91st Ingalls Reunion meeting minutes
The 91st Ingalls Reunion was held on Saturday, October 19, 2019, at the Asbury United Methodist Church of Greenville and Norton Hill. Fifty people were in attendance. The temperature was 32 degrees at 7:00 a.m., with a high in the mid-50s later in the day. It was sunny and breezy.
The Walter Henry Ingalls Family of the Ransom Benjamin Ingalls and Joseph Truman Ingalls branches hosted. Lovely decorations graced the tables.
The Historian, Krista Ingalls Haushalter, displayed various family photograph albums and framed copies of family deeds.
Copies of the 2003 Genealogy and History of the Jacob Ingalls Family were available for twelve dollars each. Copies of the 2020 Greenville Local History Group calendar also were for sale for ten dollars each.
Carolyn Myers, the President, rang Jacob Ingalls’ cowbell at 12:00 noon to call all of those present to gather for a group photograph.
After everyone was seated, Carolyn asked Stan Ingalls to say grace. Those present enjoyed a bountiful meal.
After the meal, Carolyn rang the cowbell to call the meeting to order, and she welcomed everyone to the 91st Ingalls Reunion. She thanked Pastor Dale L. Ashby of the Asbury United Methodist Church of Greenville and Norton Hill for the use of its church hall, the host family, and Vicky Tripp for helping out in the kitchen for the second year. Janet Lockwood also was on hand to assist for her forty-first year, even though she was invited as a guest, after having (supposedly) retired as of two years ago. Janet certainly is an Honorary Ingalls!
The people who traveled the farthest to attend the reunion were Debbie and Kevin Reeth from Reno, Nevada (2,707 miles from Norton Hill, NY) and Graham Stevens from Moscow, Idaho (2,658 miles from the reunion), a difference of only 49 miles! Betty McAneny was the oldest, at 92. Two cousins were the youngest persons attending the reunion: Leah Marjorie Meade, 15 months old, and Annabelle Shirley Klein, 23 months old. Annette Peter from Albany, NY, 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 sent around the book for everyone to sign, along with a folder of “Ingallsiana.”
Paige noted that Shirley Spad, who for many years was the oldest attendee at the reunion, passed away on September first, at the age of 96. She will be missed, as she attended the reunion faithfully every year with her daughter Linda Steinberg. A sympathy card to be mailed to Linda was sent around for people to sign.
The Treasurer, Alliene Applebee, gave her report:
There was $2,064.84 in the savings account prior to the reunion, which included $4.92 interest earned during the past year.
The day’s income totaled $417.00, all from the Dinner Collection. No Genealogies were sold.
Dispersals/Expenses totaling $341.00 were made for--
Printing of the Invitations ("Postcards") $92.50
Postage for the Invitations $73.50
Vicky Tripp’s Services ("Kitchen") $75.00
Church Hall Rental $100.00
The cost of the Meat, Biscuits, Butter, and Decorations was graciously donated by the Host Family.
This left a profit of $76.00 and a grand total of $2,140.84 in the savings account. This was an increase of $80.92 from 2018’s reunion.
It was moved and seconded to accept the Treasurer’s report.
Carolyn inquired if there was any “old business” to be addressed? There was none.
Carolyn then asked if there was any “new business?”
--Laura Meade suggested requesting RSVPs for future reunions. It would make it easier for the host family to know how much ham, biscuits, and butter to order and how many tables and chairs to set up. After some discussion, it was agreed this probably would not work, given the "open ended" nature of the invitation and how the responses would be tracked. This can, of course, be revisited in the future, e.g. if e-mail addresses are obtained for the 200 plus people who are invited and responses are handled electronically.
The Stanley R. Ingalls Family volunteered to host next year’s reunion. After a vote, it was agreed to hold the reunion on Saturday, October 17, 2020.
The Officers elected for next year were:
President-- Kevin Ingalls
Vice President-- Kenneth Williams
Secretary-- Paige Ingalls
Treasurer-- Alliene Applebee
Historian-- Krista Ingalls Haushalter
The Historian, Krista Ingalls Haushalter, asked for any births/adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. It was noted that her beloved sister, Kay Ingalls Sutton, passed away on March 25th. Kay took the family photograph at the Ingalls Reunion for many years. She was treasured by all who knew her.
Krista led the Roll Call of Families, and the following numbers indicate how many people from each branch were present at the Reunion:
Enoch Ingalls Branch 0
Henry Ingalls Branch 1
John Ingalls Branch 1
Lucinda Ingalls Hunt Branch 6
Eleanor Ingalls Winegard Branch 2
Diantha Ingalls Smith Branch 0
Joseph Truman Ingalls Branch 24
Ransom Benjamin Ingalls Branch 38
William Henry Harrison Ingalls Branch 2
Thaddeus Warsaw Ingalls Branch 0
Cyrus Ingalls (Westerlo) Branch 0
[Note: The Walter Henry Ingalls Family always is counted twice, once under the Joseph Truman Ingalls Branch, and once under the Ransom Benjamin Ingalls Branch. This accounts for the high number of people counted under the Ransom Benjamin Ingalls Branch.]
This year's “entertainment” was a presentation by Vice President Kevin Ingalls on "Ingalls-isms." He shared a long list of funny sayings compiled by his aunts Edna Ingalls Adams Zivelli and Claribel Ingalls Gardiner, which will be kept with the Historian's Files. Everyone had a good laugh listening to these colorful sayings, and some even contributed others. For example, Flora Ingalls Holderbaum quoted, "T'aint a fit night for man or beast - it's colder than a witch's tit." These colloquialisms were used in everyday conversation by our ancestors and were a part of their culture (even though they could be crude and offensive to some!).
Paige also suggested that people read a poem by George Ella Lyon called "Where I'm From," copies of which she handed out. This can be a starting off point for composing one's own poem about where one is from. She read her poem, hoping it might inspire others to write one for themselves.
Carolyn then closed the meeting by inviting everyone back next year for the 92nd Ingalls reunion, on October 17, 2020.