The *rner Genealogy Project | The 2002 Arner family reunion.

The 2002 ARNER Reunion

& Memorial Dedication

24-25 August 2002

A regional map showing major highways (the 2002 reunion was held in the pink-highlighted area)

The Arner Family History Auto Tour (Saturday morning):

NOTES: The locations for the tour were selected because:

1. Except for New Goschenhoppen Church (which was not close enough to drive to within the time allotted), Heidelberg and Neffs Churches are the first two churches that Arner family members are known to have been regular members of.

2. Felix² Arner’s gravestone at Neffs Church is, by far, the oldest known surviving Arner family gravestone in America (and probably in the whole world).

3. Felix² Arner’s homestead is the oldest known surviving Arner family building in America.

A map of the tour that you can use to visit the same locations that we did [includes directions on how to get there].

Signing up for the tour, in the rain. (photo by Judy McElderry).

The first stop: Heidelberg Church and old cemetery:

The tour group arrives at Heidelberg Church, in the rain. (photo by Don Arner).

History of Heidelberg Church [external link, on the Heidelberg Church website.]

Photo of Heidelberg Church (photo by Joseph Erner).

Another photo of Heidelberg Church (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Photo of the cornerstone (photo by Joseph Erner).

Photo of the sanctuary (photo by Joseph Erner).

Photo of the pipe organ and loft (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk)

Photo of the old Heidelberg Cemetery (photo by Joseph Erner). The Arner Memorial is the reddish stone almost exactly in the center of the picture.

[NOTE: Close-up photos of the Arner Memorial Stone are posted in the Memorial Dedication section, below.]

I also pointed out the gravestone of Bernhard Jacob Rex, who married Anna Elisabetha Orner. [NOTE: At the time of the reunion, I thought that this gravestone (plus the fact that this Jacob and Elisabetha (Orner) Rex were actually baptismal sponsors for an Arner family child in Heidelberg) was the magic button to connect all of the early Arner and Orner immigrants, but I now think that it was just one of those “million-to-one” coincidences that do sometimes happen.] [In any case, to find Jacob’s stone: While standing at the Arner stone, look south and you will see a tree right at the edge of the cemetery, next to Church Road. His stone is the third one in, in the row of gravestones right under the tree.]

A photo of Jacob Rex’s stone (photo by Joseph Erner).

Another photo of Jacob Rex’s stone (photo by Joseph Erner). [NOTES: This picture was digitally enhanced. A new high-resolution scan won’t match it exactly. I exposed the first photo for the stone, and the second one for the plaque. I can scan either one to highlight either the stone or the plaque, but not both at the same time. The gravestone inscription, which is still readable after 200 years (but only with difficulty), shows up better in the first photo.]

The second stop: Felix Arner’s homestead:

[NOTE: I didn’t do a handout for this stop, because David Semmel, the owner (and one of our speakers at the reunion) already had a presentation ready for our visit.] [Further Important Note: This building is located on private property. David Semmel, the owner, has gone out of his way to work with Arner descendants, but please show him the proper courtesy of asking permission first. Besides, if you call him or knock on his door first, he might just have the time to give you the full story of the property.] [2009 Update: Unfortunately, David Semmel passed away on 26 March 2009 at age 83. I don’t know if his widow will continue to live in their house, or what will happen there.]

The tour group arrives at Felix’s homestead (photo by Don Arner).

David Semmel (far right) giving the history of Felix’s house (photo by Joseph Erner).

Looking at the inside of the building (photo by Don Arner).

A view from the back of the building (photo by Don Arner).

A close-up of the old front of the house (photo by Joseph Erner).

A close-up of the side (now rear) of the house (photo by Joseph Erner).

The third stop: Neffs Church and old cemetery:

History of Neffs (Schlosser’s) Church, a handout that I wrote for the tour.

Photo of Neffs Church (photo by Joseph Erner).

The tour leader [me] giving his presentation (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk)

Two photos to help you locate Felix’s gravestone (photos by Joseph Erner):

View from Neffs-Laurys Road, looking north. [Felix’s stone is the second from the right, just in front of the tree (from this angle).]

View from the north side of the old cemetery, looking south toward the church. [Felix’s stone is in the bottom-right corner of the picture.]

Close-up photos of Felix’s gravestone (photos by Joseph Erner):

The front. [Most of the inscription is slightly more readable in this photo, but a few letters here and there are more readable in the next photo.]

The front from another angle. [This is like looking at the stone from different angles, just as you would do if you were there, trying to read the inscription.]

The back.

A transcription and translation of the inscription on Felix’s gravestone (from Jeff Minnich).

These are higher resolution versions of my gravestone photos that are suitable for printing on any high-quality inkjet printer. [Each file is about 1½ Mb; takes about 4 minutes to download on a dial-up connection; will print a 4"x6" picture at 300dpi (or an 8"x12" picture at 150dpi)]:

The first photo.

The photo from a different angle.

