Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1959

Well it's not the most detailed of the Cayemberg reunion articles, but at least it was put in the newspaper. I always like seeing the number of people in attendance although it was missing from this clipping. It gives you an idea of any fluctuations throughout the years especially in a reunion that has been going on as long as the Cayemberg reunion has been (80 next year).

Using attendance statistics can reassure a reunion committee that down cycles may be normal. They can also show you what changes in a reunion may have brought about those down turns and help you to fix a potential problem before it becomes too big. Of course you don't necessarily need to find this in a newspaper article. Attendance records and changes to family reunion itinerary should be found in the minutes of your committee and those minutes should be kept forever.

"Family Reunion of Cayembergs Held 22 Times

(Handwritten '1959')

Officers of the Cayemberg family were elected recently at the 22nd annual reunion held at Pamperin Park.

The group to plan next year's reunion includes: Pat Cayemberg Sr., Green Bay, president; Mrs. Harvey Maureau (sic), Green Bay, treasurer; Mrs. Lucy Anderson, Green Bay, trustee; Mrs. Lewis Lemens, Tonet, secretary.

Mrs. Elmer Guillette, Casco, and Mrs. Ben Matuszak, Algoma, served as chairmen of this year's picnic attended by 131 members of the family.  The group agreed to hold next year's reunion at the same location on June 19.  Mrs. Lewis Lemens and Mrs. Wallace Guillette, Tonet, will serve as co-chairmen.

Among communities represented by the family are Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Tonet, Algoma, Casco and two families from Michigan and Minnesota."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Tombstone Tuesday - John and Viola Vania nee Cayemberg

Tombstone of John and Viola Vania nee Cayemberg in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Algoma, Wisconsin

I shared Viola's obituary previously and thanks to Jenni Lewerenz I new have the tombstone for John and Viola to share! I don't have much on John because he's not the one related to my husband. From the SSDI I have that John was born on March 31, 1894 and passed away sometime in November of 1980. Looking deeper into his passing I found in the Wisconsin Death Index that he died on November 1, 1980 and his middle name was Fred. He married Viola on March 4, 1924 in Algoma (according to her obituary). Viola was born on August 2, 1904 in Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin (birth certificate found at the Wisconsin Historical Society) and died on November 21, 1994. Together they had eight children: Gladys, Mae, James, Lloyd, Gloria, Raymond, Donna and John. They are buried in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Algoma, Wisconsin. Viola is my husband's first cousin twice removed.

*A very big thank you to Jenni Lewerenz for permitting me to share the photos she posted on FindAGrave!

Wedding Wednesday - Cayemberg/Villers Golden Wedding Anniversary

Golden Wedding Anniversary of Eli and Florence Cayemberg nee Villers

Eli Cayemberg and Florence Villers were married on April 24th 1886 in Rosiere, Wisconsin. Their 50th anniversary would have been in 1936. Eli would pass on three years later. Together they had 14 known children Emily, Eugenia, Frank, John, Martin Joseph, Henry, Lucy, Louis Felix, Alice, Ella, Wilfred, Anastasia, Patrick, and Walter. Eli and Florence were my husband's great grandparents.

A very special thank you to Wendy Cayemberg and Fern Gouin nee Cayemberg for allowing me to post this photo!

Wedding Wednesday - Mr and Mrs Larry Laurent

I have Villers in my family tree and I have Laurents in my family tree, so when I came across a clipping in our family scrapbook that had a Villers-Laurent wedding I just had to share.

I'm still trying to work through and shore-up my family tree. Back 15+ years ago when I started doing this I'd throw things in there without much evidence. I stopped doing that as I grew as a genealogist and researcher, but I never had the time to go back and check on everything. It's one of the things I do when I'm not in school. I'm just too busy during school. So I wasn't overly surprised to not have Larry Cletus Laurent in my family tree or Ruthann Irene Villers. I don't have Ruthann's parents in there either, but I do have a Norman Laurent in my family tree. My assumption is that they are one and the same Norman. Mostly because he is my husband's great uncle and my hubby's uncle, Wayne Cayemberg, is a part of the wedding party. This Laurent wouldn't be far removed from his line.

I don't have a wife for Norman though and because of the way the article is written I still don't have a name for her. Let's research....

I find my Norman Laurent living with his parents, Victor and Mary Laurent nee Dart, in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 censuses. In that 1940 census he's still listed as single so it looks like the census records won't be helping me to find a wife for Norman. A family tree did have a memorial card for a Norman Laurent that they linked to Victor and Mary. That doesn't make it right, but the card had this Norman's death as October 24, 1982. So my next step is going to be to pull that obituary and see if he's the father of Larry Cletus Laurent.

The last thing I did was searched for Ruthann and Larry on Ancestry.com. The first hit I got was for Larry Cletus Laurent with an obituary. He died on May 16, 2009 and his parents are listed as Norman and Mae Laurent nee Romuald. Larry has a FindAGrave memorial as well. Searching for Ruthann didn't give me anything. In Larry's obituary a daughter predeceased him. Her name was Tamara and I shared a clipping of her death previously. Her obituary tells me the father of Ernest Villers (listed in the wedding announcement below) is Fred....who is also not in my family tree.

So now I have a tentative name for Norman's wife as "Mae" and once I get the obituary pulled for Norman I'll be able to see more. Not all research can be done online so I'll have to have patience!

"Villers-Laurent

(handwritten Aug 31, 1963)

A wedding trip to Mackinac Island is the honeymoon planned by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Cletus Laurent, who were married at 10 o'clock Saturday morning, Aug. 31, in St. Martin Catholic Church, Tonet. The bride is the former Ruthann Irene Villers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Villers, Algoma, Rt. 2, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Laurent, Luxembourg, Rt. 3, are parents of the bride-groom.

Maid of honor was Mrs. Wayne Cayemberg, with Miss Shirley Degrave and Miss Mary Ann Malcore as bridesmaids. Wayne Cayemberg was best man, with Dale Romvald and James Romvald as attendants. Ushers were Harvey Villers and Francis Queoff.

The newlyweds will return to Luxembourg, Rt. 2, after their honeymoon."

Funeral Card Friday - Terry Delveaux

Funeral Card - Terry Delveaux

Funeral Card - Terry Delveaux (reverse)

In my memorial card collection I have a funeral card for Terry Delveaux. In fact he's the only Delveaux in my collection, but not the only Delveaux in my family tree. There I have two...Richard Delveaux and Alice Dart nee Delveaux. Terry died relatively young. He was 44 years old. So it was likely that at least one of his parents survived him.

