MakiPalooza Family Reunion

Official MakiPalooza 2014 tee shirt
"Because we don't look nearly as crazy next to our relatives"

This reunion wasn’t the first.  While my hubby’s grandfather Emil Maki (1885-1978) was alive there were annual family gatherings over Memorial Day weekend that coincided with his birthday. Emil’s five children and their families would gather round for an afternoon of fun, games and of course great food. 

Gen X in training for their turn at hosting a family reunion

Occasionally there would be another family get-together during the summer at Emil’s youngest daughter’s cottage on Seneca Lake.  Besides the usual laughter, chatter and picnic, family members had a chance to enjoy the lake.

Alas, those gatherings became less after Emil passed and as his children aged and then faded away.

One of the last Maki family gathering with Emil's children
Mecklenburg, New York

A few years ago the baby boom generation hosted a gathering at the Baptist Church hall in Newfield, NY.  Although great to see everyone, the gathering didn’t have the same ambiance as in the past when kids could run in the yard, and we would feast on Uncle George’s barbeque chicken. 

Many years has passed until this summer when the Gen X family members took charge and hosted a hugely successful reunion week on the shores of Lake Champlain.  The setting was spectacular, the food delicious, and games of CornHole keep everyone laughing as beanbags flew through the air to yells of success and groans of defeat.  From 4:00 to 8:00 we were serenaded by the lovely voice of American Idol Season 9 contestant Ben Bright. He sang happy birthday to several of us … including moi.

Our immediate family has grown and with marriages and partnerships we had at least eleven surnames representing nationalities including Finland, Ireland, England, Poland, and the Virgin Islands. It was rewarding to see millenials who met for the first time and immediately became best friends.  

Another MakiPalooza reunion is scheduled for 2016, and I know everyone is excited to get together again. 

Funeral Card Friday - Eva Nara Maki

The spring of 1945 was late coming.  Snowfall had been relentless and may have played a small part in Eva’s steadfast decision to remain at home when she contracted pleurisy.  But in reality, her concern was most probably the cost of hospitalization; a cost that would have been prohibitive for this subsistence farm family.

Eva Nara was born in Tornio, Finland to Iisakki and Kaisa Kreeta Alanara.  Eva’s nine siblings were: Hilda Maria (died age of two years), Hilta Karoliina (died at one year), Hans Wiljami (died at 6 months), Hans August (died at five years), Anna, Alma, Iisakki Wilho, Juho Petteri, and Kreeta Amanda.

Eva emigrated in 1906 on the SS Victor out of Liverpool, England when she was twenty years old.  By 1907 she was working at the Spaulding Hotel in Duluth, Minnestota where she met her soul mate, Emil (Tenkula) Maki. They were married on July 14, 1908.

Eva Nara and Emil (Tenkula) Maki
abt 1908

Eva’s sister, Anna, married John Helsiva and they settled just several miles away from Eva and Emil on Van Kirk Road in Newfield, NY.

So on March 13, 1945, the family took Eva's body by sled to the point where the Town of Newfield had brought out men to shovel the road in order to remove Eva’s body. 

Wedding Wednesday - Family Lines Continued

Not a thought was given to the rich family history being united on this wedding day.

From left front row: Carol Agard Nunn, Mary Nunn Maki, Ray Maki, Kathryn Cutter Maki, Elmer Maki; from left back row: Ed Nunn, Merritt and Maude Hardenbrook Agard, Mary Doyle Nunn, Emil Maki; behind Ed is Martha Cutter.

When my mother-in-law passed away on May 4, we inherited her remaining photo albums, scrapbooks and journals.  Going through her albums, my husband pulled out our wedding picture and said, “Except for us, everyone else is gone.”  That statement confirmed for me why we work so hard on researching and documenting our family lines.

What we didn’t know on our wedding day was:

·      Ray’s grandfather’s name wasn’t originally Maki; it was Tenkula. Emil Tenkula emigrated from Finland in 1904 to escape serving in the Russian army. He came to the U.S. through Canada and worked in the Hibbing, Minnesota mines where he changed his name to “Maki” to make sure he got his paycheck. It was there he met Eva Nara.

·      Merritt Agard’s mother, Jessie Tucker Agard’s ancestors go back to Rev. John Lowthropp who was jailed at Newgate prison in London for religious reasons. Upon arriving in the new world abt. 1634 he documented much of Barnstable’s early history and his Bible resides in the Sturgis Library there.  The founding member of the Agard family was actually Esther, wife of John. She was six months pregnant when she arrived on the shores of Massachusetts in 1683. John died just upon or before arrival.  Esther arrived in New England just seven years after the horrible and deadly King Philip’s War.

·      Carol Agard Nunn wanted to be a dress designer. That dream was set aside to get married, raise three children and operate what became a renowned Ithaca, NY area restaurant.

·      Ed Nunn’s father, Harry, was not an only child, but had ten siblings and tragic growing up years. Information on this family, as well as St. Joseph’s Home in Peekskill, NY can be found in earlier blogs.

·      Mary Doyle Nunn also wasn’t an only child, but had several siblings, with only one living any length of time. She was Winnie Doyle; at this time I have no information on Winnie.

·      Maude Hardenbrook Agard’s father’s family emigrated from Germany to Amsterdam to New Amsterdam. Then to New Jersey, and on to Seneca County, New York. I am researching the Hardenbrook family line now. 

·      My husband produced a monograph of the Cutter line back to Elizabeth Leatherhead Cutter who arrived on our shores abt. 1640. He says with a name like “Leatherhead,” he doesn’t need to go back any farther. I think the name is intriguing and I bet he will be researching the Leatherhead line before too long.

We are excited that our family lines are so steeped in history; consequently our research honors each one of these family members who honored us by their presence at our wedding.  Happy searching – you never know what you will find!