I hope that this virtual tour has given you the feeling of actually being with us. But you won’t get the whole experience unless you’re damp and holding an umbrella while looking at these photos. LOL

The Arner Family Reunion (Saturday afternoon):

These are the two genealogical/historical handouts that I brought to the reunion:

First Known ARNER Settlers in each County [last updated 04 August 2005].

The Arner family in the early Lehigh County Churches.

The old covered bridge on the road to the reunion site (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

The Reunion Committee at the Reunion [“After touching these animals, please use the waterless hand sanitizer” (LOL). NOTE: this photo was not staged. We didn’t notice the sign until we went through our photos after the reunion.] (Photo by David W. Arner) [Left to Right: Joe Erner (me), Don Arner, Judy McElderry, Frank Warner, Sarah Peveler, Minerva Arner.]

The first speaker, Troy Boyer (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Listening to Troy Boyer (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

The second speaker, David Semmel (photo by Judy McElderry).

Another photo of David Semmel speaking (photo by Don Arner).

The children fishing for gift packages (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Checking out the migration map display (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Checking out the old photos display (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Minerva serving the shoofly pie (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Going through the chow line for the reunion dinner (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

Carl and Minerva, and Pat [from “Catering by Pat”], all beaming away (photo and title by Judy McElderry).

Francis Arner (I think) chooses the afghan as his prize (photo and title by Judy McElderry).

Minerva's daughter-in-law choosing her prize (photo by Judy McElderry).

A link to all of Jack and Diana McGurk’s photos from the whole weekend.

The official Reunion Group Photo (photo by Don Arner). [This file will print a 10"x8" picture at 200dpi.]

Another group photo (photo by Joseph Erner). [This file will print a 10"x4" picture at 150dpi.]

Download a medium-resolution version of this photo [2¼ Mb; takes about 6 or 7 minutes to download on a dial-up connection; will print a 10"x4" picture at 300dpi. Good for most inkjet printers.]

Download a high-resolution version of this photo [7.4 Mb; takes about 25 minutes to download on a dial-up connection; will print a 10"x4" picture at 600dpi (or a 20"x8" picture at 300dpi, etc). Mainly good for photo-quality inkjets and color laser printers (or you can take a digital version of this file to any good photo printing shop).]

A story about the 2002 reunion, written by Sarah Peveler for her family.

The Arner Memorial Dedication (Sunday morning):

Getting ready for the big day [before the reunion]:

Unloading the stone (photo by Judy McElderry).

Setting the stone [“David Arner (blue shirt), Steven Snyder (the stone-cutter, white shirt), and Lynn Peters on his magic moving-machine set the stone down for a check before the final drop”] (photo and inscription by Judy McElderry).

Leaving the church after attending morning service (photo by Joseph Erner).

Reverend David Tietje performs the Dedication Ceremony (photo by Don Arner).

Another photo of Reverend Tietje (photo by Joseph Erner). [NOTE: This picture was digitally enhanced (but just to match the original photo). A new high-resolution scan won’t match it exactly, but a photo reprint from the original negative will.]

The Dedication Ceremony (photo by Don Arner).

Another view of the Ceremony (photo by Joseph Erner).

A third view of the Ceremony (photo by Joseph Erner).

A fourth view of the Ceremony (photo by Joseph Erner). [Judy reads the inscription on the stone.]

A fifth view of the Ceremony (photo by Joseph Erner).

Lunch at the Heidelberg Church (photo by Don Arner).

The Arner Memorial Stone (photo by Joseph Erner). [This photo accentuates the color of the stone.]

Download a higher resolution version of this photo. [Almost 2Mb; takes about 6 minutes to download on a dial-up connection; will print a 10.5"x7" picture at 300dpi.]

Another photo of the Memorial Stone (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk).

A close-up photo of the inscription (photo by Jack and Diana McGurk) [NOTE: Diana’s photos show the inscription much better than my photo does. (I should have waited until the sun was higher. )]

The Reunion Committee at the Memorial (photo by Don Arner). [Left to Right: Joe Erner (me), Judy McElderry, Frank Warner, Sarah Peveler, Don Arner, Minerva Arner. (I always stand on the left side of the picture, so that my name gets listed first. LOL Just kidding; we were placed by the photographers, and it was just a coincidence. However, I wish that I had thought of it. )]

The after-reunion get-together, at the Blue Mountain Winery near New Tripoli, Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (photo by Beth Snyder).

Stories and photos from the 2004 Arner Reunion.

A story about the 2002 and 2004 reunions, written by Judy McElderry and posted on the Pennsylvania Tourism website.

Some photographs and newspaper articles of previous Arner reunions.

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The 2002 Arner family reunion. Last revision: 20 Jul 2009

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IMPORTANT NOTE: All of the photographs linked to from this page are copyrighted by the photographers. However, unlimited reproduction rights for personal use only are hereby granted to all attendees at the 24-25 August 2002 Arner Family Reunion and Memorial Dedication, and to all descendants of Hans Ulrich and Verena (Eberhardt) Arner. Selling copies of the photos, or any other commercial use of them, is strictly prohibited without written permission from the photographer.