The Clinton County Genealogical Society met Feb. 25 with President Susan Henry presiding and 15 members and 11 guests in attendance.

The president announced that new director of the History Society, Shelby Boatman, plans for the History Center to be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Genealogical Library will also be open.

The program was presented by Christine Snyder, Susan Henry and Gene Snyder, all descendants of the Starbucks of Nantucket. They followed the Starbuck family as they moved from Nantucket to Clinton County.

The Edward Starbuck family joined 10 other families in settling on Nantucket in 1659. Once there, they adapted their lives to the islands, becoming whalers.

The whaling business became the main industry on Nantucket and flourished until the Revolutionary War. In 1701, Mary Coffin Starbuck , wife of Nathaniel, became a Quaker and established a large Quaker community on Nantucket.

After the Revolutionary War, residents began to leave Nantucket. Hezekiah Starbuck moved to North Carolina in 1785. The Starbucks eventually left North Carolina, mainly due to slavery.

Many of them settled in Clinton County, including the ancestors of Christine Snyder, Gene Snyder and Susan Henry.