August 28th Newspaper Article on Reunion

From The Morning Call -- August 28, 2005
Gathering of the Stocker clan in the Lehigh Valley is a 'dream'

Stockertown founder's descendants hold reunion in Forks Twp.By Arlene MartínezOf The Morning Call

Call it the Stocker nose.It's a broad nose and if you were familiar with it, you may have seen it on the faces of several people who gathered Saturday — descendants of Andreas Stocker, the man who founded Stockertown.

''We've always joked about the Stocker nose,'' said Ron Stocker, looking around the room. Then, to the amusement of two other Stocker descendants nearby, he added: ''I think there's some validity in that.

''Ron Stocker is one of three genealogists who created the Web site that helped bring more than 50 Stocker descendants from at least seven states together at Forks United Church of Christ in Forks Township. Ron, who has been studying his family lineage for 40 years, called the gathering a ''dream.''

Susie Brown, of Fort Wayne, Ind., learned in part through the Web site that she was a Stocker descendant. With the site's help, Brown organized the meeting.

Ron Stocker is descended from Francis Stocker, one of Andreas' children. Because of his early interest in his family's history, Ron explained, he was able to get information from his grandparents and aunts while they were alive.He learned from an aunt, for instance, that his grandparents were first cousins. Another set of grandparents had the year on their marriage certificate changed from 1841 to 1840. Their child, you see, was born in 1841, just six months after their wedding date.''Those are the kinds of secrets that families like to keep,'' Ron Stocker said. ''It's good to know these people were human beings. It's nice to learn our generation didn't discover sex.

''Descendants sometimes took several minutes to explain their path to Andreas Stocker. The wealthy landowner had 14 children, many of whom also had almost a dozen children.

Virginia Lopresti, 92, author of ''History of the Borough of Stockertown,'' opened the day's events with a synopsis of the area's past. An attentive audience listened as Lopresti explained that Andreas Stocker's parents, Michael and Anna Margaretha, came to the U.S. from Switzerland via Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Andreas (whose name later became Andrew), was lured from his native Berks County to the Stockertown area by the promise of rich farmland. He laid out Stockertown for use by Bushkill milling industries, though it wasn't incorporated until 1900.

Although some members of the Stocker clan have met — the last time in Ohio a couple of years ago — Saturday was the first time in recent history a gathering took place in the area. The last known time it may have happened was the summer of 1935.

August 31 Missouri Hospitality Again

Well, we have survived our cross-midwest dash (1200 miles in three days) out of the path of the weather fronts spinning off the remains of the hurricane.

Back finally into the friendly state of Missouri. I say that because it is much more relaxed and in a way more hospitable here. Like the RV park owner who just led us to our space with his golf cart...just like they did in Branson, Missouri when we were here so many months (3...can you believe it) ago in June.

Got the coach (that's the motor home I refer to) oiled and lubed this morning and now we have a quiet night or so to rest and clean up again until we move on to our friend's house in Arkansas. More southern hospitality I am sure...they are very special people and we look forward to seeing them again.

For now it is catch up on internet a bit and then an afternoon ZZZZZZZZZZZZ allow my body to catch up as well.

Linda

August 30 East Coast geography lesson or "watching the eye of a hurricane'

I never paid much attention to my United States geography in grade school but sure am learning it on this trip. Since our Sunday departure from our RV park north of Allentown, PA, we have been watching the approach and onslaught of the hurricane south of us. Our hearts go out to those who have experienced the direct impact of the storm. What a nightmare for them.

We are currently traveling southeast toward the home of our good friends, Jim and Linda Buckner who live in Fayetteville Arkansas. (Jim was one of the good friends we made on our Vietnam trip this past March.) Spent a good deal of time studying the map and watching the news reports to be certain we would not be driving ourselves and our motor home into any treacherous conditions spinning off the edge of the storm as it moves north.

Last night as we sat at a truck stop just west of Indianapolis, Indiana we watched a parade of power company boom trucks fuel up and head south…we presume to help with recovery efforts. Another parade of tree trimming/branch chipping trucks appeared to be staging themselves to assist with any after affects as well. In Indiana, they were expecting heavy rains and winds up to 25 mph as the day wears on. Our path of travel will take us along the edge of those same storm effects but not into anything worse.

The other effect we observed was the changing of the prices at the truck stop…a full 30 cents from $2.69 to $2.99 per gallon and that was for the middle grade. They did not even have high enough numbers to post for the premium grade. We were pleased that we had already topped off our diesel yesterday at $2.49 a gallon.

We will arrive in Fayetteville on Friday after we have some maintenance work done on our motor home in Springfield Missouri on our way through. Can you imagine we are already over 10,000 miles on our coach? Many people do not put on that many miles in a year or two. We feel so fortunate to be able to do this.

