96th Ingalls Reunion Minutes

The 96th Ingalls Reunion was held on Saturday, October 18, 2025, in
Carney Hall of the Asbury United Methodist Church of Greenville and
Norton Hill. The temperature was 39 degrees F at 7:00 a.m. It was
mostly sunny with a light breeze. The high was in the low to mid-60s F.

A total of fifty people were in attendance. Zoom participation was not
offered.

The Fred and Betty McAneny Family hosted. The tables were nicely
decorated with an autumn theme. Of note was the different set-up of the
tables and chairs this year. Instead of facing the stage, they faced the
back of the hall so that PowerPoint presentations could be shown on the
large flat-screen located there.

The Historian, Krista Ingalls Haushalter, displayed various family
photograph albums and framed copies of family deeds [Indentures].
Sets of Indentures were on sale for ten dollars each.

Copies of the 2003 Genealogy and History of the Jacob Ingalls Family
were available for twelve dollars each. None was sold. Copies of the
2026 Greenville Local History Group calendar also were for sale for
fifteen dollars each. Nine calendars were sold.

Carolyn Dedie Myers, the President, asked Noah Ingalls to ring Jacob
Ingalls’ cowbell at 12:00 noon to call those present to gather for a large
group photograph. Kevin Reeth took the photograph. It was later posted
on the www.jacobingallsfamily.com Web site.

After Noah rang the cow bell again, everyone was seated, and Carolyn
read Walter Ingalls’ grace that he gave at the 75th Ingalls Reunion in
2003. Clare Ingalls once again assisted with calling the tables for people
to go to the buffet for their food. There were many delicious hot and cold
dishes and desserts. Alliene Applebee, the Treasurer, “passed the
basket” while people were eating.

After the meal, Noah rang the cowbell one more time, and Carolyn called
the meeting to order. She welcomed everyone to the 96th Ingalls Reunion and thanked Pastor Eunice Kim 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 seventh year. A round of applause greeted her.

Those who traveled the farthest to attend the reunion were Judy and
Clint Hildebran from Shelbyville, Kentucky, and Debbie and Kevin Reeth
from Reno, Nevada.

The oldest attendee was Gerald (“Gerry”) Rugg at 89. The youngest
person attending the reunion was Annabeth Hull, one year old.

There were several individuals attending an Ingalls Reunion for the first
time: Clint Hildebran; Michele, John, and Johnny Bewley; Jeanne and
Peter Grandy; and Larry Komarow, a friend of Flora Ingalls Holderbaum.

The Secretary, Paige Ingalls, read the minutes from the 2024 reunion,
which were approved as written. She then sent around the book for
everyone to sign, along with a folder of “Ingallsiana.”

Paige reported there was no correspondence received during the past
year. [However, she later received a note from Carlton Simons of
Charleston, SC, with a check for fifty dollars ($50.00) to support the
reunion. He is from the Lucinda Ingalls Branch.]

The Treasurer, Alliene Applebee, gave her report:

There was $3,289.40 in the savings account prior to the reunion,
with $4.90 interest earned between October 2024 through
September 2025, leaving a balance of $3,294.30.

The day’s income equaled $640.00. $580.00 came from the
Dinner Collection and $50.00 from the donation later received
from Carlton and Ettaray Simons [see Correspondence section
above]. Although there were no sales of Genealogies, one set of
Indentures was sold for $10.00.

Dispersals/Total Expenses came to $403.34. These were for--
Printing of the Invitations ("Postcards"). $165.49
Postage for the Invitations $112.85
Vicky Tripp’s Services ("Kitchen Staff"). $ 75.00
Church Hall Rental $ 50.00

The cost of the Meat, Biscuits, and Butter was graciously
donated by the Host Family.

This left a profit of $236.66, and a grand total of $3,530.96 in the
savings account.

A motion was made to pay all bills, and it was moved and seconded to
accept the Treasurer’s report.