I did a search on Ancestry.com for Terry with his birth and death information included in the search and didn't come up with much. There were hits, but they were from the Wisconsin Death Index and the SSDI which confirmed the information on the memorial card. There was also a hit on the Wisconsin Marriage Index that shows Terry got married on September 15, 1973 to a woman with the surname of DeGrand. No first name is given (even when I performed a search on her). Of course it pays to not just read the transcription but to actually look at the record because when I look at the record Terry isn't married to a woman with the surname of "DeGrand." He's married to Rebecca Jean LaLuzerne. Even how old she was is off. Still none of it tells me who his parents were.

So I went to FindAGrave, but there was no memorial created for him. I then jumped on Google and did a search for "obituary Terry Delveaux" and hit gold. The first hit was an obituary for Joyce Colle-Delveaux. While she isn't one of the Delveauxs listed above she is in my family tree. Her maiden name was Cravillion and her mother was a Cayemberg. So it looks like Terry could go in my tree. The second hit was for Richard Delveaux who is one of the people in my tree...married to Joyce. As you can see by reading the obituaries (as long as the links remain active) that Terry is a child of Richard and his first wife, Lilian Massey, who died in 1989. So Terry was the step-son of Joyce. I'll still put him in my tree. I just need to link Richard to his first wife. I know plenty of people wouldn't because he's not blood related, but family isn't just about blood. Joyce is related and it was important enough that she include her step-son who predeceased her in her obituary. Her husband also predeceased her so he wasn't the one to put him in there. He was important to their family so he is important to me.

Of course we don't just put the important people in our trees (or obituaries). Sometimes important people are left out because of divorce, crimes, arguments, etc. I'll have an example of that one in the near future though.

Remembering Dad

 

Patrick Wallace Cayemberg Jr.

Born July 23, 1933, Red River, Wisconsin

Died May 15, 2010, Green Bay, Wisconsin

(This is a repost of sorts to memorialize my father-in-law. It's hard to believe that it's been five years since we lost him. His loss is still felt everyday by those who loved him. He touched so many lives and is missed more than I could possibly say.)

It was five years ago today, my husband, sons and I began a drive from Killeen to Green Bay, Wisconsin to celebrate my mother and father-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary.  We hadn't made it past Dallas when we got the call that dad had died.  It was completely unexpected and devastating to the whole family.  What was supposed to be a joyous celebration turned into what would be a series of indescribably sad days.

I have a wonderful mother, step-father, and sisters and I added to that wonderful family an extraordinary set of in-laws that I love terribly.  Losing my father-in-law was like losing a father and his absence is felt every single day.  I know he watches over all of us and is able to see his family's accomplishments and his grandchildren's milestones.  I can find some small solace in the fact that dad died the day after their 50th anniversary (the party we were traveling up for was to be the following weekend) and that dad passed while doing something he loved...volunteering.

So today, this post is in your memory, dad.  You went on ahead of us to prepare the way.  Until that day when you welcome each of us home...we love you.

"Patrick W. Cayemberg, 76, Green Bay resident, passed away unexpectedly, Saturday, May 15, 2010 while volunteering at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. He was born July 23, 1933 in Red River, Wisconsin to the late Patrick and Laura (Laurent) Cayemberg. Patrick was a graduate of Green Bay East High School, class of 1951. He served his country as a member of the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, earning a Commendation as Specialist 3.

On May 14, 1960 he married Dolores (Lorie) Kuehl, with whom they had just celebrated 50 years of marriage. Pat “Big Daddy” worked for Schneider Transport as a truck driver for over 30 years. He enjoyed baking cookies, camping, country music festivals, making chicken booyah, gardening and wintering in Arizona. He loved Monday night dinners with the family, spending time with his grandchildren, volunteer work and going to the Friday night fish fry. Pat was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, SS. Peter and Paul Parish, the Teamsters Local 75 and the American Legion.

Survivors include his wife Dolores; four daughters: Cindy (Michael) Kolb, and Kent; Bonnie Cayemberg and Max Herrscher; Lori Ann (Joseph) Frisbie, Sam and Jackson; Karen (Bruce) Butterfield, Erik (Kristina), Vincent, and Delaney, all of Green Bay; one son, Richard (Cheryl) Cayemberg, Benjamin and Daniel, Killeen, TX. He is also survived by three brothers: Roland, Green Bay; Darold, Vulcan, MI; Glen (Sarah), Union Grove, WI; four sisters-in-law, Lorraine Ryan, Eden, WI; Alice Wood, Eden, WI; Helen Beisbier, Kewaskum, WI; Marge (Joe) Konkel, Wind Lake, WI; and many other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents, Patrick and Laura Cayemberg, he was preceded in death by his father and mother-in-law, Romand and Leona Kuehl; brother, Wayne Cayemberg; sisters-in-law, Shirley Cayemberg, and Patsy Cayemberg; brothers-in-law, Vincent Ryan, Richard List, Donald Wood, and Alois Beisbier, great niece, Brittany Cayemberg and great nephew Jake Stanke.

Friends may call at the Proko-Wall Funeral Home, 1630 E. Mason St., on Tuesday (TODAY) from 4 to 7 p. m. Knights of Columbus Rosary Service 6:30 p.m. Parish wake service 7 p.m. Visitation will continue on Wednesday at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, corner of University Ave and Baird St., after 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 a.m. at the church with Msgr. Roy Klister officiating. Entombment will take place at Nicolet Memorial Gardens. Online condolences may be sent to Patrick’s family at www.prokowall.com. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a memorial fund is being established. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the volunteers, medical personnel, first responders and the ER staff at St. Vincent Hospital for their care and consideration.

Roll on Big Daddy, Roll on…"

Tombstone Tuesday - Frank and Alice Cayemberg

The tombstone of Frank and Alice Cayemberg in Fort Howard Memorial Park, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Frank Cayemberg is my husband's great uncle. He was born on May 14th 1889 in Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin to Eli and Florence Cayemberg nee Villers. He was one of 14 children. On February 7th 1910 he married Caroline Nowak. Together they had two children, John and Angeline. John lived only three days. His sister Angeline lived to the age of 94 years. Caroline Nowak passed away on May 21st 1930.