Greetings to all out there reading this. Take care and keep in touch…by the way we are still checking both e-mail addresses…sgtstocker@centurytel.net and our pocketmail address…send us an electronic “howdy” when you get a chance.

August 27 What do you do for an encore?

Later the evening of our reunion luncheon, Susie had planned another dinner get together especially for us “out of towners”. Originally I had thought it might be “overkill” but once we got there I was so glad for an additional opportunity to put faces with names and further solidify our new acquaintances and friendships.

It was a very nice Italian restaurant we went to and the waiters were expecting us to order fancy Italian cuisine but, being Stockers, most of us were interested in good pizza and lots of conversation! We further complicated their life as a group of 30 plus needing separate checks.

When it was all said and done, it was so difficult to leave these new good friends. Conversing on the internet is great but it is not the same as the warm, friendly hug I received from Susie and others as we said our good-byes. Just when we thought our “family” was decreasing in size as our West Coast relatives aged, we have increased our “family” immensely (with a large number of wonderful people who just happen to be related to us) as a result of an internet search I did just a year ago.

Truly amazing !

August 27 Stockertown Reunion at last

This long awaited morning greeted us with the sound of raindrops on the roof of the motor home. We dressed up a bit, as planned, but then also “covered our bases” by taking along an extra change of clothes. At first it really poured but, as we approached our destination in Stockertown, the rain stopped and the sky actually opened up to “broken clouds”. Our commute from the motor home to Stockertown had been reported to take “just 10 minutes”. I am not sure what speed the RV park employee was going when he measured that 10 minutes but for us it was more like 30 to 35 minutes even after we learned the best back road route to take. We have had a very nice, quiet stay at the RV park so I guess it was worth the drive. RV parks are few and far between the further East you go so you cannot be too picky.

Stockertown is known as a “borough” as here in the “Midwest” they have boroughs and townships instead of cities and towns. While the community dates back to the late 1700s, the borough was “incorporated” in 1901. It is located along the Bushkill and Little Bushkill Creeks and has a population of approximately 700 residents.

The setting in the Borough of Stockertown for our reunion was the “Forks UCC Church and cemetery”. In the late 1700s when our ancestor, Andreas Stocker, laid out the plat for Stockertown he generously donated an acre of ground for a church and cemetery. It is just adjacent to the site of Andreas’ home and barn in which early congregations gathered for worship. Prior to the formation of an actual cemetery there, the Stocker family had already started their own family burial plot so the concentration of Stocker graves dates back even further. It could not have been a more appropriate place for us modern day Stockers to gather.

We arrived at the church and cemetery a full hour before the appointed start time for the event and already the premises was abuzz with activity. Out in the cemetery family members were touring the rows and rows of aging headstones in a quest to locate their particular ancestors resting therein. Reunion organizer Susie had already marked the graves of Andreas and his wife with lovely helium balloons to simplify our task somewhat.

I had heard tales of genealogy buffs using shave cream to read head stone encryptions but had never witnessed it in person. One father/daughter team was working the rows of Stocker graves with their can of shave cream in hand. First she carefully applied the shave cream with a sheet rock trowel. A couple swipes of the trowel removed the bulk of the cream but the finishing touch was a couple passes with a windshield wiper blade. It was like magic as the letters and dates came into view once highlighted with the white foam.

On a knoll above the main concentration of Stocker graves there are two large memorial gazebos gracing the vista and adding to the overall setting. Newer memorial headstones intermixed with the aging ones of our ancestors added to the contrast of the occasion. Small American flags waved freely in the breeze marking the veterans of not just modern day conflicts but also the Revolutionary War, Civil War and the War of 1812. The Stockers have definitely done their part to develop and protect our freedom over the years.

There were numerous photo ops here with Stockers, past and present, so obviously in attendance. Family attendees have subsequently reported feeling the presence of our ancestors on this gathering day for us…whether looking up from their gravesites or down from above…it was as though they were saying “Well done” to us their descendents.

Finally Stocker family members started moving into the basement of the church for our luncheon served graciously by the ladies of the congregation. It was a comfortable facility with plenty of room for us to meet and greet others. The large family tree banner was spread across three adjoining tables in the front of the room. Attendees gathered around to locate their branch of the family tree and their relationship to others in attendance. Visual aids of this type are wonderful.

Many family members had brought old family pictures, news articles, research books, family notebooks and other mementos to share with others. This sharing of data and stories was rewarding as some discovered associations they had not previously been aware of. Susie had done an excellent job of canvassing the area and publicizing the event so there were a number of local Stocker descendents in attendance who have not even been involved in our on-line family group. We definitely were the furthest from home…but hey, we were in the neighborhood anyway. I was more impressed by the number of Stockers who had gotten up at the crack of dawn or driven all night from Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Iowa and other distant states to attend this event. Those who flew in said it took them longer to drive to the airport and endure the security checks than their flight itself. They were determined that this was not an event to be missed.

