I like Ty Alexander's idea and think that it would be very helpful. Brenda

Hey! I confess, as a So. Calif. native, I say 'warsh' instead of wash. After years of ridicule, I realized that I learned it from my mother, who is from Colorado. It reminds me of the time I was being kidded by my husband while at a football game. A woman who was sitting in front of us, turned around and told my husband, that in N.J. the people pronounce it warsh! Needless to say, my husband stopped teasing for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, I'm still teased by my family! Have fun everyone! {:-) Brenda Nichols

I vote with Richard & Patricia Mathews. We have a 12 yrs. old daughter who loves to research genealogy with us (she loves grave yards). As my husbands family all live either in Mass. or NH, we would want to take her, too. By the way, she is very adult and most (actually all) adults find her company very enjoyable. Sincerely, Brenda & Paul Nichols of San Diego, CA

Hi ! My feeling as a former teacher and present mother of 3 (mine are all in their teens) is that we should welcome children. What a wonderful experience for them! And I can't think of a better way to introduce them to genealogy and the importance of family ties. What do the rest of you think? By the way, this represents just one of MANY kinds of questions that will have to be discussed if we are to do this event properly. Perhaps solutions to questions like this one are best left to the Committee. from Carolyn Whitney Branagan Richnpatty@aol.com wrote: > Will kids be invited / encouraged to attend the Whitney reunion? > > We would like to come to Massachusetts for the reunion next year, and have > mentioned it to our kids, who are already excited about the idea. Their ages > are presently 8 and 5. Consequently, we'd vote for a date after mid-June and > before Labor Day so that we would not have to pull them out of school. Or > perhaps over a holiday weekend. > > Thanks to those of you who are devoting your energies to this exciting > project. > > Richard & Patricia (Whitney) Mathews > Brea, CA

Wait Just A Minute! I live in Washington and I grew up in Orygun. And I don't say Warshington. And I don't say Oreegone, like you people "back east" do! When in Boston several times a year.... I don't even try and pronounce the names I see on the map. I just say "that place"... as in "hey you". I came home this summer and told my mother that I fell in love with Concord and want to move there. How do you pronounce it? Tee Hee, I should learn. I have been spreading the rumor that it is pronounced ConKorD. Probably wrong huh? Shawn AT&T wrote: > Hi Lyn, > As a matter of correction - very few Midwesterners add an R in the middle of > words like watch (wartch) or wash (warsh). I have lived in MN and WI all my > life and have never encountered this. I have traveled through Illinois, > Indiana, and Ohio on many occasions and have encountered this very rarely - > the 3 or 4 times have been in Ohio, and that seems more east than midwest to > me based on a map. Whoever thought that OH was in the middle of the > country? > BUT... alot of people from the Northwest seem to do this, WA, OR and NE seem > to come to mind. > > Just have to protect the reputation of the TRUE Midwesterner. <<grin>> > Jo Hogle > jhogle@mn.mediaone.net

Hi Lyn, As a matter of correction - very few Midwesterners add an R in the middle of words like watch (wartch) or wash (warsh). I have lived in MN and WI all my life and have never encountered this. I have traveled through Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio on many occasions and have encountered this very rarely - the 3 or 4 times have been in Ohio, and that seems more east than midwest to me based on a map. Whoever thought that OH was in the middle of the country? BUT... alot of people from the Northwest seem to do this, WA, OR and NE seem to come to mind. Just have to protect the reputation of the TRUE Midwesterner. <<grin>> Jo Hogle jhogle@mn.mediaone.net

Will kids be invited / encouraged to attend the Whitney reunion? We would like to come to Massachusetts for the reunion next year, and have mentioned it to our kids, who are already excited about the idea. Their ages are presently 8 and 5. Consequently, we'd vote for a date after mid-June and before Labor Day so that we would not have to pull them out of school. Or perhaps over a holiday weekend. Thanks to those of you who are devoting your energies to this exciting project. Richard & Patricia (Whitney) Mathews Brea, CA

Definitely so...I was thinking about this last night and realized the error when I said Wister....what was I thinking? There are no R's in Massachusetts, unless, of course, something ends in A, then we add an R, like Donna to Donner. But at least we don't pronounce "wash" as "worsh" like some of you mid-westerners!! Twigs1991@aol.com wrote: > Interesting all the possible ways to pronounce 'Worcester'. As a native of > the area, I tend to agree with the 'Wuster' people but I think I actually > pronounce it more like 'Wus ta". We hardly ever pronounce the 'r' as > anything but 'a', which is why were ever I live, someone will say, "Where are > you from??" <smile> (even with a Yankee accent it is still SMILE)

