by Lark M. Robart
In the event you missed the January Annual Business Meeting, here is the report I gave at that meeting.
As Vice President of AGS, one of my responsibilities is to present a report at the January general meeting of the previous year’s activities and accomplishments.
2021 was indeed a challenging year, but we all managed to muddle through. And I’m happy to report that AGS is alive and doing quite well!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Continued Shift to Virtual Meetings
Under the leadership of our President, Philip Spivey, AGS successfully continued our shift to virtual meetings in January 2021.
New Website
Also in early January 2021, we held a Special Board Meeting where we voted to create a new website. A committee was formed and we got to work. That group consisted of Philip Spivey, Martin Brady, Stuart Murray, Mike Wilson, Tiffani Loiacono, Pat Harris and Lark Robart. Shirley Atkinson worked with me to help convert our membership database from a manual system to an automated system on the new website. And the website went live in early February.
Member Outreach Project
Another group of Board members, headed by Lynda Katonak, made phone calls to reach out to our members, to say hello, see how they were doing, and let them know of options on how to continue their research from home and meet with other members online.
We learned that many didn’t know they could do research at Ancestry.com from home through the Library website during the shutdown; and others were not aware of additional resources available through the Library’s Genealogy Center website.
UPDATE: As of December 31, 2021, the remote access option to Ancestry.com is no longer available. However, it is still available from many of the public libraries in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Placitas, Las Cruces, and some other libraries.
Update to Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Earlier this year, the Board also decided to have an attorney review our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to ascertain whether an update was needed. Following a comprehensive review, the lawyer recommended that we take such action.
The final documents were signed in August and the Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the NM Secretary of State in September.
Both documents are available for viewing by AGS members by clicking here.
NGS Delegate
National Genealogical Society (“NGS”) Delegate Tiffani Loiacono attended online meetings in 2021 held by the NGS Delegate Council.
The Council, which is made up of over 100 organizations including Special Collection Librarians and Archivists, meets four times a year to discuss networking, fund raising, membership growth, etc.
NGS also created a special thread forum for its delegates to discuss any topics that come up in their respective organizations.
AGS Members Who Work With the Board
And of course, this report would be incomplete without acknowledging the huge efforts of those AGS members who support the Board all year, including our Bookkeeper, John Schlue; webmaster Mike Wilson; Dal Jensen, Information Technology; Louise Rosett, Online Book Sales; Frankie Ewing, Hospitality; and Charlotte Green, Used Book Sales. Thanks for all you do.
MONTHLY PROGRAMS
Program Chair Tiffani Loiacono, with the help of her committee composed of Victoria Sullivan, Frankie Ewing, Philip Spivey, Mike Blackledge, Karen Jones, Linda Koch, Nancy Greenberg and Stuart Murray, ensured that we had an excellent schedule of presentations in 2021, including four presentations by guest speakers.
- February – Guest speaker Robert S. Burch Jr., Executive Director and founder of Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation, gave a presentation entitled “African American History – Putting It Into Context”.
- March – AGS member Victoria Sullivan presented a program on “Genealogical Do-Overs”.
- May – AGS President Philip Spivey spoke to us on “Genealogical Research Plans and Citing Sources”.
- June – Our guest speaker was Dr. Penny Walters who spoke to us on “Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy”.
- July – AGS member Sue Johnston presented a program entitled “The Genealogist’s introduction to Land Records”.
- August – Our very popular “Summer Stories” program was a hit, as always, even on Zoom.
- September – Guest speaker Judy Russell presented “That First Trip to the Courthouse”.
- October – Guest speaker Sunny Morton’s program was “Adding Your Own Stories to Your Family History”.
- November – AGS President Philip Spivey did a presentation on “Military Records: A Wealth of Information on Those Who Served and Those Who Didn’t”.
- December – We wrapped up the year with a Zoom version of the “Show and Tell” program, which was fun and well attended.
The four guest speaker programs were recorded and made available to attendees for 30 days following the presentations. All other programs were recorded and are available, together with handouts, on the website by clicking here.
