Blest Be The Tie That Binds

Folks,

I was just sitting here thinking of you all, and contemplating some of the milestones in my own life that seem to be flitting by faster and faster. The mounting pace of life and its distances -- not only of space, but of emotion and experience -- seem to irresistably push us away from each other, like the widening ripples on the surface of a pond. This thought moved me to post the words of our family hymn, in hope that those who read them will take comfort and inspiration from the fact that we are all in this together. We are here to comfort and support one another, whatever life holds. In that thought, perhaps we can all draw closer to one another...for at least a little while.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

New Snavely Twins Arrive!

I am very pleased to announce the births of Sara Ann Snavely and Kara Jane Snavely, born February 16, 2006. Although the girls were born prematurely (about 28-1/2 weeks), and are not too large (Sara weighed 1lb., 5oz. and was 12 inches long, Kara was 2lb., 10oz. and 15 inches long), you can see from the pictures that they are doing very well. Mom Laura and Dad George also seem to be doing just fine. The first picture shows Mom and Dad with Kara, and the second picture shows Dad with Sara. It looks like the Snavely family is on a roll...the Staceys better watch out! A new set of Snavely sisters! I know my Grandma Eleanor and Aunt Emily are looking down and smiling, too!

Homestead Construction Contract

Here's a facsimile of the contract drafted by H. Fickes & Son for construction of the Snavely homestead on Broad Avenue extension. The total cost of the job was $634.00 in May 1914. This amount was to be repaid at the rate of "at least $25.00 per month, plus interest" at 6%. In 2005 dollars, the contract price is equivalent a little over $12,500. Keep in mind that in 1914 the average factory worker earned $0.22/hour, or around $2.20 for a standard 10-hour day. In January 1914, Henry Ford became a controversial figure when he agreed to pay his workers $5 for an 8-hour day -- an unheard of rate of compensation. Other industries slowly followed suit, but an 8-hour day did not become standard until 1938.
The house, as described in the contract, was "12 x 12 and 40 x 14," or 704 square feet. Nowadays, a standard 3-bedroom ranch "starter home" usually has between 1250 and 1500 square feet, including at least one bathroom, and more likely 2. How times have changed!

Merry Christmas from the Templon Family!

We wish you a Merry Christmas! Click on the Thumbnail picture below to see a video clip of "The Gloucester Wassail" performed by the Hopewell Valley Central High School Combined Chorus at their 2005 winter concert. My daughter Megan is the first soloist.

Welcome, Nicholas David!

I'm very happy to report the following great news from Carol and David Zangrilli:

"It's now official...Emily is a big sister. We had a very healthy little boy.

Here are the details:

Nicholas David Zangrilli
born October 29, 2005 at 11:41 am
9 lbs. 0 oz. 21 inches long

I've attached a picture of our new little one on his birthday and with his proud big sister. It has been quite a week beginning to get adjusted to life as a family of four!"

Congratulations, Carol and David, on the arrival of your handsome son. In the second picture, Mom seems to be recovering nicely, and Dad's camera work (I'm guessing) isn't shaky at all. Big Sister Emily looks mighty pleased. Nick is the only one who seems a bit out of sorts.

Trust me...this state of affairs will not last.

Folks, I have three words of advice for you in about five years : Minivan. Quad seats.

Oh...and a referee whistle, too.

I guess we all know who's gonna be running the children's games for the forseeable future!

Welcome, Angelina Christine!

I am pleased to announce the birth of Angelina Christine Brown, daughter of James and my niece Lana Lolos Brown, at 2:36 p.m., Thursday, October 13!

Angelina made her entry at 8 lbs., 0 oz. and 20-3/4 inches.

Angelina, her mother and her father are all doing fine. Grandmother Cynthia Templon Thurston and Husband Steve were also present for the big event. Great Grandmother Joyce Anderson and Husband John visited Angelina shortly after she came home from the hospital.

Great Aunt Michelle, Great Uncle Rod and Cousin Andrew Templon were in the DC area on Friday and Saturday for Family Weekend at Catholic University, where Son John is a senior. we stopped by to see all the Browns. We very much admired the beautiful "Finding Nemo" themed nursery that Mom and Dad have created for their beautiful and extremely non-fussy daughter. She didn't even cry (much) when Uncle Rod held her! As you can guess from the picture, "Aunty" Michelle had a quite a time tearing herself away from Angelina.

Happy Birthday, Cindy!

Happy Birthday to the original flower child, Cynthia Louise Thurston! (Born August 18, 19__.)

My big sister Cindy and I are ready to make the scene at a my Aunt Donna's wedding in 1956. That makes me 3 years old. (My tender age also explains why I am wearing that jacket, instead of stomping on it to put it out of its misery.) So let me see...if I'm 3, that makes Cindy....

Love to my one and only sister!

Submit Snavely Sibling Stories!

Here's an idea -- let's try to come up with short posts on each of the ten sisters and one brother who made up the second generation of our family reunion -- Alberta, Edith, Violet, Eleanor, Emily, George, Helen, Isabelle, Ada, Frances and Florence. This doesn't have to be terribly long, just a fond remembrance or funny interlude that the rest of the family might enjoy. As an example, here's a cartoon penned by my grandfather Bob Smith sometime in the late 70's (I'm guessing 1979) in honor of my Grandma Eleanor's and Aunt Emily's birthday, which is July 31 (they were twins, of course). Email your stuff to me, and I will edit it (gently) and post it. If you have a digitized picture to share, send that along too. You can also send me a letter and enclose your picture. I will scan it and return it to you. My address is 120 Laning Avenue, Pennington, NJ 08534.

