Our family reunion started as the Schumacher reunion. The first family reunion was held at the home of Alice (Schumacher) Kern in 1928. No record was kept of the attendance that first year but Edna Ruth (Schumacher) Richardson -- the recording secretary from 1928 through 1952 -- stated "Just a few of our relatives did attend."
The second reunion was held at the farm of Harry Schumacher in 1929. Attendance was recorded as part of the reunion minutes starting this year. Here is the attendance for 1929 as written in the minutes:
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Schumacher, Stuart
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Schumacher, Leroy
Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Schumacher, Percy, Albert
Mr. & Mrs. Willis Schumacher
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Schumacher, Edna, Wilma Jean
Mr. & Mrs. Murray Kern, Loren, Paul, Harriet
Mr. & Mrs. Bert Kern, William, Ruth, Jesse, Merle, McKernan, Lyle, Earl, Roy, Donald, Orville
Mr. & Mrs. James Cox
Mr. & Mrs. Wilbur Cox, Wilbur Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Cox, Ruby, Stanley, James, William
Mr. & Mrs. Bert Cox
Frank Cox
Marion Cox
Albert Cox
Mr. & Mrs. Ephriam Wahl, Wilbur, Fairley, Harold
Mrs. Katie Wahl
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Wahl, Robert, Katherine
Mrs Millie Bruns, Thomas Wahl
Mr. & Mrs. Jessie Ashlock, Richard, Ruth
Mr. & Mrs. James Forsythe
For those of you who know your family history, that is a fascinating list. The majority of the folks who have attended the reunions for the last fifty years are descendants and spouses of descendants of the folks on this list. Let's explore it and the family tree a little before we go on with the reunions as such. The three main branches of the tree are Schumacher, Cox, and Wahl. The people listed below who have an asterisk (*) beside their name are the founding fathers or the earliest known ancestors of those branches in this country. The people who are on the reunion attendance list are listed below in the sequence that they appear on the list.
*Henry Charles Schumacher was born in Germany (Prussia) in 1833. He came to this country in 1849 and settled in Sangamon County, Illinois. He married Amelia Roll in 1855 and they had eight children. After Amelia died in 1878, Henry married Dora Grieme and they had five children. Henry died in 1894, the result of an accident with a run-away team of horses while plowing a field. All of the people who attended the 1929 reunion, with the exception of James Forsythe, were descendants, spouses of descendants, or the widow of Henry Charles Schumacher.
Harry Henry Schumacher, born in 1885, was the oldest son of Henry Charles and Dora Schumacher. Harry married Mae Viola Ferreira in 1908 and they had one son, Stuart, born in 1908. It was on Harry's farm that the 1929 reunion was held. Harry was elected president of the reunion and was re-elected every year thereafter until his death.
Frederick Karl Schumacher, born in 1888, was the next son of Henry Charles and Dora Schumacher. He married Addie Smith in 1911 and they had one son, Leroy, born in 1911. either the marriage year is wrong or the birth year for Leroy is wrong.
Jacob Calval Schumacher, born in 1870, was the sixth child of Henry Charles and Amelia Schumacher. Jacob married Emma Willis and they had three sons: Albert, Willis, and Percy. Willis was married by 1929 and attended the reunion with his wife Dorothy.
Robert Roy Schumacher, born in 1888, was a grandson of Henry Charles Schumacher. He was the son of Christopher William, who was born to Henry and Amelia in 1862. Robert married Nora Popp and they had three children: Edna, Wilma, and Robert.
Alice Eudora Schumacher, born in 1893, was Henry Charles Schumacher's last child. She married Murray Kern and they had three children: Murray Loren, Paul, and Harriet. It was at Alice's home that the first reunion was held in 1928.
Anna Rebecca Schumacher, born in 1891, was the third child of Henry Charles and Dora Schumacher. She married Berton Kern and they had thirteen children: William, Ruth, Jessie, McKernen, Merle, Lyle, Earl, Leroy, Orville, Donald, John, Loretta, and Joe.
*Robert M. Cox was born in 1810 or 1811 in Kentucky. He married Frances A. Garrison and they had seven children: Melvina D., Franklin C., James Russell, Mary Jane, William, George W., and Samuel.
James Russell Cox was born around 1852-1853. He married Sarah Emelie Schumacher. Sarah was born in 1859 to Henry and Amelia Schumacher. James and Sarah had two sons: Fred Earl, and Bert F..
