An Expanding Family Gathering

top: Pat & Colleen; Middle: Tara & Lisabeth; botton: Marcia & Lucille

Many people are intimidated by the thought of family reunions. They visualized scores of people and a logistical tangle. You can however, think small and have a successful gathering with plenty of time to talk, share and enjoy each other.

This weekend was our annual connection with our Coyle Cousins. In 2008 we met for a long afternoon in Waterbury, Connecticut, the home of our mutual ancestors, Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle. We talked for hours in an Olive Garden and realized we needed more time to connect. In 2009 we spent a weekend at Pat’s waterfront home in New Jersey. Besides comparing family trees we enjoyed the water, shopped for antiques and discovered many things we have in common (like freckles!). In 2010 the cousins came to my house in New York State. We expanded from Pat Brady, Tara (Herbert) Cousins and myself to include a newly found cousin, Lisabeth Timothy and her family. A BBQ and a boat ride on the Hudson River were fun components of the weekend. 

Minute Man National Historic Park

This year we were in Massachusetts at Tara’s & Ashley’s marvelous house. We had a beautiful Saturday for our visit to the Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord and a stop at a farm stand for the best corn on the cob ever. Despite all the pampering by Tara & Ashley the best part of the weekend was meeting even more family members! Lisabeth brought along her delightful parents, Charles & Lucille (Coyle) Timothy. Lucille greeted me by reaching out and touching my face and saying, "I know that face. You are a Coyle!" Lucille brought along photos & stories to share. A surprise guest was Tara’s sister, Marcia Cass Herbert, who came over from Cape Cod to meet more family. We took a tip from old photos we were looking at and gathered on a set of steps for a fun photo.

Home again, I am anxious to analyze all the new family information I now have. I look forward to next year’s gathering! Maybe we can discover more cousins to join us then.

Related Posts:

Our 6th Irish Cousin Gathering
Annual Family Gathering

September Brithdays, September 16 - 30

Lillian Agnes Coyle

16 September   1870       William WOLF

1933       Howard Merton HURD JR was born in Michigan, the son of Howard Merton &     Marian Louise (Lehman) Hurd. In 1955 he married Fern Marie Atkins.  They had three children. 

17 September   1825       Annette ROMICH married Daniel Ritter, son of Henry & Lydia (Knappenberger) Ritter. Annette & Daniel had seven children: William, Rebecca, Montana, Peter, James, Alfred, & Milton.

                                1828       Isaac Fortenberry

                                1853       Murrey J, SCHILLING

18 September   1767       John WOLF

                                1898       Roy Milton SWAGLER

                                1911       Lillian Agnes COYLE was born in New York City, the daughter of Michael & Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle.  Her mother died when she was 16. Older sister, Marguerite Coyle raised Lillian and their younger sister, Kathleen. Lillian never married. She lived her life with her sisters.  She died in 1987 in Arizona. 

19 September   1909       Ray Luther FORTENBERRY married Zelda Marie Alford in 1932. They had three children. Ray died in 1989.

20 September   1788       Maria Barbara RITTER

                                1893       William F. CASS married Maryanne Coyle, daughter of Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle.

21 September   1921       Anna J. DAMUCH married John Leo Brady, son of Bartholomew Anthony & Mary Agnes (Reddan) Brady.

22 September   1812       Calvin SMITH

                                1817       Olevia FORTENBERRY

                                1895       William Frances KUNEMUND

                                1902       Golda Mae WARNER was born in Ohio. She married Eslie Guy Mark in 1922. He was the son of William & Elidia Rebecca (Ritter) Mark. Their children: Guy, Glenn & Dana. She died in 1982.

23 September   1885       John Charles RITTER was born in Ohio, son of John William & Ruth Anna (Scott) Ritter. He married Jennie Madora Hartsel. Their son: Donavan Eugene Ritter.

                                1887       Fannie MCDANIEL

24 September   1828       Lacey ALFORD was born in Mississippi, daughter of Edwin Barksdale & Martha P. (Smith) Alford. She married James Michael Ball. 

26 September   1796       Maria WOLF

                                1820       Pernecia SMITH

                                1839       Susan WOLF

                                1885       Martha Elizabeth ALFORD was born in Mississippi, daughter of Needham Edwin & Mary Luzina (Stafford) Alford. She married Robert Thomas Hollingsworth.  She died in 1966.