On June 4th 1940 he married Alice Hendricks and together they had five children. Frank passed away on April 13th 1974. Alice passed away on July 15th 2012. They are buried in Fort Howard Memorial Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin.


(Original photo was taken by FindAGrave member Danielle Green #48004852) who has graciously given me permission to post it on this blog.  Thank you, Danielle!)

Tuesday's Tip - The Case of the Two Viola Vanias

When you've got someone in your family tree with the married name of Viola Vania you would think that if you found a death date for her that it would be your Viola Vania. I mean, how common could that name be? And if you found a Viola Vania in Algoma, Wisconsin where your Viola lived then you were good, right? Never assume anything, my dear Watson. Never.

Viola Cayemberg was the daughter of Gustav Joseph Cayemberg (he went by Joseph) and Virginia Wautlet. This is a branch of my husband's family that I don't have much on. The reason is that our reunions are based off Gustav's brother, Eli Cayemberg. Many (though not all) of the descendants of Eli and Florence seem to ignore moving beyond Eli or tracing those lateral lines. I don't. Cousins are a wonderful thing and they can help fill in holes and confirm data. Plus if we keep track of the cousins of Eli and Florence why not of Philippe and Catherine, Eli and Gustav's parents?

The Algoma Record Herald,
Thurs. 30APR1992, pg4

I found two different death dates for Viola from various sources on Ancestry and FindAGrave. One date was November 21, 1994 and the other was April 24, 1992. Seeing those two dates was a bit much. One is my husband's birthday and the other is mine (wrong years...I wish I was that young!). So I put both down for a bit of research when I went back to Wisconsin for Christmas. When I got there I pulled the microfilm for the The Algoma Record Herald and started with the earlier date...

"Viola Vania

Viola Vania, 92, 601 Navarino St., Algoma, died Friday, April 24, at Kewaunee Health Care Center.

The former Viola Buss was born May 9, 1899 in Milwaukee to August and Louise (Bloehmil) Buss. She moved to Algoma from Milwaukee in 1932. In 1919 she married Joseph Vania in Milwaukee. They owned and operated a bar in Algoma until 1947.

Survivors include nieces, Mrs. Mabel Murawski, Muskego, Mrs. Ethel Brauer, Algoma; and other nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, one brother and one sister.

Friends called from 3-8 p.m. Monday at the Wiesner-Massart Funeral Home, Algona, and after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Funeral services were 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, the Rev. Brent Merten officiating. Burial was in Pilgrims Rest Cemetery, Milwaukee."

The Algoma Record Herald,
Thurs. 24NOV1994, pg7

Not my Viola. On to the next obituary hoping I wasn't going to get double-whammied and end up with no good result:

"Viola Vania

Mrs. John (Viola) Vania, 90, Algoma, died on Monday, Nov. 21 in the Algoma Long Term Care Unit.

The former Viola Cayemberg was born on August 2, 1904 at Rosiere. She graduated from the Rosiere Graded School. Her family later moved to Algoma. She married John Vania in Algoma on March 4, 1924 and they resided in Algoma until the time of their deaths.

She is survived by eight children, Gladys Krueger, James and Lloyd (Janet), Gloria (Jack) March, John (Pat), all of Algoma; Mae (Richard) Dreier, Concord, Calif.; Donna (Ernest) Walker and Raymond (Carol), Green Bay; 24 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and one sister, Ann Vania, Algoma. She was preceded in death by four sisters and one brother.

Friends called at the Schinderle Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and after 10 a.m. on Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Algoma, until time of services. Parish vigil was at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Funeral services were on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, with the Rev. Jim Massart officiating. Burial was in St. Mary's Cemetery."

Now this is my Viola! Lots of great information in here that I didn't previously have. I did have that Viola was one of seven children and a sister was Ann(a), so it looks like a sister also married a Vania, but I'll have to look into that one to be sure. At least now I know that all of her siblings, save one passed before November 21, 1994. That's helpful.

This research and discovery was important...is important because we know that so many of the public trees we find are rife with errors. The errors are usually caused by inexperience and sloppiness. I know when I first started out I made a lot of mistakes. I learned and was open to the fact that I could be wrong. Accepting this possibility is an important part of becoming a better researcher and genealogist. Most people learn and evolve in their research, unless they can't acknowledge their faults. Even professional, paid researchers can get it wrong sometimes. If the best can be mistaken then anyone can. Only those that refuse to admit their shortcomings will continue down the wrong paths, and they'll hit more brick walls in their trees.

An obituary isn't confirmation of a connection. It's a secondary source of information provided by grieving relatives that can get things wrong, but it can help to establish proof and lend credibility to assumptions when combined with other primary and secondary sources. I already knew Viola Cayemberg was born on August 2, 1904 because I had previously pulled her birth record at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The birth date matching up perfectly strengthened both of these records  as well as the other census data I had collected.

Even if you're fairly certain that someone you found is the right person you need to check the records and confirm your research. Write it down in a research log and put your assumption/what you hope to find. If it turns out to be true you can happily and confidently put that person in your tree.

Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

(Viola Vania nee Cayemberg is my husband's first cousin twice removed)

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1955

The clipping for this reunion is short, sweet, and to the point. I don't know if it was published in any other newspapers. It may have been, but Pampering Park is in the Green Bay area so the Press-Gazette would be the closest newspaper.

There are no extraordinary details in this year's clipping, but if we didn't know Florence Cayemberg nee Villers' age we'd be able to glean it here. Of course we wouldn't get "Florence" from the clipping, but it was most likely more important to acknowledge her marriage to Eli, mention him by name and that he had passed. We can also see that all of her children were in attendance. I guess short and sweet and still tell you quite a bit if you know where to look.

"18th Reunion Held By Cayemberg Family

Handwritten '1955'

Special to Press-Gazette

PULASKI, Wis. - The Cayemberg family held its 18th reunion Sunday at Pamperin Park with 138 guests present for dinner.

The 10 children of Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, Pulaski, Rt. 2, were in the group.  She is the widow of the late Eli Cayemberg and reached her 83rd birthday anniversary in January.

