78th Ingalls Family Reunion meeting minutes

The 78^th Ingalls Family Reunion was held on Saturday, October 7, 2006, at the United Methodist Church of Greenville and Norton Hill. It was a beautiful fall day, just like that described in the old poem, “October’s Bright Blue Weather.”  It was sunny with temperatures in the low to mid-sixties.  There was a full moon at night.  Thirty-nine people were in attendance at the Reunion.

The Ramona & Turner Fawkes and Maureen & Jack Ver Planck families hosted. The tables were prettily decorated for the season.  Krista Ingalls Haushalter, Historian, displayed albums of old family photographs and the album commemorating the 75^thReunion.  Copies of the 2003 Genealogy and History of the Jacob Ingalls Family were available at a cost of twelve dollars each.

Turner Fawkes, President, rang the cowbell from Jacob Ingalls’ Homestead, asking everyone to gather outside for a group photograph at 12:00 noon.  Following this, Walter Ingalls said grace, and a delicious buffet lunch was enjoyed by all.

After everyone was finished eating, Turner called the meeting to order by ringing the cowbell a second time.  He thanked Reverend Carney for the use of the church hall, Janet Lockwood for helping out in the kitchen (this was her twenty-eighth year assisting), and the host families for their efforts.

The individual who traveled the farthest to attend the Reunion was Linda Steinberg, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The youngest person present was Walter Sutton, four years old, and the oldest was Hilda Burton, ninety-three, a special guest of Shirley Spad.  Joan Caiozzo, a friend of Kaaren Ingalls Haushalter, attended an Ingalls Reunion for the first time.

The Secretary, Paige Ingalls, read the minutes from last year’s Reunion, which were approved as written. She also read correspondence received during the past year, which included notes from Kathy Gizzi, Jeanne Grandy, and the Gardner family, who lost a grandson in the war in Iraq.  Two cards were passed around for the family to sign, one to the Gardner family, and one to Marjorie Ingalls.  Marjorie was present at the first Ingalls Reunion, and she has attended them faithfully each year thereafter.  Unfortunately, she was in the hospital and could not join the family this year.  Paige also passed around a folder with “Ingallsiana.”  Lastly, the book for signatures was sent around for everyone to sign.

The Treasurer, Kevin Ingalls, was not present due to illness, so his father, Walter Ingalls, gave his report, which included the following:

Today’s collection--                                                                 $247.00

Dispersals for:

It was noted that today’s expenses exceeded the amount of the collection by $141.01, and the savings account is becoming depleted.

Turner asked that “old business” be addressed. This included Krista sharing information she found regarding restoring Jacob Ingalls’ gravestone, which is becoming difficult to read.  She researched grave cleaning on the Internet and had a handout for everyone to read. The patina on the stone results from the normal aging process that occurs when it is exposed to the environment (lichens, trees, acid rain, moisture, etc.).  The small metal plaque that was placed by the stone in 1985 is still intact, and a rubbing done of the actual stone by Claribel Ingalls Gardiner is in the family’s possession.  Often it is recommended monuments be left in their original state.  If this approach is taken, a small plaque with the information written on the original stone could be placed at the grave.  Krista agreed to consult with the local funeral director, Curt Cunningham, about this possibility.  Turner noted that he is familiar with an old private cemetery on Cape Cod where a professional restorer cleaned all of the stones.  He believes the restorer used a power wash with a solution of ten per cent bleach and ninety per cent water.  No grass was harmed, but the patina of the stones was lost.  The type of stone cleaned was unknown—e.g. granite is harder than limestone.  (It is believed Jacob’s stone is of limestone.)  The possibility was raised of encasing the stone in some sort of plastic, but it would have to be vacuum-sealed.  Maureen Ver Planck suggested contacting the NYS Library or a genealogical society for other ideas.

Krista again described the autograph quilt she is working on for the Reunion.  She believes it was begun in 1976.  She has taken it apart and plans to quilt it in time for next year’s Reunion.  She also plans to start another autograph quilt for the Reunion.

Marjorie Dedie showed the teaspoon she has that was made from the silver tea set won in 1818, which was later melted down.  It is inscribed “HMW.”  Gerald Rugg noted that he does not have one of these teaspoons in his possession.

Turner then asked those present to address “new business.”  Betty Mc Aneny volunteered her family to host next year’s Reunion, which it was decided will be held on October 6, 2007.

Officers were elected for next year:

Additional new business included recognizing Jerry and Dorothy Overbaugh, guests at today’s Reunion.  Last year, they donated the three Ingalls archival type legal documents pertaining to land indentures from the late 1700s.  Walt announced that these documents have been donated to the Greene County Historical Society’s Vedder Research Library for permanent preservation. A duplicated set, made on special “age tinted” copier paper, is in Krista’s possession as Historian, and a duplicated set of the indentures also has been given to the Overbaughs.  Krista stated she will try to transcribe the indentures, with the help of Harriet Rasmussen.

Copies of an article appearing in the April 2, 2006, Catskill, NY, Daily Mail, were passed around.  The article, written by Raymond Beecher, Greene County Historian, discusses the documents.  Walt noted that, when Krista and he dropped off the indentures, Dr. Beecher told them the Bronck House has a horse treadmill from the original Ingalls Homestead in its eight-sided barn.

Mr. Overbaugh noted he is not sure where the indentures came from.  There are two possibilities.  Burdette Griffin said the Griffins once had the house Dorothy (Mrs. Overbaugh) lived in, and they may have come from there.  The other possibility is they came from a sale down in Coeyman’s Hollow.

Krista announced she will have copies of the indentures available for purchase at next year’s Reunion, and the proceeds will go to the Reunion fund.

All present gave a round of applause to the Overbaughs for their donation to the Ingalls Family archives.

Krista asked for assistance in recording the names of those in the family group photographs taken at the 75^thReunion in 2003.  She still has some names that are missing.

Krista gave the report of births, deaths, and marriages.  She also led the Roll Call of Families, and these were the results:

Enoch Ingalls Branch                                     0
Henry Ingalls Branch                                      1
John Ingalls Branch                                        2
Lucinda Ingalls Hunt Branch                          3
Eleanor Ingalls Winegard Branch                  3
Diantha Ingalls Smith Branch                        0
Joseph Truman Ingalls Branch                      17
Ransom Benjamin Ingalls Branch                  21
William Henry Harrison Ingalls Branch          1
Thaddeus Warsaw Ingalls Branch                 0
Cyrus Ingalls (Westerlo) Branch                    0

The entertainment consisted of Jack Ver Planck discussing tracing back your genealogy.

Turner closed the meeting by thanking all present for coming.  He also invited everyone to come back next year for the 79th Ingalls Family Reunion.