend meetings and be involved in the Branch s activities. The deceased members included Doris E. Wilson UE January 22; Marilyn F. Haslinger UE March 6; Clara Terryberry UE June 1; Imogen Givens UE June 24; Jerry D. Fisher UE; M. Naydene Smith UE September 28 and Kathleen Pasnyk UE November 8,. Some of these people had attended meetings just prior to their deaths while others were in facilities where they were given the extra care that they required at this time. In closing, I want to again express my appreciation to the members of the Executive as well as to the membership for the support that you gave to me during the past year. B. Ellen Tree UE Secretary s Report There were 7 Executive Meetings in. Six of the meetings were held at the home of Ellen Tree in Woodstock. One of the meetings was held in Simcoe at the home of Marilyn McMillan. Plans for upcoming meetings were made and much other business was accomplished. There were 9 General Meetings of the Branch and they were as follows: The March 21 meeting was held at the Oakland Community Centre in Oakland. This was the Annual Meeting. Mike and Marilyn McMillan spoke on the Hassard Mystery. Attendance was 49. The April 18 meeting was also held at the Oakland Community Center, Oakland. There were 63 people in attendance to hear Professor James Walker speak on Black Loyalists. The May 16 meeting was held at the Oakland Community Centre in Oakland. 68 people enjoyed a presentation by Mae Leonard on Dowsing. There were 44 people at the June meeting at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock. David Harvie spoke on Carnegie Libraries. The meeting on July 18 was held at Grey Roots Museum & Archives in Owen Sound with 37 in attendance. Les McKinnon spoke on Black Settlement in Grey County. The August 16 meeting was held at Central Presbyterian Church in
Cambridge (Galt). 37 people enjoyed hearing Mark Jodoin speak about his book, Shadow Soldiers of the American Revolution. At the September 19 meeting, 44 members enjoyed hearing Marlene Smith speak about Edward Chambers Diaries at the Oakland Community Centre, Oakland. The October 17 meeting was held at the Oakland Community Centre, Oakland. 66 people were present to hear Marie Avey speak on the Lossing/Quaker Settlement in Norwich Township, Oxford County. The November 21 meeting was held at the Oakland Community Centre, Oakland. 71 people were in attendance. Jackie Baker spoke about the Long Point Company Millionaires. This year s successful activities were enjoyed by the members. Respectfully submitted Marilyn McMillan, Secretary Travelling Library The following books are those taken to the monthly meetings and are available for people to use who are doing research or looking for more information regarding family histories. There are also copies of Sarah s Diary, Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Vol. II, CDs for Vol. I and II of Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch which are available for sale. 1. The Loyalists of New Brunswick 2. The Loyalists of Ontario 3. Early Ontario Settlers (a Source Book) 4. The Valley of the Six Nations 5. The Loyalists of Massachusetts 6. Loyalists in Nova Scotia 7. The old United Empire Loyalists List 8. Rolls of the Provincial (Loyalist) Corps, Canadian Command American Revolutionary Period 9. Loyalists Lists 10. An Island Refuge 11. The New Loyalist Index 12. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia 13. Loyalist and Pioneer Families of West Lincoln 1783-1833 14. Records of the Department of Indian Affairs at Library and Archives Canada 15. Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume I 16. Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume II 17. The Loyalists in North Carolina During the Revolution 18. Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War 19. Loyalist Lineages of Canada 1783-1983 20. Butler s Rangers 21. Pioneer Sketches of Long Point Settlement 22. Ontario People 1796-1803 23. Loyalist Lineages of Canada Volume II - Part I 24. Loyalist Lineages of Canada Volume II Part II 25. CD Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume I 26. CD Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume II 27. Sarah s Diary In the Branch sold 1 copy of Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume I; 14 copies of Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume II; 4 CDs of Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume I; 7 CDs of Loyalist Families of the Grand River Branch Volume II and 7 copies of Sarah s Diary throughout the year. Gerald A. (Jerry) Tree UE January February March June Corresponding Secretary Jean Kerr, UE- Sympathy; death of her brother, Ancel Sinden Family of the late Doris Wilson, UE Marilyn Haslinger, UE, Get Well Joe and Alicia Haslinger, Sympathy, late Marilyn Haslinger, UE Eleanor Chapin, UE- Get Well Jim Holden, UE- Sympathy; death of his wife Jean Kerr, UE- Feeling Better after a fall Ruth Lefler, UE-surgery Family of the late Imogen Givens, UE