One news article shared with us was from 1935 and recounted the events at the last Stocker reunion to be held in Stockertown. They had quite an organization at that time with officers and official “clan” leaders representing each branch of the family tree. Perhaps communication was a bit more of a challenge 70 years ago. We are so spoiled now with the ease of online web sites and e-mail for both our family research and communication.

Our gathering included Jennifer Stocker, the head of the genealogy research library in nearby Easton…I think all the nicest people in PA must to Stockers. She runs an excellent facility with a special climate controlled room “hermetically sealed” to protect the aging documents contained therein.

Another attendee was a 92 year old historian who represents years of research on the history of Stockertown. It is my understanding that she has gone house to house throughout Stockertown and researched each of the old original home sites. She shared with us excerpts from a book she has compiled and written on the subject.

We had a member of the cemetery board on hand to make sure we were able to locate each one of the Stocker graves we were seeking. A member of the church board presented information on the history of the church and renovations of the structure over the years. He was gracious in giving us a tour of the premises and in particular the main sanctuary which contains a number of enormous stained glass windows.

Also on hand at our gathering of 50 Stocker family members, were two reporters from local newspapers. They were very young and curious about our gathering. I am sure we will get good coverage and will be anxious to see the resulting article and their “take” on our event.

Once we were done inside, it was time for the tradition of a reunion picture. We all gathered on a knoll amongst the headstones while Susie clicked the timed shutter of her camera and then ran to get into this momentous picture. Next, we featured pictures of “blood” related Stockers, asking those who “married in” to step aside. I was volunteered to click the camera for this group and (true to form) quickly asked them all for a profile shot to complete my family research into the “Stocker nose”.

It really does run in the family.

August 26 Dinner with part of the Stocker Clan

Spent most of this day sleeping in and them relaxing at the motor home before our appointed time to meet a few of the family clan at a restaurant in Nazareth for dinner. This was supposed to be an informal get together for the "out of towners" wanting a head start on getting to know each other.

However Susie, who has done such an excellent job of making our arrangements, had this dinner all arranged with our name tags, welcome packets and a large family tree banner that spread 25 feet. The banner did not try to display the entire family but rather each of us who were to be in attendance and help us figure out our relationship to everyone else. It was a welcome tool and I can already visualize my smaller "take-home" version on the wall above my computer as a reference when I continue to work on our "roots".

We were having such a great time meeting and visiting with our new found "cousins" that Susie had a hard time getting us to settle down and eat dinner. Imagine a Stocker not wanting to eat!

At this dinner, we got to visit again with the two couples who had served as our cemetery guides during our visit in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Also present was Ron Stocker, the gentleman who started the online family website and the source of many of the fascinating Stocker stories contained therein. After reading so many of his online posts it was great to finally put a face with the name.

Basic question everyone asks of us...after they get past "Did you ride all the way from Oregon on that motorcycle?"...they all want to know how and why our "branch" of the Stocker family moved West to Oregon.

We are still working on all the details, but first our family members moved from Stockertown (PA) to Tuscarawas County, (Ohio) with several brothers out of the family. From there Gary's great grandfather (Allen Frederick Stocker) later moved to Kansas...not sure why but we do know there was an in flux of farmers to the area after the cattle business declined.

Allen Frederick and his wife Ella Cora Stocker (great niece or second cousin to Allen) both lived and died at the family home in Wichita Kansas. However, according to the 1910 census, Gary's grandfather Orrin was living in a San Francisco boarding house with a friend, both of them working as electrical linemen.

From there he (Orrin) married Ella Billings (whose father was also an electrical lineman) and ended up in the Pacific Northwest helping to string the power transmission lines when Hoover Dam and later the Bonneville Power Administration came into existence.

We have a wonderful old photo of about 10 linemen all up a power pole hanging off all sides of it. Gary's grandfather is one of those daring pole climbing lineman.

I am sure you can tell, I love the stories behind the names, dates and pictures. Hope to continue my investigative work to discover more of it...on Stockers and then later more of our family ancestors.

More later,
Linda

August 25 Stockertown touring and finally not getting lost

Well we have been here enough days now to finally get used to the back roads and do a much better job at NOT getting lost. However we were out "after dark" (heaven forbid) a couple nights ago and really made it interesting finding all the unmarked turns in the dark...but obviously we made it.

However, now that we are not getting lost, Gary has fewer opportunities to announce "There's ANOTHER cemetery !" as he was getting used to doing the past few days. The other day we were biding our time at the Forks Cemetery where so many Stockers are buried. Laying on the grass in the shade of a tree and I decided to call daughter Cindy on my cell phone. Of course she wanted to know where we were (or as she always says "Where in the world are my parents now ???") and so I told her laying on the grass in a cemetery...inquisitive daughter says "Why ???" so I responded...we could not afford a plot !

