Road to Wisconsin

 In two weeks time, my husband and I are going to be “hitting the road” again. Yes, another road trip in the making. Last year we spent 47 days together out on the highways and interstates of USA. I had a genealogy conference in Springfield, IL (my home state) in September. I thought of flying in, getting a hotel room, meals out, the usual stuff. But he as very willing to do most of the driving across country (I can't help it, I just seem to fall asleep when in the car). So I said, “OK, let's drive.”

After the conference we went up to the Chicago area, stayed with a former school friend and visited my family and friends. Then to Allen County Public Library in Indiana; our daughter's in-laws in Ohio; more friends in Tennessee. My cousin put me in touch with my “brick wall” cousins in Louisiana. That was so cool! Spent some time in the “Big Easy” then headed to Austin, Texas to see our daughter and son-in-law.

This time we're heading to my mother's home state of Wisconsin. She was from the small town of Dorchester in Clark County. The reason we're going is to attend a family reunion. Not my mother's family unfortunately, but her cousins' family reunion. I'm more of a collateral branch of the family tree.

Back when I started genealogy I wrote to several of my mother's 1^st cousins and asked about their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The ladies who wrote back helped as much as they could, then gave my name and email address to a nephew who was also climbing the family tree. We've been collaborating ever since. His grandmother Bessie was my grandmother Jennie's sister. The sister's came from a family of six siblings; three girls and three boys. Their surname was Bartunek. Bessie married Harry Williams and my grandmother married Henry Ramminger. The family reunion I'm going to is for the Williams' Family. It'll be held at Dorchester Memorial Park on Saturday, July 28^th.

The Williams family held their first reunion at the same park two years ago. At the time we were having our kitchen remodeled and I couldn't attend. But I'm going this year! I've also been corresponding with another Williams' cousin who lives in Michigan.

Periodically, my mother would take us up to Wisconsin for a family wedding or 50^th anniversary party. Being quite young at the time, I can't remember all the “cousins” so this will kind of be a face-to-face meeting for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it.