King Family Picnic 2017

Family Picnics/Reunions are the greatest way to stay in touch with relatives and learn about the ancestors that came before.  (See blog posts Family Reunions-Warner Family Picnic and Warner Family Picnic 2017)  In July while visiting family in New York and Connecticut I was also able to make the King Family Picnic which I hadn’t been able to for years.

The King Family picnic, I believe, came about as a way for the children of George Washington King and Sarah Rowan King

to keep in touch and honor their parents.  (See post What Can You Find in Grandma’s Scrapbook) I remember when I was growing up that the picnics were held around the third Sunday in August to also honor the birthday of Sarah Rowan King who’s birthday was August 15th, 1879.  This week will mark the 138th Anniversary of her birth.  Happy Birthday Nanny!

George and Sarah had 8 children: George Jr., Lillian, Agnes (my grandmother), Louisa, Anna, Sadie, John, and Robert.  All would live to adulthood and have their own families except for Louisa who died at age 13 of Polio.  (see post Polio Epidemic of 1916 in Brooklyn, NY).  Nanny and Poppy would live to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Over the years Nanny and Poppy passed as have all their children.  As families have grown and our society became more mobile we spread out, had families of our own and it became harder and harder to make those yearly family reunions.  Many of our branches have become so spread out that it’s even been difficult to keep in touch with each other. 

Several of the grandchildren started camping out at Wildwood State Park and enjoying a week of renewing family bonds and making new memories for themselves and their children.  Currently, it’s several of the great-grandchildren that maintain this tradition but several of the cousins still come for the day and can get together to reminisce and share each others’ lives and family happenings.  

Here is this year’s photo of several of those who were able to enjoy some time together:

                                          3 of the original 17 grandchildren of Sarah & George - Olin, Geri and Barbara

         oh… and there were Brownies there too…….of course…..as well as other special treats.

Closing thoughts:

• One of my goals is to make contact with several of the branches that we have lost all contact with.  Of Nanny and Poppy’s 8 children there were 17 grandchildren and many more great-grandchildren.  I am so happy that this year I was able to make contact with 2 grandchildren of Lillian that everyone had lost contact with!  I hope we will continue to be in touch.  One cousin I had briefly met as a child and wondered over the years where she was.  It felt so good to find her and establish contact again!!  Now I  wonder how many I will be able to find in this next year?
• I find it ironic that the Warner Picnics of my youth were at Wildwood State Park and now it’s the King Picnics that are there.
• I love hearing the stories about Nanny, Poppy and other family members that are shared, like a story about one of the many times that Nanny & Poppy were fighting and Poppy purposely brought manure through Nanny’s beautifully kept house to take it to the garden in the back.  Hmmm….real people with real lives and not just birth and death dates. Really adds to the life story.

A very special thank-you to my cousins who keep the Picnic’s going!  And for the stories you share….I have a few more leads to pursue thanks to other remembered stories.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby