How many times have we stumbled across a family Bible, an old diary or a ledger of yellowing records while browsing through a collection of old papers for sale?

And how many times have we wandered away, wondering how anyone could have let such valuable genalogical records slip through their fingers?

RGS member Bob Rowe #790 didn't wander away.

Last December, while browsing at the Yankee Peddler Bookstore at the Village Gate, he discovered what he immediately recognized as a small treasure: the original church records of the Locke (Cayuga Co.) Presbyterian/Congregational Church.

It was a small book, about 5 by 7, containing essentially all the records of the church from its founding in 1818 until it closed in 1836. The original cover had disappeared and the pages were coming loose, but it was otherwise intact.

"My first reaction was: why was this available?" Bob says. "And my immediate concern was for the safety of the book -- the pages were beginning to fall out."

Fortunately, the book had been discovered by the right person. Bob Rowe is a retired Methodist minister and for the past few years has been dedicated to seeking out and preserving church records. His focus has been on Presbyterian records.

He immediately called the Genesee Presbytery, believing they might be interested in acquiring the book. But he was told it wasn't in their jurisdiction and suggested he call the Presbytery in Syracuse.

He tried there, but they said it wasn't their area. Try Susquehanna. But no, Susquehanna didn't come up that far he was told. Try Geneva. Again no, Geneva didn't come down that far.

And no one offered the $91 needed to purchase the book.

"Apparently the church, which is in the southern tip of Cayuga County, was in a kind of no-mans-land," Bob laughs now.

So he took his story to the DAR, where he was speaking on the preservation of church records, and announced his intent to raise the money to purchase the book. He turned to the Kodak Genealogy Society and the RGS (whose membership contributed $53).

Through the combined of genealogists in the Rochester area, he raised all but $2.10 of what he needed.

After acquiring the book, he photo-copied the pages and then placed it in an archival sleeve. Working from the photo copies, he is transcribing and indexing the book.

The book contains meeting records, as well as vital records for its membership. It even includes an apparent adoption. In this time period when no other vital records exist, this is priceless to the genealogist.

Just as important, he points out, "are the letters of transfer scattered throughout -- the exact date when people joined or left the place they came from or went to."

They primarily originated from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, he says, and moved to Jamestown, Buffalo or other parts of western NY.

Bob also discovered that these records seem to have disappeared before. A historian in 1858 wrote that they were "lost." But at some point after the church's 1836 closing, they found their way to the Cayuga County Historical Society, Bob learned later.

And when the society decided to concentrate its holdings on the Auburn area, where it is headquartered, the book dealer was able to purchase the book. He had held onto it for several years before offering it for sale.

Meanwhile, Bob has checked with area historians as well as regional repositories for church records, both Presbyterian and Congregational (the church later changed its denomination) and can find no other copy of these records.

Eventually the records will be published for purchase. "My intent now is to have printed copies available to everyone who is interested, both typed and photo copied," he says.

As for the book itself, he is looking for a safe home. He has contacted both the Presbyterian archives in Philadelphia and the Congregational archives in Boston to see if either will guarantee to preserve it.

He doesn't believe primary church records should be in private hands.

Meanwhile he continues to speak on the subject of preserving church records and often acting as a clearing house. People with leads on the existence of such records often contact him and he continues to develop techniques for tracking them down.

His plea: if you find church records in a flea market or antique store, please purchase them and donate them to a repository even if they have nothing to do with your family.

Bob Rowe is a man who takes his own advice.

The Rochester Genealogical Society will continue to meet the third Thursday of each month (except December, July, and August) at Asbury First United Methodist church in Fellowship Hall. Asbury is located at 1050 East Avenue (just west of (hanger Place) with ample parking and handicapped facilities including ramp, two wheel chairs and an elevator to Fellowship Hall. The mini-workshops start at 7 pm (except as noted for special programs) followed by the business meeting at 7:30 pm and the main program at approximately 8 pm.

