I just sent out a mailing giving our cousins the information posted here (tee shirts, hotels, recipes, pictures of your clans). I mailed 354 letters. They were dropped off at the post office yesterday.
TODAY my mother gave me an updated address and I found at least 5 addresses on ancestry (someone had posted a very old address list. Amazingly, I had a few of the addresses. I searched for the cousin with the city and state, a few seem like they could still be valid).
I also have been working on a family tree poster. It appears that Clamor Ludwig Victor Brueggemann had 54 Grandchildren. I'm cleaning up my ancestry account to be sure because I have quite a few mistakes. Our clans are named after his grandchildren. I'm wondering if we don't need to add tribes (and maybe families). . . for example,
I am the daughter of James, son of Edwin, Clamor's grandson. Edwin is Ernst August's son. I could be the Ernst August Tribe, Edwin Clan, James Family. Edwin was my grandfather. he has 17 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. The great-grandchildren have many children (I think 28 so far, but there's a new one being added this month!), and the first great-great-great grandchild was born last year.
Clamor had 9 children, who all had children. When he passed away, he had almost 100 descendants. That was in 1909. More than 100 years later, I have no idea how many descendants he has. Five live in my home! (Me, obviously, and our 4 teenagers).
What does this have to do with addresses?
I can not invite our cousins to the reunions if I don't have addresses. Please, if you're reading this and you, or one of your relatives, does not receive a piece of paper from me every year, email me! brueggemanreunion@gmail.com. I have over 350 addresses, but I'm quite sure that's just a drop in the bucket. Only two clans have provided me with complete information! That information changes, too. About 10% of my mailing comes back to me each year. I update the contacts and reach out. I try to figure out our family tree and find new addresses. I also nag.
It may not seem important to you. However, some of our cousins have started coming to the reunions because they're getting invitations. We lost track of people. In 100 years, that happens. I'm trying to come up with a system that is sustainable for the next 100 years. Wouldn't that be wonderful? a 200th annual reunion.
Cousins, PLEASE send me your addresses. Please update the family!
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