So what we had been biding our time and waiting for was the weekly practice session for the Celtic United Pipes and Drums. They practice in the community hall, behind the Stockertown fire hall at 7 pm. I don't know why I thought they would just march in wearing kilts and give us a full performance but that is not what happened. It seems the band just formed last November and has lots of students working on their skills to be able to fully perform with the more experienced and talented members of the group. Anyway we learned a lot about how a bagpiper trains. They play and practice first on a small flute like instrument and there was a group of three working on that in one side of the room.

Sitting on the other side were the drummers in training. Now Gary used to be a drummer in a marching band so this was not new to him...but it was to me. They sat with their drum sticks and tapped out tunes or at least rhythms on the wooden table in front of them. It was fascinating to watch and to listen to. Also the instructor was having to give the younger members a lecture on the need to practice regularly to build up their talent and skill level.

Finally a more advanced bagpiper arrived and was practicing outside the meeting hall...still no kilts to be seen (sorry Barbara Slama)...but we got the enjoyment of the sound nonetheless as we finally scurried to our bike and headed back in the dusk (and soon darkness) to our campsite.

Yesterday we searched out our "heritage" at a Honda shop (LOL = Laughing Out Loud) in nearby "WindGap". No relatives there, but it was time for an oil change. As usual, they really saw us coming. Once they see the sidecar they kind of double the labor charge for the extra trouble of working around it...whether actual or only perceived they charge extra anyway. Oh well, it is worth it !

Lots of e-mail to check over today as it had been several days since I had access. Our campground said they had internet but they only had a phone line you could use for dial-up...I am at a library in Nazareth (East of Stockertown) right now and this is working out well using their connection.

Tomorrow night we will have an informal dinner with some of the other out of town Stockers. The actual reunion is on Saturday at the beautiful church (rough hewn stone construction with stained glass windows) adjacent to the "Forks" cemetery which was originally known as Stocker cemetery. The acre the church and cemetery are on were originally donated by our ancestor Andrew/Andreas Stocker in the late 1700's when he laid out the original townsite for Stockertown.

Lots of interesting family stories with more new ones to be discovered. I now plan on putting together a Stocker genealogy booklet (The Oregon Stockers) to share these with others in the family and encourage them to share more stories and pictures with me to expand the already growing collection.

Best wishes to all, take care and keep in touch,
Linda

August 22 Stockertown at last

Yesterday we moved from Pine Hill (North of Allentown) to Evergreen Lake Camping (North of Easton and North of Stockertown). It is a nice place to stay with a beautiful lake...however the campground area is very dense trees. We had to park the trailer in a separate area and then go to our campsite and negotiate a number of trees to get us parked. The area is very large and has lots of long term tenants. They keep it quiet and clean though. I like the rules about no yard lights after 11 pm...some of the previous ones we have been at people thought it was neat to have multi colored porch lights blaring all night. This is more like being out in the woods.

Here we have full hook-ups (water, sewer and 30 amp electric) plus cable TV. No internet but it does get me to bed earlier at night when I cannot "get lost" in cyber space on the internet. Right now we are at the Easton library using their internet connection. They have a special room with all the older books like I need for Stocker research in there. The attendant goes to lunch 12 to 1...we arrived at 11:45 of course so it gives me some comuter time...right now. Still want to find a plat map book to purchase so I can find the location of the old Stocker homesteads from mid 1700s. Lots of fun.

More later, for now know we are well and rested and enjoying our little piece of back road history. We even found the Forks church and cemetery this morning where our ancestors are buried. Did not take time to scope out individual stones yet, just enjoyed the beautiful setting atop a knoll with a beautiful white gazebo.

The past few days when we were touring in the motorcycle, Gary would announce everytime we got to another cemetery. There are lots of them around here to be seen. It was like "we are not lost if there is a cemetery here"...LOL.

More later,

Linda

August 18 Peaceful Pennsylvania

We had a very nice drive north out of Maryland yesterday. With every mile North, away from the congestion of Washington DC, the traffic got thinner, the weather cooler, the humidity lessened. Probably just a coincidence (change in weather at the same time as we moved away to a less congested area) but we arrived here in Kutztown rested and relaxed. In DC the humidity had been so high that it was like the air was thick enough to "cut" it. It was our first cool night and we were able to open the motor home windows and let the breeze blow through.

We slept well and then woke up to a sunny but cooler morning. It was near magic as we struck out on the motorcycle on the back roads in search of a covered bridge I had spotted on the map. Fresh and rested in the morning we played our old game of taking turns choosing which direction to turn at each intersection.

