The Knapp Family Association is wondering when we should plan to have the next family gathering.
Now is the time to weigh in on the question of how frequently we want to host the family gathering:
So let us know what you think!!!
Just added a Photo Gallery drop-down menu to the Reunion tab. Click on the drop-down to see all of the photographs we have posted so far!
Keep those photos, recipes and memories coming, folks! We want to sell a cookbook for the next reunion so we can continue to make this a FREE event.
I took a break from posting to this blog after the Big Event last week. But I’m back now.
I also added the descendants of our TRARES ancestors. You might want to take a peek under the Our Heritage tab at that information. It, too, is on a drop-down menu.
I am also in the process of learning how to edit the video footage I shot at the 2010 Reunion. I will be posting that to the site soon – hopefully within a week or so.
One piece of good news: Ray Knapp was discharged from the hospital last Tuesday and is recuperating at home after his stay at Robinson Memorial Hospital.
Hope you’re feeling better soon, Ray!
OK, I have to share a 2010 Knapp Family Reunion story of my own.
My stepson flew in from Atlanta last week (Thursday) so he could attend the reunion.
When he awakened on Friday morning, he had an unexpected roommate.
It seems a tree frog somehow got into his room and was “walking” all over the walls and ceiling. He (at least I think it was a “he” – how one can tell with a tree frog I don’t know) was quite a lively tree frog – and it was pretty funny watching my husband and his son both chasing the frog around the room.
Mark finally caught him and released him harmlessly in the front yard.
Now – this isn’t the first tree frog we have found in our home during the past year. In fact – it isn’t even the second. This is the THIRD tree frog we have seen inside the house.
The first one we noticed while we were sitting in the living room. Mark noticed a dark spot on the carpet. He asked me what it was, I went to look and suddenly, whatever it was – it MOVED!
A few weeks later, I was upstairs getting ready for work. Mark was making a pot of coffee in the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard Mark make a funny noise. It was the kind of noise your husband makes that you know isn’t good – like a gasping kind of noise.
I ran downstairs, “What’s the matter?”
There was a (you guessed it!) tree frog sitting perched on the kitchen faucet! Mark didn’t see it until he went to fill the coffee pot. That will wake you up pretty quick before you’ve had your first cup of joe, let me tell you!
The really funny part is that our pastor has been preaching for the past few weeks on the story about the plagues that God unleashed on Egypt after Pharoah wouldn’t let God’s people go – and, you guessed it – the second plague just happened to be frogs!
We still don’t know how the frogs are getting indoors, but hopefully we’ll figure it out.
And here is a photo that my stepson shot with his cell phone camera and emailed to me.
Click on the thumbnail photo to the left to see a larger photo of his new “roomie” who we relocated outside this week!
Have a great week!
We wish to thank everyone who attended Saturday’s 2010 Knapp Family Reunion for making it a resounding success!
Yes, Gary was right – it was a very hot day, but the Lord blessed us with a wonderful breeze and several tall trees that provided shade – and the City of Stow rented us a great covered shelter. Despite the heat, everyone had a great time!
We feasted, told stories, took photos, played games (bingo, cornhole tournaments, touch football, baseball) and laughed a lot.
John, Don, Tom, Aunt Dorothy (Bernie’s wife), Aunt Jo Ann (Ray’s wife) all shared stories of their parents and some of the funny events that happened. We would also like to extend our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Uncle Ray Knapp, who could not attend, as he was in the hospital in Ravenna.
Sunday morning the festivities continued with brunch at Mike’s Place in Kent on SR 43.
Mike’s Place was selected because it has a unique item on the premises: a real Twin Coach bus! Right inside the building and you can dine in it!
Gary and Cathy thought that was a particularly appropriate spot to have breakfast – since Twin Coach and John L. Knapp have such a long history together.
We did take some photos in front of the bus while we were there – so send them to Knapp Notes so we can post them, please!
And Gary Knapp has requested a print of the photo of John L. Knapp working on the Twin Coach bus. He intends to present it to the restaurant. Maybe the next time you dine at Mike’s Place, you just might see a photo of John L. Knapp near the bus!
The final event of this very happy weekend was the golf outing that Gary Knapp put together. Nine hardy golfers signed up for the outing.
Please email Knapp Notes with your photos so we can post them to share. We also took video of the event. Eventually, we will post that footage, too.
Please don’t stop visiting Knapp Notes – as this project won’t stop with the reunion. We will still continue to do genealogical research on both the Kline/Klein and the Knapp sides of the family. Uncle Don Knapp and his wife are traveling to Darmstadt, Germany this fall to try and pursue some Knapp descendants that are still in Germany.
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I am hoping that Uncle Don and Aunt Virginia can be persuaded to share their finding with us. Who knows? Maybe the next Knapp Reunion will have a contingent from Germany, too!
To all those who attended: God bless you all and safe travels home!
To those that couldn’t make it this year: Hope you can join us for the next one!
REFERENCES
For those that may not be aware of it, Mike’s Place is owned by Mike Kostensky. Mike is not only a successful businessman and restaurateur, but is also a local politician (a Brimfield Township trustee) AND plays in a band called American Steal.
Mike, you’re a busy guy!