Wilbur Jacob Cox was the grandson of Robert M. Cox. He was the third of five children of Franklin C. Cox and Mary Mahale Schumacher. Mary was born in 1864 and was the daughter of Henry and Amelia Schumacher. Wilbur married Mary Baze and they had five children: Wilbur Jr., Paul, Mary, Gary, and Rita.
Fred Earl Cox was the grandson of Robert M. and Frances A. Cox. He was born in 1885 to James and Sarah Cox. Fred married Addie Hinds and they had four children: Ruby Amilia, Stanley Wilbur, James Russell, and William Earl.
Bert F. Cox was also a grandson of Robert M. and Frances A. Cox. He was born in 1882 to James and Sarah Cox. He married Margaret Searcy. They had no children.
Franklin C. Cox was born in 1859 or 1860 to Robert M. and Frances A. Cox. He married Mary Mahale Schumacher in 1883. Mary was born in 1864 to Henry Charles and Amelia Schumacher. Frank and Mary had five children; Marion, Clarence Oliver, born in ; Wilbur Jacob, Albert B., and Helen Viola.
*George Jacob Wahl was born in Germany around 1820. He was probably a widower at least once, and perhaps twice. He came to America somewhere between 1853 and 1858. The name of his first wife in Germany is not known. Whether she died in Germany, on the way to America, or after she arrived in America is also not known. The oldest son, Henry, was born in Germany in 1853. George Jacob Wahl married Mary Shafer in Sangamon County. They had four children. Charles was born in 1858. A daughter, S. Mincy, was born in 1860. George was born in 1863 and Jacob was born in 1864. George Jacob Wahl had a total of thirteen children. His third wife and family will be discussed in a couple of minutes.
Jacob Wahl married Katherine Malinda Schumacher in 1886. Katherine was born in 1867, the daughter of Henry Charles and Amelia Schumacher. Jacob and Katherine had seven children: Mildred Ellen, born in 1886; Charles Henry, born in 1889; Hallie Ephriam, born in 18 ; Alva Allen, Truman Vernon, born in ; Genevieve Elton, and Walter William. Jacob died in 1918.
Hallie Ephriam Wahl married Edna Morgan. They had six children: Garrett Vernon, Wilbur Woodrow, Fairley Eugene, Harold Wayne, born in 1921; Mildred, born in 19 ; and Vera.
The Mrs. Katie Wahl that is listed in the attendance is Jacob Wahl's widow, Katherine Malinda.
Charles Henry Wahl, son of Jacob and Katherine Wahl, married Maude Greenwood. They had four children, Robert Earl and Katheryn Laverne and two others which died in infancy.
Mildred Ellen (Millie) Wahl was the oldest child of Jacob and Katherine Wahl. She had one son, Thomas Vaughn, born in 1904. She is the Millie Bruns listed in the attendance.
Genevieve Elton Wahl, the daughter of Jacob and Katherine Wahl, married Jessie Ashlock in 1924 and they had three children; Richard Allen, Ruth Eleanor, and Lois Marilyn,
After Henry Charles Schumacher's death, his widow, Dora, married James Forsythe.
That completes the background for the list of attendees in 1929. As I said earlier, the majority of the folks who have attended the reunions for the last fifty years are descendants and spouses of descendants of the folks on this list. And all of them are descendants of Henry Charles Schumacher.
Now let's look at that third family
of George Jacob Wahl. I have written in the past that no one from that branch of the family has ever attended a
Cox-Wahl reunion. That statement was made based on two things.
1: The family reunion started as the Schumacher reunion and no member of George Jacob Wahl's third family qualified.
2: No one from that family who attended any of the Cox-Wahl reunions signed the guest book.
I have since heard from two cousins from lineage of George Jacob Wahl's third family that in fact they did attend some of the
early Cox-Wahl reunions. I believe the reason that more of them did not attend is the simple fact that cousins lost touch with
each other over the years. Some parts of the George Jacob's family did not even know about the others.
Why would it be appropriate for them to attend the
Cox-Wahl reunions? Ahhh, the most interesting
question of all. George Jacob Wahl became a widower at least once. It is
probable that he became a widower twice. Whichever
is the case, his final wife whom he married February 20, 1865, was Melvina D.
Cox, the oldest daughter of Robert M. and
Frances A. Cox. The descendants of that union are truly eligible to attend the
Cox-Wahl reunions! However, as I stated
above, very few of them have ever attended. George Jacob and Melvina Wahl had eight
children born from 1865 to 1885. They were Sarah
E., Loatta, Cora, Louis Sylvester, James Alfred, Florence Ella, Harry Edward,
and John Barry.
