Robert Gaber Scholarship Award

The Kelsey Kindred Award in Memory of Robert F. Gaber (Past Genealogist) is being offered to a Kindred Members Child who is a High School Senior, planning on entering higher education and who submits an entry of at least 500 words on the topic of Genealogy.

The deadline for the submission of essays is June 30th, prior to the September start of the school year and should be sent to the Membership Secretary, Mrs. Suzanne K. Hall, 244 Mountain Rd., N. Granby, CT 06060.

The Award is in the amount of $500.00 and will be presented at this year's reunion if the winner attends and if not their name will be announced and the award sent to them.

Scholarship Winner 2007

The Robert F. Gaber Scholarship was awarded to Heidi Cohen of Roanoke, Texas. We all wish Heidi good luck in her future endeavors.
Here is the 2007 Winning Essay:

Heidi Cohen
Roanoke, TX

Robert F. Gaber Scholarship Award

"It is difficult to know where you are going if you don't know where you cam from." It is not uncommon, especially as a graduating senior, to wonder what the world has in store for you, to wonder who you are, where you came from and what you are capable of doing in the future.

I personally have been very lucky in this regard. I have my father, the history buff, to tell me the stories of American History such as Picket's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg or of the Paul Revere's infamous ride of the Revolutionary War. My mother, the genealogist, then threads the needle my dad has welded with the stories of my ancestors, like Lewis Seeley Blakely who sacrificed his life in the Civil War and because of lack of good communication his wife lived in worry for a year before she was informed of his death, also John McCombs who was a Patriot of the Revolutionary War. Genealogy is not boring as many people are led to believe, genealogy gives us a stronger sense of who we are and provides a foundation upon which we may base our life. I recently had the opportunity to take an excursion to Gettysburg with my dad. As we walked silently along the field where Picket's Charge took place, we contemplated the acts of service those soldiers bestowed upon us and which we still receive the benefits of today. When we ended our entourage across the field we stood in the place where General Armistead died, held in the arms of a Union soldier. I was filled with reverence as I stood in awe of what these men did, to fight for what they believed in.

Genealogy is not something that is a recent establishment. Obviously those who lived in the Old Testament times believed it was important as Genesis is filled with "Canaan begat Sidon his first born who begat ... who begat ...". Fortunately for us we have the modern convenience of technology to better record, share and research ancestry. Through the research of ancestry "the heart of the children [is turned] to their fathers" as Malachi stated (Malachi 4:6 KJV).

Genealogy is also a window into the past in which we can glimpse our heritage. Researching genealogy has taught me the importance of keeping records. For example, John McCombs, on my mother's side, cam to America from Scotland and his records are well kept and easily accessible but William Cohen, on my dad's side, cam to the United States from Russia and besides the fact that they changed the spelling of his name, from Kahn to the current Cohen at Ellis Island in 1910, many of his records are destroyed because of the purging of the Jews during the anti-semitic acts of that time in Russia.

It is an honor to be a thirteenth generation grandchild of William Kelsey. Another benefit of genealogy is evident in the Kelsey Kindred Society which has formed in honor and remembrance of William Kelsey. Thank for you taking the time to consider my application for the Robert F. Gaber Scholarship Award.