Carolyn inquired if there was any “old business” to be addressed?

--Robyn Hosley gave an update on her husband David’s and her
efforts to document their connection to Thomas Rogers, who
traveled to America with his son Joseph as passengers on the
Mayflower in 1620. She is still waiting for two birth/death
certificates. She noted that she is working with a historian from
NYS and the Mayflower Society, but these things move slowly.

--Sarah Stevens then provided the Gravestone Committee’s
Report.

She began by stating, “We have been busy!“

Our Ingalls ancestors who first settled in the Greenville, NY, area
are buried in Locust Cemetery, not too far from here, between
Norton Hill and Greenville. Given that their gravestones were in
disrepair, at last year’s reunion our committee was tasked to
investigate what could be done to give them some TLC prior to
our 100th Ingalls Reunion.

(1) We initially obtained quotes from Taylor’s Monuments for
different scenarios vis-à-vis how best to honor Jacob
Ingalls and his father Joseph, Jr., who each fought in the
Continental Army as part of the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, the cost estimates to focus on both
proved prohibitive. Therefore, it was decided to focus
only on Jacob’s gravestone.

(2) We were able to have FIVE of the oldest Ingalls
gravestones cleaned for free by a couple who are friends
of Stephanie and Paige. D/2 was used to remove the
extensive growth (algae, mildew, moss, and lichens). It
is a product recommended by the National Cemetery
Association of the United States Veterans Administration
because it is safe and eco-friendly. [Paige then showed
a short PowerPoint presentation with “before” and “after”
pictures of these gravestones.]

(3) One thing we would like to purchase this year is an
American Legion grave marker to replace the one that
was stolen from Jacob’s gravesite a couple of years ago.
It is identical to the one at his father’s gravestone. The
replacement is available through the American Legion’s
Web site, Flag and Emblem, for $49.99. It can be
placed in the ground immediately or saved to place it at
the time of the 100th reunion in 2029. [Paige showed a
photograph of the grave marker.]

Carolyn then held two votes: First, to purchase the grave
marker, and then, if the vote is affirmative, whether to
place it at Jacob’s gravesite this year or in 2029 as part
of the 100th reunion. The consensus was to purchase
the marker now and place it in the ground at next year’s
reunion.

Michael and Danny McAneny offered to pay for the
marker, and Paige will follow up with them. Thank you,
McAneny Family! [Note: The final cost of the marker
with shipping and handling, state sales tax, and county
sales tax came to $63.66.]

(4) Our “wish list” for honoring Jacob on the occasion of our
100th reunion is as follows:

The purchase of a Barre, VT, gray slant granite
gravestone with smooth sides and base to place in front
of Jacob’s gravestone. Having smooth sides on the
gravestone will help decrease the growth of algae,
lichens, etc. A base is necessary to ensure the new
gravestone remains upright and secure for many years
to come. [Paige showed photographs of these items.]

These will be expensive, based on an estimate obtained
from a local monument company. Although we may be
able to obtain a flat bronze grave marker from the
National Cemetery Administration at no cost, the
application may prove challenging. Paige will follow up
on this, and Robyn will contact a few other monument
companies for estimates.

Robyn then spoke of possible fund-raising ideas for
these purchases, such as a commemorative
booklet/album for the 100th reunion. [After the meeting,
a couple of others came up with additional fund-raising
ideas.] These ideas will be further explored by the
Committee prior to next year’s reunion.

In closing, Sarah noted that the Gravestone Committee planned
to visit Locust Cemetery to view the gravestones in question upon the conclusion of the reunion and invited anyone interested to join them. [Several people did go to the cemetery after the reunion.]

