A century of reunions keeps family's 'rare and precious' connection thriving
Some families hold reunions once a year. Not the Leonhardts. They’ve been reuniting almost monthly since 1922. And they have the records to prove it.
On Aug. 6, the female descendants of seven Leonhardt sisters celebrated a century of togetherness with a party at the Ohio State University Faculty Club. About 50 people attended, some from as far away as Florida.
The family history in America began in 1871 when Magdalena Zimpfer married Ferdinand Frederick Leonhardt in Columbus. Both had emigrated with their families from Germany on the same ship in 1862.
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A few years after Magdalena died, the family gathered for a birthday party for her sister, Clara, in February 1922.
“Such a good time was had at this meeting that they decided to form a club and have regular meetings,” a family historian wrote later. And they did mean regular. The club has 100 years' worth of handwritten minutes from its monthly meetings.
The club is named Facire (a mashup of “family” and “circle”). Reports on its meetings began appearing in the society pages of The Dispatch in 1923.
In the early years, the husbands of some of its members would gather to drink beer in the basement while the women held club upstairs. But it eventually evolved into an all-female organization with the occasional male visitor.
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Newborn daughters are in the club before they realize it. But they don’t fully arrive until they become mature enough to join in a family card game known as 500 bid, which some members describe as “glorified euchre” and others as not quite bridge.
When those little girls grow to adulthood, they tend to realize this family has something special going.
“We knew if we didn’t keep this connection we would likely see these cousins only for wedding or funerals,” said Kathy Wilkinson of Mansfield, the current club president.
At Facire’s 100th anniversary celebration at the Faculty Club, family historian Faye Herriott read selections from the minutes, including these:
“A few invigorating drinks were passed around, making everyone feel in the highest of spirits" (1930).
“Margaret Zimpfer was selected secretary with one dissenting vote — her own” (1960).
“Dues 10 cents a month” (1922).
Neither the Depression nor World War II stopped the meetings, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a move to Zoom for a time.
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“It’s really precious,” said Helen Short, who married into Facire membership when she wed a Leonhardt descendant. “It’s not just ‘We don’t want to disappoint grandma.’ We wanted to continue because of how rare it is and how precious it is.”
These days the club meets 10 months a year, skipping January (because of weather) and November (because of the business of the holiday season).
Currently, the club is planning its annual Christmas party, traditionally the largest gathering of the year and often highlighted by skits, songs and other entertainment centering on the family history.
You can bet someone will be taking minutes.
Joe Blundo is a Dispatch columnist.
@joeblundo
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Facire, club of female relatives, has been meeting for 100 years
