[Genealib] Thanks to all re KKK membership lists

[Cynthia Van Ness]

Hi, list,

Many thanks to all who responded on & off list to my request for
opinions about digitizing our KKK membership list.  I want to
put it online, but first I thought I'd better see if there are
any good reasons not to.

To answer a point that someone raised:
Personally, I am not embarrassed by the list because I know how
the story ended--the Klan left town exposed and discredited.  It
is an especially proud moment in Buffalo history.  However, for
the casual net user, finding the list online without having had
the benefit of reading Shawn Lay's book gives one an entirely
different, inadequate impression.

I probably won't digitize it unless I can supply a supporting
context or narrative that makes two seemingly conflicting
points: that the Klan was successful here and attracted people
like us ("us" meaning the middle class WASP ancestors of my
neighbors), and that it was ultimately defeated by a few key
players, including a flamboyant non-WASP mayor.

Thanks again, everyone!

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-*
Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com
http://www.BuffaloResearch.com

"Everyone claims to want a city, but no one here wants city living.  City living by its definition is crowded.  It is tolerant of other people.  It is dependent on a sophisticated population that makes a hundred compromises daily so that they can benefit from the collective energy that a city generates."     --Robert N. Davis, Jr. (1955-2007)