“Now how is that person related?”
“She’s your great-grandfather’s second cousin’s great-grandson’s wife.”
“Of course.”
So went the family reunion we just attended in southwestern Idaho. It was a gathering of the descendants of two brothers and a second-cousin who trekked from Missouri to Idaho around 1919. My great-grandfather was the cousin. He was my mom’s mom’s dad. That much I got; the rest is a bit fuzzy.
At last count, 224 people – mostly cousins of varying degrees – checked in and received their name tags. Commemorative t-shirts, a memory book, and a 2-disc DVD photo set were also available. The family tree, printed in 10-point font, was about 10 feet by 8 feet. Activities included a golf tournament, a bowling tournament, river rafting, horse back riding, a card tournament (canasta and pinochle were the games of choice), swimming, water skiing, a fish derby, a daisy duck race, a survival skills class, arts and crafts, a trip to a nearby casino, a talent show, and eating. Lots of eating. Between the fried chicken, bean salad, licorice, fried alligator, and the alternating layers of sunscreen and Idahoan dirt, I’m quite sure I gained at least 5 pounds.
The event was such a to-do, it made the newspaper of a town about 30 miles away. Although it wasn’t intended to be an advertisement, the article caught the eye of a distant relation who got in his car and joined in the fun. I’m still not sure exactly how he was related but the connection was so vague, I was stunned he even knew the last name was in his tree at all. Nevertheless, it was great fun to welcome yet another cousin to the shin dig.
It was pretty amazing being surrounded by so many people who share a bloodline and a history. I was stunned to actually see a family resemblance. It’s one thing for siblings to look alike. It’s quite another to recognize a similarity among third and fourth cousins.
The reunion was apparently the second one – the first was in 1991. Rumors are that the next one will be in 2013. Plenty of time to brush up on canasta and get a better handle on how exactly I’m related to Beulah, Frank, Maude, Elsie, Loretta, Mylos, Venita, Velma, Elmer, Roni, Loni, Shar, Elton, Harry, Sherryl, Ralph…
4 comments:
Toni - you're wrong. She was your great-grandfather’s second cousin’s great-grandson’s *third* wife.
Sheesh. Didn't the highlighting of the family tree help you at all with figuring out who was who?
I have a headache...
Maybe you need geni.com.
And to sum it all up - a good time was had by all!! Such a good time in fact, that the next one is being planned for possibly 2010.
Carry on Nathan - the chairman of the reunion committee. We are all behind you!!
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