It will be a grand time - if prior reunions are any indication. So pack your camera, and your dancing shoes because a Bemister reunion is a memory making event.
The registration materials are out in the mail and also on this blog. They are spread out over a few posting so look at the side bar on the left for the last few to get all the details.
And if by chance you have arrived here - with no prior contact with the Bemister descendants who hail from the Newfoundland town of Carbonear -- welcome aboard !!
The dates are August 6 to 8, 2010
Check our our companion website
Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
2010 Family Reunion Registration Form
(Please return to the address above electronically or by regular post)
I would like to attend the 2010 Bemister Family Reunion in Carbonear, NL from August 6th to 8th 2010 and will be accompanied by family members listed on this sheet (or attached if necessary).
NAME -----------------------------------
TELEPHONE ---------------------------- FEE -------------------
ADDRESS-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
E –MAIL --------------------------------- $100
Names of other family members who wish to attend
Relationship to you (and age of children)
2.------------------------------ $ ----------------
3.------------------------------ $ ----------------
4.------------------------------ $ ----------------
5.------------------------------ $ ----------------
TOTAL
Which of the following activities & workshops (W/S) & stuff really interest you? $____
Walking tour of Carbonear, local museums, Bemister’s Hill ___
Guided tour of cemetery, stories behind the gravestones ___
Bus tour of Carbonear, Hr. Grace, Freshwater (half day) ___
Bus tour to Heart’s Content & North Shore (full day) ___
Bus tour to Brigus, Cupids, archaeological site (full day) ___
Boat ride to Carbonear Island, whale watching (2 hr) ___
W/S on history of the Bemisters and the Carbonear fishery ___
W/S on history of the West Country Migration to NFLD ___
W/S on Genealogy and Family History ___
W/S on Traditional NF Music (bring voice and instrument) ___
Other? Child care? Youth program? ___
Bemister baseball hats and T-shirts? (give quantity and sizes) ___
As in times of old, we are proposing to provide our own entertainment by showcasing Bemister talent and offering opportunities to sing, play instruments and generally take an active part in a traditional Kitchen Party on Friday evening at the reception, a Talent Show on Saturday evening at the dinner and on Sunday in a Bemister Church Choir.
Do you sing? ------------ Play an instrument? ------- Which one (s)?--------------
Would you like to take part in the Friday night Kitchen Party? ----------
In the Saturday night Concert? --------------------
In the Bemister Choir on Sunday? ---------------------
In the past several Bemisters have taken part in a Bethany Church service in other ways such as reading the lesson. Would you like to do this? Please indicate how you would like to participate. (Of course, all this is subject to approval by the Worship Committee - but they have been extraordinarily welcoming to our family members in the past as many of you can attest!)
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Many of our cousins will extend their visit to the homeland by several days and we have had some interest expressed in activities that people can take part in before and after the reunion with their new found cousins. Please indicate your interest in any of the following:
Pre-reunion: Wed. Aug 4 St. John’s Regatta, evening meal at the Battery Hotel _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Walking tour of St John’s East, The Rooms, Fish & Chips _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Bus tour of Signal Hill, Old St John’s, Cape Spear _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Afternoon tea and Garden Party at HJB Woods’ Home
(Everton House, see web site) and evening dinner -------
Post Reunion: Mon. Aug 9 Morning tour of General Protestant Cemetery in St. John’s
And, time permitting, other Bemister related sites in St. John’s West ---
Mon. Aug 9 Afternoon and evening whale watching at Bay Bulls
and possibly Ferryland, followed by seafood dinner _ _
I would like to help promote the reunion by (please check):
Forwarding information to my close family members
Supplying genealogical information, pictures, stories _ _
Supplying an address list of family members (e.g. Xmas card list!!!) _ _
Making a donation of $ ________ _ _
Other assistance? -------------------------------------------------------------
I am not able to attend but I would like to receive further information -----------------
Please send your form by post or e-mail. If you are not able to attend, a $10 membership in Bemisters of Carbonear will keep you on the mailing list and help pay our costs of printing, mailing, and so on. Donations are welcome. Please make cheques payable to the Bemisters of Carbonear and send to our St. John’s postal address. For the reunion please calculate the basic fees based on $100 per adult, $50 for youth (8 to 18), younger children (under 8) free. (Tour fees for bus, boat rides, etc. should be paid on site when registering).
$ __________
(Please return to the address above electronically or by regular post)
I would like to attend the 2010 Bemister Family Reunion in Carbonear, NL from August 6th to 8th 2010 and will be accompanied by family members listed on this sheet (or attached if necessary).
