The RCHS meeting for December 16th was canceled due to the weather conditions in Roane and surrounding counties.
Perhaps a work day/meeting can be scheduled for a later date.
Next regular meeting is scheduled for, Thursday, March 24, 2011.

The RCHS met on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Roane County Library with five members & one guest present. President, Rick Greathouse called the meeting to order and Linda Liss led the opening prayer. The pledge to the flag was recited.

In absence of the Recording Sect?y, minutes of the previous meeting could not be read.

Carol Board-Westfall, Treasurer, gave her report. No receipts. $75.99 disbursements. Balance $18,123.41. Copy filed with minutes.

Corresponding Sect?y/Membership Sect?y, Linda Liss reported that she had mailed greeting cards where needed. She contacted 28 local members as a reminder about the date change for this month?s meeting. Question: Why are members not attending these important meetings?
She has contacted the 15 members three times who have not paid their 2010-11 dues. Five persons decided not to renew and we have rec?d two new members. Present membership: 197, a net loss of three. Report copy filed with minutes. Carol Cronin also posted ?Final Issue? on Newsletter cover. Names will be removed from roll if not paid by December 16th.

Carol Board Westfall reported that no new books have been added to the library.
The Fall-Volume 18, Issue 1 of the newsletter was mailed this week.

Carol announced that our 17th Annual Genealogy Fair will be advertised in the 2011 Roane County Chamber of Commerce (WV) Travel Guide.

Old Business:
Linda Liss reported that she and Marvin Stemple of the RCHS Essay Scholarship Committee met at 6 p.m. and finalized guidelines and the application form for the Essay Scholarship. A timeline will co-incide with Roane County High School schedules, with it being presented to interested Seniors in January 2011.

Carol B/W reported on the plaque project. There should be enough funds on hand to do seventeen plaques this year. She has contacted many area churches and has heard back from some.
She researched the Goad house near Walton and found that it was built in 1917. The house is quite impressive and is being restored room-by-room by its present owners. After discussion, motion was made by Linda Liss and seconded by Paul Hughes to relax the society?s 100 year criteria for plaques, this one time, and go ahead and place a plaque on the Goad home. Motion carried unanimously. Carol will contact the Hollan family of her findings and the society?s decision.

Carol reported that a photo of Ralph Nester had been found to include with his pictures that are being framed.

Linda Liss is working on a book of photos and histories of the buildings/homes which were included in the 2009 plaque project. She needs additional information on several of the homes & buildings.

New Business:
Rick announced that an information packet has been received for the 2011 WV History Hero presentation. Name has to be submitted by the end of 2010. Tabled until the December 16th meeting.

Due to the Christmas holidays the next meeting of the RCHS will be held at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, December 16th, 2010. ONE WEEK EARLY. Holiday refreshments will be served.

The business meeting adjourned and our guest, Mr. Paul Greathouse of Richwood, WV, presented a program of music on the mountain dulcimer.

Those present were: Marvin Stemple, Linda Liss, Carol Board-Westfall, Paul Hughes, Rick Greathouse and guest, Mr. Paul Greathouse.

The Roane County Historical Society, Inc. held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, October 28th at the Roane County Library in Spencer. Rick Greathouse, President, opened the meeting with prayer and the pledge to the flag was recited. Members present were: Carol Board-Westfall, Linda Liss, Hazel Gandee, Susan Tucker, Rick Greathouse, Patty Wyatt and Marvin Stemple.

Carol Board Westfall gave the treasurer?s report and Susan Tucker read the minutes from the September meeting.

Carol reported that several new books have been added to the society?s library.
New books include:
Clay County Marriages & Index (1991) by the WV Genealogical Society,
Curry Funeral Home Death Notices (1949-2008),
Jackson County Deaths (1950-2000),
Obituaries from Times Record, Vol.4, A-Z (2007-2010), and
Sinnett Family Tree by John P. Sagert

Linda Liss, Membership & Corresponding Secretary, reported current membership at 200. She has been sending greeting card to members for illnesses and/or deaths. Also, she has greeted new members with emails or letters and has contacted the different genealogy societies with whom we exchange or provide newsletters to bring all those files up-to-date.

Linda is working on a book about the buildings/homes which the society commemorated with plaques in the year 2009. She will make copies of the book available to the RCHS Library.