Mrs. Pat Cayemberg, Mrs. Lucy Anderson and Frank Cayemberg were in charge of the arrangements. It was planned to meet at the same place next year, with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fellows and Mrs. Frank Cayemberg as chairmen."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  It appears to be taken from the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1954, part 2

I previously transcribed an article for the 1954 reunion from a scrapbook that was passed on to me.  As I made my way through scanning and transcribing the articles I saw that there was a second and much longer article from a paper on this particular reunion so instead of including it in the first transcription and making that über-long I figured I'd do a separate post.

When you read the transcription below you'll notice that the guest of honor spoke to the reunion. What I found significant about this was the fact that she hoped they would all be back the following year. Florence Cayemberg was 84 at the time of this reunion. She most likely knew that there was a chance that she wouldn't be there, but she still wanted the reunions to continue. Florence would only make two more reunions. She died in 1956. In what she said she made her wishes known to all in attendance.

Another part of significance in the clipping was the while there were 120 in attendance (a fairly good turn-out) there were many that were missing because the reunion conflicted with another event. This can't always be avoided, but you should try to whenever possible. Don't be of the mind that the reunion comes first because this won't be the case for everyone. Sure it would be nice if it was, but you could have what would be nice or what is reality. Reality has a higher turnout when you accept it.

Now I'm not saying that you need to set a date that is good for everyone. That will never happen. I'm talking about the big stuff that is avoidable. Learn to be flexible and roll with the changes. Inflexibility is a one way ticket to animosity and the end of something good. I'm not being critical of this reunion. Rather I'm using the mention of the conflict as a talking point. Something that could be learned from.

"Cayemberg Family Holds Get-Together

MRS. LEWIS LEMENS

Phone Luxemburg 47F2

(handwritten '1954')

TONET - The annual Cayemberg reunion was held at Pamperin park Sunday.  Mrs.  Eli Cayemberg, 84, was the honored guest.  She was presented with a corsage of red roses and a purse.  She, in turn, spoke to the group, thanked them all and hoped all would be together again next year.  She donated three prizes which were won by Mrs. Byron Gregor, Mrs. Joe Demcak and Miss Helen Weir.

Another special guest was Mrs. Cayemburg's (sic) sister, Mrs. Agnes Tardiff, Duluth, Minn.  She also spoke a few words to the group. 

Potluck dinner and supper were served in the spacious dining room.

Mrs. Harvey Moureau and Mrs. Felix Cayemberg were this year's chairmen.

The smaller children were presented with balloons and enjoyed the swings and other park equipment.

Next year the reunion will again be held the first Sunday in June at Pamperin park.  The chairmen will be Mrs. Lucy Anderson and Mrs. Pat Cayemberg.  Frank Cayemberg will be in charge of the refreshments.

About 120 were present at this reunion.  A number were unable to attned due to the Holy Name Rally at Marinette, also held Sunday.

Present were, 'Grandmother' Cayemberg, Pulaski; Mrs. Agnes Tardiff, Duluth, Minn., Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cayemberg and children, Wally, Merlin, Gaylen, Dennis and Sharon, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Paluch, children, Edward, jr., Hubert, Emily, Mary and Joey, all of Pulaski; Mr. and Mrs. Felix Cayemburg (sic), daughter, Lois, Ensign, Mich.; Earl Cayemberg and Alan Golbraith, Appleton; Robert Cayemberg, Milwaukee; Mr. and Mrs. Wilferd (sic) Cayemberg, daughter Carol, and son, Kenneth, and friend, Mr. and Mrs. Allen Cayemberg, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cayemberg, son, Donald, and daughter, Nancy, all of Manitowoc.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Demcak, son, Douglas, and Steve Gregor, Two Rivers; Mr. and Mrs. Harold Christenson, daughters, Judy and Darlene, Sturgeon Bay; Mr. and Mrs. Peter Younk and family, Mrs. William Younk, Kewaunee; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Matuszak, children, Gary, Diane, Danny and Claire, Algoma; Mrs. Elmer Guillette, son, Ronald, Mrs. Rose Christenson, Casco; Mr. and Mrs. Byron Gregor and Mrs. Libbie Wattawa, Rio Creek; Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Guillette and Miss Helen Weir, Anston.

Mrs. Eli Cravillion, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Lemens, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Guillette, daughter, Lila Mae, and son, Adelbert, Tonet; Miss Gladys Glase, Luxemburg; Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Cravillion, daughter, Patsy, Walhain; mrs. Donald Nellis, daughter, Jusy, Dyckesville.

Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Cayemberg, Mrs. Lucy Anderson, son, "Russie", Miss Donna VanCaster, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cayemberg and children, David, Diane, Gladys and Jean, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Moureau and daughter, Karen, Mr. and Mrs. Pat Cayemberg and children, Wayne and Glen, Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Blohowisk and children James, Carol Jean, Christie and Randy, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fellows, Albert Gouin and children, Robert, Mary and Ronald, Mr. and Mrs. Roland Cayemberg and children, Shirley, Marvin, Dale and Joan, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Moureau and daughter, Kathie, Mr. and Mrs. Darold Cayemberg and daughter, Roxanne, Mrs. Louis Villers, Mrs. Eva Vanbaneden, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Tilkens and children, Carl, Rita, Tommie and Theresa, all of Green Bay. Several other friends also attended."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Sunday's Obituary - Patrick H Cayemberg

Green Bay Press Gazette,
23JAN1997, Pg B-5

As promised today I'm posting the second obituary of my husband's paternal grandparents. Patrick passed shortly after his wife, Laura, who had been in a care facility for Alzheimer's at the end of her life. They loved each other dearly and Patrick wanted to last only long enough to ensure that Laura was cared for. He succeeded and passed only a few days after her.

"Patrick H. Cayemberg

Patrick H. Cayemberg, 87, Green Bay, died unexpectedly Tuesday, Jan. 21, 1997 at a local hospital. Pat was born Sept. 15, 1909 in Rosier to the late Eli and Florence (Villers) Cayemberg. He married the former Laura Laurent on Nov. 15, 1928 and she preceded him in death Jan. 18, 1997. The couple farmed in Thiry Daems until 1939 when they moved to Green Bay. Pat was also a self-employed cattle buyer for may years. In the 60's and 70's he worked for Green Bay Canning. As a couple they are well remembered for selling pumpkins and Christmas trees for over 30 years from their home on University Avenue (next to the former Mona Lisa Restaurante). Pat enjoyed the great outdoors, deer hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Survived by four sons and spouses, Roland and Shirley Cayemberg, Green Bay; Darold Cayemberg, Vulcan, Mich.; Patrick and Dolores Cayemberg, Green Bay; Glen and Sarah Cayemberg, Union Grove one daughter-in-law, Marge Konkel, Wind Lake; 25 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; one sister, Lucy Anderson, Green Bay; three sisters-in-law, Mae Laurent, Luxembourg; Alice Cayemberg, Howard; Angie Cayemberg, Pulaski; nieces and nephews.