--Carolyn next gave the Genealogy Committee’s report:

The Committee met once last year and will be meeting again in
November. It is anticipated that a letter will go out sometime
next year to notify those on the mailing list that, as part of our
100th Ingalls Reunion (which will be held in 2029), we would like
to bring our current genealogy up to date as much as possible.
Forms for families to fill out will be included with this mailing, to
be returned to the Historian. In the meantime, please check the
address book by the door to add new, and correct any missing,
mailing addresses. We also hope to email those whose email
addresses we have on hand.

We will provide more information at next year’s reunion about
this project. However, we need to vote today on approving the
expense of printing and sending out this mailing.

A vote was then taken, and the expense was approved.

--Carolyn then concluded the old business by mentioning a
couple of other things:

Please speak with Krista (if you haven’t already) about
any questions you may have about updating your
family’s information.

If you would like to volunteer to assist with either the
Gravestone and/or Genealogy Committee, to please let
her [Carolyn] know.

Carolyn then asked if there was any “new business?”

--Paige talked about the following:

In early September, John Ingalls was given information about a
play to be performed in Pine Plains, NY, later that month. It was
produced as part of Dutchess County’s 250th anniversary
commemoration of the Declaration of Independence.

“Widow’s Weeds” tells the true story of Mary Ingalls, a Pine
Plains woman who, in 1842 at the age of 84, applied for her late
husband Elihu’s Revolutionary War pension. Elihu, who served
in the New York militia, had died in 1823. When Mary applied
under the Federal Pension Act of 1836—which for the first time
extended benefits to widows—she faced a difficult challenge: all
of Elihu’s service papers and proof of their marriage had been
lost. To make her case, she relied solely on her memory and the
oral testimonies of neighbors.

It turns out that our ancestor, Joseph Ingalls, Jr., was Elihu’s
brother and, therefore, Jacob Ingalls’ uncle.

Unfortunately, John was unable to travel to Pine Plains to see
the play.

--Carolyn shared the following (accompanied by a PowerPoint
Paige had prepared in order to give a sense of the project):

A few months ago, John M. Bewley, who is a member of the
Henry Ingalls Branch, came into possession of a ledger/daybook
that belonged to Jacob Ingalls and his father, Joseph Ingalls, Jr.
Entries have been made by others, as well. The dates of the
entries extend from the 1790s through the 1840s (and possibly
beyond). John and his nephew John Kent came up with the idea
of using Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT) to transcribe its different
entries. John and his wife Shelly have carefully scanned each
page, which is what ChatGPT is “reading” and then transcribing.

This amazing “find” was met with great interest by those in
attendance, and we look forward to learning more about this
project in the future.

John, who was present at the reunion, later asked that the
following be added to the minutes:

The daybook/ledger was made available by cousin Peter
Bewley, whose family inherited it directly from Lucretia
Middleton Bewley. Peter’s mother Gladys lovingly
preserved the materials and created inventories (she
was a professional librarian). It is thanks to them that the
item is still in existence and has been shared and made
available for even wider sharing.

--Paige informed the group that Edmund Ingalls (1900 – 1982)
kept an interesting and informative scrapbook that his daughter
Flora Ingalls Holderbaum recently donated to the Town of
Greenville’s Historian’s Files.

--Paige noted that her sister Stephanie Ingalls and she have
donated the diaries of Carrie Spalding Ingalls (11/14/1863—
08/25/1951) to the Vedder Research Library in Coxsackie, NY.
“Little Grandma,” as she was known, kept diary starting after her
marriage on 11/24/1885 to Truman Lincoln Ingalls (11/02/1864 –
05/21/1941) and ending a few weeks before her death.

--Although not mentioned due to an oversight, it should have
been noted that in May of this year, John Bewley prepared and
sent a digital version of the 19th Century photograph album his
cousin Peter Bewley shared with him. Eight descendants from
the Henry Ingalls Branch are included. John separately digitized
each image and included an index in the summary so that one
“can jump right to the Ingalls,” if desired.

This has been sent to Krista for her files and, also, to the Town
of Greenville Historian, Don Teator, for his files.