Linda reported that she has met with the guidance counselor at Roane County High School to continue making plans for the $500. R.C.H.S. Essay Scholarship. The scholarship committee will meet on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. immediately before the society?s meeting to look at guidelines and the essay application.

Sue Tucker reported that two digital photo frames are now on display in Spencer, one at the Antique Mall and one at the Roane County Library. The frames hold images from Jack Nida?s book ?Images of America.?

Mark your 2011 calendars: 17th Annual Genealogy Fair, is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, 2011 at the Heritage Park Community Building in Spencer.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the next meeting of the R.C.H.S. is scheduled a week earlier, on Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 7:00 p.m. at the Roane County Library, downstairs. Members are urged to attend and guests are always welcome. You may contact Linda Liss, WVRoots@aol.com if you have questions or comments about Society activities.

Obituary
Frederick Eugene ?Gene? Crone
Vienna, WV
Frederick Eugene ?Gene? Crone, 79, of Vienna, W.Va., passed away Sept. 27, 2010, at St. Joseph?s Hospital in Parkersburg.

He was born October 7, 1930, in Parkersburg, W.Va., a son of the late Ralph Lee and India Nelson Crone.

Gene graduated from Parkersburg High School with the class of 1948. He was a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and the boxing champion in 1948 of the North Atlantic Fleet Organization. After the Navy, he worked at Johns Manville as a shift foreman and also worked at Parks Hardware for eight years. He was a member of the VFW of Vienna and the Vienna Lodge #172 A.F.& A.M., the Scottish Rites and Nemesis Temple Shrine. He was a High Priest in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints in Parkersburg where he was a Sunday School Teacher, Sunday School President, Building Supervisor and Church Genealogist.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Cross Crone whom he married June 24, 1969; three daughters, Belinda Corkrean (James) of Leesburg, FL, Angela Crone of Vienna, and Melissa Crone Carvell (Gary) of Bridgeport, W.Va.; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a special nephew, Jack Eugene Crone (April) of Parkersburg.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Frederick Eugene Crone Jr.; two brothers, Norman and William Crone; and one infant brother, Ralph.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home, Vienna, with Bishop Wayne Lee officiating. Visitation will be 2:00 ? 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 ? 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, and until time of services on Saturday at the funeral home.

The Roane County Historical Society, Inc., sponsored the 16th Annual Roane County Genealogy Fair on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at the Heritage Center Community Building in Spencer, 9 am. ? 3 p.m.

The fair was deemed a success with registrars receiving over 150 guests. Everything went well and the weather cooperated with a beautiful sunny day. The vendors and others having display tables reported a good day with a steady flow of genealogists searching for clues to their family history.

As always, the American Legion Auxiliary delighted taste-buds with their baked goods, hotdogs, coffee and cold beverages. Yum, yum!

Rick Greathouse, RCHS President, introduced Mr. Joe Gieger, Jr., Director of WV Division of Culture & History Archives in Charleston, as the 10 a.m. guest speaker. He brought those present up-to-date on resources available to budding or long-time family genealogists. He related that the State Archives & History department was instrumental in replacing & refurbishing state highway historical markers; that the department had first-hand input in researching the 11,427 names for the Veteran?s Memorial at the State Capitol Complex; that the Archives has a good Civil War Soldiers & Sailors database available; that the department offers grants for historical preservation projects and that genealogical in nature workshops are being held on Tuesdays at the Archives Library. He shared many other ideas and food for thought not covered in this article. We thank him for sharing his Saturday morning with us.

Johanna Nutter, Fair Chairperson, drew numbers for the hourly door prizes. Richard Griffith of near Las Vegas, NV traveled the farthest to attend. He received the quilted wall-hanging. Tom E. Cottrell, of Xenia, OH won the genealogy bag and Patty Wyatt of Spencer won the raffle for the 5-volume set of books: Cemeteries of Roane County, WV.

Linda Liss, Membership Secretary, reports that two renewals and six new society memberships were received during the fair.

Carol Board-Westfall, treasurer, thanks the Hur Herald, Spencer Newspapers and the WVRC radio station for advertising the fair free-of-charge. We extend our thanks to Jim Cooper of the Times Record newspaper for the follow-up article in the Sept. 30, 2010 paper. Also, special thanks to Richard Griffith, society member and webmaster, for the collection of fair photos posted to this site.

We extend our special thanks to all those who helped in any way to make this year?s fair a success.

The 17th Annual Roane County Genealogy Fair is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 24, 2011, - exact time and site to be announced.