What would the group think about having a Committee Representative for each of our "research groups" (i.e., John and Elinor, Henry, Southern Whitneys, Canadian Whitneys....). Then each representative could spearhead "activities" for each group.... you know, a separate meeting, display area, discussion group, whatever. I might even volunteer to take (or help with) the Canadian branch..... it's just a thought. Ty Alexander ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Branagan" <slainte@together.net> To: <WHITNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 3:38 PM Subject: [WHITNEY-L] the Reunion > Hi Everybody! > > OK, we are putting out a "Last Call" regarding the possibility of a > Whitney Family Reunion. Please let us know via the Whitney roots > web site (you are on it right now) if you think this is a good idea > and if you would try to come. > > Based on information collected so far, it looks like a Reunion would > take place in the summer of 2002 in or near Watertown, Ma. , the > residence of John and Elinor Whitney when they came in 1635. > > Because planning is still very, VERY early, there is a lot of > flexibility as to what content could be considered, but the general > goals of the reunion would be for members of the Whitney Research Group > to get to know one another better and to share with one another the > scholarly research done to date regarding the Whitney Family. This > would include John and Elinor, Henry, the Southern Whitneys and the > Canadian Whitneys. (Have I left out anyone?) We would try to include > social times, banquets, perhaps some tours, lectures by members of > the WRG, and perhaps some involvement by the Watertown Historical > Society. Is there any interest in a golf tourney? > > The reunion would take place over one three day weekend, starting on > Friday afternoon, running all day Saturday and concluding after church > and brunch on Sunday. > > We will need people to be on the Organizing Committee willing to take > charge of each of the following areas: lodging and meals, tours, > lectures, registration. This will be a volunteer committee, no one > from the committee will make any money on this reunion. > I think we should also have some legal advice from some of our member > WRG attorneys on liability pitfalls for the Committee. So far the > volunteers for the Committee are Lynn Legere and me. We are hoping to > involve Jeanne Muse somehow. > > Make your thoughts known. If we do this, we want it to be done well. > > > from, Carolyn Whitney Branagan > > > > >

Hi Folks, Jo's thoughts have some truth to them, but in some ways not. While you do get the tourists right in the heart of Boston at the usually tourist spots, the locals actually leave a lot in the summer. For example, on the Fourth of July weekend, many residents leave for the Cape or up North. There are also a lot of vacations in the summer by residents away from the area that really makes a difference with the traffic. Also, thousands of students have left for the summer which also makes a significant difference. As I have suggested before, we should look for accommodations a bit West of the city as the rates are markedly lower and it's very easy to get intown if someone wants to. Lastly, there really are reasons why people don't come here too much in the winter months - it's called WINTER which can be cold, snowy or miserable for traveling, sight seeing or anything else someone might want to do. If we decide against summer, I would keep the options to a small window of September-October or May (although you have a lot of graduations which impacts the city.) Just some thoughts. Lyn AT&T wrote: > I am certainly interested in the Whitney Reunion. I would like to see other > activities besides a golf tourney as many people do not enjoy or play golf. > I guess I will also make the suggestion that it be held at sometime other > than the summer. Rates for hotels/motels are higher in the summer. Every > place is more crowded in the summer, Boston can be a madhouse I have been > told. But by making it before Memorial Day or after Labor Day you cut down > on the crowds and possibly the expense. Just a thought and a personal > preference. > > Jo Hogle

Mid-September, following Labor Day & before "leaf-peeper" season is an excellent time for good rates for hotels & especially for airfares, for those of us who would have to fly to this event. Kids are back in school and families aren't travelling. It's a definite off-season period for the area. The weather is generally very pleasant as well.

I would be happy to attend a Whitney Reuion and since live in the area will have no problem with housing or transportation. I attended a large genealogical reunion in Canada last August where those who wished, were housed in college dorm rooms at a very reasonable rate. Since Boston and suburbs have many colleges, large and small, I would suggest pursuing that possibility. Also churches may be willing to rent out meeting space at a more reasonable rate than hotel/ motels. Yes , locals pronounce Worcester ... Woos' ta ..with short o's sound, some say Wus'ta. Then there's Chums'fud[ Chelmsford], Bur ic' a [Billerica], any town ending in "ford" is either "fud" or "fa" as in Bedfud and then Mefa[Medford] and New Befa. It's Fa riva for Fall River and so it goes in Yankee language. My home state of Maine is another story! Cheers from New England on a snowy day. Jan