APRIL 2021 CELTIC/DNA CONFERENCE
John Farris, assisted by two sub-committees, put together an outstanding two-day conference in April 2021 on the topics of Celtic genealogy and DNA.
The Celtic sub-committee members included John Farris, Victoria Sullivan, Philip Spivey, Martin Brady, Lark Robart, Frankie Ewing and Cynthia Vaughan.
The DNA sub-committee members were John Farris, Victoria Sullivan, Philip Spivey, Martin Brady and Louise Rosett.
On April 10th, the following programs were presented by a group of speakers who are well known and respected in the Celtic international community:
- Fiona Fitzsimons, co-founder of Eneclann, and the Irish Family History Centre in Dublin, did the 1st presentation entitled “Evidence in marriage for Irish family history”
- Dr. James Mallory, Professor Emeritus of Prehistoric Archeology at the Queen’s University Belfast presented “The Irish Dreamtime: The earliest Irish historical tradition”
- Chris Patton, a genealogist and writer based in Scotland, spoke on the topic of “Discover Your Scottish Ancestors”
- Paul Milner, who teaches English and Scottish research tracks at SLIG, IGHR and the British Institute, did a presentation on “Finding the Correct Place: Maps and Gazetteers for Scottish Research”
- Karen Standbury, a Certified Genealogist who lectures nationally on the use of DNA test results in genealogical problem-solving, presented “Spit and You Shall Find: Autosomal and X-DNA Identifies a Charming Scoundrel”
On April 24th, there were four presentations by Dr. Maurice Gleeson, another well known and respected speaker in the Celtic and DNA international communities.
Dr. Gleeson is a genetic genealogist and moderates six different FTDNA surname DNA Projects; an Education Ambassador for ISOGG; organizes the Genetic Genealogy Ireland conference each year in Dublin; and has a blog and a YouTube Channel.
His topics on the second day of the conference covered Y-DNA, Autosomal DNA, and using DNA results and documented evidence to break down brick walls. His final program that day was entitled, “My Grandmother Was Illegitimate”.
Karen Standbury closed out the day with her presentation, “DNA and Records Tell the Long-Forgotten Story of the Scoundrel’s Irish Grandma and Great-Grandpa”.
This conference was responsible for bringing in quite a few new members, from around the Country, and even one from across the pond.
All ten programs were recorded, and together with the handouts, were available for 30 days to AGS members.
RESEARCH DAYS
In 2021, we also continued with both the Last Tuesday and Saturday Research Days by Zoom. The format was 1-on-1 consultations, held in breakout rooms. Yet another skill we had to learn!
In September 2021, however, after more than a year with the Library closed to all but limited use, Lynda Katonak again began holding the Last Tuesday Research Day in person at the Main Library.
Lynda reported having 15-20 sign-ins each month (versus 40-60 pre covid). And very experienced AGS volunteers stepped in to help attendees take next steps in their research.
Lisa Kindrick reported that over 50 people received assistance at the three in-person research days in 2021.
The 3rd Saturday Research Day continued to be held online, and will be held online again January. We’ll take a look at where things are after that and decide whether we’ll be in-person or online again in the coming months.
A very special thanks to all AGS volunteers who assisted in the online help sessions in 2021, as well as the three in-person events. There’s no way we could have done that important work without your help.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
The Celtic Research SIG met via Zoom every month, and averaged 10-14 attendees each month. One new member from Arizona attended regularly and several others from out of state dropped in on occasion.
The DNA SIG also met via Zoom every month. John Farris reports that the meetings were well attended and successful, and he’s looking forward to 2022.
ABCs OF DNA PROGRAMS
Philip Spivey and his team, comprised of Martin Brady, John Farris, Chip Mansure and Lark Robart, put together another excellent selection of programs in 2021 as follows:
- January, presented by Martin Brady: “Recombination and Segment Analysis”
- February, presented by Philip Spivey: “Matrilineal Research”
- March, presented by Philip Spivey: “Triangulation”
- May, presented by John Farris: “Geographical Mapping of DNA”
- June, presented by Philip Spivey: “DNA & Adoption”
- July, presented by Lark Robart: “Proving Relationships”
- August, presented by John Farris: “Comparing Third Party Tools”
- September, presented by John Farris: “Y-DNA”
- October, presented by Philip Spivey: “Visual Phasing Part 1”
- November, presented by Philip Spivey: “Visual Phasing Part 2”
All programs were recorded and are available on the website, along with the handouts for each. You’ll find them by clicking here.
