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2005 REGIONAL
CLOUD FAMILY GATHERINGS
 

SoutheastCaliforniaNortheastTexas - Background

 

NE: Leesburg, VA -- (contact Jamee Cloud) -- 23 July, 2005 (tent.)
SE: Athens, GA (contact Jane Ellison) -- 15-17 July, 2005
SW: Dallas, TX (contact Don Salter or Al Cloud) -- 11-13 August 2005

CA: Los Angeles (?) -- (contact Hal Cloud) -- date tbd
 

 

Southeast - July 15-17, 2005

Over the weekend of July 15-17, 2005, another attempt will be made to "deCloud" the University of Georgia Library in Athens, GA, . Some members will probably try to spend additional days there.

The Hargrett Library at the University of Georgia will once again be the focus for Cloud research. The library currently houses 120,000 books in the rare book collection with a special emphasis on Georgia history.  Additionally, a large selection of family papers, diaries and letter exists. Also on campus is a large collection of historic newspapers. As an example, Dade County, which is of particular interest to Jane Ellison, has microfilmed newspapers dating back to 1884

The University of Georgia Library contains the GA room and the Hargett Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, along with the largest collection of microfilmed GA newspapers available anywhere compiled by the GA newspaper project. The GA room has one of the largest collections of GA books anywhere. There is also the Draper Collection (early frontier American records) and the Telamon Cuyler Collection (over 5000 loose Georgia state and county records arranged by Governor, county and subject) and the LeConte Genealogical Collection which is thousands of files and cards on family genealogies. Between the newspaper archives and the other collections we hope to make some discoveries that have not been available elsewhere.

 

The Holiday Inn located at 197 East Broad Street is recommended for lodging. The hotel includes parking, a real premium in Athens, and is located within walking distance of the University and many restaurants.  The rate is $85-$95. Phone 866.235.9330.  A block of rooms will be specifically set aside beginning May 15th. Please wait until then to make reservations. Rates may be lowered based on meeting registration numbers.

 

The scheduled dates are July 15 – 17, 2005. There are no special planned meetings but a reception is scheduled for Friday night and group meals are encouraged.   

 

Please contact Jane Ellison via email: [email protected] to register. There is no registration cost.  A package will be sent in advance to all those who register by June 25th.  

The 2003 Southeast Regional Cloud Family Association research meeting was held at Athens, Ga. on July 25th and 26th of 2003. (See photos.)  Unfortunately, this library was struck by an arsonist (a non-student later arrested) on Wednesday evening (7/23/03) and was occupied by clean-up personnel from Disaster Services Co. instead of students and Cloud Researchers during the weekend of 7/26/03. This discouraged some, but the CFA Board members came, conducted the planned business, did some research in the Clark-Athens County Library, and enjoyed the weekend. Fortunately, the rare documents section of the library suffered only smoke damage, and is waiting for our return.       

There are also a number of attractions in the area of Athens, GA. The nearby Kettle Creek Revolutionary War battlefield was visited by some in 2003. (Kris Moore’s direct ancestor, Ezekiel Cloud, is said by the family to have fought in this battle.) And, the 2003 group enjoyed a visit to historic Madison, GA. Wrightsville, where Joel Cloud was a prominent member of the Quaker settlement there during the 1768-1803 era, is about 60 miles away.  

         

Northeast - 23 July 2005

Jamee Cloud is working on plans for an NE Regional Cloud Family Gathering. For this gathering she has targeted Leesburg, VA, on July 23, 2005; but, this is still tentative.

Jamee and her father, Taylor Cloud, hosted the 2003 Gathering July 19, 2003, in Lancaster, PA. It ran from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with a lunch served. (Many will also recall that they hosted the fabulous national Cloud Family Gathering of 1997.)

In 2003 Jamee Cloud reported:

"The meeting went quite well with about nineteen in attendance.   I think it was a good start for an area that is pretty much unchartered.   Most of these people, with the exception of Harley, Harry, Taylor and I, have not attended any National meetings other than the 1997 meeting.   Their experience with the Cloud Family Association is a Journal delivered quarterly.   We spend time getting to know each other and our particular branches of the family.   We also had a discussion of members hopes for the Association and how it can meet their needs."
 

