Philhower Family Association
Volume XV Summer 2020
A Letter from the President . . .
Who would have thought after celebrating 100 years of family gathering, we would have to cancel our 103rd reunion; not to a snow storm, flash flood, or hurricane, but to a national health emergency: the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 1918, the world faced the Spanish flu pandemic which lasted for 2 years. During that time, the Philhower family still gathered together. Dr. J.B. Philhower of Nutley, the then President of the Family Association spoke of a warning to American citizens stating, “in this present situation.” We can imagine he was referring to our involvement in World War I and the spread of Spanish flu. Self-quarantine, social distancing, masks, and sanitizer—these are the buzz words for 2020.
So how do we stay connected and get acquainted with family around the country in these unprecedented times? We use the power of social media.
We have redesigned the Philhower website (www.PhilhowerFamilyAssociation.org). Please visit our website when you have a chance. We encourage you to use the Comment box to let us know what you think about the site, or suggestions on what you’d like to see on it. We also have our family Facebook group: PhilhowerFamily. Look for us in Facebook groups and ask to join. Be sure to answer the questions when prompted. Use both of these applications to stay in touch with family members or do genealogical research through the links on our website’s Resources page.
Lastly, since members of our Philhower family may be experiencing financial hardship at this time, we are waiving this year’s membership fee. We hope that the number of coronavirus cases continues to decline, that a safe and effective vaccine is developed, and that our country can heal from all the unrest that has occurred in 2020. We hold onto the hope that these things will become a reality and that we will meet again in September 2021 for the 104th reunion.
Don Freibergs
New Business
Secretary Donna Landon brought up the possibility of holding reunions either every other year or every five years. The President raised the concern that the reunions may lose their momentum, but that there are only a few members who actually do all the reunion planning. This topic has been brought up in past years, but the Board wanted to celebrate the 100th reunion first. The family present were asked for their feedback and the following was shared:
The President will contact the Apgar Family Association to discuss the idea of merging Associations. As of the publishing of this Newsletter, there is no additional information on this topic.
After the annual meeting was adjourned, an informative presentation was given by Ms. Linda J. Barth on New Jersey: The Invention State.
Philhower Country Store
100th Reunion commemorative crock - $29 (Only a few left!!)
8” x 10” photo of all families at 100th reunion - $10
3” x 5” ink drawing of homestead by local artist (framed) - $5
Items can be mailed. There is an additional fee for shipping. Contact us for details. Click envelope icon at bottom of page, at left.
HISTORICAL FINDS
Two marriage certificates were donated to our Family.
The first one came to us via Keith H. of North Carolina. Keith contacted us through the family’s Facebook group. While browsing in an antique store in his home state, North Carolina, he found the marriage certificate of Aaron A. Philhower of Tewksbury and Catherine L. Auble. They were married December 16, 1865 in Mountainville, NJ, by Preacher Rawlings.
What an astonishing find all the way down in North Carolina. Through our communications with Keith, we found someone who can truly appreciate the value of family history, and about finding and returning artifacts to their rightful place. This is a perfect example of how social media made the world a much smaller place—where communicating with a stranger in North Carolina was as close as one’s fingers on a keyboard. We are thrilled to have this 155 year old marriage certificate in our collection of Philhower family artifacts.
The second certificate came to us from a local resident in New Jersey. Alexander C. Philhower, the bridegroom from Pottersville, NJ and Ida M. Hildebrant, the bride from Fairmont, NJ. They were married by Henry Bice, Clergyman on May 27, 1892 in Cokesbury, NJ.
If you are a descendant, or know the descendants of either of these couples, please let us know. We would be happy to return the certificate to the family or provide them with a copy of it should we be allowed to retain the certificate in our family artifacts.
Who would have thought after celebrating 100 years of family gathering, we would have to cancel our 103rd reunion; not to a snow storm, flash flood, or hurricane, but to a national health emergency: the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 1918, the world faced the Spanish flu pandemic which lasted for 2 years. During that time, the Philhower family still gathered together. Dr. J.B. Philhower of Nutley, the then President of the Family Association spoke of a warning to American citizens stating, “in this present situation.” We can imagine he was referring to our involvement in World War I and the spread of Spanish flu. Self-quarantine, social distancing, masks, and sanitizer—these are the buzz words for 2020.
