52 Ancestors - Week 26- Family Gathering

52 Ancestors – WEEK 26 – Family Gathering

By Cynthia Keefer Patton

I am working on planning, organizing, and enjoying a family gathering. My older brother David turns 70 on July 26th and my siblings and I have decided to celebrate it in Minneapolis, Minnesota this year.

We booked a large AirBnB in St. Paul and I am excited for the beautiful kitchen where we will be able to gather around and make old family favorites and try some new recipes.

Food--is always the centerpiece when my family gets together. Whether it is Thanksgiving or a casual weekend, almost the first topic of conversation when we walk into the house is "where are we eating dinner tonight?" or "are we going to the grocery store and cooking here?"

My youngest brother Scott was a professional chef for many years, but the rest of us are pretty good cooks, specializing in either regional cuisine, organic food, baking bread, or vegetarian specialties. It makes for an interesting cornucopia of delights!

When we were young, our parents would road trip us from our Southern home in Atlanta to the ancestral places in western Pennsylvania (Washington, Pittsburgh, Mount Pleasant, and Connellsville) in July. My father's birthday was July 1st, so we would combine the visit with the 4th of July and it was a great time when many people were off from work. We would gather with cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. There was always an abundance of food.

As we age, it is harder and harder to gather, with competing work schedules and health issues that are beginning to limit our options. But I am looking forward to the genealogy value of our time together and plan to share my latest research discovers and try and talk some people into doing DNA tests I need for future projects.