Visitors are very welcome

Thursday 22 April 1993

Note: This is the fourth Thursday of April Joint Meeting with the Kodak Genealogical Society
Location: Asbury First United Methodist Church

7:30 pm: Short Business Meetings by both organizations.

8:00 pm: "Palatines and Their Related history" Our guest speaker for the evening will he Violet Fallone, County Historian of Montgomery County. In addition, Violet has had several other positions, including the Director of the Genealogical and History Research library and Archivist in Montgomery County. She is well-known to several of our members.

Following the program of the evening, there will be a reception so we can greet/meet one another.

Thursday 20 May 1903

Mini-Workshop: Using the 1920 Census at Rundel library" Member Jim Ault will explain a "finding aid" that he created for use with the Rochester area census.

Main Program: "All Things Bright and Beautiful" Christopher Bensch, Curator of Furnishings, The Strong Museum will present a Slide-Lecture on how lighting changed for our ancestors from candles to kerosene, to gas lighting, and finally to electricity.

Thursday 17 June 1993

Annual Picnic: Kodak's Photo CD followed by Picnic at Henrietta Memorial Park

Main Program, 5:30pm: Demonstration and Explanation of Kodak's new Photo CD System. This will take place at Kodak's Marketing Education Center on East River Rd.

Picnic, 7:00 pm: At the Stevens Shelter, Henrietta Memorial Park, Calkins Rd, just west of the County Fairgrounds. This is a "do it yourself, bring your own 'fixins'"affair.

It has been a pleasure to serve as your President for the last four years. Our membership has doubled during this time, and as new members meet continuing members (by modem, correspondence or in person) common ancestral interests are discovered, friendships formed and it is "worth it all."

Another satisfaction derives from just being a part of the team effort of RGS officers and chairpersons -- all of them generous in the time they give, and congenial in the contacts necessitated by the job. Working together, we achieved Incorporation status for the Society in January 1991 (culminating work begun years before by hard-working officers). And in February 1993, we completed a Procedure Manual under our Director's guidance.

The Genesee Country Family File -- a computer file of our shared research -- was proposed in September 1989 by Dick Halsey #67. Bob Hesselberth #256 chaired a committee which structured it, our Board supported it, and it has grown phenomenally these four years. It contains names of persons who lived in, passed through leaving records, or died in our six-county area before 1920. There are now 11,700 records in it. Print-outs from it are handled by Dick Halsey, free to members.

A long-term plan of purchasing microfilm Census records, begun prior to 1989, reached completion in 1990, facilitated by Jim Roome #335. That year we completed the purchase of remaining NY counties (except NYC) of the 1910 Federal Census. This was presented to the Rochester Public Library, Local History Dept. Librarian, Wayne Arnold, with the 1860 Census Indexes for CT, NY, RI, and VT. In March 1992, we purchased the complete (including NYC) 1920 Federal Census for NY State and gave it to RPL. This gift provides the Rochester genealogical community with easy access to a major genealogical tool.

We have cooperated with some occasional special events in our area. In September 1989 and October 1990 Heritage Days at the Genesee Country Museum our Exhibit was presided over by Bob Gustafson #13, honoring his Finnish heritage in resplendent costume. Also, we were at the March 'Show' Biz Exhibits in 1991, 1992 and 1993 at the Irondequoit Mall; Loretta Welch #197 arranged our schedule to provide continuous coverage for the wide variety of exhibited members publications.

RGS supported a genealogical conference in July 1990 at the Riverside Convention Center by providing speakers, computer consultants and volunteers to assist in many vital areas. Out of this conference, which was planned by an out-of-town businessman, emerged a lasting benefit for RGS, thanks to Tish Welch #390 who had an Idea. She bought ten tape recordings of the conference speakers and donated them to us with the suggestion that members who were unable to attend the conference could hear then at home. As an outcome of Board discussion, Carter Livermore #474 responded with willingness to "look into the possibilities" of this new service. Result: a very successful tape-lending library which has generated positive feed-back from our members around the country. Carter reports that more than half of our now 62-tape library are in circulation most of the time.