July Family of the late Rebecca (Givens) Rushton Treasurer's Report October November December William Terry UE Family of the late Naydene Smith, UE Robert Wyckoff, UE on the death of his brother, Harry, UE Jack Beamer, UE- Get Well/Thinking of You Doris & Hugh Lemon, 60 th Wedding Anniversary Family of Kathleen V Pasnik, UE Ron & Heather Fink on the death of her father Newsletter Again, this year we produced two newsletters, one in May and the other in November, as we have done for several years. With the contributions of our members, as well as the gracious consent of other contributors, we have kept our members informed about the Grand River Branch, the work of the UELAC and have been able to offer an historical glimpse into the lives of our ancestors, as well as the 13 colonies and the new settlements in Canada. Many thanks to Angela Files for her ongoing contributions. Should you have upcoming reunions or an article you would like to have appear in Branches, please do consider submitting it. The cost of mailing the newsletter has continued to rise and we have therefore reduced the number of pages to keep these costs in check. Members may wish to receive the newsletter via email as the pictures are often clearer. Please advise the newsletter editor. Suzanne Hines UE GRAND RIVER BRANCH UELAC General Account Report January 1, December 31, Balance on Hand January 1, $ 7,364.66 Receipts Membership Dues - 4,312.46-2011 4,594.38 8,906.84 Charitable Donations 125.00 Christmas Sale 173.00 Lunch Receipts 485.00 Total Receipts 9,689.84 $17,054.50 Disbursements Membership Dues $9,177.50 Charitable Donation 10.00 Cemetery Project 21.84 Education & Outreach 30.37 Genealogist - Photocopying 21.70 - Petty Cash 200.00 Internet Service Charges 78.75 Meetings - lunch 118.23 Meetings - rent 608.00 Meetings - speaker 400.00 Newsletter - photocopying 146.81 - postage 181.41 - stationery 90.53 Norfolklore XXXIV - 3 tables 60.00 Loyalist Library 350.00 Norfolk Historical Society 50.00 Ontario Historical Society 50.00 Scholarship Fund 100.00 Photocopying 93.46 Postage 13.52 Stationery 45.47 $11,847.59 Balance on Hand December 31, $ 5,206.91 B. Ellen Tree, U.E Acting Branch Treasurer
GRAND RIVER BRANCH UELAC Special Projects Account January 1, December 31, Balance on Hand January 1, $10,502.77 Receipts Postage $ 50.40 Sales CDs 300.00 Sales Books 1, 250.00 Sales Hasti Notes 5.00 Sales - Note Pads 5.00 Sales - Pins 14.00 Sales - Sarah's Diary 56.00 Sales - Vittoria Poster 20.00 $ 1,650.40 $12,153.17 Disbursements Photocoping $ 52.01 Postage 28.22 Refund of postage 15.00 GIC Activation 10.00 Flowers for Funeral 133.34 Promotions 2014 33.00 $ 271.57 Balance on hand December 31, $11,931.60 B. Ellen Tree, U.E Acting Branch Treasurer GRAND RIVER BRANCH UELAC Investment Funds January 1, December 31, GIC Certificate #0148774-16526 $2,643.95 B. Ellen Tree, U.E. Acting Branch Treasurer Education and Outreach There was no Education and Outreach Coordinator for the year. Members from Grand River Branch have continued to make presentations in the community and the Branch was involved again this year in Norfolklore. Our Branch meetings do in fact offer us an ideal opportunity to continue education and outreach with the wide array of speakers, not only on topics related to our Loyalist ancestors, but the wider topic of history, especially as it relates to the province and the Grand River region. As the majority of members are aware, Grand River has one of the finest websites dealing with Loyalist history, which also includes links and resources about Six Nations. This website is accessed hundreds of times each month and educators and students have found the resources useful in both curriculum and for projects. Branch members are reminded to please advise the Executive of genealogical and/or historical display opportunities in their community. Suzanne Hines UE Loyalist Library The Eva Brook Donly Museum was closed for the first month and a half of this year, however, it was very pleased to have received $350 from the Grand River Branch UELAC. I have used very little of the donation as of this time. Other than buying a small book on Laura Ingersoll the only other expense was to pay back the slight overspending I incurred in 20110. We still have $326.86. I would encourage the membership to recommend to me any books which you think should be added to the library and I will keep my eyes open for the same. Plan B is to use the funds to continue purchasing Census reels to fill in the Museum s gaps in the 1861 collection. Four reels were purchased last year along with three books. Jack Beamer UE Liaison
Genealogist Report During the past year of I have had the privilege of presenting or sending certificates to the following 21 people. Kaelynn Hope Gravel Linda (Powell) Gravel Jenna Bethanie Gravel Devianne Marah Gravel Allan Dyson Powell Emily Tiana Nancy Powell Wendy Ann Powell Catherine Gladys Hockstad Terese Mary Clarke Stephen Rae Bowley James Douglas Holden Dorothy Louise Cline Vera Aileen Cline-Hayes Gregory Scott Hayes Reagan David Hayes Robert James William Files Elyse Valerie Anna Files Jennie Ellen Brock Emma Lauren Brock Colin Sherman Curtis Slingsby Linda Diane Richardson UE Ancestor Lt. John Young James Matthews Daniel Rose Lorrance Johnson John Depue Richard Ferguson I continue to help those looking for proofs either by email, letter or telephone. Currently I am waiting for one certificate to arrive. Postage is still a big portion of expenses for the genealogist budget as postage continues to rise. I have attended the executive meetings throughout the year as well as the regular meetings and also the regional meeting in London in April. It is great to see so many family members join and it has been a pleasure to try to help those applicants when needed. Cathy Thompson UE Genealogist, Grand River Branch UELAC