NAME -----------------------------------
TELEPHONE ---------------------------- FEE -------------------
ADDRESS-------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
E –MAIL --------------------------------- $100
Names of other family members who wish to attend
Relationship to you (and age of children)
2.------------------------------ $ ----------------
3.------------------------------ $ ----------------
4.------------------------------ $ ----------------
5.------------------------------ $ ----------------
TOTAL
Which of the following activities & workshops (W/S) & stuff really interest you? $____
Walking tour of Carbonear, local museums, Bemister’s Hill ___
Guided tour of cemetery, stories behind the gravestones ___
Bus tour of Carbonear, Hr. Grace, Freshwater (half day) ___
Bus tour to Heart’s Content & North Shore (full day) ___
Bus tour to Brigus, Cupids, archaeological site (full day) ___
Boat ride to Carbonear Island, whale watching (2 hr) ___
W/S on history of the Bemisters and the Carbonear fishery ___
W/S on history of the West Country Migration to NFLD ___
W/S on Genealogy and Family History ___
W/S on Traditional NF Music (bring voice and instrument) ___
Other? Child care? Youth program? ___
Bemister baseball hats and T-shirts? (give quantity and sizes) ___
As in times of old, we are proposing to provide our own entertainment by showcasing Bemister talent and offering opportunities to sing, play instruments and generally take an active part in a traditional Kitchen Party on Friday evening at the reception, a Talent Show on Saturday evening at the dinner and on Sunday in a Bemister Church Choir.
Do you sing? ------------ Play an instrument? ------- Which one (s)?--------------
Would you like to take part in the Friday night Kitchen Party? ----------
In the Saturday night Concert? --------------------
In the Bemister Choir on Sunday? ---------------------
In the past several Bemisters have taken part in a Bethany Church service in other ways such as reading the lesson. Would you like to do this? Please indicate how you would like to participate. (Of course, all this is subject to approval by the Worship Committee - but they have been extraordinarily welcoming to our family members in the past as many of you can attest!)
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Many of our cousins will extend their visit to the homeland by several days and we have had some interest expressed in activities that people can take part in before and after the reunion with their new found cousins. Please indicate your interest in any of the following:
Pre-reunion: Wed. Aug 4 St. John’s Regatta, evening meal at the Battery Hotel _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Walking tour of St John’s East, The Rooms, Fish & Chips _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Bus tour of Signal Hill, Old St John’s, Cape Spear _ _
Thur. Aug 5 Afternoon tea and Garden Party at HJB Woods’ Home
(Everton House, see web site) and evening dinner -------
Post Reunion: Mon. Aug 9 Morning tour of General Protestant Cemetery in St. John’s
And, time permitting, other Bemister related sites in St. John’s West ---
Mon. Aug 9 Afternoon and evening whale watching at Bay Bulls
and possibly Ferryland, followed by seafood dinner _ _
I would like to help promote the reunion by (please check):
Forwarding information to my close family members
Supplying genealogical information, pictures, stories _ _
Supplying an address list of family members (e.g. Xmas card list!!!) _ _
Making a donation of $ ________ _ _
Other assistance? -------------------------------------------------------------
I am not able to attend but I would like to receive further information -----------------
Please send your form by post or e-mail. If you are not able to attend, a $10 membership in Bemisters of Carbonear will keep you on the mailing list and help pay our costs of printing, mailing, and so on. Donations are welcome. Please make cheques payable to the Bemisters of Carbonear and send to our St. John’s postal address. For the reunion please calculate the basic fees based on $100 per adult, $50 for youth (8 to 18), younger children (under 8) free. (Tour fees for bus, boat rides, etc. should be paid on site when registering).
$ __________
2010 Family Reunion – Proposed Program of Activities
2010 Family Reunion – Proposed Program of Activities
until 8:30 am, coffee available throughout day
Wed. Aug 4 , 2010
Mon. Aug 9
Afternoon whale watching cruise out of Bay Bulls followed by dinner at the Captain’s Table (a great sea food restaurant near Witless Bay). We could include the Ferryland archaeological site (1620–1700) – the site of Lord Baltimore’s Colony and a great beauty spot. These towns are about 45 min south of St John’s by car.
