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.