About:

Officially, they are the Escapees Genealogy Birds of a Feather (BOF). This means they are members of the Escapee RV Club who have a special interest in genealogy. Any Escapee can participate in the group. They are also known as the SKP Genies.

The Escapees is an RV organization made up of serious RVers. Serious means they work hard at RVing the best way possible. The name Escapee comes from the letters S, K and P, which represent Support, Knowledge and Parking. Most Escapees are full-timers. Full-time means that they live mostly in their RV and a significant number of them for 12 months a year.

The SKP Genies are Escapees that do genealogy. The great thing about them is they can and do genealogy on-site. They can economically go where their ancestors went and learn directly from the records what their ancestors did.

Purpose:

To share with each other, the genealogy information, resources, expertise and experiences they have gained while doing genealogy on the road.

What we do:

Most genealogists must be "arm chair" genealogists. Time, work or money tends to limit the average genealogist from doing much on-site research. This means they can do great genealogy, but it can take many years for the records or data to be collected for analysis. On-site visits can reduce the time to weeks or less. They can go anywhere for more immediate information, even if it means coming back several times to a location because of what they learned later. They also do it economically. It costs them anywhere from $0 to $15 a night, or as much as $20 to $40 a night near metropolitan areas instead of $30 to $200 a night for a hotel room. They will eat breakfast and dinner in their own home, their RV. They don't spend every morning, noon and night eating in expensive or fast-food restaurants unless they so choose.

Needless to say, as a group the SKP Genies have become some very experienced genealogists. One of the characteristics of a SKP is a willingness to share. They share friendships, experience, genealogy data and expertise.

Officers:

The SKP Genies don't really have officers, they have an Administrative Team. The members are:

• Bob Ed - SKP Genies Escapade Coordinator
• Barbara Nuehring - Secretary/Treasurer
• Carol Brown - Newsletter Editor
• Jeanette Fisher - Newsletter Editor Assistant
• Richard Pack - Mailing Coordinator
• Mary Sherer - Sunshine Lady
• Pete Bradish - Webmaster

History:

The Escapee Genealogy BOF, began after the 1991 Spring Escapade (RV rally) in Roseburg, Oregon with about a dozen charter members. One of these wanted to keep in touch with the rest of the Escapees who shared her interest in genealogy. She put together a brief newsletter with an emphasis on sharing with the other members. The word spread and other Escapees asked to receive the newsletter. Soon expenses were incurred that had to be shared and a subscription charge was established. At the 1994 Spring Escapade the editor asked that someone else in the BOF, now boasting 75 members, take over. The BOF group decided then to haveg an administration team to handle BOF functions and duties.

Rallies:

Once a year the Escapees have RV rallies called Escapades which are now generally held in the summer with the location either near the west or east side of the US. They last about 4 days depending on whether you count those days that some come in early just to renew friendships. Presently, up to 1000 SKP RVs (not including vendors) come to an Escapade. The SKP Genies normally hold a post-Escapade rally named SKP Genie Magic in a nearby location for any Escapees that want to come and learn more about genealogy.

At each of these Escapades a number of seminars are given. Many seminars are given by vendors who want to educate the Escapees on their general product area (diesel engines, solar panels and inverters, traveling in various parts of the world in an RV, computers, etc.). A percentage of the seminars are given by Escapee or guest speakers on purely educational topics (gourmet cooking, packing everything you own in an RV, cell phones, e-mail on the road, and the like). The SKP Genies give an educational seminar at each of the Escapades which is appropriate for all levels of genealogical experience. We also hold a social one evening during the Escapade where Genies get to know each other by introducing themselves and telling a little about their experiences, areas of expertise, and the surnames and geographical locations they are researching.

SKP Genies Rallies are held after the annual Escapade. Actually, it is a research trip to a major genealogy repository and RV rally rolled into one which we call SKP Genies Magic. In the past we have researched at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah; the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and the Midwest Genealogy Center and NARA Regional Facility in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2011 we are returning to Salt Lake City for SKP Genies Magic at the Family History Library. 

Membership:

To join the SKP Genies, all you have to do is be an Escapee. For more on the Escapees, look at their web site or call 800-757-2582 and have them send you information. If you are or become an Escapee, you can subscribe to the SKP Genies Newsletter. It's $4.00 per year to cover production and administrative costs of the 4 issues. To subscribe, please email

or write to Barbara Nuehring at: SKP Genealogy BOF, 142 Rainbow Drive  # 4228, Livingston, Texas 77399-1042

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