So how do we stay connected and get acquainted with family around the country in these unprecedented times? We use the power of social media.
We have redesigned the Philhower website (www.PhilhowerFamilyAssociation.org). Please visit our website when you have a chance. We encourage you to use the Comment box to let us know what you think about the site, or suggestions on what you’d like to see on it. We also have our family Facebook group: PhilhowerFamily. Look for us in Facebook groups and ask to join. Be sure to answer the questions when prompted. Use both of these applications to stay in touch with family members or do genealogical research through the links on our website’s Resources page.
Lastly, since members of our Philhower family may be experiencing financial hardship at this time, we are waiving this year’s membership fee. We hope that the number of coronavirus cases continues to decline, that a safe and effective vaccine is developed, and that our country can heal from all the unrest that has occurred in 2020. We hold onto the hope that these things will become a reality and that we will meet again in September 2021 for the 104th reunion.
Don Freibergs
New Business
Secretary Donna Landon brought up the possibility of holding reunions either every other year or every five years. The President raised the concern that the reunions may lose their momentum, but that there are only a few members who actually do all the reunion planning. This topic has been brought up in past years, but the Board wanted to celebrate the 100th reunion first. The family present were asked for their feedback and the following was shared:
- Merge with another family with established reunions, such as the Apgars, who share many family members in common.
- If we were to merge reunions, certain milestone reunions (e.g., 105th, 110th, etc.) would be held separately.
- The 2 Family Associations would take turns in planning the reunion event.
- Each Family to have their own Board and/or a joint Board.
- What to do about each Family’s current monies.
The President will contact the Apgar Family Association to discuss the idea of merging Associations. As of the publishing of this Newsletter, there is no additional information on this topic.
After the annual meeting was adjourned, an informative presentation was given by Ms. Linda J. Barth on New Jersey: The Invention State.
Philhower Country Store
100th Reunion commemorative crock - $29 (Only a few left!!)
8” x 10” photo of all families at 100th reunion - $10
3” x 5” ink drawing of homestead by local artist (framed) - $5
Items can be mailed. There is an additional fee for shipping. Contact us for details. Click envelope icon at bottom of page, at left.
HISTORICAL FINDS
Two marriage certificates were donated to our Family.
The first one came to us via Keith H. of North Carolina. Keith contacted us through the family’s Facebook group. While browsing in an antique store in his home state, North Carolina, he found the marriage certificate of Aaron A. Philhower of Tewksbury and Catherine L. Auble. They were married December 16, 1865 in Mountainville, NJ, by Preacher Rawlings.
What an astonishing find all the way down in North Carolina. Through our communications with Keith, we found someone who can truly appreciate the value of family history, and about finding and returning artifacts to their rightful place. This is a perfect example of how social media made the world a much smaller place—where communicating with a stranger in North Carolina was as close as one’s fingers on a keyboard. We are thrilled to have this 155 year old marriage certificate in our collection of Philhower family artifacts.
The second certificate came to us from a local resident in New Jersey. Alexander C. Philhower, the bridegroom from Pottersville, NJ and Ida M. Hildebrant, the bride from Fairmont, NJ. They were married by Henry Bice, Clergyman on May 27, 1892 in Cokesbury, NJ.
If you are a descendant, or know the descendants of either of these couples, please let us know. We would be happy to return the certificate to the family or provide them with a copy of it should we be allowed to retain the certificate in our family artifacts.
Cake WalkThis year we've brought back a reunion tradition--The Cake Walk. Years ago family members passed a home-baked cake from person to person accompanied by music similar to the game musical chairs, but unlike musical chairs when the music stops the person left holding the cake is the winner.
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Guessing JarEvery reunion a jar is filled with candy for family members to guess the number of items within. Give it your best guess at the next reunion!
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Show & TellHave family artifact(s) you'd like to display? Bring them and any family-related newspaper clippings. Tables available for display.
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