| April 2009 Newsletter |
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| Written by Audrey Cannady Massingill | |
| Saturday, 11 April 2009 | |
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THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER APRIL 2009
MEETING Monday, May 4 2009 Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. Amarillo Southwest Library 6801 Southwest 45th Street
Visitors are always welcome.
OUR PROGRAM WILL BE:
SHOW AND TELL by You
TELL us about yourself. Not just your name and number of children and grandchildren but: When did you become interested in genealogy? Why? What or Who got you started? What has been your biggest breakthrough so far? Have you ever had an experience where an ancestor seemed to be guiding you to find him/her? SHOW us the books you’ve published or are working on. Bring your notebooks, scrapbooks, and the like. Bring a photo or document that means a lot to you and tell us how you came to have it and how it helped you in your research. Remember, this is your genealogical society and this is the one place where your audience will not fall asleep or look at you with glazed eyes as you tell your story. Please keep your presentation to three minutes so everyone can have a turn. LAST MEETING Stephen Chase regaled us with stories of his family and how their history is entwined with the National Road. He showed us pictures of the road, (which is now I-70) that he took on a father-son trip several years ago. His interest was sparked by a book The Old Pike: a history of the National Road, with incidents, accidents, and anecdotes thereon by Thomas B. Searight, originally published in 1894. (A copy is available in the Special Collections of the Amarillo Public Library). If you have any ancestors who moved West from Maryland or that area in the early days of this country, they most likely did all or some of their traveling on this historic road. If you re-trace their steps, you will see many unusual bridges. Most of them now are alongside the modern highway, but look for the S-shaped bridges and the ghost bridge which is mostly covered with water and only appears when the land is in drought. The road that was to become I-70, started in Maryland as C. Gist’s Trail, used by early explorers; then it became Nemacolin’s Path, wide enough for a laden mule. George Washington developed the path into a road to accommodate wagons during his trip to Ft. Necessity, but it was Major-General Edward Braddock who built the road and made it 12 feet wide on his way to Ft. Necessity in 1755 during the French and Indian War. In the battle of Battle of the Monongahela, the general was killed and buried under his road near what is now Elm Grove, Pennsylvania. In 1808 – 1818, the road was the known as the Cumberland Trail and went to Wheeling and the Ohio River. In 1830, largely due to the efforts of Henry Clay, the noted statesman, it was designated the National Road. By 1852 a person could travel all the way from Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois. But, by the time it reached Vandalia, travel by wagon was replaced by the railroads, and the road was neglected. In 1925, the road became U.S. 40 and was widened to 2 - 4 lanes; and in 1970 became I-70 and was made into a 6 lane highway. During the early days, many men found work building the National Road. In Ohio a special tax on land transactions funded roads. 3% went to State roads and 2% was used for the National Road. One of the requirements for the builders was that tree stumps were allowed to remain in the middle of the road as long as they did not exceed 1” in height. In most places, the road was built on high ground, as there was less maintenance there than in the valleys where rain, snow, and leaves would cover the surface. Stephen concluded his program by showing us a display board he had made for a family reunion, which included a family tree, maps, photos and letters from family members.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Due to a misunderstanding, no nominating committee was appointed in March, so we had no slate of officers to vote on at the April meeting. Most of the current officers will be able to serve another year, but if you are interested in filling one of these positions, the person now in office will be happy to step down. Please contact our President, Bob Sanders, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
2008-2009 slate of officers — . President: Bob Sanders 1st Vice President: Kellie Sanders 2nd Vice President: Audrey Massingill Recording Secretary: Pat Kunkel Corresponding Secretary: Eddie Kunkel Treasurer: Bob McGinnis Historian: Leota Robinson Parliamentarian: Mary Kay Snell
COFFEE AND COOKIES DEPARTMENT Sharon Ratliff provided a feast of Easter cookies which we enjoyed with our coffee. IN THE MONTHS TO COME After the May 4 meeting, we will not meet again until September 14, 2009. If you have an idea for a program you would like to see or if you would like to give a program next year, please contact Kellie Sanders This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and discuss it with her.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY If you have not yet renewed your membership, use the application on the back of this newsletter and send it to Bob McGinnis, Treasurer, at P.O. Box 2171, Amarillo, TX 79189.