Your President (Ruth Metzler #385) attended a meeting of presidents of New York State genealogical societies on 7 July 1990 for the purpose of exploring the ways of forming a state organization. A formative meeting was planned November 10-11 in Fulton which I attended; 21 people representing 12 NYS genealogical societies or genealogically-related libraries were there. The emerging state-wide network, now call New York State Council of Genealogical Organizations or NYSCOGO, meets twice a year. RGS was represented at Fonda in April and October 1991; at Binghamton in April and Syracuse in October 1992 by our Delegates Julie Steitz #25 and Carter Livermore. Julie is also a Trustee. Numerous RGS members have contributed their personal research publications for the Silent Auction or the Exhibit at these conferences. Carter and Julies faithfulness to this fledgling organization is much appreciated, for if it can "get off the ground", NYSCOGO could contribute to a much-needed genealogical communication break-through within our state.

We outgrew the facilities where we had met for ten years, and with the services of John Thirtle #461, located new ones into which we moved September 1991. They meet our needs very well; attendance now averages 100 or more at each meeting.

RGS members have made two out-of-town research trips as a group. In November 1991, we went to Washington DC and in March 1993 to Albany. These bus trips not only resulted in some spectacular finds in the national and state collections, they created new friendships.

A Computer Interest Group was proposed in February 1991 for members who use their personal computers in genealogical activities. Under Jim Hall's #381 leadership, this spin-off group formed with 37 persons and soon established their mutual interests and needs. They have grown to 65 members, meet monthly, have a Newsletter, and programs relating to hardware and software options/usage/relative advantages. A disk-lending library has been created as of September 1992 with Debbie Barnes #726 in charge. In February 1993, the CIG presented an excellent main program to the Society, updating us on the world of computers and genealogy.

WXXI, Rochester's PBS radio station has given us publicity opportunities. Twice, Paul Baker has called upon RGS for panelists on his Talk Show, and twice RGS members responded. In June 1990, in anticipation of the July 5-7 conference, Paul discussed "Why Genealogy" on air with Phyllis Hackleman #656, Bob Rowe #790 and Larry Naukam #149. Again in October 1992, in observance of NYS Archives Week, he included Stanley Ames #524 in a panel discussing the importance of preservation of archival material to genealogists.

Through conferences, exhibits, meeting and Talk Shows, it has been a pleasure to work for you, and with you, for by working together, we have gotten to know each other. Over my shoulder, I can see my study -- books piled high, accumulated correspondence -- waiting. And, who knows? The next new RGS member who comes to Rochester searching for family may be your distant cousin -- or mine. (There must be someone else who is searching for that elusive Militia man of Lebanon CT, Elias Fitch, who trekked into NYS after the Revolution, leaving his marriage record somewhere in Connecticut.)

Marilyn Lane #548, 201 Flynn Avenue #3, Mountain View CA 94043-3940

C. Fletcher Bishop Jr. #800, 22310 County Road #455, Howey-in-the-Hills FL 34737

Terry Farrell #756, Rt 2 Box 50, Strasburg VA 22657

Ted D. Merrill, 800 State Line Drive, Chaparral NM 88021.

Also seeking data on his wife who came from Suffield CT with her parents prior to 1815. Was it Eli Granger who erected a cabin at Hanford Landing in 1796/97 or John Granger who had a drug store in Rochester in 1816; Zadoc Granger who also arrived in Rochester in 1795/96; or Gideon Granger, all of whom were brothers from Suffield?

More detailed information is available in the correspondence file.

Randall H. Lindgren, 6415 S.E. 24th Street, Mercer Island WA 98040

About Bulk Mail

If you haven't notice, the Hear Ye is now being mailed Bulk Rate in an effort to save RGS money. Bulk Rate does take a little longer to mail, but should not take any longer than 10 days. If there is a problem please notify us.

Also please notify the membership chairperson if you have moved. Because Bulk Mail is not forwarded if will cost RGS the price of a first class stamp for the Post Office to notify us of your new address.