The colors of the overhanging trees were beautiful when we did not have to worry about catching the branches on the roof of the motor home. Directions are less crucial when you are able to do a U-turn on a narrow road. From the sidecar I am close enough to enjoy the small things I miss when I am up in the motor home and engrossed with the overall picture. We are finding that the motorcycle experiences are a nice "balance" to the motor home experiences. Variety keeps things interesting.

After our magical exploring we headed into Allentown to find a hospital lab and have my protime blood test done. They were very efficient and friendly, consistent with my previous experiences "on the road".

Next we set off to navigate the highways and byways in and around Allentown to run a few shopping errands. We discovered that even smaller towns can have traffic jams and we did not have sufficient detailed maps to navigate (when we have a specific destination).

Tomorrow, we hope to tour a series of covered bridges, this time well rested and well nourished so we can thoroughly enjoy the sights and sounds of our adventure.

August 16 How Do You Say "Uncle"?

Most of you will know what "saying Uncle" means...

I took one look at my dear husband this morning and told him "There is nothing that is worth making you sick!" He agreed and even though we have finally just today received the temperature cool down that had been promised (90 instead of 98+) we stayed inside and rested today in preparation of departing this historical (hysterical) site of excitement, congestion, exhaustion, humidity and adventure. Yes, even though we have thoroughly exhausted ourselves, it has been quite an adventure.

Yesterday we took off on the bus, transferred to Metro green line, transferred to Metro Orange line and got off at the proper station to walk another two blocks to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. It was awesome with the most lifelike exhibits of all sorts of animals, current and prehistoric. Any of these museums could consume a number of days if you slowed down and read all the exhibits. What an education that would be and finally being a weekday (Monday) we had less of a crowd to contend with. We made the most of it and even went to see one of their 3D IMAX movies...an underwater one that was beautiful but made me really sentimental about our previous diving adventures and how much I miss them now. It (the movie) started out in a gently swaying kelp forest so very similar to the one we used to dive in off Salt Creek West of Port Angeles. Diving is pure "magic" if any of you ever get the chance to do it...do it while you physically still can.

After the museum our top priority was to get back to the Vietnam War memorial, the Wall. We had a brief visit at it last week when we were on the all day Gray Line tour but they were running late and hurried us too much. We "needed" to go back and spend some quiet time there reflecting and taking some "rubbings" of names of Gary's friends who are on the wall.

I spoke with a gal at the info desk at the museum and she said the metro did not go close enough to it and that it was too far for Gary to walk on crutches from where we currently were located. It was important enough that we took a taxi. She had predicted $5 and the taxi driver would not take us for less than $8...so we went. In spite of the continuing heat and humidity, we had a very nice, relaxed visit to the Vietnam "Wall" , the impressive Korean War Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial (from a distance...too many steps to climb it).

When we were done and ready to go back to the motor home, we had no choice but another taxi to get us to the original subway station...$15 taxi fare later we were finally on our way speeding underground on the Metro out to our transfer point to get on the bus to our RV park. We were lucky and only had to wait 15 minutes at the bus stop,

However, by the time we arrived back at the air conditioned motor home all we could manage was a bowl of cereal, stare at the TV for an hour or so and then early to bed.

Oh, under the heading of "It's a Small World", we got to talking with a couple on the bus who were also headed to Cherry Hill Park. He mentioned that he had retired from his "practice" in Port Angeles, Washington. Come to find out he was an eye doctor who owned the building and had his practice in the same block as the Bank of America I originally worked at in Port Angeles. Never know who you will encounter so far from home.

Another traveling retired couple we met have set a goal for themselves to travel and visit each capital city in all 48 or 50 states. Obviously this is more than a one year goal as they tour each in depth and have set trinkets they pick up at each to document their visit...forgot if it was refrigerator magnets or something equally trivial but it meant something to them. I told her I could never handle the traffic and would rather set my goal to research and visit the "smallest" town in each state to visit...more my style of "adventure".

Next stop in this adventure of ours in will be 4 restful days and nights at a very nice facility called "Pine Hill RV" (yes, we are moving from Cherry Hill to Pine Hill) in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. I would love to research the origins of names and their significance...tried to get us accommodations at the RV park in "Intercourse", Pennsylvania...but they were full!!!!

From there we are just 50 miles from our next stop which is Evergreen Lake Camping in "Bath", Pennsylvania where we will stay a full week (August 21 to 28th). From there we can visit Stockertown and the surrounding towns of Eaton, Bethlehem, etc. for library genealogy research and visiting new relatives. Our actual "reunion" event is on the 27th but several of them are arriving on the 24th.

Hoping to hear more rain drops on our roof tonight. I was so relieved when it rained today as it really helped to bring the temperature down. Still very humid but much more bearable.

Z-time...
Linda

August 14 How HOT is HOT ?

Well, I have not tried frying an egg on the pavement but I was just over at the RV park office/store and in the shade the temperature was 102 degrees !