Much applause for Jamee and Taylor for organizing this first NE Regional Cloud Family Gathering. Jamee and Taylor Cloud also hosted the 1997 Cloud Family Gathering. That was the largest and most elaborate meeting the Cloud Family Association has ever had.

Contact: Jamee Cloud for further information.

 

Texas - 11-13 August

 

Don Salter and Al Cloud are looking at prospects for a Regional Cloud Family Gathering in the Dallas area. They are meeting with Lloyd Bockstruck, Director of the Genealogy Section of the Dallas Public Library, to discuss the Cloud Regional Gathering planned for Dallas this summer (2005).  Details will be published shortly.  

Don Salter and Al Cloud met with Cecil Stokes, then CFA President, at the DFW Airport Hyatt on 8/14/03 to get acquainted and discuss prospects for a CFA gathering in this area later in 2003 and/or in 2005. The three reported enjoying the occasion, and Historian Jan Cloud says this qualifies as a Regional CFG; but, thinking involves something much bigger for 2005. If interested contact Don Salter or Al Cloud.

 

California

CFA Director Hal Cloud and CFA Historian Jan Cloud are looking at prospects for another Regional Cloud Family Gathering on the west coast this year (2005).

CFA Director Hal Cloud and CFA Historian Jan Cloud hosted the first ever meeting of the Cloud Family Association on the west coast on 16 August 2003 at Hal’s Playa del Ray (LAX area) complex.

Hal said he was anxious to make this meeting a good opportunity for folks interested in various Cloud families to get acquainted and share information. With Hal working it we could be sure it will be well planned and worthwhile. With Jan involved we could be sure it will be highly informative for anyone interested in genealogy and family history. Jan, of course, is a professional genealogist with world-class credentials and is the long-time editor of the Cloud Family Journal.

You can contact Hal at [email protected] .

 

Background

 

 

The Cloud Family Association departed from its regional roots in 1997 to have its annual meetings at diverse locations across the continent. This opened new opportunities for participation of more Clouds and broader group research, but it also presented greater challenges of travel distance. There were different views: 1. Annual meetings are great for maintaining contact and momentum, and annual meetings offer opportunities for researchers to gather at different locations. 2. Annual meetings are too close together to justify extensive travel for a limited amount of new material available for presentation.

 

A compromise approach appeared to provide the best of both positions. Large national gatherings in alternate years provide the opportunity for member presentations and guest speakers that justify significant preparation and travel; and, regional gatherings in the other years provide the continuity in social contact on a regional basis and group research in even more locations. 2001 was the first year for “regional” gatherings and only one took place, but it was considered to have been quite successful and a good model for regional gatherings in the future. There were three Regional Gatherings in 2003 and a very informal gathering at DFW airport that might be counted as a fourth. These promise to provide a variety of models for future regional meetings. It has also been suggested that “regional gatherings” might focus on a particular Cloud ancestor or group of possibly related Cloud ancestors, but this alternate approach has not yet been tried.

 

Regional meetings require the host or host committee to merely identify the meeting place and time and let folks know about it. The host should designate the general location (the city), a general time (a particular weekend or day), a place for visitors to stay (a hotel/motel with good value/prices), some attractions in the area (historical, data sources, scenic, and/or entertaining), suggested times and places to get together (hotel, library, restaurant, home, etc.), and a local point of contact (home phone, cell phone, hotel room, or other). Letting folks know about it can include the Cloud Family Journal, personal email, email lists, CFA web sites, etc. The host need not make any reservations for attendees, but negotiating a group hotel rate is helpful, as will other information gathering to the extent practical. Invitations are typically mailed to non-member Clouds in the area as well as all CFA members, but neither is obligatory.

 

National meetings typically involve having the host committee do these things plus making arrangements for a luncheon, a program (with meeting rooms and member/non-member presenters), a tour, and a block of hotel rooms to be booked by attendees. Invitations are typically mailed to non-member Clouds in the area as well as all CFA members, which may or may not be done for regional meetings.

 

 

 

Please plan to get involved

 

C. Stokes 11/29/2002 updated 5/11/2005