Most activities are scheduled to start at the Royal Canadian Legion Carbonear, Newfoundland & Labrador
Friday, August 6, 2010
10:00 am Registration opens
- Committee organizing venue, setting up posters, decorations
- Walking tours available for first arrivals
12:00 noon Registration continues
- Lunch meeting for the organizing committee
2:00 pm Activities begin
- Workshops, short bus tours, boat rides, walking tour of Carbonear
5:00 pm Supper break (on your own for meals on Friday)
7:00 pm to 11:00 pm
- Reception at Legion – guests include public officials
- Grand Opening
- The Bemister Travelling Museum
- Old Time Kitchen Party
Saturday, August 7, 2010
until 8:30 am, coffee available throughout day
9:00 am
- Registration continues
- Activities continue
- Longer bus tours, boat rides to Carbonear Island, walking tour including cemetery
- Workshops: Bemisters and the Carbonear Fishery, The West Country migration, Family History, Traditional Newfoundland Music
12:00 noon Lunch provided at Legion or box lunch/picnic for tours
2:00 pm More activities as per morning
5:00 pm End of activities – relaxation time
6:00 pm Official pictures of group taken at Legion – a record of history
6:30 pm Cocktails
7:00 pm
- Traditional Newfoundland feast
- Toasts, Newfoundland Songs and Stories, Guest Speakers, Bemister talent providing music and live entertainment, Celebration of 263rd Birthday of John Bemister
11:00 pm End of evening
Sunday, August 8, 2010
9:00 am Boat ride to Carbonear Island
11:00 am Church Service at Bethany United Church. (Services will be posted for other denominations.) All are invited to the luncheon at the Bethany UC.
12:00 pm Lunch in Church Hall ($10 pp) - Official Closing
2:00 pm “The Quick and the Dead” – Tour of Bethany cemetery with stories both true and slightly exaggerated – pictures at graves of the ancestors.
4:00 pm End of formal activities
Possible Pre-Reunion and Post Reunion Activities in St. John’sWed. Aug 4 , 2010
- Regatta day at Quidi Vidi followed by evening dinner at Battery Hotel with the best view in the city;
- Cabot Tower at night
- Walking tour of St John’s East including the Colonial Building where Hon. John Bemister served as a Member of the House of Assembly from 1850 - 1870,
- Other Bemister related sites,
- The Rooms containing the Provincial Archives, Museum and Art Gallery,
- Lunch at Ches’s Famous Fish & Chips
Thur. Aug 5 - 2010
- Afternoon tea and Garden Party at Henry JB Woods’ Home (Everton House, see web site) and evening dinner at a fine local restaurant with traditional fare.
Mon. Aug 9
- Morning tour of General Protestant Cemetery in St. John’s where there are more than 120 Bemister graves and
- Other sites in St. John’s West including Capt. Edward and Emma (Bemister) White’s house,
- VOWR – first radio station in St. John’s – with a memorial to its founder Rev. Joe Joyce (grandson of Juliana B).
- Bus tour of Signal Hill, Old St John’s, Cape Spear – the most easterly point of North America – as well as picturesque nearby outports and lunch at a popular restaurant serving traditional fare pan fried cod, poached salmon, cod tongues, toutons and molasses, and figgy duff)
Mon. Aug 9
Afternoon whale watching cruise out of Bay Bulls followed by dinner at the Captain’s Table (a great sea food restaurant near Witless Bay). We could include the Ferryland archaeological site (1620–1700) – the site of Lord Baltimore’s Colony and a great beauty spot. These towns are about 45 min south of St John’s by car.
Bemister Reunion - Carbonear, NL from August 6 to 8, 2010
Hi Folks,
Attached is the second notice for our grand celebration in Carbonear, NL from August 6 to 8, 2010 - Our 2010 Reunion is less than a half year away! We hope you will forward this notice and its attachments to as many of your Bemister relatives as possible - ASAP!
We got great coverage on our last mailing and we think we will reach over 1000 families this time. Now we are still sending out the notice by Canada Post, but we will be glad to take people off the list and save money, if you will assure us you are reaching them by e-mail. Also if there is anyone you would like use to send the notice to by regular post, please let us know as soon as possible.
We are expecting a grand crowd in Carbonear, and we are getting reports of as many as 6 to 10 in a family group making arrangements to fly to St. John's, booking Bed and Breakfasts or hotels, and of course renting a vehicle. I would recommend that you make all these arrangements fairly quickly. It's going to be a great tourist year in part because of the Cupids 400 celebration, and we are competing with a very large event! However, if you start now you should still be able to find what you are looking for. There are lots of web sites suggested in the package that will be helpful to you on that score.
However, if you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, call me or one of our other committee members and we will try to help you. John and Mary Bemister could not have imagined what their progeny are up to this year - and John's 263 rd birthday will be the greatest birthday party Carbonear is likely to see this whole summer!
IF you can help in other ways we would be very pleased. Sending genealogical information and family stories would be really helpful, bringing artifacts for the Bemister traveling museum would be a wonderful addition, and just coming with your immediate family will be a thrill of a lifetime for all of you. If you can take part in our committee that would be fantastic too. You need to tell us on the registration form what your interests are so we can plan the event to maximize participation in activities people would most like.