I, too, would be more interested in a non-summer time. The early fall is nice. Sandy from CA ----- Original Message ----- From: AT&T <jhogle@mn.mediaone.net> To: <WHITNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2001 4:38 PM Subject: Re: [WHITNEY-L] the Reunion > I am certainly interested in the Whitney Reunion. I would like to see other > activities besides a golf tourney as many people do not enjoy or play golf. > I guess I will also make the suggestion that it be held at sometime other > than the summer. Rates for hotels/motels are higher in the summer. Every > place is more crowded in the summer, Boston can be a madhouse I have been > told. But by making it before Memorial Day or after Labor Day you cut down > on the crowds and possibly the expense. Just a thought and a personal > preference. > > Jo Hogle > >

Sounds quite intriguing. My husband and I usually travel with a fifth-wheel trailer. Are there any trailer parks nearby? Sandy Fahrnbruch Thousand Oaks, CA

Hi everyone, I really do know how to spell pronounce, look how I spelled it below? W- H -I- S- T- A. Maureen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maureen" <abc@empire.net> To: <WHITNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 8:35 AM Subject: Re: [WHITNEY-L] Re: WHITNEY-D Digest V01 #14 > No Doris, it is prounced like the card game: > Whist. Now add an "a" WHISTA. > People usually go on to study the English language to get the correct > prounciation of different words. > My father always corrected me. He said we "had" to speak the Queen's > English. > Maureen, > with the Boston accent. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <dmcglone@juno.com> > To: <WHITNEY-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 3:56 AM > Subject: [WHITNEY-L] Re: WHITNEY-D Digest V01 #14 > > > > I think you Wus-ta people had a real hard time with spelling in school. > > ;-) > > > > Doris > > dmcglone@juno.com > > > > > >

>I do believe that the practice of genealogy is 'disturbing the dead and >irritating the living' so I have been going real slow as I >really don't want to irritate or offend some of the really hard working >researchers. Rose, Unfortunately, I have living relative who is 90 years old and feels the same way although he can be a valuable resource if you get him talking. 1. It's quite the opposite, genealogy allows you to find your heritage, acknowledge the sacrifices your forefathers beared, and honor the dead. You visit your parents and grandparents graves, It's quite an honor to find and visit a the grave of a 4g-grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary war and try to imagine what his life must have been like. If I had packed up my family for a treacherous, month long journey to start a new nation in an unknown land, I would want my ancestors to know about me and appreciate the decisions I had to make. 2. By studying death certificates of family members, my wife found out that most of the women in the past 2 generations died of cancer usually starting in the breast. By knowing this, she was alert enough to detect a lump very early and through a relatively simple lumpectomy, with preventative chemo and radiation, may have added 40 years to her life. Since we were expecting it, we were more mentally prepared when it did happen. (Although it's still scary.) 3. Through genealogy, I found out that my g-grandfather, who immigrated from Germany to MA and moved to IA, had a brother who stayed in MA and I have family there. We both have daughters about the same age and both named Lisa Anne (exact same spelling). Forge on, Rose, nudge the reluctant gently, get them to reminisce the happy times of their lives, and the people around them at the time. Let the memories of your ancestors live on through you, and you'll soon find that you are one of those hard working researchers. Steve Kraus

No Doris, it is prounced like the card game: Whist. Now add an "a" WHISTA. People usually go on to study the English language to get the correct prounciation of different words. My father always corrected me. He said we "had" to speak the Queen's English. Maureen, with the Boston accent. ----- Original Message ----- From: <dmcglone@juno.com> To: <WHITNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 3:56 AM Subject: [WHITNEY-L] Re: WHITNEY-D Digest V01 #14 > I think you Wus-ta people had a real hard time with spelling in school. > ;-) > > Doris > dmcglone@juno.com > >

I think you Wus-ta people had a real hard time with spelling in school. ;-) Doris dmcglone@juno.com

Interesting all the possible ways to pronounce 'Worcester'. As a native of the area, I tend to agree with the 'Wuster' people but I think I actually pronounce it more like 'Wus ta". We hardly ever pronounce the 'r' as anything but 'a', which is why were ever I live, someone will say, "Where are you from??" <smile> (even with a Yankee accent it is still SMILE)

I am certainly interested in the Whitney Reunion. I would like to see other activities besides a golf tourney as many people do not enjoy or play golf. I guess I will also make the suggestion that it be held at sometime other than the summer. Rates for hotels/motels are higher in the summer. Every place is more crowded in the summer, Boston can be a madhouse I have been told. But by making it before Memorial Day or after Labor Day you cut down on the crowds and possibly the expense. Just a thought and a personal preference. Jo Hogle