Just got a nice note from Linda Knapp which contained a tribute to a member of the Knapp clan that has passed away, Norma Knapp.
Linda has shared Norma’s Company Cauliflower recipe with us. Check it out on the Recipe tab under Vegetables.
Keep those recipes coming, folks!
We want to accumulate enough of them to print a cookbook. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all those family favorites written down so your kids and grandkids can get a copy?
Have a great time at the reunion today – and like Gary says – prepare for the heat and stay safe!
Hi everyone,
Well it is just about time for the reunion. I just looked again at the forcast. WOW around 95 degrees.
Prepare! Don’t forget sunglasses and hats. We will have plenty of soda and water. However, if you want to bring anything how about more ICE.
See you anytime after 11:00
Gary
PS: It was this hot on our last reunion, remember.
Check out the Reunion tab to read a few last minute instructions from Gary Knapp, our hard-working family association president.
Go, Gary and Cathy!
Also: I placed a few new recipes out there – still need more if we’re going to offer a cookbook next year, though. So keep those photos and recipes coming, folks!
Another announcement: Mark and I purchased a new video camera so we can film at the reunion. Wait until you see the Knapp Channel on UTube!
Silver Springs Park has the Bike and Hike Trail running right beside it. For those interested in taking a walk or a bike ride, that’s a great place to do it.
Can’t wait until Saturday to see all of you there!
Best wishes and God bless you all!
Every once in awhile I amuse myself by googling “Celebrity Family Trees” and looking at family trees of the rich and famous.
It’s especially interesting if you learn that a famous person is from the same neck of the woods that some of your ancestors are – or you find a surname in their tree that you also happen to have in your background.
Then you can see if you share a common link somewhere along the line.
That’s how I learned I have some links to famous people in my own ancestry.
Frankly, I was amazed. I went into this genealogy hobby never expecting to find anything but German farmers who had emigrated to America hoping for a better life (mom’s side) and a bunch of Appalachian coalminers (dad’s side).
Well – there were some German farmers and coalminers – but there were a lot of surprises and several “a-ha” moments.
Some of the “surprises” I uncovered:
So when I found myself perusing Grace Kelly‘s family tree, I wasn’t too surprised to see a possible connection.
It seems that Grace’s mother’s side of the family hails from the same town in Germany that all of the Knapps, Andes, Mays and Guthiers came from: Heppenheim.
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Unfortunately, I haven’t gone far back enough in the Knapp line to establish exactly where the connection is between the Knapps and Princess Grace.
But you can check out Princess Grace’s family tree on your own at the link below.
Click this link to see Grace Kelly/Princess Grace of Monaco’s family tree. Notice that a Knapp and an Antes/Andes were married!
Click this link to peruse other celebrity’s family trees.
Or explore this option to learn where you might be related to famous people.
Click this link to view a video of scenes from the village in Germany where Grace Kelly’s ancestors are from: ANTES, GUTHIER, KNAPP, MAY.
I thought maybe now would be a good time to include some resources for those of you who have been bitten by the genealogy bug.
For those experienced genealogists out there, bear with me for a moment. Most of what you are about to hear you probably already know.
But to those of you who are new to this hobby, a few words about useful tools may be helpful.
I started doing genealogy in 1977 – which coincided with two important events.
First, Alex Haley’s chronicle of his hunt for his African ancestors, the blockbuster book, Roots, was made into a TV mini-series. Like thousands of other Americans, I suddenly developed a burning curiosity about all the family stories I had heard over the years and wondered if they were true.
Second, the birth of my son also happened in 1977.
There is nothing like having children to arouse your curiosity about your family history. After all, every good parent wants to be able to answer an inquisitive child’s questions. And when you start having children, you start wondering who your child resembles: does he take after Grandpa Speer? Or does she have dimples like Great Aunt Sarah?
Genealogy can supply some of the answers to those questions.
There was a third reason – I did it as a gift for my late first father-in-law. He had absolutely no clue what nationality he was, where his ancestors came from – in short, he knew nothing. And I could tell it bothered him.
His wife’s family knew their origins. He, on the other hand, couldn’t even claim an “old country” from which his family hailed.
So I set out to find what I could about his family tree. After all, it is part of my son’s inheritance, too.
Over 30 years have passed since I began this hobby.
A lot has changed – the internet has revolutionized genealogy research:
But genealogy doesn’t require a laptop, software or anything fancy. It can be started on a shoestring budget, with just a loose-leaf notebook and a pencil.
It does help to have some paper forms handy for your next trip to the library or even when you’re browsing some old newspaper obituaries.
Here are some good sources of free stuff
for beginners:
It would be great if all of the Knapp cousins could print out one of the Family Group Records and fill it out – and then bring it to the 2010 Knapp Family Reunion. I don’t have much information on the more recent generations, so it would be nice to be able to “fill in the blanks” there, too!
Happy ancestor hunting!
When I first created this site, I wasn’t sure how you would feel about sharing your family history and photos with everyone, so I password protected the Our Heritage, Document Gallery and Photo Gallery sections of this blog.
I am curious how everyone feels about letting others access this information.
So here is your chance to sound off about how you feel about the subject.
Knapp Notes 