SEPTEMBER 14, 2002, MEETING OF THE IMPERIAL ST. LANDRY GENEALOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, held in the Opelousas Public Library meeting room.
Etha Amling, Vice
President, called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM.
She stated that Society President, Estelle Perrault, had sent word that
she would be unavoidably late for the meeting. Guests
attending Imperial St. Landry Genealogical and Historical Society meeting for
the first time
were introduced as follows: Sharon
Martel, Seth Terrell, and Corinne Manning.
Mrs. Amling then spoke about finding “family connections”
in unlikely places, pointing out an article in the August
26th issue of NEWSWEEK magazine.
Charles Perrault, who first published “Little Red Riding Hood” in
1697, was a French author whose story was based on the lifestyle of the
French King’s court. The
surname “Perrault” is well known in Opelousas.
It was announced that the Society is working toward presenting
Gwendolyn Midlo Hall as a guest speaker in the near
future. Mrs. Hall has done
extensive research on slaves who lived in Point Coupee
Parish from 1719 to 1820. The
records, which show countries of origin, are now available on her website.
Juergen Amling, Society Webmaster, presented an introduction
to computer genealogy research, using a computer to show list of some of the web
sites, which are available. He will
post those web addresses on the Imperial St. Landry Genealogical
and Historical Society’s address http://www.imperialstlandry.org.
By clicking on “Genealogical Sites”, one can directly link to
numerous addresses. Click
here to go direct to these addresses.
Estelle Perrault, President, reminded Society members that they may borrow up to five (5) research CD’s each month. They are asked to sign a card, listing titles of the borrowed CD’s.
If a member wishes to return CD’s before the next meeting,
an attendant at the Opelousas Public Library will accept them, and they will be
kept at the desk until returned to the Society.
Miss Perrault also showed four of her personal research books: (1)
EVERYTHING ON LINE GENEALOGY BOOK, by Pat Richley; (2) THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S
GUIDE TO ONLINE GENEALOGY, by Rhonda McClure; (3) GENEALOGICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
THE COLONIAL AMERICAS, by Christina K. Schaefer, and (4) THE
UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO ONLINE GENEALOGY, by Pamela Rice Hahn.
Miss Perrault stressed the importance of keeping a record of
your references, including the name of the library where a
particular book is referenced. Birdie
Lewis pointed out that it is also necessary to list documentation (sources,
index, etc.), especially if research is to be published.
Information, which is posted on the Internet, is often not documented, in
which case,
it should be considered “a starting point”, and further verification of the
“facts” is needed.
Mr. Amling stated that the
newest version of Family Tree Maker software (Version 10.0) automatically
includes some information which was previously left up to the user.
He also recommended buying a laser printer, if the user chooses to print
a lot, pointing out that the ink refills are less expensive than those for ink
jet printers. However, the initial
cost of the laser printer is more.
Miss Perrault announced that the
October 12th meeting of the Society will be held in the Opelousas
General Hospital third floor auditorium. The
tentative plan is that, after a brief business meeting, Society members will
walk to the historic Prudhomme Home, which is located next door to the hospital.
A member of the St. Landry Preservationist Society will offer a guided
tour of the house.
Meeting adjourned at 12:00 Noon.
Submitted by:
Sylvia David Morel
Recording Secretary