This photograph was in a pile of pictures at my father’s house.
With a little research, I was able to identify my grandfather, Frank; my granduncle, Abraham; and my grandaunt, Carrie. Eventually I was able to attach names to the others in the photograph.
(Henry and Mary Etta are my great grandparents.)
This year at the Miller-Funk Reunion. My cousin shared some photographs including this one:
On the back of the photograph were the names Henry Funk and Mary Etta Miller Funk.
I’m perplexed. The images in this photograph do not match the images in the other photograph.
I’ve scanned the photographs that were turned over to me when I became the secretary of the Miller-Funk Reunion.
There are photographs of my grandfather, Frank, my grandmother, Lucy Hennings, and their children.
There are photographs of my great grandfather, Henry, and his wife, Mary Etta Miller, and their children.
There are photographs of my great uncle, Jeremiah, and his wife, Lydia Miller, and their extended family. (Mary Etta Miller and Lydia Miller were sisters; thus, the Miller Funk Reunion.)
There are many photographs of the Miller Funk Reunion.
But … there is a mystery photograph. I can’t recognize anyone. The photograph contains neither date nor names nor location. Who are these people and how do they fit?
All I have are suspicions. I’d like some proof. Could this be a photograph of my second great grandfather, Henry, and his wife, Nancy Province, and their children and grandchildren? If so, it had to have been taken before 28 December 1886, when Henry died.
I attended the Miller Funk Reunion today, got elected secretary, and participated in a discussion about whether after 102 years the Miller Funk Reunion has served its purpose. Wow! This was my first meeting.
The origins of the Miller Funk Reunion began with the marriage of two Funk boys, Henry and Jeremiah, to two Miller girls, Mary Etta and Lydia. The rest is history. Henry and Mary Etta are my great grandparents on my father’s (paternal) side.
Sadly only about 20 people attended. An observer might have thought we were the Hatfields and the McCoys because the Millers huddled at one end of the shelterhouse while the Funks occupied the other.
Is it worth the effort to save?
I admire what Cousin Hal (Harold Funk) has done on Facebook. Hal memorializes birthdays, anniversaries, and remembrances with a photograph and a short genealogical entry. My father’s would look like this:
“Remembering Clarence F. Funk 1911-1997. Clarence was the husband of Blossom Mae (Reynolds) and the father of Frank Leroy Funk and Dorothea “Dode” Mae (Funk) Woods George and the husband of Dorothy Marie (Smith) and the father of James C. Funk. Clarence is the son of Lucy C. Hennings and Frank Funk. Frank is the son of Mary Etta (Miller) and Henry Funk. Henry is the son of Nancy (Province) and Henry Funk.”
(Incidentally, I’m not sure that Nancy’s maiden name was Province. It could have been Prowant or Rovince or Bordgen or Provont. Ah, the joys of genealogy!)
Entries like what Cousin Hal is doing on Facebook put things in context. Consequently it means so much more than simply announcing that Mark had a birthday. Thank you Hal.
I remember being told that three classmates — Denny, Joyce, and John — were cousins. Whenever I inquired, father would begin with the story of the Funk boys and Miller girls. (No names, of course.) After the first sentence or two, I’d be lost. Like your Momma, I’m a visual learner. I have to see it. Having played around with the family tree, I now understand that Denny and Joyce are descendants of my paternal great uncle Israel and that John is a descendant through my paternal grandmother Lucy.
The reunion answered none of my family genealogy questions but gave me more and additional responsibilities.
Could the Miller Funk Reunion flourish with a digital component? Zoom? Facetime?
Love,
Grandfather
P.S. Questions:
How are we related to the Lauses? They show up on the Ancestry DNA report.
Why were Harriet’s — my paternal great aunt — children spread out among the family?
Did the court proceedings in Henry County, Ohio, involving Israel Funk actually involve my paternal great uncle?
Whenever I asked my father my our ancestry I got the standard answer “Why?”. He then would launch into a story about the Funk boys marrying the Wagner girls. I didn’t have a scorecard. I couldn’t keep track of the players. I dropped it. I wish I hadn’t.
I have difficulty imaging leaving Switzerland or southwest Germany and sailing for America in the 1700s. I believe the family did. (I wonder if I would have the courage to do that.) I think the Funks settled in Pennsylvania around Lancaster. I know some Funks are from that area, but are they connected to our tree?
In the 1850s, our ancestor Henry Funk and his wife Nancy (Rovince) arrived in Henry County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania. In the 1860s they bought property in Lucas County, Ohio, along the banks of the Maumee River. They’re buried in the Mennonite Cemetery between Waterville and Whitehouse.
The tree is strong from you back to Henry and Nancy. Facts and documents support it.
Sadly, I can’t find Henry’s father. The quest continues. (I was hoping to get some information at the Miller-Funk Reunion, but COVID-19 put the kibosh on that. Perhaps next year?)
Remember that same pioneer spirit resides in you.
Be proud. Be courageous. Build upon their heritage.
jcfunk 