Also preceded in death by one son, Wayne Cayemberg in 1973; one daughter-in-law, Patsy Cayemberg in 1975; two great-grandchildren; seven brothers, Frank, John, Martin, henry (sic), Felix, Wilfred, and Walter Cayemberg; and four sisters, Emily Guillette, Eugenia Cayemberg, Ella Cravillion, and Anastasia Moureau.

Friends may call at Malcore Funeral Home, University Avenue at Baird Street, from 9 a.m. Saturday until the time of the Fuenral Mass. Funeral Saturday 12 Noon at SS. Peter and Paul Parish with the Monsignor Roy Klister officiating.

Green Bay Press Gazette,
23JAN1997, Pg B-5**

Special thanks to the staff of Country Living Adult Health Care and St. Vincent's Hospital 7th Floor/Coronary Care."

**This little snippet is presented separately because of the way the obituary appeared in the newspaper.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1954

The clipping below is short, sweet, and to the point. Your newspaper clippings don't have to be very long, but putting something in is important. You can see in the clipping below that a gift was given to the matriarch of the reunion. By this year her husband had passed and the reunion was started for both of them. It continued well past the passing of them both.

Is your patriarch and/or matriarch of your reunion still alive? How do you recognize them? Do you recognize them each year? Perhaps even more importantly, if they have passed do you still acknowledge why you're there? If your reunion has been going on for a really long time (spanning generations) do the newer attendees understand how and why it started? You stand a much greater chance of enlisting the younger generation's help and garnering their support if they understand its origins.

A reunion is a tradition that gets started by a group of people. Traditions are malleable. They can change and they must if you want to keep them going. Without the support of a younger generation your reunion will die out. It's inevitable. If one or a tiny group of people claim ownership of a reunion and don't let anyone else in when they pass on so will the reunion. A reunion isn't about the people that are running it. A reunion is about the family. When you forget that you might as well stop and bury the thing now.

"Cayemberg Family Has Reunion (handwritten '1954')

The 17th reunion of the Cayemberg family was held at Pamperin Park Sunday with Mrs. Harvey Moureau and Mr. and Mrs. Felix Cayemberg, Ensign, Mich. in charge.

Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, 84-year-old mother of the group, received a purse from the members of her family.  At present she is staying with the R. C. Andersons, 875 Shawano Ave.

Green Bay people present at the reunion include Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moureau and family, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Gouin and daughter Susie Ann, and Mr. and Mrs. Roland Cayemberg and daughter Joan Linda.

The 1955 reunion will be held the first Sunday in June at Pamperin Park with Mrs. Pat Cayemberg, Mrs. Russell Anderson and Frank Cayemberg as chairmen."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Sunday's Obituary - Laura Cayemberg nee Laurent

Green Bay Press Gazette,
20JAN1997, pg B-5

I shared the story of my husband's paternal grandparents' deaths before. It's touching and heart-breaking at the same time. I never shared their obituaries because I never had them. I got them during my Christmas visit to Wisconsin and decided it was time to share them.

Laura passed first on January 18th. Patrick passed on January 21st. Just long enough to make sure that Laura was taken care of. The story that I shared can be read here. Patrick's obituary will follow Laura's next week.

"Mrs. Patrick (Laura) Cayemberg

Mrs. Patrick (Laura) Cayemberg, 89, formerly of 2023 University Ave., died Saturday evening, Jan. 18, 1997 at a local adult care facility. Born in the Town of Luxembourg, she is the daughter of the late Victor and Mary (Dart) Laurent. She married Patrick H. Cayemberg on Nov. 15, 1928 at St. Martin's Church in Tonet. The couple farmed in Thiry Daems until 1939 when they moved to Green Bay. As a couple they are well remembered for selling pumpkins and Christmas trees for over 30 years from their home on University Avenue (next to the former Mona Lisa Restaurante). Laura was a member of SS. Peter and Paul Parish. She enjoyed chrocheting (sic), knitting, baking chocolate chip cookies for everyone and times spent with her grandchildren.

Green Bay Press Gazette,
20JAN1997, pg B-5

Survived by her husband, Patrick; four sons and spouses, Roland and Shirley Cayemberg, Green Bay; Darold Cayemberg, Vulcan, Mich.; Patrick and Dolores Cayemberg, Green Bay; Glen and Sarah Cayemberg, Union Grove; one daughter-in-law, Marge Konkel, Wind Lake; 25 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; four sisters-in-law, Mae Laurent, Luxembourg; Lucy Anderson, Green Bay; Alice Cayemberg, Howard; Angie Cayemberg, Pulaski; nieces and nephews.

Also preceded in death by one son, Wayne Cayemberg in 1973; one daughter-in-law, Patsy Cayemberg in 1975; two great-grandchildren; one brother, Norman Laurent; one sister, Anna Malcore.

Friends may call at Malcore Funeral Home, University Avenue at Baird Street from 9:30 a.m. Tuesday until the time of the Funeral Mass. Funeral - Tuesday 11 a.m. at SS. Peter and Paul Parish with the Rev. John Vander Horst officiating.

Special thanks to the staff of Country Living Adult Health Care for the wonderful care they provided to our mother."

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1953

I've been having fun with this year's Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories and I hope you've enjoyed reading what I've shared as much as I enjoyed sharing it. It's time to get back to another Family Reunion Friday though. Family reunions are so important to genealogists and I don't want to lose focus on that so today I'm transcribing the next clipping for our Cayemberg reunion. It was the 16th and while attendance was down to 83 from the previous year's 131 the Cayembergs continued on.

I love the fact that the clippings not only acknowledged who won prizes, but they also marked the births of the newest members of the family. Do you mention the new births in your reunion articles?  Even if they aren't in newspapers (which they should be in my humble opinion), do you put them in a newsletter so everyone is kept abreast of the latest additions to their family? Do you list who was lost since the last reunion? I'd bet the immediate family of those that lost someone would appreciate the touching tribute.

