Connections Rekindled at the 77th Family Reunion

Last Saturday was the 77th Hagenbuch Reunion at Oak Grove Lutheran Church and, by most accounts, it was a success! Planning a family reunion is never simple, and then there are the aspects we cannot control: Will relatives want to come? Will we have good weather? Will everyone have a good time? This year, the answer these questions was “yes!”

People started arriving at Oak Grove around 10:30AM. In fact, a few families even beat me there! The official reunion start time was 11AM, so there was a lot of setup that needed to happen quickly. Thankfully, cousin Teresa (Hagenbuch) Hess and her husband, Neil, had already taken care of placing the tables and chairs under the pavilion. We were extremely grateful for their help.

One of the first relatives I ran into was Steve Hagenbuch, his wife April, and their three children. April makes the best, slow-cooked pork shoulder! Steve’s great grandfather is Percy Hagenbuch (b. 1880), who sparked my father Mark’s boyhood interest in genealogy. Norma Kay (Penman) Hurter and her husband, Skip, were standing nearby. Norma Kay has two Hagenbuch lines due to her great grandparents—Andrew Creveling Hagenbuch (b. 1837) and Margaret Alice Hagenbuch (b. 1843)—being 3rd cousins who married.

Soon more people began to arrive, including my aunt Barbara (Hagenbuch) Huffman, her daughter Melanie (Huffman) Claxton, and Melanie’s grown daughters Olivia and Caroline. Melanie, Olivia, and Caroline helped to register attendees, distribute handouts, and provide name tags. My sister, Julie, helped too, setting up the jars of candy and beans for the counting games. All the while, my mother, Linda (Gutshall) Hagenbuch, worked to ensure the potluck food would be ready to eat for lunch.

Andrew and Henry Hagenbuch welcome attendees of the reunion to Oak Grove Lutheran Church

Other family arrived en masse at 11AM and congregated under the pavilion. I had organized a table of artifacts with family pictures, books, and a reproduction of James “Jimmy” Hagenbuch’s D-Day uniform. As everyone met and talked, I prepared to discuss the history of the Hagenbuch Family and Oak Grove Lutheran Church.

Around 11:30AM, we moved to the church sanctuary and my four-year-old son, Henry, joined me in welcoming everyone to the reunion. In the audience, we had present descendants of three of Andreas Hagenbuch’s (b. 1715) sons: Michael (b. 1746), Christian (b. 1747), and John (b. 1763). I shared the history of the church and details about the first Hagenbuch to attend there, William Hagenbuch (b. 1807).

A tour of the Oak Grove Church cemetery was conducted and many stories were told.

Next, we headed out to the church cemetery, visited numerous gravestones, and told stories about the family members who were buried there. I noticed some family splitting off to see their loved ones at rest. Let’s remember that cemeteries are only places for the dead, if we the living don’t make an effort to visit them.

The weather was pleasant—warm and breezy—and everyone was getting hungry, so we walked back across the road to the pavilion. Lunch began and a delicious potluck meal was served. There was an abundance of homemade food to sample, including spinach dip, kale salad, ham, pork shoulder, macaroni and cheese, baked corn, relish trays, strawberry pretzel salad, chocolate peanut butter bars, and many more!

As we ate together as one family, stories were shared and memories made. Relatives who had fallen out of touch were reconnected, while new relationships were formed across family lines and generations. With our bellies full, a raffle was held and the winners of the counting games were announced. Everyone clapped as Skip Hurter won two games, taking home a jar of beans and a jar of M&Ms! With lunch over, the children took rides in a wagon and a handful of adults played a game of cornhole.

Winners of the counting games and raffle were announced

Some relatives had afternoon plans and had to leave. However, before they hit the road, a group photograph of the 45 reunion attendees was organized. The oldest family member present was Jean (Hagenbuch) Kretzing, age 90, and the youngest was Rosanna Hagenbuch, age 9 months. After the group picture was completed, Jean joined Rosanna on a blanket for a special photograph of the oldest and youngest Hagenbuchs in attendance. These two are 6th cousins twice removed!

In the afternoon, the mild weather was interrupted by a few dark clouds and a brief rainstorm. We were grateful for the pavilion, and it kept everyone dry. Everyone still there in the 3PM hour was treated to homemade Grape-nut ice cream. Of course, they first had to help crank the ice cream maker! Six quarts of ice cream were quickly consumed without any left over.

The oldest and youngest at the reunion: Jean (Hagenbuch) Kretzing and Rosanna Hagenbuch

The reunion concluded at 4PM and to those who stuck around to cleanup the space—thank you! Neil Hess, Teresa’s husband, came by to aid in the effort too. The tables and chairs were folded up and put away, while the dishes were washed and the kitchen wiped down.

After everyone else left, only my family, my mother, and my sister Julie and her family remained. It was 5PM, and we ate a few leftovers before loading up to drive home. While we were in the church basement, cousin Teresa (Hagenbuch) Hess stopped by after work. It was great to see her, and we are so very thankful for her assistance in making the reunion possible at the church!

Oak Grove Lutheran Church is where the Hagenbuchs came together in 1937 to plan the first Hagenbuch Reunion in 1938. This means the reunion has been happening for almost 90 years! After the success of this year’s reunion, I look forward to the next one in 2028. It will probably be the third or fourth Saturday of June. I hope to see all of you there!

Family group photo from the 77th Hagenbuch Reunion