BEGINNER GENEALOGY CLASSES
AGS Education Coordinator Victoria Sullivan did an excellent series of four beginner classes in the spring of 2021, and again in the Fall. All classes were held online.
Lisa Kindrick reported that Victoria’s classes found a wide audience, and that many of the participants applied for library cards and took advantage of Library genealogy resources. And of course our membership also grew due to these classes.
BERNALILLO COUNTY DNA CLASSES
Following the success of Victoria Sullivan’s Bernalillo County genealogy classes in late 2020, Bernalillo County reached out and requested additional classes, this time on DNA.
AGS Members Philip Spivey, John Farris, Martin Brady and Lark Robart gave presentations on multiple DNA topics.
And of course we also gained several new AGS members as a result of these classes.
WHAT WAS NEW IN 2021?
- With the help of Lynda Katonak and Philip Spivey, AGS launched an additional virtual 1-on-1 virtual consultation session on the 1st Tuesday of the month. The plan is to continue these sessions even after we’re back in the Library in person, as they are quite popular with our out-of-state members and researchers. So, if you’re not comfortable coming to the Library in person, or it’s just more convenient for you to meet online, the 1st Tuesday virtual consultation sessions are for you!
- In July of 2021, Philip Spivey created the new African American Special Interest Group. They meet via Zoom on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10:30 am to Noon. Check the website calendar for details.
- In September of 2021, we launched a new blog. And you’ll find the link for that on the main menu.
- In June of 2021, Philip Spivey began sending out a monthly newsletter. He emails a link to that at the beginning of each month, so watch for that. But if you miss an issue, no worries. You’ll find it on the website under the MEMBER BENEFITS tab on the main menu, then click on MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT.
AGS 50th ANNIVERSARY
Numerous AGS members were busy in 2021 preparing for the 50th Anniversary in 2022.
AGS is publishing at least two books:
- “Stories of Early Albuquerque”, written by Rosemary Winkler; and
- “The Albuquerque Genealogical Society’s First Fifty Years: A Retrospective – 1972-2022”, Compiled and edited by Lynda Engle Katonak, Michael A. Blackledge, Stuart E. Murray, Michael L. Wilson.
Rosemary’s book is already out and you can find information on where to find it by clicking here.
The retrospective is nearing completion and details will be out soon, so watch for that.
Tiffani Loiacono stepped up to coordinate the anniversary event, currently scheduled for Saturday, May 7th. Mike Wilson has begun working on details and you’ll find a link for that information on the home page tile marked AGS 50TH ANNIVERSARY.
Thanks to Lynda Katonak, Mike Blackledge, Mike Wilson, Rosemary Winkler and Tiffani Loiacono for all your hard work on these projects. Other folks who deserve a big “thank you” are Stuart Murray, Philip Spivey, Anita Philips, Bob Harper, and Lisa Kindrick.
TRANSITION TO HYBRID MEETINGS
As we rounded out 2021, the Board had many discussions on the topic of hybrid meetings. We felt this had become more necessary because our outreach to members makes in-person not possible for our new out-of-state members and even some local members who are still concerned about attending meetings in person.
Philip Spivey, Stuart Murray, Chip Mansure, Lisa Kindrick and other staff at the Library worked to ensure we would be able to make the transition. In fact, the DNA SIG pulled off its first successful hybrid meeting on Friday, January 7th. Congratulations!
THE GENEALOGY CENTER
Lisa Kindrick reported that AGS’s generosity in allowing Library staff to attend online programs free of charge, including many from nationally and internationally known speakers, is a great educational opportunity for staff.
Lisa also reported the following donations by AGS and its members in 2021:
- AGS donated $1,000 to purchase forty-six valuable, high-quality, out of print books from the estate of an avid genealogist.