So there's your challenge. Hope to hear from you soon.

Albert and Emily Snavely -- 1901

The 1901 wedding portrait of Albert Ellis Snavely (1880-1962) and Emily May Osterman (1881-1933)

Altoona Area Hotel Reservations and Bicycle Race

Next year the Snavely family reunion date will again coincide with the final day of the Tour de Toona bicycle race, which will run from July 31-August 6, 2006.

We recommend that you make your Altoona area hotel reservations as soon as possible, as the hotels get very busy during this week. A favorite of the Higginbotham, Templon and Lytle families is the Comfort Inn in Duncansville, PA at (814) 693-1800. Or try the Mariott at (814) 312-1800.

Eleanor Lillian Snavely Smith Seibert and Robert Edward Smith

I thought you might enjoy seeing these photos of my grandparents, Eleanor Lillian Snavely Smith Seibert (1909-1994) and Robert Edward Smith ("Bob" or "Smitty" to his friends) (1905-1981). "Mom-Mom" and "Pappy," as we called them, had three children (David Paul [deceased 1993], Joyce Arminta Templon Anderson; and Donna Mae Robison Higginbotham), eight grandchildren, and numerous great- and great-great grandchildren, now located in areas as diverse as the State of Washington, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington, DC.

After Pappy's death, Mom-Mom remarried. Her second husband was Charles Seibert, a childhood friend.

These photos were most likely taken in the 1950's, when Mom-Mom (a licensed practical nurse) ran a convalescent home in Lakemont, Pennsylvania and Pappy (a horse teamster and later a welder for the Pennsylvania Railroad at the Samuel Rhea shops) was a member of the local riding club and a horse show judge.

Next Snavely Reunion Date is August 6, 2006

I just received word from Carol Zangrilli that Uncle George has confirmed August 6, 2006 with Morrison's Cove Memorial Park as the date of the next reunion.

As discussed at this year's business meeting, the 2006 reunion will be a potluck affair, with all dishes shared in common! (no more table-mooching required!). Watch this blog for further word on who's bringing what (OK, we all know the Demarees are bringing KFC) so we don't end up with 50 desserts and no main courses.

Here is an alphabetized list of email contacts for the family. (Thank you Betty, for taking the time to respond with your additional contacts...have a great time in Italia!) Please feel free to add more in comments, or email them to me at rtemplon@hotmail.com.

Anderson, Joyce and John --andersonj998@aol.com
Bader, Gloria -- gjbader87@yahoo.com
Barsoum, Kristina Stacey -- KBARSOUM@umm.edu
Baus-Fromange, Sonia -- ssj442@aol.com
Davic, Betty -- edavic@kent.edu
Davic, Bob -- r_davic@yahoo.com
Davic, Melissa -- melissa_davic@yahoo.com.
Davic, Steven -- sdavic@kent.edu
Foster, Linda and Calvin -- linda.lytle-foster@gsa.gov
Hartung, Judy -- jhartung@bellatlantic.net
Higginbotham, Donna and Troy -- HTROY486@aol.com
Hitchcock, Carlene -- c_hitchcock@sbcglobal.net
Kidston, Bill -- WKidston@amsuper.com
Kidston, Erin -- ekidston@hotmail.com
Kidston, Gerri -- gkidston@csd99.k12.il.us
Kidston, Gladys -- gkidston@verizon.net
Kidston, Lisa -- lkidston@chorus.net
Kidston, Richard -- richardkidston@earthlink.net
Lolos-Brown, Lana -- Lana.Lolos-Brown@disa.mil
Lytle, Al and Diane, Tracey and Michelle Freiburg -- fishwish@starpower.net
Lytle, James and Tara, Morgan and Joanna -- jlytle510@ad.com
Lytle, John David and Christina, Lucy and Leslie -- tinalytle@aol.com
Lytle, Robert and Gloria, Kathleen, Bobby and Patrick -- gloriajlytle@comcast.net
Markel, Ruth and Jesse -- RuthandJesse@comcast.net
McGinty, Ernie -- ernie_mcginty@yahoo.com
Munchak, Ada and Steve -- Ssj442@aol.com
Pellegrino, Judy and Jim -- judyjim2@earthlink.net
Snavely, George and Laura -- Dustymack421@msn.com
Templon, John -- 38templon@cua.edu
Templon, Matthew -- matthew.templon@marquette.edu
Templon, Rod -- rtemplon@hotmail.com
Tharp, Burnace -- burnacet@aol.com
Thomas, Charlie -- CTh1173925@aol.com
Thurston, Cindy and Steve -- thurston28@comcast.net
Zangrilli, Carol -- zangrilli@infionline.net

Snavely Family Now On-Line!

I've created this blog in response to requests made during our 76th family reunion at Morrion's Cove Memorial Park, Martinsburg, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2005. I hope that this will be a place to post information and resources of interest to the whole family.

The first order of business is to collect email addresses that will facilitate "getting the word out" concerning family events. Please send your email addresses to me at rtemplon@hotmail.com, and I will post them here as they arrive. You can also include them as comments to this post.

That's all for now. Matt, Andrew and I had a great time at Martinsburg last week, and I look forward to seeing you there next year, as soon as Uncle George negotiates our date!