Committee records, 2004

Minutes of a Meeting of the Committee of The Sackett Family Association held by email correspondence on 28 April 2004

Following the submission of nominations for the election of Committee members, the following were elected unopposed to hold office as members of the Committee for the ensuing year –

  • President & Sackett Discussion List Administrator – Nancy Cluff Siders;
  • Vice President & Family Gatherings Coordinator – Liesa Robarge;
  • Secretary, Treasurer & TSFA Web Administrator – Chris Sackett;
  • Historian – Thurmon King;
  • Newsletter Editor – Darlene Sackett;
  • Registrar – Tom Smith;
  • Members at Large – Patty Sackett Chrisman, Jill Jessen Hernandez, Glenna Hertzler, Wendy Sacket, Mary Lou Sackett, Brenda Sias.

    • The above Minute was approved 28 April 2004 by Liesa Robarge, Chris Sackett, Darlene J Sackett, Patty S Chrisman, Glenna Hertzler, Wendy Sacket, and Mary Lou Sackett.


    Minutes of a Meeting of the Committee of The Sackett Family Association held at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT, on 12 September 2004

    Present: Liesa Robarge, Fred Sackett, Chris Sackett, Thurmon King, Darlene Sackett, Glenna Hertzler, Wendy Sacket, Tom Smith

    Observers: (member) Don Hertzler, (non-members) Toni Smith, Jon Tabor, Ted & Marian Sinkewiz

    Apologies: Nancy Cluff Siders, Patty Sackett Chrisman, Jill Jessen Hernandez, Mary Lou Sackett, Brenda Sias

    1. President
    The resignation of Nancy Cluff Siders as President of the Association was accepted with great regret. A vote of thanks was passed for her superlative efforts in getting the Association established. It was noted that she remained on the Committee in her continuing capacity as Sackett Discussion List Administrator. It was voted unanimously that the position of Past President be created and that Nancy be accorded that honorary title.
    On the proposal of Chris Sackett, seconded by Darlene Sackett, it was voted unanimously that Fred Sackett be the President of the Association.

    2. Historian
    Thurmon King reported that his Sackett database now contained more than 23,000 individuals, comprising Sackett descendants, their spouses, and parents of spouses. Of this figure, some 15,000 records were of individuals not in Weygant's Sacketts of America which contained just under 8,000 individuals. The total figure had grown by more than 3,000 in the last year, reflecting the work done in collaboration with other Sackett researchers.
    Thurmon had received substantial quantities of documentation from other researchers, including some original documents and pictures.

    3. Preservation
    The need to find a suitable repository for paper records was again considered. Chris Sackett reported that the NEHGS were actively encouraging deposits, and their policy was to make the material available to researchers. Concerns were expressed about the ownership of the materials. Chris would investigate this further. Tom Smith was aware of other institutions in New England which may be suitable and he and Fred would make further enquiries.

    4. Registrar
    Tom Smith reported that 17 new members had joined the Association since formation in September 2003, bringing total membership to 90.

    5. Newsletter
    Darlene Sackett reported that she was continuing to look for contributions to the Newsletter from as many Association members as possible. She was planning to introduce a Members' Queries section, and she aimed to publish Member Profiles once the Committee members' profiles had been completed.

    6. Reunion
    Liesa Robarge reported that the unofficial Reunion Sub-Committee now comprised just herself and Tom Smith. She wished to recruit more helpers and the Committee agreed that, given the considerable amount of work involved in research and organization for a successful reunion, it was appropriate to have an official Sub-Committee with membership drawn either from other Association Committee members or from the membership at large. Liesa would go ahead with recruiting other Reunion Sub-Committee members.
    The Committee considered future reunions and decided to plan for biennial events, the next to be held in New England in 2006. It was noted that arrangements would necessarily be more complex than those for Salt Lake City as it would be desirable to visit several Sackett places including Boston (Cambridge), Springfield, Westfield, New Haven, and perhaps Sacketts Harbor. It was thought better to change the season for this reunion as hotels would be heavily booked and expensive in the fall. The membership is to be consulted for suggestions and comments once an outline plan has been drawn up.
    A Reunion in Kent, England, was provisionally targeted for 2008.

    7. Webmaster
    Chris Sackett reported that the Association website sackettfamily.info had been published during the year. Content was small so far but he was working on posting all Sackett census records taken from Thurmon's research files. Chris would welcome suggestions for additional content. The website was listed on the family associations page of the NEHGS site.

    8. DNA Project
    The Committee were keen to proceed with DNA testing to establish that various Sacketts were related, the priority being to confirm a relationship between Simon the colonist and John of New Haven. Other relationship tests could follow thereafter. Fred will contact Nancy who had made a start on this project. The need was seen for a Coordinator for the project and the question of funding needs addressing.