On the way to Moorhead MN and the American Quilt Genealogy Conference at Minnesota State University, Kathryn Bassett and I drove through some of the most beautiful areas in the United States: Dillon, the Jefferson River Valley to Twin Bridges (where Patrick Duffy’s parents lived and died), through Bozeman and Billings MT, past Three Forks and the headwaters of the Missouri River–where my friend Nan was married, and where the American Fur Company had a large fur cache…
…to Home on the Range, North Dakota. A lovely spot in the road with their name worked in rocks on the hillsides.
And we actually saw the deer and the antelope play!
We passed a small, new building on the side of the road with the title across the top: Montana Conference. For several miles we discussed and speculated what the building was–Was it Baptist? Or Methodist? Or Lutheran? What churches have administrative meetings called “conferences?”
Since I am going to speak on American Church Records in Moorhead, I said, “I have notes that would include the answers. I just don’t have these notes committed to memory. I have to look at the notes.” She thought I should remember what I had prepared.
Actually, she is right. An administrative conference is a Protestant church function.
So here are the questions of the day: What is the Montana Conference? What Protestant churches have conferences?
What I do recall about my presentation is this: The records churches keep on their members is determined by their theology. And I will demonstrate in my session what I mean. I also have two special handouts, not included in the syllabus, for those attending. Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Mennonites, Reformed–we’ll look at what they believe and what records they keep.
For example, Did you know that the Baptists keep the best obituaries and death records on their members? Your favorite genealogist from North Dakota where the deer and the antelope play at Home on the Range! Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Stay tuned–Bad Route Road and Important Intersection Ahead are still to come.
PPS Want to follow us? Click on this link (it is on Kathryn’s website) to follow the Tiny Track http://www.bassett.net/trips/2008fall.html