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Family memories

What do family members know?

In 1971, Janet attended the 100th anniversary celebrating the Herke family's arrival in the Washington Territory – from Germany. It was a great opportunity to meet relatives and hear family history from new sources.

Photos of Oestrich-Winkel, Rheingau, Germany, where part of the Herke family still lives

A cousin from Germany came with information about the family members who stayed in Germany. The family was from Mainz, and moved to Oestrich. (This is wine country in Germany, in an area called Rheingau.) The Herkes made wine barrels at one time; today they own and manage vineyards in the region.

The reunion took place at the Catholic mission near the Herke home place. (One of the family stories says that the Herkes chose to homestead in Yakima County because land was available close to a Catholic mission.) Janet's grandma took the family to nearby Ahtanum Creek where her grandmother, Gertrude Kremer Herke, drowned with an infant son.

A section of a mimeographed Family History, presented at the Herke family reunion

When Janet asked her grandma about Gertrude Herke's death, she was told that her body was recovered, but not the baby's. Janet's grandma said her mother never talked about the drowning except to say that great, great grandpa Herke was working in The Dalles when it happened. Needless to say, Janet wanted to find out more.

Related Resources

Books

The library has an several books to help you plan a family reunion. Use the library catalog with the keywords "family reunions planning" to find titles like:

Family Reunion:everything you need to know to plan unforgettable get-togethers for every kind of family by Jennifer Crichton
Family Reunion Handbook: a complete guide for reunion planners by Thomas Ninkovich
The Family Reunion Sourcebook by Edith Wagner
How to plan your African-American Family Reunion by Krystal Williams

Search for "family reunions planning" now.

Related Web sites

Family-Reunion.com: http://family-reunion.com/

Everything to help you plan a reunion: choosing a theme (like Family History), a reunion registry, planning software, activities, food, selecting a location, and more.
Sharing Family Research at the Reunion: http://www.genealogy.com/1_share.html

From Genealogy.com, helpful information for your family reunion