27 September   1838       Jessie Alexander BRUMFIELD

                                1853       Nancy FORTENBERRY

                                1879       Dezzie CUTRER

                                1894       Ralph Ely MOORE Sr. was born in Ohio, son of Peter Jonathan & Caroline Louise (Gruissy) Moore. He married Dorothy Otella Derhammer.  Their children: Howard, Joyce & Ralph. He died in 1976 in Oklahoma.

28 September   1914       Rosemary Veronica COYLE was born in Texas, daughter of James Joseph &       Madeline (Herbst) Coyle. She married Richard F. Wolff in 1939 in Connecticut.

       

29 September   1766       Frances SEABORN

                                1892       Mildred Mae WOLF was born in Ohio, daughter of Joseph & Anna Eliza (Kohr) Wolf. She married Urban Robert Zengler. Their children: Dorothy, Donald & William. She died in 1972 in Ohio.

                                1919       Pershing Hoover MORRIS

30 September   1845       Elizabeth Rebecca PIGOTT  married William Jackson Fortenberry, son of Calvin Kennington & Narcissa (Simmons) Fortenberry. She died in 1883. Their son:

                                1886       Ruby V. SCHILLING

Back to School

School Photo, Ohio

This photo was taken in the mid 1930s. Delbert Keith Brown, my father is on the far left in the back row. He was the oldest of seven children of Roy Jesse and Ivy Regina (Mark) Brown. The family moved often and my father had to change schools frequently. Because of that, he was never a strong student. He was, however, skilled in repairing engines. I think his little smiling face is adorable.

One Year Blog Anniversary

One Year Ago I began this blog about my genealogy research and my family’s history. I was happy to find a place where I could reach out to others: ‘old’ family connections who are interested in results of my research and new family connections for expanding our family information. 

My first blog, Pennsylvania Research for the Mark family, centered on the discoveries I had recently made. I was unsure how to add photos yet and my page set up was quite simple but I was excited about improving and expanding my blog. Since then I’ve added pages for family branches and links to other genealogy blogs. I was surprised to be ‘interviewed’ by Geneabloggers for their “May I Introduce You to” section in April and to be given the One Lovely Blog Award.

Some topics I have written about this past year

• Further Pennsylvania research
• Monthly family birthdays
• 150^th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War & our Civil War Soldiers
• Irish ancestors
• Rittersville, Pennsylvania; a town founded by our family
• Connecting with a new cousin
• Formatting my Mark Family book to get it ready for publication

Some future topics:

• Funeral cards
• Back to School, a 1930s photo
• My double great grandparents
• Findings in the 1940 US Census
• Updates on printing the Mark Family book
• Cemeteries

My hopes for the future of my blog include connecting with more cousins & solving more family mysteries. I hope I have helped others by sharing the information I have gathered over the years.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog, commented on the blog or contacted me through my blog!

Book Cover

The Mark Family Story has been progressing despite formatting difficulties. Thanks to Adam the 'ghost page' is gone. This seemingly invisible page kept throwing off the page count and putting odd numbered pages on the left side. I struggled with this for ages and he fixed it in just minutes.

Thanks to Alyssa and Jeff for helping me understand how to make my sidebars bleed off the page (among other things!).

The text has been sent off to
Troy Book Makers!
The next step is to select a book cover. Melissa has given me three possible book covers. Elements from each may be mixed and matched. Two elements I want to keep are a large 'family' tree and a few family photos. I may change which photos are used.

Help. I am looking for your opinion. Please leave a comment and let me know which one you like best.

After the cover is selected one book will be printed which I will proof read. When each word is in place, copies will be printed. Watch my blog for that big day!


Cover Text:

The Mark Family Story begins with Thomas Kenneth & N. Regina (Gruissy) Mark of Ohio. It moves back in time to include their ancestors and forward in time to their descendants. This story is the result of several years of genealogical investigation including research in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D. C. Birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, maps, newspaper clippings, church records and deeds have been pieced together to show the family’s progress through the years from Swiss and German ancestors to their American descendants. Through the years other family names become intertwined with the Mark family: Brown, Dick, Gruissy, Heffelfinger, Keck, Ritter and Wolf. Of course, family history is more than dates and places. These facts are only the trunk of the family tree. The leaves of the tree are people: aunts and uncles, grandparents, siblings and more. Old family letters and interviews with family members, local histories, timelines and photographs help the story and the people come alive once again.