Let's review the patriarchs and marriages again to show how the families of Cox, Wahl, and Schumacher became related. The patriarchs are Henry Schumacher, Robert M. Cox, and George Jacob Wahl. The marriages are: George Jacob Wahl married Malvina D. Cox in 1865; James Cox married Sarah Schumacher in 1881; Frank Cox married Mary Schumacher in 1883; Christopher Schumacher married Mary Jane Cox in 1885; Jacob Wahl married Katherine Malinda Schumacher in 1886.
A new tradition was started with the 1930 reunion. This was the first reunion to be held in a public park rather than at someone's home. It was held in Washington Park in Springfield. For a long time, the family wasn't sure which park they liked best. Each year they voted where to meet the following year. All of the Springfield parks -- Washington, Lincoln, Bunn, Douglas, and Lake Springfield parks -- were tried. Nichols Park in Jacksonville was chosen four times and one year the reunion was held at Manners Park in Taylorville. The longest consecutive years at one site was thirteen years at Douglas Park starting in 1953.
At the same time that they were voting on the next year's location, the family also voted on what date to meet.
The 1930 reunion also saw the establishment of an organization. For the first time, officers were elected. Harry Schumacher was elected president, Bert Cox was elected vice president, and Edna Schumacher was elected treasurer and secretary. Harry Schumacher remained president until his death in 1970.
1931 Monkeys in Nichols Park
1932 Entertainment was singing by "Austin and Dragoo of the Pawnee Four". An entertainment committee was appointed for 1933. Members were Willis Schumacher, Fred Cox, Eph Wahl, Tom Wahl.
1933 Table committee of six appointed
1934 First recorded death; Fred Cox. First photograph. It cost 50 cents. First collection was $1.01.
1935 "Though the shifting winds have brought to our state, The dust of the west and left it at our gate." The table committee was disbanded but two people were appointed to ask the park caretaker to reserve a table. For the first time, the count stated number of visitors as well as relatives.
1936 Table committee re-instated. Music committee & game committee. First year that cards were sent. Second death recorded was James Cox.
1942 Thirteen relatives in military.
1943 Fourteen relatives in military.
1944 Maude Wahl's son-in-law killed in action.
1945 Merle Kern and Harold Simon killed in action.
1947 Family feud
1948 Reunion split.
1949 "Due to a polio epidemic, any gatherings in public parks were banned."
1950 Edna Schumacher, the secretary/treasurer did not attend and no minutes were kept.
1963 Edna Schumacher retired as sec/treas.
1970 Harry Schumacher died. Reunion held at Jake Lyons home because of bad weather.
1978 Not held due to death of Jessie Neaville day before reunion was scheduled.
1979 Last minutes. Harriet Council brought old pictures of the first reunion and others.
In 1947, a family feud erupted. Different families probably have different versions of what happened. In our family, we were told that there were two reasons for splitting the reunion apart. One reason was that Harry Schumacher was always elected as president and therefore no one else was given the opportunity. (The reunion minutes show that Harry Schumacher was elected as president from 1930, the first year officers were elected, until the year he died). The second reason for splitting the reunion apart was even more notable. In 1947, the Schumacher family bought ice cream and refused to share it with the Cox and Wahl families! The minutes of the 1947 reunion indicate that in fact no ice cream at all was purchased and this caused a very heated argument. Sadly, starting in 1948, the branches of the family decided to have separate reunions. The Schumacher-Kern branch continued as the Schumacher reunion. The Cox-Wahl branch became the Cox reunion. I was a young boy at the time of the split and did not understand why we could not all get together like before. All these years later I still don't understand it. However, in doing the family genealogy, I did learn the real reason for the split. Some members of the Cox and Schumacher families did not get along. At one point in the 1930's, a couple of them were arrested for fighting with each other. Apparently, the bad feelings never healed.
In 1950, the Cox reunion became the Cox-Wahl reunion "in order to distinguish it from other Cox reunions." The last Schumacher reunion for which minutes was kept was held in 1979.
As far as I know, the 41st year's reunion was unique for two reasons. For the first time since the 1948 split, we had some
folks from the other half of the family attending the Cox-Wahl reunion. And, for the first time ever, some Wahl families attended who were not descendants of Jacob Wahl -- they were descendants of his brother George Wahl.
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