2008 Lauffer Family Reunion
Greensburg, PA
Sunday, August 17
This was a Great Gathering!
Photos were taken and as soon as these are available, along with details on the reunion.
Jim
11:00 AM - Informal gathering of the Clan
12:00 Noon - Official Reunion Discussion, Presentation, Plaque Dedication, Food (not in that order since Food comes in close to first!)
3:00PM - End of official meetings (and eating), continued mixing with cousins and swapping stories until 6:00 PM. After that you can continue "off campus".
A guided tour of the historical family sites will be provided after 3:00 PM. This will be caravan style.
Our Arizona Shirley will have a scanner operating and we want to collect as much
missing data as possible to include in the History Book.
If you think you have information or photos that we do not have, please bring them along.
Directions to Westmoreland County Conservation District
Places to stay are listed at end of this page.
Don't let the Surname turn you away, we have over 4000 surnames in our family lines from Christian Lauffer, The Pioneer, who started all of us when he immigrated to America around 1730. We have over 19,000 cousins documented in the Lauffer History and over 28,000 names with spouses and their parents.
Over the course of this past year, we have been in contact with many new family members. It is always amazing to us how many new people find us, or we find them, and how interested they are in what this family has accomplished and what it continues to accomplish. It also amazes us how far people will travel to attend the Reunion. It validates that what we are doing is very important and that we need to continue gathering this family's history.
Last year's Reunion was held at the Westmoreland Conservation District outside of Greensburg. As many of you know, we were overflowing. This year we are again asking that everyone RSVP with the number of people that will be attending so that we are prepared. You can RSVP to horsegranny@aol.com or 724-836-0841 or by mail to Peggy Anthony, 521 New Haven Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601. Also there may be some changes in the parking area. If you need special parking, please let Peggy know with your RSVP.
There are two very important projects that we are working on for this years Reunion. The first is, of course, the Second Edition of the Lauffer Family History Book. The publishing of this second edition has turned into much more of a project than ever anticipated but it is continuing to come together. There have been over 5000 family names added to the book since the first of 2008. There are also quite a few corrections coming in on the existing data. All of this will make it impossible to publish the Book in time for this year's reunion. This sounds like an endless slip in getting the book release, but the intent is to have a quality and accurate publication that will be cherished for generations to come. Jim will have a better status on this at the reunion. Jim will also provide an overview of his travels to Christian's birthplace in Germany. This was an exciting event!
The second is the Plaque. Last year it was unanimously decided to purchase a Plaque to be placed outside the entrance to the Conservation District Barn. The Plaque has an explanation of where this Barn came from, how it got to be where it is and what it is used for today. The Plaque is very impressive and we are very excited with its completion. At the Reunion last year it was decided that all the money in the treasury and all the money collected that day would go toward the purchase of this Plaque. We were delighted that Mr. and Mrs. Alan Mochnick volunteered to donate whatever funds were needed in addition to the money that was collected so that we could have the Plaque purchased and installed for this year's Reunion. It is a tribute to our heritage, a tribute to the generosity of Mr. Kim Miller, the most recent owner of the barn, and, of course, a tribute to the Westmoreland Conservation District. There will be a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting shortly after lunch. You won't want to miss it.
Come prepared for a raffle of a quilt being made by one of our family members. Last year Kat Pettigrew suggested that we make a quilt to be raffled at the Reunion. The quilt would be made of squares with signatures from those who attended the Reunion. Kat volunteered to put the quilt together. She has been working very hard and has come up with a great idea. She will put Christian Lauffer's name in the middle of the quilt and then make lines to each square connecting that person to Christian and their line of decent. This only occurred to her after the Reunion so she did not get all the information. So she has been doing a lot of research to figure out each line. It will be a great keepsake when it is finished. Just imagine in a 100 years when someone's great grandchild finds this quilt and sees all the names. What fun that will be. Just think about that quilt coming to a Reunion 100 years from now. If you did not make a square and you want to make one, please get in touch with Peggy and I will let you know how to do that.
There is another project that I have been wanting to work on for many years. I would like to put together a booklet with information from past Reunions. I have a lot of information that had been kept over the years (from the 1950s up through the present). If you have pictures or notices, etc. it would be nice to include that information. And, of course, we can include the information from the original Lauffer History about the Reunions back at the turn of the century. Peggy would be happy to collect any information that you have at this year's Reunion.
And there is another project. We have been collecting photographs for the new Book. It is important that we reproduce the pictures in a way that will best copy when the book is being printed. That can only be accomplished using original photos, not photocopies. Therefore, Shirley Gosnell will be bringing a scanner to the Reunion and you will be able to have the pictures scanned right there and take them back home with you. This way the originals will not be lost or misplaced.
Well, now that certainly is a lot of information. But it is so important to keep documenting this family's history. So please come to the Reunion, bring information and contribute to the heritage. We look forward to seeing you and your family.
Very truly yours,
Jim Lauffer
Peggy Anthony
Shirley Gosnell
Last year we had over 115 cousins from all over the Country. This year we could double that. This will be an exciting gathering of the clan and we hope you and your family will join us!
Reunion Location: http://wcdpa.com/about/index.shtml
Area Lodging:
Motels within a ½ mile of the Conservancy.
Super 8
111 Sheraton Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-838-8080
Four Points Sheraton
Route 30 East
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-836-6060
Hampton Inn
1000 Towne Square Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-838-8800
Holiday Inn Express
Route 30 East
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-838-7070
Knights Inn (only in emergency)
1215 South Main Street
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-836-7100