Family Reunions of the Past

When you hear that your family (or someone else) is having a "family reunion", what are the first thoughts that run through your head? I know some think, "OH NO!"  "No way, I'm going." "I'm busy that weekend."  "Will ____ be there?" You fill the name in on that last thought!

Or are you one of those people who are glad to hear about a family reunion because you want to go and talk to people who may know the family's stories. And people who might know the old ones - your great-grandfather or great-grandmother or possibly even your great-great-grandparents.

I fit in the latter train of thought. I like to go to family reunions. I have traveled to many by myself. I have conned - I mean, talked - my sister into going to some with me over the years.

One of the first family reunions I got my sister to attend with me was the 300th Anniversary of the Kolb Brothers Coming to America. It was held in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 2007. In order for her to come with me, I had to promise we'd go over to Lancaster County and go antiquing. I agreed. We also have roots in Lancaster County, but I didn't tell her that until we got there. Then my mother asked to join in on the trip. Mind you, these Kolb's are my dad's mother's family, but he wouldn't go with us.

Top Photo: Cemetery
Middle Photo: Mother and sister with my Texas cousin and a new Missouri cousin
Bottom Photo: Lowe Skippack Mennonite Church, Montgomery County, PA 

At this Kolb reunion, we met my Texas cousin - a great-grandson of my Kolb great-grandfather's brother. And Y-DNA results had come in right before the reunion. We laughed that maybe we all were not going to be descendants of Dielman Kolb ("old Dielman Kolb") of the Palatinates, but we'd have fun with his descendants anyway. It turns out our Kolb's of Texas were Y-DNA matches to the other sons of old Dielman Kolb. Testing of family members at AncestryDNA, Family Finders, My Heritage and 23andMe also gives us matches that are out of the Kolb related lines in our "paper" tree.  

Our paper genealogy was done in 1996. The Kolbs - Some Roots and Branches by Ruby G. Peters and Doris G. McGrew (with help and information gathered from the research of Avery E. Kolb and Erby R. Kolb) is detailed with names and other family information. But it lacks the source information of the records they used for the book. Those records are, hopefully, being stored by their families. 

Oh, and by the way, my sister and mother had a great time at the reunion. 

Shortly after this reunion, the Kolb's in Texas (mainly me and my 3rd cousin, Susan, who lives in the same town as I do) decided to try and "revive" our family reunions. In 2008, we had a reunion less than two months after we sent out the invitations to all of the descendants of Henry James Yancy Kolb's (b. 19 Aug 1835-Jackson Co., Georgia - d. 18 Jan 1873-Elkhart, Anderson Co., Texas) sons, Robert Franklin Kolb (b. 15 Jan 1868-Grapeland, Houston Co.,, Texas - d. 02 Dec 1957-Sweetwater, Nolan Co., Texas) and William Henry Kolb (b. 10 Feb 1866-Texas - d. 07 July 1955-Grapeland, Houston Co., Texas) that we could find addresses for. Cousins who hadn't seen each other in years or who never met were excited to come. We were not a large group, but numbered about 20. 

Texas Kolb attendees look at pictures and genealogies (2008-El Progreso Memorial Library, Uvalde, Texas)

Robert Franklin Kolb, son of Henry James Yancy Kolb

Henry James Yancy Kolb

William Henry Kolb, son of Henry James Yancy Kolb

I'd like to leave you with this quote from Edward Sellner. It's especially fitting if you don't know your family - as I'm learning that I'm fortunate that I did know my older family members growing up. 

We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. – Edward Sellner

-Revis