Yesterday we got up early and took the public bus from here at the RV park. They drop us off about 4 miles from here at a subway station. Everything is underground so we are always scurrying for the elevator or escalator for Gary's use. It was Saturday so they were not running as often but it was still only 6 minutes before a rail car came. Man, they run really fast. You want to be seated very quickly before they start off or you risk being in the lap of someone you may not have otherwise chosen to be that friendly with.

The whole transportation system is very fast and efficient. We were however glad we had attended the RV park sightseeing orientation session so we knew what to expect and understood the signs and system of tickets and coins.

We emerged out of the ground in downtown DC just a block and a half from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was enormous and we spent the entire day there without even visiting every area of it, let alone being able to read all the exhibit verbiage. We thoroughly enjoyed the portion on the space program in particular. The aircraft displays however, were a disappointment after having visited the world class aircraft museum in Oshkosh.

I persuaded Gary to go to the 3D IMAX movie about the space station. It was awesome. Great photography and not cut and dry...humorous, personal accounts of life in space and the interaction of the personnel involved. The 3D aspect seemed to be a "gimmick" at first but really added to the experience.

When we left the air conditioned building the air outside hit us like a blast furnace. We moved slowly and carefully to the Metro station and proceeded back to the bus station. Being Saturday, we had just missed the bus we needed and had to wait nearly an hour for the next one. We were thoroughly exhausted from the heat by the time we arrived back in our air conditioned motor home.

This morning we got up and realized that with another day of severe air quality warning and increasing heat, it was time for a rest day. Gary has been napping on and off and I have been doing catch up with a box of mail that we received from home yesterday.

I am hoping Gary is up to another day at the museums tomorrow as there is so much more to see and do if he can handle it. Smithsonian has a "National Museum of American History", "National Museum of Natural History" and "National Museum of the American Indian" all of which would be very fascinating.

August 12 DC heats up

Our DC tour yesterday was a very tiring day. The heat and humidity really impacts our ability to do very much outside. It was a perfect day to spend the majority of the time inside an air conditioned tour bus.

Gray Line picked us up right here at the RV park and took us to "Union Station" to transfer to our actual tour bus. It was brand new so everything was very nice and comfortable. Don't know how the driver remembers all the names, dates and data that he shared with us but it was mind boggling to be sure.

Within less than 10 hours we visited:
- Mount Vernon - the home of George Washington
- Old Town Alexandria - a quaint seaport town steeped in history
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Memorial graves of John F. Kennedy, plus his wife and brother, Robert Kennedy
- Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier (that was awesome and my favorite for the day)
- The Pentagon - outside only
- Christ Church - Alexandria church of the Presidents built in 1767
- Embassy Row
- Georgetown
- Lincoln Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- Vietnam War Memorial
- etc, etc.

It was kind of a whirlwind overview but touched sufficiently on a number of places we would not have otherwise gotten to see. A few others that we wanted to see more of...now we know what to expect and plan when we go back.

Today the temperature hit 96 degrees with humidity added it was a "heat index" of 106 degrees. After our hot, packed day yesterday, we rested and stayed cool today.

Tomorrow, we will head off on the public bus to the Metro rail system which will take us to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. I expect we will spend most of the day there, inside enjoying their quality exhibits and IMAX theatre (of which we are a fan).

We are scheduled to be here until at least Wednesday so we should be able to get a good overview of all the Smithsonian many centers and also pay a return visit to the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials which we did not have enough time at yesterday.

Watching TV news while I type this and I see we also have a hurricane off shore to keep an eye at. Think we are far enough in land to not be too affected by it but it could add to our adventure here.

Take care....Linda

August 10 Cherry Hill Park in College Park, Maryland

Well we survived the overhanging trees and numerous back roads getting from Pennsylvania to our current location in College Park, Maryland. This is a really complete RV park with all the comforts of home...WiFi at the coach, cable TV, good cell phone reception, electric/water/sewer hookups, two swimming pools, club house, outdoor movie theatre, RV supply store, small grocery/gift store, and best of all tour buses and public buses come right in here to pick you up. They even did a small group talk tonight to go over the tours available and give us tips on how to get around with the metro transit system (buses and subway).

We are taking a 9 hour tour tomorrow that is kind of an overview of a number of sites and then we can go back on subsequent days to see more details of our favorites.

More tomorrow when we are back.

Linda
(so happy to have internet while I am here!!!)

August 8 & 9 Visiting Friends in Downingtown, PA

In March when we went to Vietnam we made friends with a young man, Larry, who was on the trip. He was there to visit the site of his father's death in Vietnam which happened when Larry was just a young boy. Larry is a very gifted photographer and was a joy to have on the trip. He lives in Downingtown, about 40 miles outside Philadelphia, since we were going to be relatively closeby we wanted to see him again and meet his wife.

