Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2008

This newsletter is long overdue, but I was waiting until I got official word about the dates for the reunion. Details are still being worked out, but the tentative dates are August 20-23, 2009 and will be held at either the Stanton-Davis homestead or the Denison homestead.
I was informed that the dates for this are July 3-6, 2009. That was certainly news to me. This was an idea proposed by Mr. John Langworthy, aka, TV John. He made the suggestion that the Ultimate Family Reunion be held over the holiday weekend. I didn’t feel that that was a wise decision considering most people have ongoing yearly plans when it comes to the 4th of July. I did and do not want one celebration to interfere with another. So if you are planning on attending that one, you are more than welcome, but it won’t be the Ultimate Family Reunion.
This reunion could turn out to be one of the biggest genealogical events of the century. After reading about the Palmer’s 1st Family Reunion held in 1881, I was very impressed. Over 3000 Palmers and relations showed up in Stonington from every part of the country. Even Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was planning on attending at least one of the days, but due to the death of his brother, he could not. IF 3000 from each family were to show up, it could end up being close to 250,000!! Wouldn’t that be incredible?! So start making plans on being there because it is going to happen and happen big.
The reason I can say that and feel confident about it, is because it has been thought about long and hard. I’ve taken it one step further. Ultimate Family Reunion is now a non-profit corporation. It’s official name is “Founding Families of Stonington, Inc.” I am proud to announce that Larry Chesebro’ and Scott Bill Hirst have accepted positions of Directors on the Board. Both are very knowledgeable and very helpful. A BIG thank you to the both of you!
I had a number of reasons for incorporating. The purpose of which is the continuation of the research of families from Stonington that produced many well known individuals throughout the country and world. To encourage the future generations to continue the research and preservation of their ancestors.
One reason why I decided to go this route is to get corporate support (sponsorship, grants, donations, etc.) for the reunion. As it stand right now, there is approximately 600-800 people that have indicated that they are planning on attending the reunion. With that said, there is no way that I personally, along with volunteers, would be able to pull this off financially. The idea of getting a cook book together sounded good to most of you, but I have only received 1 recipe. If everyone sent in just 1 recipe (it doesn’t have to be something passed down from generation to generation, just something that’s been a family favorite) then we would have one heck of a cook book and a treasured keepsake.
Another reason for incorporation is that some people have contacted my, asking if I knew where they could donate family possessions such as photos, bibles, research done by family members, etc. I would like to be able to collect these things and open up a building there in Stonington in which to house these irreplaceable items. A library of sorts to which everyone would be welcome to come in and do research, with the possibility of a guest room or two on the premises.
A year or so ago, headstones were damaged by someone who thought they knew how to clean them. Needless to say, many of use were pretty upset about it but nothing can be done to repair the damage done. I would like to eventually have the more damaged and delicate ones replaced with new ones and “house” these headstones where they can be protected to where everyone would be able to see them without further damage done to them. I’m not sure if that can legally be done, but a thought nonetheless. It would more than likely be very costly, but feel that it would be well worth it.
With well over 80 families that Richard Anson Wheeler wrote about in “The History of Stonington 1649-1900”, we have such a rich history which should be preserved as much as possible for generations to come.
It’s now time for committees to be formed. So, for all of you that volunteered early on, let’s get this ball rolling so that it will be a time of celebration that no one will soon forget. I have a list of different areas that I have looked into and some I haven’t yet; there’s plenty to be done.
I am SO looking forward to meeting everyone and coming together to enjoy this special time. I hope that everyone has a safe and great 4th of July.

Donna