AUGUST 2014 REUNION WRAP-UP
Sara French, Leon and Priscilla Griswold hosted a wonderful reunion in Corning, Elmira and Horseheads NY in August. Sara wrote: “ It is a pleasure to know that you all will be able to experience some of the wonderful & memorable places that are part of my parents’ heritage in the Southern Tier of NYS as well as historically important in US history. For those of you who knew my mom & dad, you will visit Elmira, NY, where both were born (there are no plaques), the library where much of their original genealogical research started, and the cemetery where my grandparents are buried.” (Sara’s parents, Robert and Esther French were GFA genealogists for many years). We honor them with the French Research Grant (see page 14)
We started on Friday in Elmira for the historic trolley tour, which included stops at the Chemung County Historical Society, the Mark Twain Study and the Christmas House, while driving my many historic buildings, Elmira College, Woodlawn Cemetery, and the Civil War Prison Camp Site. After a made-by-Sara delicious bagged lunch we were free to re-visit any sites of special interest. Friday evening we went to the Wings of Eagles Museum for a reception and presentation by the Women of Woodlawn–costumed historical interpreters from the area. The Executive Board meeting took place after that.
On Saturday morning we boarded the bus to the American Baptist Church where we will had our annual meeting and heard a presentation by Ruth Thomasian, a Griswold descendant and organizer of ProjectSAVE ( http://www.projectsave.org/about.asp) Armenian Photograph Archive. Sara says: Ruth’s work is extraordinary and I feel strongly connected to it as my parents knew & were good friends with many Armenian families in Elmira during their childhood. After a delicious lunch at the church, we got back on the bus for a trip to Corning Museum of Glass. There was much to see there, and also in the town of Corning and the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Saturday’s dinner was at Pierri’s Central Restaurant in Painted Post, NY It was a nice evening of good food and great fellowship to end our Reunion activities.