Lunenburg 250 Anniversary

LUNENBURG's 250th ANNIVERSARY
GRAND FAMILY REUNION

July 10 - 14, 2003

The Foreign Protestants, as they've been called, were fleeing tough times when about 2230 of them left their homes in Switzerland, France, and parts of Germany in the early 1750s and landed in Halifax.

In June of 1753, about 1453 of these settlers were transferred to Lunenburg to establish the community.

The Grand Family Reunion was planned as part of Lunenburg’s 250th Anniversary Celebrations and intended to bring together those interested in the Family history (genealogy) of Lunenburg’s settlers.

In 2003, about 1453 descendants of the founding settlers arrived to participate in the Reunion.

Coincidence? Destiny?

This revised page hopefully will help keep the fond memories alive through images taken by a wide variety of photographers.

Here are two signs on Highway 103 directing you to the best place on earth!

photo - Sandra Town

photo - Barb Peart

The first welcome from the town with the official Town Logo.

photo - Barb Peart

Here is the actual waterfront scene used as an inspiration for the Logo.

photo - Ken Hubley

So, now you are in Lunenburg.
Here is how the harbour looked in 2001.

photo - Chris Young

The big red building on the waterfront to the left is the Fisheries Museum (and upstairs the offices of the South Shore Genealogical Society).

On the top of the hill to the left is the Lunenburg Academy (main venue for the first three days).

The Bluenose II is berthed near the smaller red building toward the centre.

Behind the black schooner at anchor is the shipyard where Bluenose and Bluenose II (among many other schooners, includidng the Irene Mary named after Chris Young's mother) were built.

The dip in the land to the right is where the first settlers came ashore (Rous's Brook).

The hill to the right is where the Garden Lots were located.

If you wish a larger view of the harbour Click Here.

This is why we came.

photo - Lana Veinotte

But first, make sure that you ...

photo - Barb Peart

The first destination was the Lunenburg Academy.
Built in 1895, it was the main venue for the first three days of the event.

Lunenburg Academy photo - Lana Veinotte photo - Marlene Hewitt

Once inside the school, the first stop was the Registration Room.

Here are some of those who registered.

GRAND REUNION PROGRAM
DAY	EVENT	VENUE
Thursday Friday Saturday 9am - 5pm	Meet, Greet & Hug all your cousins This was an opportunity to exchange family history. Tables were set up in class rooms to act as focal points for many of the families. Here are most of the families who had booked tables Here are pictures of some of the families who hosted the tables	Academy
Saturday 2 pm	Unveiling of Foreign Protestant Monument.	Blockhouse Hill
Sunday 1 pm and 3:30 pm	Bus Tours of area to show locations of 30 acre farm lots	Out and about 100 km
Sunday 7:30 pm	Ecumenical Church Service	Zion Lutheran Church
Monday 9-5 pm	Seminars with noted genealogists, historians and folklorists	Community Centre

Finally, here are some Miscellaneous Photos taken at the Reunion.

There were numerous examples of chance meetings and conversations
whose impact will never be forgotten.
Here are some of those Magic Moments for you to enjoy.

Events like the Grand Family Reunion don’t just happen.
They work because of the selfless dedication of volunteers and paid individuals.
Here are the ones who should be thanked.

Thanks to Deb Wilson, we set up an
on-line store where you can purchase Reunion-Related Souvenirs.
Part of the profit comes back to the Reunion.
This service is still available.

One event that many of us had to miss on June 7, 2003
was the re-enactment of the arrival of the First Settlers.

Thanks to the marvel of modern technology and its application by
Linda Mason, Lana Veinotte, and Rick & Barb Peart
we can take you back to that day.
Enjoy.

In 2000, we held a contest to choose a Logo for our celebrations.
Here is the winner designed by Bryan Keddy.

The design was based on the schooner Larinda,
which was built to conform to schooners dating about 1767 in Boston.
The Larinda was in Halifax when Hurricane Juan roared through in November 2003.
Unfortunately she sank at her moorings. Fortunately she is being refitted.
This picture was taken August 2, 2004 during the Tall Ship Parade of Sail in Halifax Harbour.

Interestingly, the logo is somewhat similar to the coin issued for Lunenburg's 150th Anniversary.

Thanks to Cathy DiPietro for recently unearthing it and providing the photo.

Thanks to Randy Larsen, the coin for the 200th Anniversary has also been unearthed.

The coin issued for Lunenburg's 225th Anniversary turned up at Gwen Christie's mom's home.
Thanks to Rick Peart for scanning it.

Finally, here is the pin issued issued for Lunenburg's 250th Anniversary. It is the size of a quarter.

One of our prominent genealogists who attended the Reunion, Don SHANKLE, passed away on January 1, 2004.
See his In Memoriam page.

LUNENBURG BOOKS FOR SALE
Title	CD Price	Paper Price
Maps Associated With Lunenburg County Family History by J Christopher Young (Details Here)	$10	$15
Register of The Foreign Protestants of Nova Scotia by Winthrop Bell (Details Here)	$30	$80
European Origins and Colonial Travails: the Settlement of Lunenburg edited by Paul B. and Eva Maria Huber (Contact editors Here)	.	$58 shipping included

Unless specified otherwise, shipping is not included in the books above and below.

BOOKS on LUNENBURG FAMILIES FOR SALE
Title	CD Price	Paper Price
BACHMAN Genealogy by Sherry & Robert Comeau (Details Here)	$25	$35
Under the Shade of the FADER Family Tree by Jean Tavanaee (Contact author Here)	-	$65
Descendants of Ulrich HUBLEY of Nova Scotia by Robert Crowther (Contact Maxine (Hubley) Pastirik Here)	-	$50
Andreas JUNG and his YOUNG Descendants by J Christopher Young and Clyde G Westhaver (Contact author Here)	-	$30
KAYSER Genealogy by Sherry & Robert Comeau (Details Here)	$35	$50
NOWE (NAU) Genealogy By Betty Rhodenizer (Contact author Here)	-	$50
RHODENIZER Genealogy By Betty Rhodenizer (Contact author Here)	.	$80

There are a variety of Other BOOKS on Lunenburg's history and people available.
This link will take you to a listing of what is available and where to order.

Chris Young has a new book underway, tentatively titled
"Families of Lunenburg County ca 1880".
Click Here for a description.
Publication date probably not until 2005.

Last update 21 August 2004.

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