Larry travels a great deal with his photography work so we were lucky to catch him at home and available to go to dinner with us.

Using my mapping program, I located an RV park said to be within 6 miles of Larry's home so that's where we headed. The mapping program lays out all the turns and guides us verbally along the way to our destination. However, this time I learned a valuable lesson. There are other hazards that cannot be monitored and reflected in such a program. Pennsylvania has the most beautiful, BIG trees (oak and others) that grow along and over the roads everywhere. The mapping program tells me if there is a low lying overpass but not a low lying canopy of branches.

The RV park ended up being in a beautiful setting along the banks of an awesome, calm creek with cranes and egrets fishing from tree stumps for their dinner. However, it was a long and winding road with a low lying canopy of tree branches leading for a number of miles down into the RV park. We had (and I emphasize HAD) two antennas on the roof of our motor home. Well, I think one may still be there but just be laid down on the roof. I haven't been up there to check yet. The second one was mounted along side the top of the drivers side of the coach. It got totally broken off and will need to be replaced at some point. Gary is usually pretty excitable about such things but has mellowed a bit as reflected in his reaction..."Well, we don't have to listen to it hit branches any more!"

We spent one day resting up in our remote forested hideaway and then had a wonderful evening visiting with Larry and his wife. They took us out for a delicious dinner at their favorite Greek restaurant and we had a great time.

Next stop will be Cherry Hill Park in College Park, Maryland. It is close enough to Washington, DC to take tours and public transportation to visit all the national tourist sites without having to drive in all the traffic congestion.

August 7 Pioneer Days in Gnadenhutten

Today we ventured back into the big town of Gnadenhutten to the park which surrounds their small museum and pioneer cemetery. In celebration of their "Pioneer Days" they had set up an early 1800's encampment. They were authentic with the old style tents, cooking over open fires with cast iron cookware. We were able to watch everything from wool spinning to casting of lead figurines.

My favorite feature was the musical group set up within a historic log cabin. They were playing with old country instruments including mandolin, flute, banjo, guitar, bass and my favorite the hammered dulcimer. They serenaded us with such tunes as "Danny boy", "Amazing Grace", "Shenandoah" and "My Country Tis of Thee". It was one of those magical moments and I loved it!

Another theatre group was doing scenes out of the "Grease" stage play, it was a bit out of place but very well done and enjoyable. As we sat relaxing under a tree enjoying the day, my Stocker friend, Marilyn who is the director of the local library came by and greeted us and introduced her husband who had more Stocker stories to share. This one was about one of the great uncles who gambled away his house and all belongings which prompted him to load his entire family into a wagon and move West. Another one for the record books...lots of spicy characters in this family!

Linda
Fittin' right into the Stocker Clan

August 6 Trying to Decipher Crumbling Headstones

Wednesday night brought a fairly violent set of thunder, lightening and heavy rains. When we got up Thursday morning we debated at how we could travel the 20 miles to Gnadenhutten to meet with distant Stocker relative, Jack Thornton, to tour some family sites. It was raining hard enough we even considered moving the motor home to get there. Finally we decided the rain was easing so we donned our coats, crossed our fingers and took off.

We arrived right on time and the rain had actually cooperated in not getting us thoroughly drenched. We were surprised to meet and greet not only Jack and his wife Mabel but another distant Stocker relative, Rich Emler.

Both men had brought along family charts and lists to share, but the best information was their long time knowledge as they have both lived here their entire lives. It was almost overload as they rattled off all the family relations and cross-relations. We toured 4 different cemeteries where family members are interred.

Some of the newer headstones are crystal clear and easy to read. However, when you are looking at stones from the early 1800s they are so badly deteriorated that it takes a great deal of imagination to decipher the engraving. I took digital pictures of all that appeared to belong to our branch of the family and now have them to refer back to when I am doing research.

Prior to our visit I had spotted on a map "Stocker Ridge". We asked Rich and Jack so they took us there. Low and behold there was a cemetery there (with many of our Stocker ancestors represented) and a small one room school house. We surmised that some of our Stocker ancestors lived on Stocker Ridge and attended this very school.

In subsequent research done today on this school (at the New Philadelphia library) we discovered that this was "Kings School" which operated from 1842 to 1948. We found that there was also a "Stocker School" on Stocker Ridge with records from 1890 to 1954. During its tenure, it had been expanded from a one room to a three room school house!

Our day of discovery with Rich and Jack ended off a bit wet for Gary and I. Once we had finished the tour of Stocker Ridge we went back to Rich's house to retrieve our motorcycle. In the midst of visiting with Rich & his wife we "allowed" one of their famous thunderstorms to sneak in on us.

We could not wait it out totally or we would run out of daylight...we waited until the heavy rain had eased a bit before we left...but our 25 mile trip took us on a very wet route right through the storm arriving at the motor home just minutes before it caught up with us again.

