Photo: Jim Graupner, Jim Aufderheide, and Herb Schaper at the Kaiserhoff Restaurant in New Ulm, on 8 October 2007 met to share ideas and information about family history.
One can hardly imagine a more pleasant day than driving to New Ulm from the Twin Cities through the beautiful autumn colors of the Minnesota River Valley to spend some time with the likes of Jim Aufderheide and Herb Schaper. Arriving at Jim and Sylvia's beautifully restored home above Pioneer Park (originally, the Otto Schell home), Jim invited me into a bay-windowed alcove with a cup of hot coffee and a plate of doughnuts. Our conversation soon centered on current interests in our family history endeavors.
An informal agenda emerged: 1. Organization and Coordination of Archival Materials and Genealogy, 2. Bequesting Collections, and 3. Family History Workshop/Reunion. These aren't new topics of discussion, but many of us "keepers" seem ready to move forward to coordinate our efforts, even as we pursue our individual interests in family history and genealogical work, and formulate plans for a family reunion in the near future.
What's so gratifying to me is the enlightened, altruistic approach that Jim Aufderheide, Darcy Kleeman Boock, Herb Schaper, Julie Humes, Marilyn Boock Schmidt, Philip Graupner and others have brought to this time-consuming passion. Essentially, that approach is to gather, document, archive, and produce family history resources for our own generation and the generations of this great family that follow.
Organization and Coordination:
Our interest in the area of organization and coordination is to set up software that makes the transfer of digitized resources, like genealogies, efficient. Jim Graupner, for example, is the furthest behind with digitized genealogical information, both on the Boock-Aufderheide side, which had been done extensively by Darcy, Herb, and Jim Aufderheide, and on the Graupner-Glaser side, which has not been digitized extensively. Of course, every family's genealogical interests will probably be unique, but the sharing of existing resources makes the work much easier.
The software that are currently being utilized include: Reunion (Mac) by Jim Aufderheide, Family Tree Maker (PC) by Herb Schaper, and PAF by Darcy Boock. Jim A. uses File Maker for organizing documents, articles, and photos, and Herb uses Access for the same purpose. These or like programs with cross platform capabilities can be used with either Macs or PCs.
Darcy alerted this information to me through the following email:
Hi Jim, Once you download a family tree software program of some sort on your computer Jim A. and I can export our files to you. Then you don't have to reenter all the information but are still able to edit it. Right now I have separate files for each family name, but there is a way to merge them. I'm just not sure how yet. I think Jim A. uses Family Tree Maker, or was that the program that Herb uses. I think Jim has a Mac, so he may be using Reunion or something else. I use the free downloadable program from LDS www.familysearch.org called PAF (Personal Ancestral File). It is a very easy program to use. Check it out.Darcy
Bequesting Collections:
It's fairly intuitive to understand the sociological value that family histories can have; in some cases the collections of artifacts, prepared materials, and verified family records are the life's avocation of family historians. They may also have value both as real and intellectual property. Keepers generally want these collections to remain as durable legacies, available to those left behind. The question remains, however, how the collections can be maintained, protected, and available.
Sadly, despite efforts to the contrary, family history collections often do not endure. Horror stories of boxes of materials and photos being jetisoned upon the incapacitation or death of collectors, museums selling collections or making access to materials difficult, anachronistic technologies rendering resources virtually unavailable, etc. abound. Families need to address this issue. I've submitted some of my work and materials to the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison; they are generally interested in primary documents and printed materials and photographs and have contacted Philip and me to discuss what and how our collections may be maintained. We've considered providing some level of financial support for making our materials available for research in the WSHS.
Other may consider passing on their work and materials to other family members who may be interested--I'd guess that's how most of the Keepers have gotten the stuff that they now have.
Jim Aufderheide has frequently said that making his work freely accessible to family members who are interested is the best way to ensure that it will endure and expand for future generations. Digital libraries make this mission possible.
Family History Workshop/Reunion:
Darcy Boock, Jim Aufderheide, Philip Graupner, Julie Humes, and Herb Schaper--and perhaps others, have raised the idea for a family reunion in New Ulm for the descendants of the original family immigrants. Darcy recently reiterated this idea, calling for concrete planning. Philip has offered a practical "how to" based on his experience with helping organize The Graupner/Glaser Family Reunion, the next of which will be held in Door County in July 2008. Darcy recently wrote:
Hi Philip, What is the date of the Graupner Reunion and where will it be held? We really would like to get going planning a Boock, Aufderheide, Schapekahm, Ruemke, etc. Reunion in New Ulm, but I will need some help from you. Like how should I start??? Where in New Ulm would be the best place to hold such a reunion? Can you give me a little heads up on the planning that you have done on the Graupner Reunion? How soon did you start planning and sending out information before the actual reunion will take place?Jim A., Jim G., Marilyn, Julie any ideas. If our niece Christi Boock is already working on planning the next Dave Boock, Jerry Boock, Marilyn Boock Schmidt Reunion for the summer of 2009, I think we better get going also.Darcy
Another approach, in the meantime, may be to have those most involved in keeping family history to meet relatively soon to come prepared to meet, share materials, demonstrate use of data base and family history software, possibly set protocals on how materials are digitized, referenced, filed, shared, and plan the structure and program of the family reunion, etc. This preliminary step is compelling to me because it's relative easy to set up, it involves a smaller group, and I'm sure to make some progress getting my own stuff organized and available.
Okay, this is some of what we shared. Immediately, we knew that all the Keepers needed to be involved in clarifying what our next steps should be. For my part, although I am less familiar with planning a Reunion, I'm pretty sure that we could plan an effective workshop--I know that Darcy sets these up regularly. I'd immediately volunteer to work with anyone who thought that a workshop might be useful.
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