The Nineteenth Biennial Reunion of the Christlieb-Chrislip-Crislip
Family Association in Ashtabula, Ohio

The Hampton Inn, Ashtabula, Ohio.

Lisa Baker giving her Keynote Talk on the Uses of Family DNA

The Hubbard House is the Underground Railroad Terminus and Museum.

Bill Bland, past President, gave a presentation on the Past Leadership of our Family Association.

Our newly elected Family Association officers.

The Nineteenth Biennial Christlieb-Chrislip-Crislip Family Reunion was a weekend of renewal. For those who had attended previous reunions, there was a renewal of friendships and catching up on the events of the last two years. And, we were pleased to welcome a number of new faces which evolved into instant friendships.

The weekend started with time to visit and get acquainted or re-acquainted with one another as there were no scheduled presentations during the day on Friday. Many went to see the suggested sights in and around Ashtabula, which included the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum, the Ashtabula Maritime Musseum, and several local wineries. Some visited local Cemeteries and viewed the resting places of some of our ancestors. The first official function was the Friday Evening Barbeque, a catered event held at the Lake Shore Park, in Ashtabula. It was a great meal, with lots of leftovers going home with those who lived nearby. Bill Crislip gave a short welcome and an introduction to "The Way Ahead," the theme of this year's reunion. Afterwards, we all went back to the hotel to enjoy one another's company, to set up memorabilia displays, and to hold the traditional Executive Council Meeting.

The Nineteenth Biennial Christlieb-Chrislip-Crislip Family Reunion continued Saturday morning with the meeting starting at 9:00am. We began with Bill Crislip's invocation and welcoming remarks. Next, was a reading of "The Pilgrimage," a poem written by Barbara Parry recounting the very first meeting (reunion) of the two branches of our family; the Christlieb Branch from Pennsylvania and the Chrislip/Crislip Branch from West Virginia. Lisa Baker did the reading after being introduced to the group, as this was her first time attending one of our reunions. Lee Wise again presented a video of Wendell Lauth reading the Amorbach Letter from the altar in the Schlosskirche, in Bad Dürkheim, Germany.

Lee then gave a short update on the association's website. During the presentation, a cousin new to the organization, Chris Chrislip, volunteered to help out with the website. And by the end of the day he had established a presence on Facebook. The main presentation of the morning was given by Lisa Baker on "The Uses of Family DNA." She cautioned that family members' DNA results could be used by Government and/or local law enforcement in ways that were unintended, in addition to confirming familial relationships and discovering new cousins.

Saturday afternoon was considered free time to explore the sights in and around Ashtabula, including the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum, Laurello Vinyards, Ashtabula Mariners Museum, the Ashtabula County Coverd Bridge Tour, and Geneva on the Lake, a short distance away. The Saturday evening banquet was held at the Estate on Coffee Creek, after which Bill Bland gave the Keynote Talk on the Association's Past Leadership.

The last day of the reunion was Sunday. The group gathered once again after breakfast for the usual business meeting. Lee Wise's daughter, Lisa Baker, agreed to take on the office of President. Roger Roberts asked that he be allowed to step down from the office of Treasurer. A quick modification of the By-Laws was made to combine the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. David Downs agreed to take on the new office of Secretary-Treasurer. Bill Crislip offered to become the Association Historian, and agreed to work with Lee Wise to refine and expand the online Archives section of our website. Bill Crislip agreed that with the enthusiasm of the 40+ members who attended the reunion, the Association would, for the present, continue as we have for the last 38 years. The reunion was considered a success. We bid our farewells, and plan on getting together again in Pennsylvania, in 2021.

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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 Buckhannon, West Virginia 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.

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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.

Lake Shore Park was the location of our Friday evening Barbeque.

The Bland Brothers, aka The Twins.

Very well maintained, Lake Shore Park was a beautiful setting for our catered Barbeque.

After the Barbeque, the traditional Executive Council Meeting was held in the meeting room at the Hampton Inn, Ashtabula.

Bill Crislip speaking on “The Way Ahead.”

Lisa Baker reading Barbara Crislip Parry’s “The Pilgrimage.”

Lee Wise giving an update on our Association website.

Lisa Baker giving her Keynote talk on the “Uses of Family DNA.”

Chris & Wyatt Chrislip are learning about and organizing our family banners.

Bill Crislip talking about “The Way Ahead,” the theme of this year's reunion.

Bill & Arlene Crislip looking over the list of activities.

Lee & Dorothy Wise looking over the menu at Debonné Vinyards.

Debonné Vinyards was a popular place for wine tasting along with lunch.

One of many covered bridges in Ashtabula County.

The Estate at Coffee Creek was the site of our Saturday evening banquet.

Saturday evening banquet.

Saturday evening banquet.

Saturday evening banquet.

Door prizes to be awarded at the banquet.

Bill Bland is discussing the Association's Past Leadership.

Dorothy Wise enjoying the door prize awards.

Dorothy Wise, Bill Crislip, & Lisa Baker lead the group in song.

Dorothy Wise, Bill Crislip, & Lisa Baker lead the group in song.

David Downs, Lisa Baker, Michael Barber & Bill Crislip are being sworn in by David Crislip.

The group assembled for the Sunday morning business meeting.

James Clyde and Vada Bernice (Bennett) Crislip headstone. They were the parents of Ned Crislip and his siblings.

This is left side of the entryway to the former Elem Talbert Crislip home near Ashtabula.

The former home of Elem Talbert & Emma Fox Crislip.

Name plate on an out building of the Crislip home. Elem and his brothers were in the Spanish-American War, assigned to the Second Regiment, West Virginia Volunteer Infantry, Company L.

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The 19^th Biennial Reunion was a very successful reunion, since the board members did not know what to expect after the passing of Ned Crislip. You can view the program for the reunion here.