- AGS donated fifteen journal subscriptions/society memberships and purchased back issues of eight issues of the Missouri State Genealogical Association Journal.
- AGS members made substantial donations of books and periodicals to the Genealogy Center, including Mike Blackledge, Frankie Ewing, John A. Farris, Betty and Lynn Goen, Peter Ives, Bruce Lindell, Tiffani Loiacono, Carl Malone, Rosemary Winkler, Jane Witter, and more.
- Rex Hopson donated 664 books and vintage issues of New Mexico Magazine. The books were primarily focused on New Mexico history and the southwest, and twenty-five of these were added to the Genealogy Collection. Many others were added to Special Collections.
- The family of AGS member Katherine Krause respected her estate wishes and brought fifteen boxes of her genealogy materials from Colorado to donate to the Genealogy Center.
- And AGS continues to raise funds for book purchases using eBay sales and the Amazon Smile program.
As of the end of 2021, thirteen volunteers at the Genealogy Center completed the City background check process, and eleven of those are AGS members. During 2021, those volunteers have reported to the Library 144 times, for a total of 549 hours since we were once again allowed to have volunteers in June of 2021.
A special thanks to Bill Farmer, John Farris, Robert Harper, Sue Johnston, Lee Mann, Stuart Murray, Cheril Raub, John Schlue, Philip Spivey, Jane Witter, and Pete Ziegler for being official Library volunteers.
AGS and the New Mexico Genealogical Society shared the costs for parking for official Library volunteers at the Genealogy Center who are report for more than four hours at a time.
In September, seventeen students from the Public Academy for Performing Arts spent the morning at the Genealogy Center exploring resources and learning to research their family histories. Four volunteers, including three AGS members, were there to help — Pete Ziegler, Sue Johnston, Stuart Murray, and Paul Horvat. The students also donated three of their school yearbooks to the Genealogy Center.
Lisa also asked me to pass along a special thanks to the following:
- Bill Farmer for labeling and processing all the new materials before they go out on the shelves;
- Louise Rosett for her work with eBay sales, purchasing books, and renewing subscriptions;
- Robert Harper for keeping volunteer parking and other bills paid;
- those who signed on to be official Library volunteers;
- those who came in to help on a weekly basis; and
- “to all of you who have come in to help and support the Genealogy Center and Library staff during these trying times in more ways than I can include here.”
And of course I would be remiss if I didn’t add our thanks to Lisa Kindrick and her staff who support AGS . . . in more ways than I can include here.
THE QUARTERLY
And finally, this year we bade farewell to The Quarterly. The last issue was in May of 2021.
Rosemary Winkler served as editor for The Quarterly for eight years, with the assistance of an amazing staff including Lynda Katonak, Maya Sutton, Julia Tyler, Mike Wilson, Bob Harper and Mike Blackledge.
Rosemary, thank you for being an inspiration to us all. You have been such a devoted and hardworking volunteer in furthering our efforts. And I don’t think we can ever thank you and your team enough for all your hard work.
By the way, I also want to congratulate Rosemary for receiving an Honorable Mention by the New Mexico Press Women for their 2021 Communications Contest in the “Publications Regularly Edited by Entrant” category. Congratulations, Rosemary!
The good news is that Mike Wilson uploaded all issues of The Quarterly, since its first publication in September 1976, to the website. You’ll find them under MEMBER-ONLY CONTENT.
The 50th Anniversary book will have more detail on the history of The Quarterly. So we can all look forward to reading that.
IN CONCLUSION
Well, that’s my report on a very busy year.
But before I conclude, I want to apologize to any AGS members who volunteered their time in 2021 that have not been named here. And I’m sure there are more than a few.
Working on this review was quite an eye opener for me. In spite of all we were up against in 2021, there were, and are, so many wonderful people doing amazing things for this great organization.
So . . . just one more “thank you” to everyone for the immeasurably valuable work you have done. We have not thanked you enough, and want to let you know that your dedication is essential to the success of AGS.
Cheers to all of you for a very successful 2021!
