Reunion 2015 - Baltimore, Maryland

We thank Tom Bland for writing a very informative article on the happenings at the Baltimore, Maryland, reunion held July 9-12, 2015. Our headquarters for the reunion was at the Best Western Hotel, in Baltimore.

Best Western Hotel - Baltimore, Maryland

Our Flag Over Fort McHenry

Wendell Lauth Reading the Amorbach Letter
from the Schlosskirche in Bad Dürkheim.

Saturday evening Banquet.

Dr. Nicholas Fessenden presenting an Historical View of Early Baltimore.

Our newly elected Family Association officers.

What a wonderful family reunion we had at Baltimore. Family members who arrived on Thursday helped set up the hospitality room. Memorabilia tables were prepared with family treasures, and family banners were affixed to the walls. In the evening, we met in the Hospitality Room to meet and greet other arrivals.

Friday was busy with various family activities: Family members visited Fort McHenry, site of the 1814 bombardment by the British during the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key, who observed the bombardment and the American flag still flying the following morning, wrote his famous words in the form of the poem that became our National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” In the afternoon, Ned Crislip gave a presentation entitled, “How We Came To Be,” a history of our family association, accompanied by Power Point illustrations by Lee Wise. Lee followed Ned's presentation with an update on our association’s website. Our evening meal was a barbeque dinner that was well attended and enjoyed by all. There was a great deal of sharing and reconnecting with family members. The Executive Council met at 10:00 p.m.

Saturday activities began with family members gathering in the Hospitality Room, with a gracious welcome by President, Ned Crislip. Lee Wise’s audio-visual expertise allowed family members to listen to, and enjoy, Past-President Wendell Lauth’s reading of the Amorbach Letter. Dating from 1742, and video-recorded from the interior of the Schloβkirche at Bad Dürkheim, the letter reveals the exact date - down to the hour - when our Christlieb family line began in Germany. Susan Christlieb Naugle and Rosemary Koons Romine announced the winners of the Family Association Scholarships; first cousins, Tessa and Lanna Pirkola.

The afternoon was free for family members to visit Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Fells Point, where our immigrant ancestors disembarked in 1765, Baltimore Aquarium, Trolley Car Museum, and Inner Harbor shops. Later in the day, family members gathered back at Best Western for door prize drawings. Upon registration, each family member attending the reunion received a free ticket. To aid the scholarship fund, additional tickets were sold at $5 each, thus boosting our modest balance to $1,001. Prizes included a commemorative brass bell from our ancestral church in Bad Dürkheim and two framed photographs of historical interest.

Our evening meal was a beautiful banquet with food that could not have been better. Our after-dinner speaker was Professor, Dr. Nicholas Fessenden, whose very informative talk described life in mid-18^th century Baltimore, interwoven with what our family experienced when they arrived there 250 years ago.

Sunday morning, we gathered for our Business Meeting. David Downs read the Roll Call of Members present, followed by the Reading of the Minutes of the 2013 Reunion, which was held at Paintsville, Kentucky. Roger Roberts' Treasurer’s Report followed.

A spirited discussion ensued regarding the future of our family association, particularly how to involve more family members, especially younger families. A committee of volunteers was accepted by soon-to-be-elected Vice President William E. Crislip to assist in planning our next reunion and developing ideas for increasing memberships. After some discussion, it was decided and voted upon that the 18^th Biennial Reunion of the Christlieb-Chrislip-Crislip Family Association would be held in Barbour or Upshur County, West Virginia.

The Election of officers followed. Past President Bill Bland submitted the slate of candidates: Ned Crislip, President; William E. Crislip, Vice President; David Downs, Secretary; and Roger Roberts, Treasurer. The candidates were voted into office by acclamation. The meeting ended with the Installation of Officers followed by video of Dekan Rudi Weber reciting the Lord’s Prayer in German, from within our ancestral church at Bad Dürkheim. (A true friend of our family and participant in family reunions, Rudi Weber, now retired, was for many years an esteemed leader within the Evangelical Church in Germany.)

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Our reunion ended, as it always has, with best wishes, fond farewells, and hopes to meet again in two years.

Hopefully this will become tradition--our family fun photo page(s). The first slide show, below, covers our weekend activities in the Meeting Room at the Best Western.

I would like invite all of you to submit one, or a few, picture(s) that you took of either the activities in the Meeting Room, or of the sights while out exploring the Baltimore area, for consideration to be included a special Picture Page right here! Send via email to me, at the address at the bottom of this page, or via snail mail to my home address listed in the Jacob's Ladder newsletter. Let's have some real family participation! There might even be a surprise or two at the next reunion... Hmmm. Best picture... Funniest picture... It will have to be included here to be eligible.

click on the next page button, below the slide show, for some more pictures of the Baltimore area, both downtown and the Inner Harbor. The two major attractions for reunion members this year were Fort McHenry, and--well, for two members anyway--the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. Please enjoy these pictures!

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Hover your mouse over the slide show to pause. Click on the left or right arrow to manually move through the slide show.

The hangin' of the banners. Careful Ned!

Ned, with sisters Louise Fiest and Marie Broughton, reviewing their memorabilia.

This is material for the newsletter!

The Bland family pictures.

A tribute to Dot (Heater) Bland; Bill, Richard, and Tom's mother.

Ned's display of Friedrich Carl Christlieb's God-Sponsors.

Some Offspring of the John-William Line.

Good conversation and good fellowship are key ingredients of our Christlieb-Chrislip-Crislip Family gatherings.

Another table of lively conversation.

Friday night's catered BBQ dinner.

Cousins discussing the family banners.

The Friday-night BBQ dinner was a big hit amongst the cousins.

Good food, good conversation--the makings of a successful reunion.

Friday-night BBQ dinner was a great success.

Reconnecting after Firday night's dinner.

Family members are gathering for Ned's presentation on Saturday morning.

Ned is enjoying himself presenting the history of our Family Association.

Elaine Eakin at the microphone.

Cousins listening intently...

Shirley Downs at the microphone.

William Crislip at the microphone.

Susan (Christlieb) Naugle presents the first of our 2015 scholarship winners.

Rosemary Romine presents the second of our 2015 scholarship winners.

Ned is at the microphone again...

Everyone listens intently to Ned's presentations.

Richard Bland and Lee Wise study the map for the best way to get to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.

Kris Jenkins is making new discoveries while Jane O'Brien and Susan Naugle study the Last Will and Testament of Johann Georg Gottfried Bock.

Philo and Rosemary Romine relax in a comfy sofa in our meeting room.

Lee Wise is presenting the new additions to the Family Association web site, and how to navigate through the site.

For our youngest/oldest picture, we have Barbara Gildersleeve flanked by Roger Roberts' twin nieces, Emily and Rachel Roberts.

Another great meal was served by the Best Western staff at our Saturday evening banquet. Seated to the right of Ned are Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas Fessenden. Dr. Fessenden was our featured speaker.

Everyone is enjoying the Saturday evening banquet.

New acquaintences were made and many stories told at the banquet.

We were pleased to have an early visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, aka Dennis Christlieb and his wife.

The Saturday evening banquet enjoyed by all.

Conversation continued as the tables were cleared in preparation for the after-dinner speaker.

A spirited discussion during the business meeting Sunday morning.

The new slate of Family Association officers: William Crislip, Vice President; Ned Crislip, President; Roger Roberts, Treasurer; David Downs, Secretary.

Our after-dinner speaker, Dr. Nicholas Fessenden gave a most informative talk on the early history of Baltimore, and what Friedrich Carl Christlieb and family must have seen when they landed in Baltimore 250 years ago.

Jane O'Brien at the microphone...

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