When else do you think your granddaughter will see her 7th cousin? When else will you meet descendants of Maria Bemister Shepherd born 2000 years ago - the first Bemister born in the new world? This is a great opportunity that is not likely to be repeated any time soon, so you need to be there. And all of us on the organizing committee will be excited to meet you - right where it all started on 207 years ago when William Willis Bemister came to Newfoundland.
Please get your registrations in the mail and we'll hold your berth on the Bemister Brigantine, just down the gangway from Capt Willis Bemister himself. I can almost see Aunt Stella waving from the deck. The ghosts are everywhere, trust me! It's all going to be lots of fun, and you will be glad you came. Also we have to pay the bills, so your registration cheques will be a big help as will donations which are very welcome.
With our kindest regards
Cameron Hopkins - for the organizing committee
Attached is the second notice for our grand celebration in Carbonear, NL from August 6 to 8, 2010 - Our 2010 Reunion is less than a half year away! We hope you will forward this notice and its attachments to as many of your Bemister relatives as possible - ASAP!
We got great coverage on our last mailing and we think we will reach over 1000 families this time. Now we are still sending out the notice by Canada Post, but we will be glad to take people off the list and save money, if you will assure us you are reaching them by e-mail. Also if there is anyone you would like use to send the notice to by regular post, please let us know as soon as possible.
We are expecting a grand crowd in Carbonear, and we are getting reports of as many as 6 to 10 in a family group making arrangements to fly to St. John's, booking Bed and Breakfasts or hotels, and of course renting a vehicle. I would recommend that you make all these arrangements fairly quickly. It's going to be a great tourist year in part because of the Cupids 400 celebration, and we are competing with a very large event! However, if you start now you should still be able to find what you are looking for. There are lots of web sites suggested in the package that will be helpful to you on that score.
However, if you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, call me or one of our other committee members and we will try to help you. John and Mary Bemister could not have imagined what their progeny are up to this year - and John's 263 rd birthday will be the greatest birthday party Carbonear is likely to see this whole summer!
IF you can help in other ways we would be very pleased. Sending genealogical information and family stories would be really helpful, bringing artifacts for the Bemister traveling museum would be a wonderful addition, and just coming with your immediate family will be a thrill of a lifetime for all of you. If you can take part in our committee that would be fantastic too. You need to tell us on the registration form what your interests are so we can plan the event to maximize participation in activities people would most like.
When else do you think your granddaughter will see her 7th cousin? When else will you meet descendants of Maria Bemister Shepherd born 2000 years ago - the first Bemister born in the new world? This is a great opportunity that is not likely to be repeated any time soon, so you need to be there. And all of us on the organizing committee will be excited to meet you - right where it all started on 207 years ago when William Willis Bemister came to Newfoundland.
Please get your registrations in the mail and we'll hold your berth on the Bemister Brigantine, just down the gangway from Capt Willis Bemister himself. I can almost see Aunt Stella waving from the deck. The ghosts are everywhere, trust me! It's all going to be lots of fun, and you will be glad you came. Also we have to pay the bills, so your registration cheques will be a big help as will donations which are very welcome.
With our kindest regards
Cameron Hopkins - for the organizing committee
Edward Bemister's capture by American Privateer in the War of 1812
We are still finding new Bemisters, both the quick and the dead. The live ones seem to be delighted to be found - like the descendants of Mary Shepherd and James Howell Shepherd, not to mention Willard Bemister Wiltse who was the grandson of Bart and Emma Bemister's brother Lad.
As for the ancestors, well, I guess they are happy too. The latest is more new info on Edward Bemister's unfortunate capture by an American Privateer in the war of 1812. Upsetting as it was, it turned out to be his ticket to Carbonear (after a year and a day on a prison ship in Salem). Edward is no more happy about that than he was 150 years ago - but it all adds to the story and that we are happy about that for sure. Next time you are having delays at an airport, remember Edward!!! Nowadays you can be pretty sure you will fly to Newfoundland without being captured by American privateers!!! In 1813 it was no sure thing at all.
- by Cameron Hopkins
As for the ancestors, well, I guess they are happy too. The latest is more new info on Edward Bemister's unfortunate capture by an American Privateer in the war of 1812. Upsetting as it was, it turned out to be his ticket to Carbonear (after a year and a day on a prison ship in Salem). Edward is no more happy about that than he was 150 years ago - but it all adds to the story and that we are happy about that for sure. Next time you are having delays at an airport, remember Edward!!! Nowadays you can be pretty sure you will fly to Newfoundland without being captured by American privateers!!! In 1813 it was no sure thing at all.
- by Cameron Hopkins
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