Genealogy - Reunions and Reenactments

As a genealogist, a historian, and a historical re-enactor, I'm especially keen to see these three elements of my life merge in other events. Two events recently were brought to my attention. While searching for ancestors' final resting places at Find-A-Grave, I discovered those of one of my sets of gr-gr-great grandparents, Abraham Harmon (1802-1869) and Ann Pillers (1810-1888), buried in the New Palestine cemetery, in Illinois. I contacted the original poster with information about their daughter, Sarah, and her husband Charles E. Brown, my great great grandparents and thereby made contact with a heretofore unknown 5th cousin, Rex Harmon.

Cousin Rex has since sent me a scanned copy of a family diary and the transcript of family reunion and re-enactment relating to Abraham and Ann Harmon in the still existing little church in Palestine, IL. An actor was hired to represent Abraham in period clothes and to address the assembled descendants about his life. It's a wonderful way to remember our more distant ancestors.

Actor Jerome Vogel portrays Abraham Harmon at the Harmon Family Reunion, New Palestine, Illinois.

In the same vein, just this morning on CNN, there was a story about the Quander family's 85th Family Reunion. The Quanders are descendants of slave Nannie Quander who was owned by George Washington. Some 316 slaves lived and worked on Mount Vernon's 8,000 acres. The Quanders and other descendants gathered at Mount Vernon to remember and honor their ancestors who worked there. Again, moving tributes and a grand demonstration of how genealogy, history, and reunions serve to remind us of our roots, heritage, and legacy.