126th Whiteleather reunion attracts 60 family members

Special to The Alliance Review
·2 min read
The 60 Whiteleather family members who attended the 126th reunion were, front row from left, Carl Nelson, Barbara Willis Nelson, Nancy Willis Stephen, Debbie Nelson Smith, Paul Smith, Shirley Whiteleather Fox and Russ Fox; second row from left, Andy Broadbent, Kaye Momosor Broadbent, Evan Robb, Catherine Jarrett Robb, Ella Robb, Easton Robb, Esther Whiteleather, Ruth Whiteleather Orrell, Larry Orrell, Doria Davis Kisling and Lawrence Whiteleather; third row from left, Christie Summers, Paul Selig, Marie Selig, Marcia Selig Grau, Gretchen Ruester Brown, Ray Brown, Connie Whiteleather Skvir, Larry Skvir and Mandy Whiteleather; fourth row from left, Betty Whiteleather, Debbie Collen, Jordan Geisberger, Kris Pukas Geisberger, David Geisberger, Philip Crist, Lucinda Crist Summers, Kevin Crist, Megan Conrad Crist, Beau Crist; fifth row from left, Savanna Johnson, Wesley Johnson, Summer Johnson, Scarlet Johnson, Kathy Whiteleather Johnson, Leeling Ho, Brian Crist, Edna Gray Crist, Steven Crist, Emily Fox Johnson, Laney Johnson and Margie Whiteleather Wilson; sixth row from left, Glenn Whiteleather, David Hamilton, Linda Whiteleather Hamilton, Maddox French, Emmy Jones, Maezie French, Myla French, Maylenne French, Angela Wilson French, John French and Magnolia French.

Russ Fox registered attendees from Ohio, New York, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Eight others joined for brief time on Zoom from Germany, Texas, Arkansas and Ohio.

Carl Nelson, 94, of Clinton was the oldest member; and Beau Crist, the 17-month-old son of Kevin and Megan Crist of North Georgetown, was the youngest. Traveling the longest distance was Mandy Whiteleather of Providence, Rhode Island. Other out-of-state members recognized were Connie Whiteleather Skriv and Larry Skriv from Delran, New Jersey; Leeling Ho from New Hyde Park, New York. Dirk Weissleder of Laazten, Germany, attended via Zoom and invited the group to attend the German Weissleder meeting in June 2024 in Stade, which is the village where the family’s ancestor Johann Andreas Christoph Weissleder boarded a ship May 30, 1776, to sail for 127 days and land in Quebec with the British forces to fight the Colonists.

The reunion is opened to all nine branches of the nine children of Andrew and Mary. President Shirley Whiteleather Fox, of Moultrie, closed a meeting by thanking the table committee, Betty Whiteleather, Margie Whiteleather Wilson, Esther Whiteleather and Russ Fox. The newsletter will be sent next spring, and the 127th Reunion will be held in the same spot on Aug. 11, 2024.

Family information collected

Births – Ashton Jackson Grise, to Austin and Ann Schmidt Grise on Feb. 25, 2022, at White Fish, Montana; Tanner James Bevan, to Zachary and Samatha Kafer Bevan on Oct 10, 2022, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California; and Iris Diane Eggert, to Benjamin and Sarah Cooley Eggert on March 25, 2023, in Strongsville.

Marriages – Justin Scott and Kim Hobbs, Aug 14, 2015, in Welches, Oregon; and Benjamin Eggert and Sarah Cooley in September 2021 in Strongsville.

Deaths – Grace Krafft Taylor on Feb 21, 2021, in Augusta, Georgia; Michael Denniston on April 1, 2021, in Florida; Jamie Shern on May 20, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina; Melvin Kibler on Sept 11, 2022, Strongsville; Ian Trevor Givens on Oct 27, 2022, in Akron; Jeanne Bates in October 2022 in Apex, North Carolina; Dale Berger on Nov. 12, 2022, in North Georgetown; Jill Murphy Thomas on Dec 13, 2022, in Homeworth; Louise Stewart Moore on Dec 21, 2021, in Springfield, Missouri; Ron E Whiteleather on Jan 3, 2023, in Deland, Florida; Atlee Tescher on Jan 14, 2023, in Homeworth; Wayne Denny on Jan 16, 2023, in Alliance; Judith Stuckey Zwick Sebrell on Feb 21, 2023, in Minerva; Bobbi Ann Gray on April 25, 2023, in California; and Dennis Hamilton on May 2, 2023, in North Jackson.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: 126th Whiteleather reunion attracts 60 family members