After I had the idea for the site, I wrote an e-mail to Helen (and Kris and my Mom) and kinda made stuff up as I went along.  Here are my thoughts, in brief:

 

1.  The "And So My Children, Here is Your History..." books need to be transferred to a digital format so they survive the generations.  Once in a digital format, fire, mildew, floods, and the like can't destroy them.  They could theoretically survive for thousands of years of Devlin descendents.  On a webpage, all the younger cousins, or for that matter, anyone who hasn't read them, has no excuse for not learning about his or her family's history.  Someone with a scanner could have the job done in a day, and even the pictures and hand-drawn maps and birth certificates would be "digitized".  I also drew up maps and directions to the family house sites in Ireland, and I think they should be put in the book for posterity as well.

 

2.  We could have a couple of pages dedicated to lists of everyone in the family's e-mail addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, and addresses.  No one could forget a birthday or reunion date again.  Of course, those of us who have trouble remembering such things would be left without a good excuse for doing so...

 

3.  I can think of 2 band webpages, Earl Pickens and No Cash, which deserve links on the family web site, as well as lists of tri-state area gigs the family should be attending in support of the bands anyway.  Also, any family member who wanted to could link their business website to the site so we can link up and help each other out whenever we need a service that someone else in the family can provide in a professional capacity.  I could use a spot to advertise myself as a small-event caterer as well. "Keep it in the family", indeed... 

 

4.   When I was at the Clinton Inn, I heard about the latest family venture to the Emerald Isle, as did many of you, I'm sure.  With a family website, the next time something like that happens, one or all of the travellers could keep a brief web journal or send "digital postcards" to the whole family.  Ireland is modernizing and there are, surely, web cafes somewhere.

 

Clearly, these are just the beginning of the possibilites here.  I would welcome any and all input you may have.  Actually, as I know nothing about making webpages (this one pretty much built itself), I need the help of anyone, young or old or really old, who has the will and the technical ability necessary to go about such a thing.  This means you, Larry, P.J., and ALL the younger cousins who, unlike me, were in school when the mass public discovered this infernal internet contraption.  When I was in elementary school, Atari was still the peak of electronic entertainment, and we had an Apple IIe at home. 

 

-Chad

 

 

 

 

Right now, I need ideas, and we are a pretty bright family (damn attractive, too) so that should be no issue.  I also need volunteers with more knowledge of html and stuff.  Billy and Chris Tray have pages already, so you guys have no excuse.  Except Billy having a job, wife, band, and 2 kids, I mean. 

 

The thing EVERYONE needs to do is get me your:

1)  Birthdays

2)  Anniversaries

3)  E-mail addresses

4)  Links you want put up

 

Check the "Devlin Clan Site News" page for more info.