We've made it into July. In fact this coming Saturday is July 10th. I have invited a few relatives over to hang out and chat a bit. Those from the dark ages can get some time to relive the past. The kids can make plans for the future of the Connolly/Doherty/Connor/MacEachern/Weldon/Twomey/Murphy/Holland/etc clan. Those names represent the ancestors who began the families that produced all those who are related to Jo and I. Most date back tothe early to mid 1800.  The Weldons date back to the battle of Hastings!

  As I said last year when I dreamt up this wacky manner for having a "family" reunion, I haven't the slightest idea on whether 4 or 400 will be here. I do know that 3 of my grandchildren are coming cross country from Arkansas. I know of a number who are not coming. I have an inkling about a few who may be coming. No matter. Jo and I will be here and a few of our children and grandchildren will also be here. It is all very informal. The only plans made included clearing a bit of land in order to make a bit more room and renting a couple of porta potties. We'll have to live with a few brush piles since it has been too dry to get a burning permit.

  We'll also have to live with less parking space since we lost access this week to our overflow parking. Our road is not wide enough for parking on the pavement so we'd request that you park on our front lawn or down the back field. For those parking up front we'll have a couple of lawn tractors and trailers for hauling your coolers, tables, chairs, etc. down to the fields. Feel free to bring canopies, umbrellas, or the like to create shade. It's forcast to be in the 90's all week in Deerfield.

  For those who don't use electronic directional devices or who don't use Google or MapQuest to get directions to 130 South Rd, Deerfield, simply write and I'll send directions. I don't want to put directions on the web site.

If you click on Family Trees you'll get to the entry point for all the family tree info. I will have all the trees posted on Saturday. I will also have a complete copy where additions and/or corrections can be made.

 

Hope to see a few of you around  when I get up Saturday. How early? I usually get up and start working in the garden around 4:30 to 5:00 so come whenever you want. You just have to keep the noise level down since the grandkids sleep in. You know today's teens.

grampadad (Art Connolly)
 

The following e-mail was sent out on March 28th of 2004 in an attempt to rally all the Connolly/Connor clan to an endeavor of having some type of a family reunion.  It was written by me the morning after we had the Memorial Mass for Tom, the original organizer of family reunions and the author of the initial family genealogy.

                In this life all you have is a mouthful of air
When speaking of death, Keats spoke these words through an old Irish woman. We sometimes put too much emphasis on the longevity of life, rather than view it as just a small speck in the eternal life that we all will share together. In his book, Midlife Irish (a book everyone, who even wishes he/she were Irish, should read), Frank Gannon speaks in these words to reinforce  the Irish view of death this way versus how we try to hide it back in our subconscious like "a flute player who is way back in the last row and  is barely able to be heard". Yesterday another lovely young Colleen (who has 9 children and many grandchildren) told me to not count the ones who were left but to just enjoy all those who have gone before and all those who are still to come. (Betty and/or their children can share these words with Dee when the speak to her)
When speaking of his labors to create our family history through the compilations of our past, my big brother used very similar words. I've read them many times while using my very worn copy of his genealogy to compile my version of the genealogy on line. Of course, like many others, I really have never stopped to ponder what he meant. I have pondered them quite a bit over the last few weeks.
                       "History is the Prologue of the Future"
These words, the events of the last couple of weeks, and the reading of "Midlife Irish have all helped to reenergize me to get back to my task of completing Tom's work of compiling our genealogy. His stated objective was "to sometime  get back to the sense of belonging which we, as the descendants of the Connolly/Connor families once enjoyed". It was his hope that this be passed on to our descendants as "we all spread around the United States and even the world."
To this end I, with all of your help, will get back to my task at hand.  Notice that I said "with your help".
A second legacy that he left us to do, was to somehow revive his family reunions. My cousins spoke of it, my siblings spoke of it, my nephews and nieces spoke of it, and my own children spoke of it. However, we continue to be the epitome of regular Irishmen, we keep talking but there isn't any action. A friend of mine once said, "A bunch of Irishmen can talk a project to death.
The scope of a reunion takes on the same initial question that I have wrestled with when trying to plan the scope of the present genealogy. How far "out" do we go? How long in advance do we plan? We can't wait too much longer. Although Dee doesn't want me to count; Eleanor (Manning) Scanlon (now you talk about a lovely colleen) said yesterday, "There are only 11 of the Connollys left on our generation." In deference to Dee I won't count the Connors. Any suggestions? Where do we start? To spread the word, to make plans, to get things started, someone has to compile the list of people, addresses, e-mail addresses. The word has to get out. The one burning question is: How far out do we go? More suggestions? More talk!

Well 5 more years have gone by since we did have the Connor reunion. During those years many more of my generation have passed on. Last month my cousin Allie was buried. At the wake and at the funeral there were only 3 in attendance from my generation. The total number in attendance from our family would have filled our kitchen. This from a family in which our generation totaled in the hundreds. I felt a bit of sadness that Allie could pass and be honored by so few. I felt more sadness due to the fact that we have somehow failed the next generation by not instilling in them a sense of family unity.Not one of my mother's or father's were waked without all of us in attendance.

We have spent 5 years talking about reunions. Should we have a Conor one? Should we have a Connolly one? Should it be in Boston? Should it be in Timbucktoo???? Well this bunch of Irishmen are not going to talk this project to death!

Here is my thought! It wont be discussed. It will simply happen. It may have a few ragged edges and it may not happen smoothly. However, it will happen whether I'm there by myself toasting the Summer moon!

Next July 10th, a Saturday, we will meet and enjoy each others company. We will simply have a family gathering.

Who are the we? Everyone who wishes to call themselves our family. Their ancestors my come from Ireland, from Panama, from Ghana, from England, from Korea,  or from any place the Lord has let us inhabit. Your name may be Connor, Connolly, MacEachern, Doherty, Weldon, Holland, Murphy, or whatever. If you married into any of these families you are family! If you hang out with us, you are family!

Where will we congregate? In the fields surrounding our house at 130 South Rd. Deerfield, NH.

The particulars will follow throughout the year. All we need now is e-mail addresses of all your relatives so I can build a a contact list and get the word out. You can help by forwarding this to all your relatives. (Robert M, you have a big task since your's is the only E-mail address I have on the Connolly side.) There will be no planning meetings. There will be no money sent. Everyone will simply get here and take care of your family while you are here. We will try to have the place set up in order to make it work. We have sufficient land to make it work. (I hope) If it is a bit crowded, that will simply mean it was a great success.

 

 Look  over the family trees and send me updates on your family's dates, etc. 

Intentions      Note: At present after submitting the form you will get an error page although the information will have been submitted. Simply click on the return arrow.