Note: The web sites and addresses mentioned in this article no longer exist (2008). They have been replaced, in part, by the web site you are now visiting.
By Ken Junkins; published in JFA newsletter no. 12, March 1999
Junkins Family Association goes high tech…
In 1650, when Robert Junkins arrived in the colonies, written communication could take months to be delivered. In the best of conditions, riding on horseback, a trip from Boston to Philadelphia could take six days. Walking could take two to three weeks. Two hundred and seventy five years later, with automobiles beginning to populate the roads, the trip could be made in about two days. Airplane shortened the trip and today you can drive it in eight hours, or fly in about two.
Meanwhile, in 1875, a Scottish-American named Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone, which would make communication between place such as York and Philadelphia, almost immediate. Today, nearly 350 years after Robert came to the colonies, almost everybody has a phone, or two.
But now, Junkins' across the world have an opportunity to communicate on an even higher level. In February of 1999, the Junkins Family Association web page (no longer available) made its debut on the Internet. Along with its companion list-server (no longer available), these two services allow Junkins to share information across the world instantaneously.
The list-server is a group e-mail service that automatically distributes electronic mail to all the the list members. Over one hundred e-mail addresses, identified as potential Junkins, were sent an invitation to join that list. Twenty people responded and it is anticipated that many more will also in the near future. List members can receive inquiries from other list members and can respond individually to the sender or the group as a whole. This allows for a group discussion of various things such as research and Junkins history.
The web page has information about Robert, the Association and some of the Junkins cousins. In the future, it is hoped that Robert's descendants information will be added, allowing Junkins cousins a convenient way to check records. Information on the web page can be "hyperlinked." This means that a word in a document can be connected to additional information elsewhere. For example, on one of the pages, "the Battle of Dunbar" is highlighted and provides a link to additional information about that battle.
Webmaster Ken Junkins is hosting the web page and is looking for suggestions on what types of information Junkins cousins would find useful on a web page. For more information, visit the web site or join the list-server. To offer suggestions or comments, e-mail Ken Junkins at: (address no longer available).