Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr11/metis95.zip/METISNET.DOC

Text File | 1995-01-01 | 4KB | 66 lines

METISNET...........A Network for Family History Researchers

The METISNET is a service for people who are doing research into their
Family Histories which include Aboriginal ancestors.  In this part of
Canada, these people are generally referred to as Metis; in the rest of
North America, the most-used term is Half-Blood.

The service began in Calgary Alberta in the late 1980's and was started when
a mere 5 people met at the home of Geoff Burtonshaw to discuss their mutual
research interests.  These "originals" are still actively researching and
have since been joined by 260 others who regularly exchange information  on
the families which are listed in the File SURNAMES.DOC (over 900 in Nov.94).

Through these years, Geoff has served as the focal point for the activities
of this diverse group and it is a matter of considerable pride to him that
the mailing list now includes names from far-distant places in Alaska,
Florida, New Zealand and many many more, in between.

It is a NETWORK; a network of dedicated people working towards common goals
and supporting each other along the way.  There aren't fees for either
membership or service just modest charges to cover the costs of photocopying
and/or postage.  And it works too;  there are many happy instances of the
discovery of not only a family heritage but of previously unknown living
relatives such as Cousins, Uncles and Aunts and Grandparents.

Geoff keeps  up-to-date Registers of  Researchers and also  Surnames so
there is a record of each researcher's interests.  The Registers are
cross-referenced so it's a simple matter to find common interests.
Complete Registers of Researchers and Surnames are mailed to Subscribers
every year-end.

Subscribers are kept informed of events through a Newsletter which Geoff
publishes every 6 weeks. This is usually 5 pages done in Geoff's own
printing and that in itself is unique these days. The Newsletter keeps the
"Network" informed about new names as they are added to both the Researcher
and Surname lists. It also has news items of research successes, requests
for help, news of up-coming Re-Unions, new books and other material and all
this interspersed with humorous tid-bits from the author.

Geoff  maintains an  outline of each subscriber's research and is therefore
able to quickly refer enquiries to those who can help the most.  This is
accomplished  through a personal reply, by including it in the Newsletter,
or both. There is a very practical aspect to this  as it means that Geoff
doesn't have to get and keep an ever increasing mountain of detail.   He has
an excellent personal library of Metis reference material which he shares
very willingly. His basic subscriber files though are the dozens of Pedigree
Charts which he has collected over the years. He has an ever-increasing
amount of data on his own computer too (over 130,000 names)

The purpose of this letter, and the Surname List is to help publicize the
Network. By doing so, it supports the research of the present subscribers
and also will make others aware of the Network which in turn, will help more
people whether they are old, or new subscribers.

If you wish to learn more about the Network and become a Subscriber, it's
really very simple. Prepare a Pedigree Chart of as many of your Ancestors as
possible, and mail it to Geoff .  If you don't have a Pedigree Chart get
started with the one included in the file Pedigree.Doc   What is needed  in
order to help are NAMES, PLACES and DATES which are as complete, and neat as
possible. Geoff will reply personally and if you need more charts, will
gladly mail them to you. Send this information with a note or letter to:

Geoff Burtonshaw, 2324 3rd Avenue N.W,  Calgary AB  Canada, T2N 0K8.
If you'd like to phone the number is 403-283-2594.