All part of the adventure!

The rain has ended and today we spent doing research at the county library in New Philadelphia...about 20 miles from here. Gary cleaned up the bike again...we will see how long it lasts this time...at least till the next thunderstorm!

Hope all is well with everyone else.

Linda

August 6 Congratulations to Cindy for completing her SECOND Triatholon

Our awesome daughter continues to amaze us with her accomplishments. Today she completed her second triatholon. Such accomplishments with her new, lean, trim, fit body and such a great example to set for her children. I am so proud of everything she does and love her very much!

I am anxious to be able to see in person her "bicycle train" which she assembles to take the kids biking. Her bike plus one child on a "tag along" and another one or two in a bike trailer in tow.

For now I just have to imagine and be amazed from a distance until our trip takes us back to the West Coast.

August 3 Gnadenhutten, Tuscarawas County, Ohio - Meeting nice "Stockers"

We are camped at Tappan Lake which is a very large campground (475 sites) created in 1936 around a lake formed when they put in the Tappan Dam. It is a very nice facility and would have been a good value at their "posted price" of $24 a night. When I checked us in I happened to notice a small sign in their small registration shack that said 100% disabled veterans get a 50% discount...WOW $12 a night...think we will stay here a number of days (6 to be exact).

After the hustle-bustle of Oshkosh, this is so quiet and relaxed. We are really enjoying it. We traveled on the motorcycle this morning about 20 miles to the Museum and old pioneer library in Gnadenhutten. Gnadenhutten means "huts of grace". It was settled in 1772 by a Moravain Mohican Elder who brought a large group of Christian Mohican Indians from Pennsylvania.

Lots of interesting history here...much of it before our Stocker ancestors arrived so we tried to take in the history but yet focus on the arrival of the Stocker brothers here in 1815 and related subsequent events.

Spent quite awhile studying the plat map for the county with property holders as of 1870. The Stockers had quite a footprint here, much of which their decendants still own...including extensive holdings by the current "Stocker Concrete" and "Stocker Sand and Gravel". We have set a goal of trying to locate birthplaces for both Gary's grandfather and great grandfather.

We walked most of the cemetery trying to decipher names on ancient, deteriotating headstones. Now I understand why many genealogy buffs put shave cream on the face of the stones to fill in the grooves and make the encriptions readable.

Met a very nice lady, Marilyn Stocker, who is the director of the Gnadenhutten library. She was helpful with some books I had not seen before. She referred me over to the Tuscarawas Geneology Library which is in Dennison...about 15 miles from here. We will go there tomorrow and then also contact one of our distant relatives who lives here and will help show us around as well.

Wish us luck in our quest, it would be so neat to pull up in front of one of these old farmhouses and be able to say...That's where they were born and lived before they moved out to Oregon. Love to put together the stories to go with the dates and names.

No cell phone reception here...not even in Gnadenhutten, the big town of 1300 people. So don't bother to try calling. I will check e-mail (when available at libraries, etc.) and pocketmail in particular every day or so. Just have to find one of those illusive old fashioned telephones to do it on.

We tried to find a cafe for lunch today and were informed the only thing even remotely close was a deli counter at the one gas station/convenience store. This whole area has about 4 or 5 small towns all spaced about 7 to 10 miles apart, guess they just share "services" and facilities. We should just about have them figured out about the time we need to move on.

Linda

August 1 Lowell, Indiana - On The Road Again

All good things must come to an end and the Oshkosh 2005 Air Venture is now complete. Even though the event was scheduled to run through Sunday, by Saturday many of the participants were starting to dismantle their campsites and head home. I do not know the official count of airplanes in attendance this year but they reported that the Oshkosh airfield had 3,300 aircarft departures within a 16 hour period of time on Saturday. To put that number into perspective, even O'hare in Chicago (operating 24 hours a day) only had 3,000 on Saturday.

After a number of nights of comraderie and joyful campsite singing around us, it was sad to see it all come to an end. Each time we looked out the window, another campsite had been folded up and vehicles driven off. Finally we could again see the miles of green grass and open spaces. I commented this morning that we could even hear the sound of the nearby freeway, previously muffled by all the RVs and campsites.

We got up fairly early (before 9 am, WOW) appreciating the fact that the line at the septic dump station was not too long and everyone was in good spirits.

So now here we sit in the parking lot of a Flying J Truck Stop just 235 miles south of Oshkosh. We are exhausted from the sensory overload at the air show but have lots of very special memories of the sights and sounds which we experienced.

Our next destination is Port Washington, Ohio in Tuscarawas County where a number of our ancestor Stockers lived and died. We will be attending the Pioneer Days and Craft Show put on by the Gnadenhutten Historical Society.

Hope all is well in your corner of the country...it is very hot here today...in excess of 95 degrees but low humidity.

Linda