Week 22: Reunion

 REUNION

I have been fortunate to have grown up in a family that valued family gatherings.  As a child, I did resent having to travel 4 hours (each way) every holiday weekend back to my grandparents.  However, as my interest in genealogy and family history developed, I appreciate having grown up knowing not just my aunts, uncles and first cousins, but the aunts, uncles and first cousins of both of my parents.  My parents were from the same small community in Simcoe County, Ontario and both families lived in that area for several generations.

 

Before my time, the Allens (my fathers side) had started an annual family reunion at a provincial park near Barrie Ontario.  It was established as the descendants of my great-grandparents: William Daisley Allen and Mary Jane Woodland.  My grandfather, Henry "Harry" Woodland Allen was the youngest of 12, so there were many many descendants as Harry as well as many of his siblings had large families themselves.  The reunion was the last Saturday in August, so we only attended if that Saturday happened to fall on the Labour Day weekend.  Even though our travelling was only a four hour drive, one year we did win the prize for having travelled the furthest.  Most years, that prize was awarded to Aunt Ida (one of Harry's sisters) who would schedule her summer visit from Saskatchewan to coincide with the reunion.

After the death of my grandmother, Gertrude Georgina (nee Cooper) Allen and my grandfather was in a nursing home, my father and his siblings continued the tradition of reunions.  My aunts had promised their mother that they would continue the family get togethers.  Not every holiday weekend at their parents' home but at the home of one or other of the siblings.  When the former local school house was available as a community hall, the family started renting it for reunions at Easter and early December.  It was not out of line for over 70 people to attend.  And that was just the descendants of Harry and Gertie.  One of my aunts would host a summer BBQ and winterfest at her home outside of Barrie.  As the aunts aged and passed away, my generation of cousins did try to continue the tradition.  Unfortunately, we were too wide spread geographically and we were not able to maintain the tradition.  

With that said, the sense of family is still ingrained in us.  We keep in touch through social media and do travel to attend family funerals.  When my brother died 3 years ago, a good portion of the 30+ cousins travelled 3-4 hours for the funeral.  This past February when my mother passed away, despite continual bad weather, many made the trip to attend her funeral.  

On my mother's side, there was never any established Schell Family Reunions, but there were always informal ones with family living nearby frequently dropping in on each other.  And the ones that lived further away always "did the rounds" when back home for a visit.  With visiting my Schell grandparents numerous times throughout the year, I grew up frequently seeing members of the extended family.  

When I first introduced my future husband to the extended family, he was blown away with the closeness and love of family.  He has vague memories of similiar family reunions on his mother's side but not on a regular basis like he saw with my Allen family.