ORIGINS - This website is currently under construction. Ruth (Wickenden Abel) and I (Thomas Howard Wickenden II) envision it as an ongoing, collaborative family project, where each of the Thomas R Wickenden families will contribute to updating the original Memoirs book within the context of this website. However, to share the concept and generate interest in the project, the first step Ruth and I have taken is to develop and publish a rough layout for the Wickenden Family Memoirs website. We hope you like what you see! We also welcome comments and suggestions for improving it.
NEW FUNCTIONS - In the meantime, we will begin to fill out the content and experiment with the various functionalities available through the website. For example, this blog, which will function as a newsletter titled "News," is something we have not done before but wanted to try out to provide transparency and to enhance communication. I'd like to give each post its own title and date, etc., but I don't know how to do this, so I'll start by giving each an internal heading such as the one above. If it turns out to be an interesting addition to the website, we'll keep it. Otherwise, we'll get rid of it, so let us know what you think. You can send comments through a comments feature, or just email me at the address on the Join Us page.
COLLABORATION - My cousin Cindy is coming to Arizona this weekend to visit for a few days, and I hope to spend some time reviewing the website and signing her up as a collaborator. Our grandfather, Thomas Howard Wickenden, had two children. I am starting to develop my father's portion of the THW page, and I have asked my brother and sister for help. Cindy will be contacting her sisters and developing her mother's portion of the THW page.
COMMUNICATION - It turns out that Ruth Wickenden Abel's grandson Brian just graduated from Northern Arizona University and is spending the summer in Flagstaff, Arizona, where my wife and I live during the summer. So when my cousin Cindy is in town, we will see if we can get together to meet Brian and perhaps give his grandmother Ruth a call. Of course, I will see if I can interest him in the website! I suspect, however, that members of the older generations will be more interested in the website than the younger folks, although they certainly will be more adept at using social media, which we might link to the site, if appropriate.
I'll keep these posts to less than one screen, and for now I plan to add them at random times when there is something interesting to report. So I'll sign off, for now.