THE
MONTICELLO
ASSOCIATION

1998 Annual Meeting Minutes

Minutes
Treasurer's Report
Graveyard Custodian's Report

Minutes of the Annual Meeting at the Omni Hotel
Charlottesville, VA May 10, 1998

     Before the meeting was called to order, President Gillespie went into some background on the DNA testing being done by Dr. Eugene Foster of Charlottesville. We, as the descendants of Thomas Jefferson's two daughters, are lacking the Y chromosome that could make us a valid subject for DNA testing, and therefore, no blood samples are being taken from us. Blood samples, however, have been taken from the Dabney Carr descendants and the Woodson family descendants, as well as from a control group. If the chromosome patterns of the Woodson and Carr people come out very similar, then there would be a case that Thomas Jefferson could have fathered children with Sally Hemings, but otherwise it would be very unlikely. If it could be proven that the Woodson people were descendants and could be admitted to membership in the Association, we couldn't require them to have a "paper trail", as is the case presently. It would be more a matter of oral tradition with the Woodsons, and our definition of the term "descendant" would have to be expanded. We are the legal owners of the graveyard by virtue of the appointment of the original trustees to take possession of the graveyard for the Association., and the unbroken succession of trustees right up to the present time. We have adopted the policy of having Mr. Gillespie speak for the Association on DNA matters for the Executive Committee, and this principle should apply to the membership as a whole. Permission has been granted to a CBS cameraman to go into the graveyard by himself and to take such pictures as he sees fit to take. The meeting was called to order at 2:15 and the first item of business was to dispense with the reading of last year's minutes. The option to do so was seconded and passed. Secretary's and Trustee's reports were read by Gerald Morgan, and after that the Treasurer's report by Ed Taylor, and these reports will appear separately in the 1998 Annual Report. Ed Taylor then reported for the fence committee and described the two-stage process for the repair of the fence. He stated that a contract will be let for the first stage, as voted on by the Executive Committee the day before. The second stage will have to be let as a separate contract, when the time comes. The dollar figure for the first contract (with the Moran Construction Company), will be in the $28,000 - $30,000 range, and we will need to start a fund-raising campaign. Bob Coolidge, Historian, reported on the genealogy computerization, which Margaret Shaw is still working on. We may have some black or illegitimate descendants, who may be eligible for membership and listing in our records. The next subject to come before the meeting was the 1999 budget, with a figure of $7,950, the same as for the 1998 year.

This was passed.

     There was a short discussion on changing the present Mother's Day date for the meeting to a September date, if we could work around the University's home football schedule. There was no motion on the matter. James Truscott apologized for the smallness of the room in the mount Vernon Motel on Saturday night and the necessity for people to eat in shifts. Mr. Truscott thanked Nancy Morgan for her part in the recreational portion of the weekend. We then proposed the following slate of officers for a period of one year, starting May 10, 1998:

    All were elected unanimously. Gerald Morgan proposed a list of spouses for Associate Membership, which will appear separately. All were elected unanimously. He also announced a tour sponsored by the DAR "In the Steps of Jefferson in France", which we are not vouching for in any way. There did not appear to be much interest in this tour. The meeting was adjourned at 2:40 PM.

Treasurer's Report
Annual Meeting - May 10, 1998

     Once again, I am glad to report that the books balance and that we ended the year with a larger balance than in 1996. In fact, we ended 1996 with $21,172.34 and ended 1997 with $31,606.12. This was mostly due to a $10,000 bequest which was left to graveyard care. Since we anticipate a large expense to return the fence to a state that will preserve it for many more years, the Executive Committee voted to put this amount into a separate account for that purpose. As provided in the by-laws, we are also putting the cash accrual of the Trust Account into this fund. The balance is currently approximately $19,496. This matter will be discussed separately.

     After deducting the bequest, our normal revenue for the year was $15,759.93 and our expenditures $19,606.55. This includes payments and costs for the Annual Meeting and several unexpected expenses which account for the expenditure above our budget. With all this taken into account, our actual operating increase was $1,153.38. As usual, we depend heavily on contributions in excess of dues to operate in the black.

     Again, we were happy to sell many copies of the Collected Papers, both direct to members and in greater numbers to the Monticello Gift Shop. The revenue was $900 and $679.32 was spent to replenish our stock on Volume I. Please contact me for copies of either Volume I or II.

     At this time, our income seems to be arriving in a pattern that will keep the budget in balance for this year.

Graveyard Custodian's Report to the Monticello Association
Annual Meeting, May 10, 1998
(read by her daughter, Joy Boissevain)

     I am sorry not to be with you this morning, but am grateful to my daughter, Joy Boissevain, for delivering my report for me. My husband and I are on our way to a World Learning International Reunion meeting in California. In one way it is very appropriate for Joy to report to you because she has done much of the work of the graveyard over the past year, when I have been less free to attend to graveyard matters.

     We have three burials to report since our last meeting., John J. Kotz, Elinor Virginia Goodrich Shine and Walter Dorsey Taylor. Quite a few stone markers have been placed this past year - I suggest you roam around and admire them, and think about what kind of marker you might like for yourself or for a family member, if you intend to be buried here. As you may remember, there is a chart of the graveyard published in the Collected Papers of the Monticello Association,Volume II. By resolution of the Association there will never be any new burials in the oldest "front" section of the graveyard, north of the big ceremonial gate. For convenience the chart divides the remaining "back" section of the graveyard into eight long rows, parallel with the long side of the fence. These rows are clearer on the chart than on the ground. There are recent stones seen in most of the rows. One handsome horizontal stone, that marking the grave of Henry Parish Meikleham, is newly revealed since I've had the overgrown boxwood hedge which formerly enclosed it removed - this grave is near the dogwood in the center of the graveyard. you will see that in some instances single stones have been replaced by a new joint stone when a survivor has joined a spouse. Other family members have planned ahead for a joint stone. This is particularly practical with cremation burials when spouses can easily share one grave space.

     I am glad to report that Tim Sams has help us find a new gardening service. It's a great relief to have made an arrangement with someone who can work accurately without detailed supervision. As in other years, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation kindly takes care of routine grass mowing and leaf raking but there is a good deal of weeding and tidying which inevitably needs doing.

     Tourist contributions continue to be tossed through the fence. Picking up these offerings takes a lot of my available time and energy. When I come up to the graveyard with forty-five minutes to spend on weeding, copying inscriptions, and planning future work, I end up having to spend at least half my time picking pennies out of the grass and dirt. Earlier this week, for instance, I collected five pounds and three ounces of "litter" from the area around Mr. Jefferson's grave, which had been left there during the previous two and a half weeks. The haul amounted to $29.82, but also included a dead watch battery, a Canadian quarter, a small polished stone, a stamped copper oval and one orange M&M candy!