September Brithdays, September 1 - 15

Emily Augusta Morrison

1 September      1863       Emma WOLF was born in Ohio, daughter of John Franklin and Caroline (Orwig) Wolf.  She married C. Prentice Waldo. Their children: Lydia, Winfred, Waylan & Blake.

                                1906       E. J. FORTENBERRY

3 September      1773       Catherine Eva RITTER was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Johannes & Maria Elisabeth (Keck) Ritter. She married Henry Romig.  Seven children: Jonathan, Henry, Maria, Jesse, Charles, Susan & Lea.                         1846       Margaret Ann WOLF

                                1853       Julia Jane SIMMONS

                                1927       Doyle Alton BALL

4 September      1717       Julius ALFORD was born in Virginia, son of James Alford. He married Lucy Newton. They had seven children.  He died in 1771 in North Carolina.

                                1880       William H. LOBAUGH

5 September      1830       Eliza Jane ELLZEY was born in Mississippi, daughter of John & Elizabeth Ellzey. In 1850 she married Burrell Taylor Fortenberry. Their children: John, William, Henry, Benjamin & Luke.  She died in 1899.

                                1882       William Stuart WOLF

                                1923       Clyde Earl PURDY

6 September      1861       Edwin MARK was born in Ohio, the 8^th son of Abraham & Mary Isabella (Heffelfinger) Mark. He repaired shoes at the Miller Shoe Store. He died in 1920.

                                1863       Emma S. KRICK

                                1893       Lottie Lee BRUMFIELD

7 September      1872       John Andrew GRUISSY lived his short life in Ohio. He was the only son of Augustus Ceaser & Esther Barbara (Wolf) Gruissy. He died in 1878. He may have died from diphtheria.

                                1873       John Franklin WOLF

                                1887       Annie Clotee CUTRER

                                1891       Robert E. BALLARD

                                1930       Madeline Mary COYLE

8 September      1878       Jonas E. LOBAUGH

                                1896       Maud Mavis FORTENBERRY was one of twelve children of Joseph Gazie & Corine (McDaniel) Fortenberry. 

9 September      1780       John HOOVER

                                1804       Frederick WOLF was youngest of nine children of John Franklin & Elisabeth (Burkholder) Wolf.

                                1824       Charles B. RITTER

10 September   1826       Frank B. ELLZEY

                                1847       Robert L. SIMMONS

                                1848       Lacey Ann ALFORD

                                1915       Caroline Veda BROPHY was born in Ohio, daughter of William Clarence & Frances Gertrude (Moore) Brophy.  She married Tom Rodgers. They had two children. 

11 September   1812       Stephen BALLIET was born in Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph & Susan (Green) Balliet. In 1836 he married Ann Lowrey. Their son was Albert Harrison Belliet.

                                1828       Samuel A. BLACKWELL

12 September   1819       Warren Jackson ALFORD

                                1873       Thomas Lemuel ALFORD

                                1888       Emily Augusta MORRISON was born in Ohio, daughter of Seth Benner & Margaret Jane (Gruissy) Morrison. In 1904 she married Frank Peters. Their children were Margaret & Seth. 

13 September   1831       Emmaline SMITH was born in Mississippi. She was my 2^nd great – grandmother in my father’s family  tree.She was the daughter of Wyatt & Euseba (Fortenberry) Smith.  In 1858 she married Allen Moses Brown. Their children: Mary, Jasper Pascal & Alvira. Allen probably died soon after Alvira’s birth.

                                1853       Walter Lorraine SMITH

14 September   1833       Armanda Miranda FORTENBERRY

                                1877       George A. MORRIS married Mary Louise Fortenberry, daughter of Thomas Benton & Gabriella (Sanders) Fortenberry. They had seven children: Willie, Boyce, Theodore Roosevelt, Delphin, George, Lank & Pershing Hoover. George died in 1943.

                                1908       Nolan SMITH

15 September   1858       Rebecca Eleanor RITTER was born in Pennsylvania, the second of seven children of Daniel & Annette (Romich) Ritter.