MEMORIAL Long-time member, Dr. Wayne D. Atchley, died on March 28, 2009. He was born April 16, 1935, in Union County, New Mexico, to Forrest and Ruby Atchley. He graduated from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas and Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Atchley married Martha Connolly in 1970, and they lived in Clayton, New Mexico, and Enid, Oklahoma, before moving to Amarillo in 1997. Dr. Atchley was active in Habitat for Humanity and Paramount Baptist Church. He was a woodworker. He loved the outdoors. He was an avid genealogist and was faithful in attending the meetings of our group, where he often gave valuable input on the evening’s subject. He was in charge of our briefcase program, which was a good resource for our society. Dr. Atchley will be missed for his presence and his good works by all of us, and we grieve with Mrs. Atchley and the family over his loss.
PLACES TO GO Raleigh, North Carolina: National Genealogical Society Family History Conference 2009 will be held May 13-16, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The theme is “The Building of a Nation – From Roanoke to the West.” Prices for all four days begin at $210.00. For details, call 1-800-473-0060 or http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.Dallas, Texas: Dallas Summer Institute 2009. July 23—25, 2009, at the J. Erik Jonsson Dallas Public Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, Texas. Lloyd Bockstruck, FNGS and Patricia Law Hatcher, FASG, will speak on a variety of subjects during the three day event. http://dallasgenealogy.com or 1-866-968-2347 (voice mail).Springfield, Missouri: The 29th Ozarks Genealogical Society’s fall conference will be held September 25-26, 2009, at University Plaza Convention Center, Springfield. The speaker for this year’s conference is Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG. Look for additional conference details on the OGS Web site at http://ozarksgs.org/.
MADONNA OF THE TRAIL In his program on the National Road, Stephen Chase mentioned the Madonna of the Trail statues. The idea that culminated in the "Pioneer Mother/Madonna of the Trail" monument began in 1909 when a group of Missouri women wanted to mark the Santa Fe Trail through their state. In 1912 the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) took up the idea for the entire nation. Arlene B. Nichols Moss, of St. Louis, was appointed chairwoman of "Old Trails Road" for the NSDAR. With the urging of Judge Harry S. Truman, president of the National Old Trails Road Association, Congress declared that 12 identical statues at a cost of $1,000 each would be made. In 1924, Mrs. Moss contacted German artist, August Leimbach, of St. Louis, who designed the statue. He made the monument from an amalgam of crushed Missouri granite, stone, marble, cement, and lead. With the base and foundation, the statue is 18 feet tall and weighs 12 tons. “The Pioneer Mother in the sculpture wears a sunbonnet. Clasping a baby in her arm and with a small boy hanging onto her apron, she is carrying a rifle. The face of the mother, strong in character, beauty, and gentleness is the face of a woman who realizes her responsibilities and trusts in God . . . The East side of the base of each statue is inscribed ‘Madonna of the Trail . . . NSDAR Memorial to the Pioneer Mothers of the Covered Wagon Days.’ The West side of the base is inscribed ‘The National Old Trails Road.’ The North and South sides contain local historical data and commemoration.”1 In 1928, all 12 statues were in place. Their locations are as follows: Bethesda, Maryland; Beallsville, Pennsylvania; Wheeling, West Virginia; Springfield, Ohio; Richmond, Indiana; Vandalia, Illinois; Lexington, Missouri; Council Grove, Kansas; Lamar, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Springerville, Arizona; and Upland, California. Each of the statues were dedicated personally by Harry S. Truman, who, acknowledging the intrepid women, his own grandmothers included, said,
"They were just as brave or braver than their men because, in many cases, they went with sad hearts and trembling bod-ies. They went, however, and endured every hardship that be-falls a pioneer."
If you would like further information from the internet, type Madonna of the Trails in your search engine and a number of good sites will come up. 2.http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/madonna.html
If March winds and April showers produce May flowers; what do March winds and April winds produce? May dust storms? ______________________________________________________________________________ MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION To join or renew your membership, complete the following information and mail to: THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, P.O. Box 2171, Amarillo, TX 79189, Attention: Treasurer. Better yet, bring this form to the next meeting. NAME ______________________________________________ ADDRESS __________________________________________________________________________ CITY ______________________________ STATE __________________ ZIP _____________________ TELEPHONE ___________________ E-mail Address _______________________________________________________________________ Dues are due by January 1st for each calendar year. Date ______________ ____ New Membership ____Renewal Membership ____ Individual and Family $15.00 ____ Contributing $25.00 |
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