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. 

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

Counting Cousins

Genealogy is very much about cousins. I grew up with plenty of cousins and through my research I am discovering more. I remember a conversation with friends when I was in school. We were talking about our weekends and my friend, Susan, was talking about her cousins.  She had gone to a park with one cousin and out for ice cream with the other cousin. I asked her why they didn’t just go all together. She said her cousins did not know each other. They were not related to each other.

I think that conversation remained with me because it was a totally new concept to me. My friend had cousins who did not know each other. All my cousins knew each other. My father, Delbert Keith Brown, was the oldest of seven children and my brothers and I have sixteen first cousins.  My mother, Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown, however, was an only child. Holidays, picnics, summer outings were spent with our Brown cousins, our only cousins. We still see each other on many occasions, now with our children, a new set of Brown family cousins.

If you go back a step and count up second cousins the picture is very much the same. My father’s mother, Ivy Regina (Mark) Brown, was one of seven children, giving me thirteen second cousins. My father’s father, Roy Jesse Brown, was one of nine children, giving me thirty eight second cousins. Once again I have lots of cousins from my father’s family.

Compare that to my mother’s family. My mother’s mother, Helen (Coyle) Gardner, was the oldest of seven children but her siblings had no children. I have no second cousins from the Coyles. My mother’s father, Nathaniel Gardner, was the second of five children. He had two nephews, giving my mother two cousins. They and their descendants did not want to maintain a connection because of a difference in religion. 

That gives me sixty seven first and second cousins from my father’s family and two from my mother’s family. The scales are strongly tipped towards the Browns.

First Annual Cousins' Weekend

 It wasn’t until I delved into genealogy and internet research that I found cousins from my mother’s family. Discovering my third cousins was like digging up a buried treasure. I connected with Patricia Brady on the internet and we started sending emails and letters to each other. She had been gathering information for a long time on people I was just learning about. Patricia generously shared information that expanded my knowledge tenfold. Patricia knew of another cousin, Tara (Herbert) Cousins. Now I had two cousins who knew about my Coyle ancestors. Although we live in different states, we live in the northeast, within driving distance of each other. We decided to meet. We all drove to Waterbury, CT, the home of Patrick and Margaret (Brady) Coyle, our common ancestors. We were happily surprised to discover we all very ‘Irish’ looking, including lots of freckles! We were fortunate to find a restaurant that would let us sit and talk for a long time. It was a terrific afternoon.

The next year Patricia kindly invited us to her house for the weekend, our First Annual Cousins’ Weekend. We discovered we all love the ocean, seafood and antiques. Back with the internet, I found another Coyle cousin, Lisbeth (Timothy) Knapp. Emails flew between us.  She joined us in our Second Annual Cousins’ Weekend at my house. We had a BBQ and took a Hudson River cruise. 

My Mother's Cousins

The scales have not exactly tipped in favor of my mother’s family, especially if I count all the third cousins on both sides. However, it is wonderful to be able to talk about “my mother’s cousins”. Today we compare and share our Coyle and Brady photos, stories and other information. More than that we stay in touch and share happenings in our lives. We are planning our Third Cousins’ Annual Weekend, this year in Boston.  

Related Posts:

• Our 6th Irish Cousin Gathering
• An Expanding Family Gathering

February Family Birthdays, February 16 - 29

Is your birthday coming soon? Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family who came before. Look below and see. Happy Birthday!

16 February   

 1833    Benjamin Franklin WOLF
1860    Mary Jane NEE
1937    Larry Lee BROWN was born in Ohio, fifth child of Roy Jesse BROWN & Ivy MARK.  He married Dorothy ENGEL. Larry served during the Korean War. He was my godfather & paternal uncle.

17 February

1743    Johannes RITTER Sr.

 1897    Harrison Edward WOLF

 1906    Julia Agnes BRADY
 1924    Wilma Lucille SMITH was born in Mississippi, daughter of Denny Herbert SMITH & Mavis Marie BROWN. She married Henry Buhler. They had four children.

18 February    

1812    Heinrich RITTER in Pennsylvania
1840    John Gazie FORTENBERRY
1877    James Monroe FORTENBERRY
1910    Martha Olivia MINTER was the daughter of Luther MINTER & Clara Estella WOLF. She married John Alton WOLFORD.

19 February   

1852    Thomas Benton FORTENBERRY
1912    Thelma Corine WILSON was the daughter of Thomas Clarence WILSON & Euna Clarabelle FORTENBERRY. She married George AMACKER. They had five children.

20 February  

1751    Heinrich Wilhelm RITTER
1912    Otis Charles MASSIE
1924    Luther Felder CUTRER
1925    Walter Frank WILSON

21 February    

1809    Elizabeth RITTER was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Martin RITTER and Anna Margaret BOGERT.
1862    Isabella Ketura NEE

22 February    

1846    Mariah B. HALL
1906    Mary Thelma ELLZEY was born in Mississippi, daughter of William ELLZEY & Amanda FORTENBERRY. She married Roy Jesse Brown. They had one daughter.

23 February    

1880    Alfred C. PFEIFER married Emma Jane MARK, daughter of William MARK & Elidia Rebecca RITTER. He died 8 April 1968.
1939    Janice MORRIS

24 February    

1853    Mary Catherine RITTER was born in Ohio, daughter of Isaac RITTER and Isabell FISHER. She married Henry MILLER on 15 June 1870. They had nine children.
1859    Newton FORTENBERRY
1872    Elizabeth BRELAND
1873    Margaret Lewella WOLF

25 February    

1881    Julius Walter SMITH
1937    Laurie Carolyn FORTENBERRY was the daughter of Duviox B. FORTENBERRY & Gussie ALFORD. She married Arthur TRIBBLE, Jr. Their three children: Shauen, Gregory & Laurie.
       
26 February    

1763    Elisabeth ROHN married Johann Daniel RITTER, son of Casper RITTER & Anna Maria. Elisabeth & Johann had one son, Jonathan RITTER.
1868    Matilda Catherine GRUISSY
1902    Elmer FORTENBERRY
1902    Ethan James TIMOTHY

27 February    

1766    Elizabeth RITTER
1838    William Jackson FORTENBERRY
1877    Maria Bart CUTRER was the daughter of Hiram CUTRER & Sarah Jane FORTENBERRY.
1888    William Franklin ELLZEY
1908    Thelma Lady BROWN was born in Mississippi
1926    Janet Irene MILLER

28 February    

1836    Emma WOLF
1850    Mary O. BILBO
1854    Margaret Sarah WOLF
1886    Mary Jeanette MARK was one of 12 children of William MARK & Elidia Rebeccca RITTER.  She married John SHAW. She died in a tragic car accident in 1940. Mary and John had one daughter, Olive Margaret SHAW.
1888    Little B. THORNHILL

29 February    

1916    James Lemar SIMMONS was the son of Jesse Lama SIMMONS & Edith BRUMFIELD. He married Odean Ellzey.
1920    Agnes Marie HEIGLE