Reesor Family in Canada Reunion 2000 Report

June 24 and 25, 2000

It was a great week-end. Over 2300 Reesor cousins registered for the Reunion at the Markham Fair grounds on Saturday. They shared a delicious Beef BBQ at noon and visited and visited and visited. President Ashmore Reesor welcomed the cousins in a short program at 1:30 p.m. Brian Risser brought greetings from the Risser cousins in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The guest speaker, Colin Reesor, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from Walkerston, complemented the family on its ‘breeding record’ (genealogy book) and suggested modern DNA science will be able to follow the family in even greater detail. Colin is a son of Austin Reesor who was so diligent in photographing the Reesor history over many years.

Amos Reesor of Parkview Clusters, Stouffville, was the oldest male cousin present. He was born in 1901. Ruby Reesor, born in 1902, was the oldest female. Ruby now lives at Markhaven Nursing home, Markham. Mitchell Deguere, the six days old son of Pam (Ogden, Smith) and Stephen Deguerre, Cannington, Ontario, was the youngest Reesor. The distinction of coming the farthest went to John Hooper, Smigginholes, Australia.

The highlight of the day was clearly the release of the new 2000 Reesor Family in Canada genealogy book. This 950 page book lists over 23,000 Reesor Cousins, all descending from the family of Christian and Fanny Reesor who arrived in Markham with their family in 1804. This book shows Reesors have a presence in every province of Canada, every state of the USA and in 47 other countries around the world. Over 1000 copies of the new book went out the doors on Saturday. Other memorabilia included an eighteen-month calendar with photos of old Reesor homesteads, a Reesor Family in Canada video, a mug, a plate, a bell, a tote-bag and a number of Russell Reesor’s famous walking sticks.

On Sunday morning members of the Reesor clan joined the service at Rouge Valley Mennonite church on the Peter Reesor Homestead on Reesor Road in Cedar Grove. A full house enjoyed the beautiful four-part singing of the congregation and the choir.

A highlight of the week-end was the dedication of the new gates that provide access to the Reesor Pioneer Cemetery on the Christian Reesor homestead on Reesor Road, north of Highway 7. President Ashmore Reesor welcomed the family and Paul Mingay formally dedicated the gates. A group of Reesor children swung the gates open for the Reesor cousins to walk along the new roadway to visit around the freshly painted cemetery fence that surrounds the 28 grave sites. This beautiful sunny day created a very nostalgic atmosphere as people gathered on the banks of the Little Rouge River to remember and talk about the life and hardships of their ancestors.

It was a wonderful week-end that will long be remembered in the minds of those who came. Congratulations to the Reunion Committee for organizing this successful millennium family gathering.


Copyright © 2000 The Reesor Family in Canada Genealogical and Historical Society Incorporated
Markham, Ontario,     e-mail: < cousin@reesorfamily.on.ca>