Welcome to the newsletter for the Squire Munro Project — my attempt to compile a list of Squire Munro's descendants for eventual publication in a book.
This newsletter will keep you informed about my progress and circulate news and announcements to the extended family. Please feel free to forward it to any relatives who may be interested in receiving it. If you receive this email forwarded from a relative and would like to be added to my list, please email me. If for any reason you do not wish to receive future newsletters please let me know.
Project Update
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Now that my computer programming book is finished, I have been refocusing on my genealogy project...!
Descendant Update
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When I started this project I had a list of about 500 names. Today, thanks to contributions of data from over 40 different distant relatives, the count of listed descendants has continued to grow and is now at 2,295 names! Please continue to spread the word about my project to other family members who may be in touch with distant relatives with whom I have not yet corresponded.
Scanning Project
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Over the last couple of months I have scanned many hundreds of photographs and slides that belonged to my grandfather. Not only has this added nicely to my growing archives of genealogical images, but it also proved to be a useful source of information that was not documented anywhere else. From slides, I learned the location of my grandparent's wedding and reception as well as the middle names of my grandmother's mother's parents.
If you have old slides or photo albums, keep this in mind as they might contain information that you were not aware of previously!
Letter Transcription Project
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I have begun the arduous task of transcribing a big stack of photocopies of old letters I have collected over the last couple of years. They range from 1830s - 1990s. Transcribing will help me make better use of the material contained within when writing biographies and it will preserve our ancestor's messages. Letters can be a fertile source of biographical information and they are almost always dated which really helps to pinpoint details.
If you have any old letters that you think I haven't seen, please let me know. I would be happy to have, borrow, or photocopy them for my growing collection.
Biography Project
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In preparation to write biographies for my future book, I started writing one about my grandfather Conway Munro (1908-1995). The experience has been rewarding but also eye opening. I realize that many of the interesting details of our ancestor's lives can so easily be lost from one generation to the next. I am fortunate to have a lot of material to draw on, but for much of the work I had to rely on the memories of my immediate family to provide much of the "flavor" of the text.
In order to insure that I have enough information when I begin writing other biographies... and ... to insure that vital information is not lost to history, I would like to request that everyone write down biographical details from their memories about their ancestors and, perhaps, even about themselves. Although I am happy to accept and record any information you might want to send, here are some suggestions of topics to consider:
• The obvious stuff (which I may already have) such as dates and locations of births, marriages, deaths, burials, etc.
• Education: Institutions, locations, dates attended, degrees earned, classes taken, etc. for any level of education from elementary to higher learning.
• Hobbies & other interests.
• Spouse: dates, locations, how they met, honeymoon location, etc.
• Employment: company, years employed, job title(s), retirement, etc.
• Locations: The addresses of apartments or houses that they lived in, reasons for moving.
• Vacations: Family vacation information, where did they travel.
• Memories you have of the person, their appearance, mannerisms, advice they gave you, things they said, stories they told, etc.
Please make sure you clarify the ancestor about whom you are writing by putting their name in the subject of your email. Feel free to send as much or as little as you want to. Any information will be greatly appreciated and will help to make this genealogy project a richer legacy to future generations.
Next Research Trip
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I am planning a short trip to Cheshire, Massachusetts to learn more about the time Squire Munro and family lived on a farm there. From about 1779-1799, prior to moving to Elbridge, NY, Squire lived on a mountain farm two miles outside of the Cheshire village. I'll be visiting libraries and other locations to see what information I can find. My primary goal is to discover the location of the farm. Also, two of Squire's children died during this time, so I will also be visiting cemeteries in the area in an attempt to locate their burial site.
