The following is in response to a post to me by David
Roberts. I think it is relevant to all on Conklin-L, where
I wish it would remain. (David, not all of your posts
should automatically go to GEN-NYS-L) (PS loved your
name/geographic location list).
1) We must still only assume that John and Ananias were
brothers and that they (and Jacob) were the sons of
William and Ruth (Hedges) Conklin. There are several
ways others should be alerted to this: one can
bracket the information, and/or bracket it with a
question mark. A preface should reiterate that any
entry without documentation is not to be take at full
value until documentation is found.
It would be helpful if all posts could have footnotes so
that individuals wouldn't have to keep going over the same
material looking up citations.
2) David was advised by someone not to write up his data
because he started researching before he knew about
documenting everything. I too started researching in that
manner in the late 1960s. My book has some documentation
but no footnotes. I am now working to expand and revise the
work. If we wait to get all of the information that we want
and to document every entry nothing will ever get written.
It has to get out to others in the form of articles and
drafts so others can take up where we left off. If we wait
for that golden person who will compile both lines we can
wait until domesday. It's not happening. It has been
decades since Conklin Mann, Katherine, Adams, Jenaette
Rattray, etc. Not all of Rattray's data is accurate,
especially for those lines who left East Hampton. People
like Tom Donnelly are taking up her work and correcting it
with articles. If we don't then we are going to just amass
illegible, jumbled collections like Katherine Adams (one
part in the NYSL and another in Riverhead). Or worse, they
will be discarded by family when we die.
3) I strongly disagree with Richard McCool's advice to
David Roberts not to submit material to the LDS and to
submit to a library under the condition that it not be
photocopied. Both as a librarian and a writer I find this
reprehensible. It is not my concern that the LDS use
genealogy to baptize people or that the library is
reimbursed for their services. They reach a far greater
number of people than an individual, public, private, or
governmental library can. The greater the range of people
the information reaches the greater the likelihood that
someone will know the answer to a key research question.
Not everyone is going to know to contact me (for example),
not everyone is going to be able to find me (although some
have gone it amazing lengths!), and I certainly don't have
the time, resources, or ability to help everyone. By
putting the work in libraries it can get to most everyone.
Genealogies become reference books and reference books
don't usually go out on Interlibrary Loan. Film does, and
it is inexpensive to reproduce. When possible a book is
preferred by most people. You still can make some
money on your return but you can't possibly recoup all
the moeny and time you spend on research and writing.
If you want to make a profit, get another past time. You
will still get credit for your work when people cite your
title. If they don't, their research is compromised. Also,
genealogy lists are useful but they are not permanent. That
should be understood as we rely on the "archiving" of this
list.
4) Getting back to a full Conklin genealogy. I propose
the following as a possible working tool. That everyone, in
addition to their own line and writing projects, create an
anataphel (sp) chart for the line they are working on
in a uniform format. That those with access to
collections such as Conklin Mann and Katherine Adams
also create ones for those collections. It doesn't have to
go back to John and Ananias if you don't know. Go only as
far back as you are able or take a manageable portion of a
line to work on even if you are able to go back.
I am currently putting together the descendants of
Miller (7) and Patty (Clark) Conklin (Jeremiah, Jeremiah,
Elisha, Cornelius, Jeremiah, Ananias, William) and one for
Nathan (6) Jeremiah, Elisha, Cornelius, Jeremiah, Ananias,
William. I intend to keep at this, eventually going on to
John's lines. If we all did this and passed them back and
forth to others working on the same lines, to add to, and
then when a substantial amount has been done, deposited them
in a certain library so that when a substantial number have
been collected, a person or persons could compile them into
the format (I've forgotten what it's called) where each
generation is listed together and individuals are indexed
and given a number so one can go back and forth through
direct lines. I could contact Jim Corsaro at the NYSL to
see how he would feel about a mansucript-collection-in
-progress being setting up for this project. A record box
with a few charts could be catalogued (I could volunteer my
time if that is agreeable to him) and future charts could
just be placed in there.
For the title I see the date changing with each data
entry session and the names of new contributors added
after the original contributor. Their work would be
credited by the line "Sources submitted by .... and added
to the bibliography at the end. Each line would
receive a footnote. Some would only vary by page number,
some like an obituary would have to be unique. Sample:
The Descendants of Nathan (6) and Amy (Mulford) Conklin:
Working Anataphel Chart, July 24, 1997, / compiled by Honor
Conklin.
Nathan (6) Conklin, ("Major Nathan Conklin"), of Suffolk
Co., NY; removed ca 1781 to North East, Dutchess Co., NY,
farmer
son of Jeremiah and Abigail (Harriman) Conklin
siblings - [name (date-date), spouse (date-date);]
b Apr 26, 1758, Suffolk co., NY
d Apr 24, 1827, North East, Dutchess Co., NY; bur
Smithfield Cemetery (6, p. 190)
m Amy Mulford, Sep 1781, East Hampton, Suffolk Co., NY
dau of Ezekial and Amy (Miller) Mulford
siblings - [etc]
b Jul 7, 1759
d May 11, 1838, North East, Dutchess Co., NY; bur
Smithfield Cemetery (6, p. )
issue-CONKLIN
Nehemiah
b .....etc
Sources submitted by Honor Conklin
6. Van Alstyne, Lawrence. Burying Grounds of Sharon,
Connecticut, Amenia and North East, New York. Amenia,
NY. Interlaken, NY: Heart of the Lakes Publishing,
1983, reprint.