Ensuring that new family members or new losses are mentioned in writing is important. Just saying something before dinner or before adjourning simply isn't enough. What if someone isn't in the room? What if a family had to leave early or arrived late? What if some people couldn't attend? Publishing it in a newspaper or a newsletter if your paper doesn't include such things lets everyone know about these significant changes. It is a record for the ages. Isn't that one of the reasons we do it?

"Mrs. Eli Cayemberg Is Guest of Honor At Family Reunion

(Handwritten '16th' and '1953')

Special to Press-Gazette

PULASKI, Wis. - Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, 83, of Pulaski, route 2, was guest of honor at the 16th family reunion at Pamperin park Sunday.  A total of 146 persons attended.

Prizes in games were won by Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Cayemberg, Mrs. Joseph Corrigan, Menasha; Mrs. Harold Christenson, Sturgeon Bay; and Mrs. Lloyd Dravillion (sic), Luxemburg.

Harvey Houreau (sic), Mrs. Cyril Blohowiak and Mrs. Donald Nellis were in charge of the arrangements.

It was noted that five babies were born since the last gathering.  They included Dale, son of the Roland Cayembergs, Green Bay; Linda, daughter of the Lloyd Cravillions, New Franken; Michael, son of the Joseph Lorrigans, Menasha; Sharon, daughter of the Walter Cayembergs, Pulaski, and Roland Edward, son of the Albert Govins (sic), Green Bay.

Mrs. Harvey Moureau was elected treasurer and Pat Cayemberg trustee.  The next reunion will be held June 6, 1954, again at Pamperin park.  Mr. and Mrs. Felix Cayemberg of Ensign, Mich., and Mrs. Moureau will make the arrangements.

Guests came from Sturgeon Bay, Casco, Algoma, Tonet, New Franken, Rio Creek, Luxemburg, Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Menasha, Pulaski, Anston, Kunesh, Ensign and Iron River, Mich.; San Francisco, Calif., and Bark River Falls, Mich."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1951

Florence Cayemberg nee Villers with her 7 sons and 3 daughters at the
Cayemberg 14th reunion

Do my eyes deceive me? The "missing" reunion clipping. And by "missing" I mean I must have been tired and missed it because it was a post in my queue waiting to be edited.

This was a pretty significant reunion for me to "miss" in my tired-stupor to prep a post. It wasn't the 15th reunion...just the 14th, but what made it special was that all of Florence's seven sons and three daughters were there and they even got a group photo! Doesn't Florence look like one happy mom!?!?

The clipping is short and sweet, but it gives us a copy of the photo and that is incredibly special. It also says when Florence's husband, Eli, passed away. That's information I already had, but someone else might not have. It also helps to illustrate that Eli was only alive for about two of the reunions. It does make me wonder if they perhaps continued to have them to help Florence deal with his passing. They had been together for so long and perhaps the family getting together each year was a source of showing their love and remembering their parents. No doubt they loved the both to have had it continue for over 75 years!

Do you take pictures at your family reunions? Is one person in charge of taking candid shots? Do you schedule a group photo each reunion? Photos are a great way to remember the event and to show others that may have missed the reunion how much fun everyone had. If your attendance is taking a turn for the worse, make sure that you're having fun events and get pictures taken! You can post them on social media or email them out.** If you let those that missed the current year's reunion see all the fun that they missed perhaps they'll make more of an effort to get there the following year.

Taking pictures is also a great way to keep a history of the event. Create a "Family Reunion Scrapbook." It could be filled with only a few pictures each year and then you continue to add to the scrapbook year after year, or you can have a scrapbook for each year complete with a group photo, candid shots, attendance rosters and news clippings to display at future reunions.

And never forget the opportunity to take a group photo! When you send out your invitations to the reunion make sure that you state where and at what time the group photo will be taken. People like to come and go as they please. Stating when the photo will be taken will result in maximum participation. You don't want the time to be a surprise to attendees who might have other engagements earlier or later in the day that they have to be at. Family members missing a group photo because the information wasn't given to them is a sure fire way to stir up some bad feelings!

**When posting photos to social media make sure that you have permission if the site is open to the public. You especially want to avoid sharing photos of children in a public forum. There are plenty of social media sites that can be invitation only so that the general public cannot see the photos. This may seem unnecessary to many, but most parents will get quite upset about a picture of their child being in the public domain without permission. If you wish to give the local newspaper a copy of the group photo, take two. Get a group photo with everyone present and then let them know that you'll be submitting it to the newspaper and if anyone would like to not be in that photo to please step out while the second photo is taken. Easy solution!

Picture caption reads:  "Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, center in the front row, had her seven sons and three daughters with her recently when the family celebrated its 14th annual reunion in Pamperin park.  Other in the front row, from left, are:  Wilfred, Felix, Henry and Walter.  In the back row, same order, are the rest of the children:  Patrick, Mrs. Harvey Moureau, Mrs. Eli Cravillion, Mrs. Russell Anderson, Frank and Joseph."

Main article:

"Cayemberg Family Has 14th Reunion (handwritten 1951)

When the Cayemberg family reunion was held Sunday in Pamperin park, the seven sons and three daughters of Mrs. Eli Cayemberg of Pulaski were all present.  Grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other relatives and friends brought the total number of guests at the dinner to 131.

This is the 14th annual reunion of the Cayembergs, who choose several members each year to take charge of the affair.  This year's committee consisted of Wallace Guillette of Tonet, chairman, Mrs. Loyde (sic) Cravillion, Luxemburg, and Mrs. Roland Cayemberg of Green Bay.  The affair is held the first Sunday in June each year.

The seven sons of Mrs Cayemberg are Frank, Joseph and Patrick Cayemberg of Green Bay, Henry and Wilfred, Manitowoc, Felix, Ensign, Mich., and Walter, on the family homestead in Pulaski, where Mrs. Cayemberg, who is 81, makes her home.

The daughters are Mrs. Russell Anderson and Mrs. Harvey Moureau of Green Bay, and Mrs, Eli Cravillion of Tonet.  Mr. Cayemberg died 12 years ago and a daughter, Mrs. Hubert Guillette, 30 years ago.