--Robyn asked that we post on the Web site
www.jacobingallsfamily.com an appeal for past reunion
memorabilia to be included in a 100th Reunion Book. For
example, Peggy Hohenstein plans to send Robyn three pages of
songs that were sung at the 24th (1952), 50th (1978) and 75th
(2003) reunions. These will be fun to sing again at the 100th!

Carolyn next asked for a host family for next year’s reunion, and the
Stanley R. Ingalls Family volunteered. After a vote, it was agreed to hold
the reunion on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

The Officers elected for next year were:

Historian Krista encouraged those in attendance who had not yet signed
the autograph quilt she is making to please see her at the conclusion of
the meeting so that they can be a part of it. Krista informed us the
autograph quilt was started forty-five years ago!

Krista then reviewed the births, marriages, divorces, and deaths that she
had received over the past year. Of particular note was the passing of
Betty McAneny, who attended many reunions throughout her very long
life. (Her family hosted this year’s reunion.)

Krista requested help going forward with some of her duties at the
reunion, e.g. recording births and deaths, photographing each of the
tables and recording the names of those seated at them, etc. She asked
that anyone who is interested in assisting speak with her.

Prior to the Roll Call of Families, Kevin Reeth took photographs of the
officers and the two groups of individuals at the reunion who are
Mayflower descendants: Those descended from John Alden [the Henry
Ingalls Branch] and those descended from Thomas Rogers and his son
Joseph [the Branches descended from Abigail (Cowell) and Truman
Ingalls].

Krista next led the Roll Call of Families. The following numbers indicate
how many people from each branch were represented at the Reunion:

Note: Some families are counted twice, reflecting members who are
descendants from two distinct branches. This year, 8 members from the
Joseph Truman Ingalls Branch also were counted with the Ransom
Benjamin Ingalls Branch (8+20=28 total who stood up with the Ransom
Benjamin Ingalls Branch).

This year's “entertainment” was provided by Paige. She presented a
PowerPoint that she originally gave to the Greenville Local History Group
last August. It was about “The Ingalls Reunion.” (At the same meeting,
she also presented another PowerPoint pertaining to her article on “The
Ingalls Family—Early Settlers in the Greenville, NY, Area.”)

Paige spoke about the first Ingalls Reunion, held 100 years ago this
year. She also gave a brief history of the origins of the Ingalls and then
focused on our more direct ancestors Jacob Ingalls and his father,
Joseph Ingalls, Jr. They were from Rehoboth, MA, and served in the
Continental Army in the American Revolution prior to putting down roots
in the Greenville, NY, area. She noted that our genealogies and diaries
provide us with a wealth of family history. She mentioned how the
annual reunions are set up and run, and documented with meeting
minutes.

Paige then brought up “The Spoon.” In 1818, Jacob Ingalls won a silver
tea set for the best fenced and best kept farm in Albany County. Per
family lore, it was decided in the mid-1800s to melt down the tea set and
make teaspoons to be distributed to one great grandchild from each of
the branches of the family. Of these teaspoons, we have only been able
to locate one extant. It is in the possession of Carolyn Dedie Myers of
the Eleanor Ingalls Winegard Branch. It is believed this teaspoon was
given to Harriet (Hattie) Winegard (1862 – 1942), who married John
Winans in 1878. Her flowery initials HMW are engraved on the front of
its handle. Carolyn’s mother, Marjorie Winans Dedie, lovingly kept this
spoon as a family heirloom, and we are grateful.

Paige ended her presentation by having Flora read her father’s poem,
“My Mountains.” The photograph shown on the large flat-screen as the
poem was read was taken last summer at the site of what used to be the
Ingalls Homestead on Elm Lane near Lambs Corners, NY, with the
Catskill Mountains in the distance.

Lastly, Carolyn thanked everyone for attending the 96th Ingalls Reunion and invited them back for the 97th, to be held on October 17, 2026.