Haworth Virtual Reunion Day
Welcome by Sharon Castle
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to Haworth-Scarborough Virtual Reunion Day!
I am Sharon Castle, head of the reunion committee.
And It’s great to see you all here on Zoom.
We had hoped to see you in person this summer, but under the
circumstances, this is the next best thing.
One upside is that we have some participants with us who would not be
able to join us in person.
Hopefully, some of you who had not thought about it before, will get excited
about the in-person gathering a year from now near the home of George the
Immigrant in Doylestown, PA.
Two points before we begin:
1. We are new to Zoom and
have been working hard to learn it.
We are optimistic that all will go smoothly today, but if it doesn’t, just be
patient.
2. Haworth/Hayworth/Howorth…..We have
them all here today.
Different ways of pronouncing the name the way we have learned it within
our immediate family. But it
doesn’t really matter because all are descendants of George the Immigrant. We just
go with the flow.
Our theme/goal for today day is to educate,
excite, and enjoy. To educate us
all about our common ancestors, to excite us about our heritage and the
in-person gathering next year and other Haworth Association activities, and to
enjoy socializing with relatives whom we may or may not have met before.
The Haworth Association was founded and held its first
reunion in Plainfield, Indiana in 1899.
So we have a long history!
However, this is our first virtual day.
Wouldn’t our ancestors be blown away?? A new chapter in Haworth Reunions!
But we still love our in-person reunions and hope you’ll join us for that
next year.
Let me introduce the planning committee: (wave
and say Hi as your name is called!)
Loran and Sue
Ron
Hugh
Marilyn
Carl and Jessie
Lisa
Glen
Me. The
Quaker. We all welcome you!
Let’s take a quick look at today’s program:
o
Three
sections: History, Association
Activities, and Socializing in small groups.
o
Breaks,
but start on time.
o
Each
session has a presenter, moderator to look for questions in the Chat and raised
hands, and a Zoom host.
o
Social
groups will be in Break-Out rooms, by ancestors.
Small groups for easier socializing.
o
Food for
social groups, since families eat.
o
Keep
your questions in mind. Chat or write them down. For Q and A
o
Keep in
mind any ideas you have for the in-person reunion.
We want your ideas and feedback.
Zoom Guidelines/Reminders:
·
Mute
yourself when not talking.
·
Unmute
when talking.
·
Video/camera on so we can see each other.
·
Video
off, when you get up, get interrupted at home, etc.
·
Speaker
view and gallery view
·
Presenters will present, then take questions.
Put your questions in the chat. Then raise real or virtual hand… Save
questions for Q & A also.
·
We will
record todays sessions; if you are not OK, leave your camera off.
·
Please
silence your cell phones!
Questions before we start??
OK. Let’s
start with some family history, a look at the one ancestor we all have in
common: our very own, George the
Immigrant Haworth. Who came to British America in 1699. 322 years ago.
Abe Lincoln said that the work of history is done by
plain people. Our George was one of them, a plain person, his story is not that
unusual. But for us, his descendants, his story is amazing!
We want to know our ancestors, people of courage who took their skills
and faith and little else into unknown places and built not only a life, but a
country.
"I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my
ancestors are behind me. Be still they say. Watch and listen. You are the result
of the love of thousands."
Linda Hogan, Native American writer
The “love of
thousands.” What greater legacy could we have than our ancestors? Our legacy is
our family as seen through the lens of history. A story created by families over
many generations. A story that begins in England then follows the growth of the
United States from colonial times through westward movement to settlement of the
prairies to the West Coast. Most of these people were not rich, nor did they
spend time thinking about what their legacy would be; they simply lived, moving
to new places and building new communities.
This is a story of births, marriages, and deaths; of migrations and
journeys; of land acquisition and settlement; of Quaker belief and practice. Our
ancestors worked hard, raised their families, and responded to the issues of the
day: religious persecution, immigration to the New World, slavery, westward
movement, industrialization, and world wars. It is the story that our ancestors
created through 300 years of daily living, through the love, work, and wonder
that is the essence of life. So let’s begin with George The Immigrant.
Marilyn?