Eight new grandchildren, all born since the last reunion, were present at the celebration this year.  It is planned to hold it in Pamperin park again next year (sic)."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1952

So my Cayemberg family reunion clippings had a gap between the 1947 and 1952 reunion. The reunion in 1952 was the 15th. Perhaps that was the reason for the gap. Perhaps the missing years were placed somewhere else or lost. Hard to tell, but I'll be looking for those years in the newspapers when I go home this December.

As you can read from the two clippings transcribed below, the Cayemberg reunions were in honor of Eli and Florence Cayemberg nee Villers and after they passed the reunions were for their descendants. Are your family reunions held in honor of someone in particular or of a family event?

"(Handwritten '1952')

Dinner was served to 132 members of the Cayemberg family at Pamperin Park, Green Bay, Sunday, Chairmen of the reunion were Patrick Cayemberg, Green Bay; Mrs. Wilfred Cayemberg and Mrs. Henry Cayemberg, Manitowoc.

A corsage and gift was presented to Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, Pulaski, who is 82 years old.  Her youngest sister, Mrs. Agnes Tardiff, Duluth, Minn., attended the reunion.  Mrs. Tardiff whose last visit to Green Bay was 38 years ago is a guest at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Cayemberg, Green Bay.

Mrs. Eli Cayemberg is the mother of 10 children, three daughters and seven sons.  She has 44 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren.  Two sons, Wilfred and Henry Cayemberg reside in Manitowoc.

One grandchild and five great grandchildren were added to the family during the past year.  Members attended from Algoma, Rio Creek, Casco, Luxemburg, Martinville, Dyckesville, Tonet, Manitowoc, Pulaski, Kunish, Anston, Two Rivers, Duluth, Minn., and Esign, Mich.  Next year's reunion will be held at Pamperin Park, June 7, 1953.  Chairmen of the coming event will be Harvey Mourlau (sic) and Mrs. Cyril Blohowiak, Green Bay, and Mrs. Donald Nellis, Dyckesville."

And another clipping for the same reunion.  Almost verbatim with the only notable change being the address for Martin Cayemberg:

"132 Members of Cayemberg Family Hold Reunion (handwritten '1952')

An 11:30 dinner was served to 132 members of the Cayemberg family at Pamperin park Sunday.  Patrick Cayemberg and Mrs. Henry Cayemberg, Green Bay, and Mrs. Wilfred Cayemberg, Manitowoc, were chairmen of this year's event.

A corsage and gift was presented to Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, Pulaski, who is 82 years olf.  Her youngest sister, Mrs. Agnes Tardiff, came from Duluth, Minn., for the reunion.  Mrs. Tardiff, whose last visit to Green Bay was 38 years ago, is a house guest at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Cayemberg, 875 Shawano avenue.

One grandchild and five great-grandchildren were added to the family during the past year.  Members attended from Algoma, Rio Creek, Casco, Luxemburg, Martinville, Dyckesville, Tonet, Manitowoc, Pulaski, Kunesh, Anston, Two Rivers, Duluth, Minn., and Ensign, Mich., for the annual event.  Next year's reunion will be held at Pamperin park June 7.  Chairmen will be the Mmes. Harvey Moureau and Cyril Blohowiak, Green Bay, and Mrs. Donald Nellis, Dyckesville."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.  One of these clippings was probably from a different paper since it is unlikely that the Press Gazette would have published the same article twice, even on different days.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1947

The Cayemberg reunion in its 10th year reached 114 people in attendance. Not too shabby if you ask me and by the looks of it they had a pretty good time. I talked previously about the need to have games at the reunion. Here you can see that they played baseball and tennis, but they could have played almost anything as long as it appealed to the family. It's important to know what your group enjoys to do!

There are plenty of free tools online that you can use to take a survey. Just do a search and see which one you find most user friendly. If you don't want to deal with creating an online survey just ask people! Does your committee use social media? Put the question out there! If you aren't using social media, why aren't you using social media?!?!?!

If your reunion hasn't made it into the 21st century with technology, that's OK. You can always ask for input at planning meetings or even at the current reunion. What better place to corner a group and ask what they'd like to do to keep them coming back. Just remember that asking and not following through with any of the suggestions is more likely to frustrate than invigorate.

Don't be afraid to ask for input and don't be too big for your britches to use ideas that don't appeal to you. I know that I'm not a tennis player....come to think of it, I'm fairly pathetic at any sport...but if people told me they wanted tennis, or baseball, or arm wrestling for that matter, I'd want to make them happy. Heck, as long as I'm physically able I'd get in there and participate. They'd probably go home with some comical memories of their relative that smacked herself in the face with a tennis racquet! Just make memories and keep them coming back!

"Cayemberg Family Has 10th Reunion

(Handwritten '1947')

Four generations of the Cayemberg family, totaling 114 persons, met at Pemperin park Sunday for the family's tenth family reunion.

The reunion began at noon with a dinner for the family and baseball and tennis were played in the afternoon.  Races were won by Wally Cayemberg, Shelley Jean Guillette, Anston; Ben Matuszak, Algoma; Florence and Cy Blohowiak, Denmark; Bob Fellows, Shirley Cayemberg, Manitowoc, and Marie Cayemberg, Ensign, Mich.

Mrs. Frank Motquin won the door prize which was made by Mrs. Florence Cayemberg, who is the grandmother of the family and spoke at the dinner.  Mrs. Harvey Moureau and Mrs. Russell Anderson were chairmen of this year's reunion.

Mrs. Joseph Wattawa, Reedsville, and Mrs. Rose Christianson, Casco, have been named chairmen of the June, 1948, reunion.

Members of the family from Ensign, Mich., Milwaukee, Reedsville, Casco, New Franken, Luxemberg, Algoma, Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Rosiere, Sawyer, Anston, Pulask, Kunesh and Rio Creek attended the family celebratino (sic)."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1946

The Cayemberg Family Reunion was only in its infancy when this little snippet was published in a Wisconsin newspaper.  It was only the 9th reunion, but 94 family members were in attendance.  They took pictures.  They played games.  They.  Had.  FUN!!!

When reunions begin sure there's lots of enthusiasm.  That's to be expected.  People think keeping the enthusiasm is hard, but why is that?  Do you have an annual water balloon toss?  Baking contest? A family reunion baseball or football game that everyone loved playing in?  A tug-of-war? Why did you stop having them?  Was it because Uncle Bill was getting too old to play?  What about Billy Jr?  Maybe Uncle Bill can't play anymore, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't enjoy cheering on his branch of the family.  That he wouldn't enjoy watching his cousins, children and grandchildren make the same memories he had made in reunions past!

