The BC Reunion in State College, PA

June 2, 2001

We attended the Genealogy Conference

logo

"Building Family Bridges"

Co sponsored by

The Centre County Genealogical Society

And the

Latter-Day Saints Family History Center

group

Back row Bob Hewitt and Paul Whitehouse

Middle row Lois Kamoi and Jane Wettstone

Front row Caroline N-Kamoi, Jane Buehner and Diane Lentz

Our special badges featured the canal horse drawing that was on the BC Reunion badges as well as the bridge inside the heart drawing that was the logo for the conference.

canalhorse logo

We met as we moved between classes. Identification was easy as our name badges were different that the badges worn by the rest of the attendees.

At lunchtime we shared the same table and got to know one another a little better. The class after lunch was one we all attended. "Researching your British Ancestors". We all ended up on the back row as we had lingered too long over lunch.

When the speaker, Keri-Lynn Kendall, mentioned that it might be a good idea to join a LIST for our area of England we cheered and told her why we were there. We also found that most of our ancestors were John Wesley Methodists and not Church Of England although marriages and baptisms were frequently recorded in the C of E records.

We met again at "The Tavern" Restaurant in downtown State College.

Some directions given were misunderstood and "The Pub with no name" adventure happened all over again.

Ken Knott and his wife Margaret (a Welsh lass) and Jane's husband Jerry joined us. Jerry was the foreigner as his ancestry is Swiss.

Ken, Margaret & Jerry with the group

Ken had brought along picture books, joke books and information about the Black Country. He shared all this good information with the group and it was sure appreciated. Ken was born and raised in Dudley and came to State College to work in the College of Engineering at Penn State University in the 1960's.

the rest of the group

We enjoyed the conversation over dinner and lingered again. To quote Bob Hewitt, "It is amazing that 7 complete strangers could get together for the day and have such a good time."

My reply "That is the Black Country way".

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