Focusing on what the aging portion of a reunion can and cannot do and basing your itinerary on that is a sure-fire way to bore the heck out of the younger crowd.  Heck...you're probably boring the heck out of the older crowd too!  Make sure you incorporate fun into the day so that the enthusiasm that was at the 9th reunion is still there for the 79th, 89th or 99th reunion!

"Cayemberg Family Has 9th Reunion

('Handwritten 1946')

Pamperin Park was the meeting place for the ninth family reunion of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Cayemberg.

There were 94 members of the family at the dinner Sunday, including great-grandchildren.  The reunion was an all day affair at which the family pictures were taken and those present signed the record book.

Games were played with winner being:  Adelbert Guillette, Tonet; Marie Cayemberg, Ensign, Mich.; Nancy Cayemberg, Manitowos; Gladys Carrie Cayemberg, Green Bay, race winners; Mrs Wallace Guillette, Tonet, door prize; Mrs. Thersia Massert, Rosin and Byron Gregor, Rio Creek, guessing games.

Mrs. Edward Van Ben Den and Mrs Jerry Tilkens were the co-chairmen for the reunion.  Mrs. Florence Cayemberg received a gift from the family.

Next year the family will hold their tenth reunion at Pamperin Park again.  Mrs. Russell Anderson and Mrs. Harvey Moureau have been named as 1947 chairman.  Only one son, Wilfred, Manitowoc, was unable to attend."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Family Reunion Friday - Cayemberg Family 1945

As promised I'm continuing my Family Reunion Friday series this week.  The descendants of Eli and Florence Cayemberg nee Villers have been having reunions for about 77 years now and I have many clippings documenting them in an old scrapbook.  This one from 1945 is the earliest I have although I have a mind to go back through old newspapers this winter and see if I can find them all!

Remember that if you're going through the trouble of having a family reunion you should see about getting it into the local newspaper.  If you're having a reunion then you apparently care about your family's history.  Getting it into a newspaper will be a record for generations to come.  Have one person each year in charge of the sign in sheet and doing the write up for the paper.

I'm a Scout leader and one thing they teach us about recruiting new volunteers is to give them something small and easy to accomplish.  If they can see how easy helping out can be they may be more likely to take on other tasks that need to be done.  You can do this with more than just newspaper article submissions.  Remember that "many hands make light work!"  You don't have to do it all yourself!

Finally, if you're having a special reunion (the 25th, 50th, 75th, etc) contact the newspaper before and let them know about it.  They might just send someone out to take pictures and report on it!

"Cayemberg Family Has Large Reunion

(Handwritten '1945')

Pamperin park lodge was the setting for the eighth reunion of the family of Mrs. Eli Cayemberg, Pulaski, Sunday when 73 members gathered for dinner and supper.

As 'mother' of the group, Mrs. Cayemberg was presented with a corsage and prayerbook by the chairman, Mrs. Patrick Cayemberg, during the dinner.  Mrs. Cyril Blohowiak, Tonet, co-chairman, was unable to attend.  M.J. Cayemberg took charge of the pop stand.

Youngest member present was Merten James, two-weeks-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cayemberg, Pulaski, who was christened that morning in Flintville.

Mrs. Henry Cayemberg, Manitowoc, won the gift given by the elder Mrs. Cayemberg.

The family will again get together next June in Pamperin park with Mmes. Jerry Tilken and Edward VanBenden as chairmen and Jerome Tilkens in charge of the refreshment stand."

The clipping was taken from a scrapbook handed down to me by my mother in law.  No newspaper name was given, but other reunion articles were from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Wedding Wednesday - 50 Years for Eli and Florence

Gosh I really need to find the original clipping and get a better scan...or fix this one, but that's not going to happen tonight.  Two days with little to no sleep.  I hoped that that turning in early last night without a post would result in sleep, but it didn't.  Not wanting to skip another evening I thought I'd share this clipping of Eli and Florence Cayemberg nee Villers.

Published in the Green Bay Press Gazette (date unknown, but would have been around April 1936)

"Flintville Couple Wed 50 Years

(Special to Press-Gazette)

FLINTVILLE, Wis. - Large wedding cakes were presented to Mr. and Mrse. (sic) Eli Cayemberg at their home here Sunday, where they celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.  The couple who were married in St. Hubert church, Rosiere, April 24, 1886, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the marriage Sunday with a family reunion. (Unk) children and their families were present."

Eli and Florence Cayemberg is the couple that is celebrated annually at the Cayemberg family reunion held in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  All the descendants of these two are invited to attend.  When I first started genealogy I thought that the reason this couple was celebrated was perhaps because they were the first Cayembergs to arrive in America.  This was not the case though.  Eli was born in Wisconsin.  The son of Philippe and Catherine Cayemberg nee Doneux (so many various surname spellings that I won't even touch on here!) and sibling to Regine, Joseph, Gustav Joseph, Cedonie, and Geferson.  They were the couple celebrated at the annual family reunion merely because it was their children that wanted to celebrate them.  Silly amateur me reading more into it early on.  Ya live, ya learn!

Now having written that, I'm about to get inundated with comments and emails telling me that the names for Philippe and Catherine's children are wrong, or someone was missed, or...or...or...

So let me just head all that off at the pass and say, "Don't."  Unless you're willing to share your research (and it's proper research, not guesswork and/or something divined from the most recent communique with the dead), then please just don't.  You see the Cayemberg family tree that is celebrated annually is only the descendants of Eli and Florence.  Eli's siblings, parents, grandparents, etc are MIA...and those are the people I want to discover.  Those are the unknowns and isn't that what we need to do?  Go back (and sideways) and figure these things out!

My research certainly needs tweaking.  I'm still looking to confirm all of the children of Philippe and Catherine (Eli is already confirmed), but it's a goal.  I've had people tell me that these children are wrong, or need to be combined (is Joseph and Gustav Joseph the same person?), but until there is some proof a genealogist has to go with where the available document are pointing.  I may find something that will change this part of my family tree.  I may find something that confirms it.  I may find nothing.  But it takes more than just taking someone's "word for it" to amend the research I've begun.  Documents please!

Gosh.  I get bitchy when I'm tired.  Night all!