2010 Bemister Family Reunion

Now just 8 months away - the 2010 Bemister Family Reunion looks like it will be the largest gathering yet. It is being held, August 6th to 8th, 2010, at the Royal Canadian Legion in Carbonear, Newfoundland & Labrador.

The event will be in celebration of the 263rd birthday of John Bemister of Lambsgreen Farm, Corfe Mullen, Dorset, England - the founder, along with his wife Mary Willis of the Bemisters of Carbonear family. The reunion will also be an opportunity to:

• Meet distant cousins from all over North America and UK
• Explore Bemister genealogy and family history
• Experience traditional Newfoundland hospitality
• Enjoy guided bus tours of Carbonear and nearby communities
• Take guided tour of cemetery to commune with ancestors
• Savour wonderful grand Newfoundland Feast and Kitchen Party
• Marvel at Bemister travelling museum
• Participate in Bemister Music Festival and Choir
• Share Church Service at traditional home of Bemisters
• Tour historic and archeological sites and provincial archives; and enjoy
whale watching, as well as cultural and social events with Bemister
cousins before and after the main celebration if you choose this option

Correspondence, interest forms, genealogical information, and cheques should be mailed to:

Bemisters of Carbonear,
Suite 185, 38 Pearson Street,
St. John’s, NL A1A 3R1

If cheques are not involved you could reach us by e-mail at: bemister2010@gmail.com

Please contact us as well for more information or to make suggestions,
and don’t forget to follow this blog for more up to the minute information: bemister.blogspot.com

2010 Bemister Family Reunion

To be held August 6th to 8th, 2010

at The Royal Canadian Legion

Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada

In celebration of the 263rd Birthday of John Bemister of Corfe Mullen!

• Meet distant cousins from all over North America and UK
• Explore Bemister genealogy and family history
• Experience traditional Newfoundland hospitality
• Enjoy guided bus tours of Carbonear and nearby communities
• Take guided tour of cemetery to commune with ancestors
• Savour wonderful grand Newfoundland Feast and Kitchen Party
• Marvel at Bemister travelling museum
• Participate in Bemister Music Festival and Choir
• Share Church Service at traditional home of Bemisters
• Tour historic and archeological sites and provincial archives; and enjoy
whale watching, cultural and social events with Bemister cousins both
before and after the main celebration if you choose this option

Bemisters of Carbonear - New Email Contact Point

With mobility these days, web based email has become increasingly helpful.

As well, easy to remember addresses come in handy - thus a new address is now in place to assist with reunion planning for the Bemisters of Carbonear Family Reunion 2010. And what more appropriate address than bemister2010@gmail.com, as a point of contact. All mail sent to the address will go directly to Cameron Hopkins, the chair of the organizing committee.

Hope everyone is making their plans for 2010.

Cheers
Ian

Bemisters of Carbonear 2010 Family Reunion

William Willis Bemister (1789-1863)

Planning is well underway for the Bemisters of Carbonear 2010 Family Reunion, to ensure that it will be a grand opportunity to discover family roots and meet family members from across the North American continent. Bemisters of Carbonear because of a pair of brothers by the name of Bemister who headed out from Corfe Mullen in Dorset, England. Like many Newfoundlanders since - opportunities took them to many other locations but as the family became established and prospered in Carbonear area first it remains an ancestral home for all descendants.

Beginning with genealogical research in the 1990's, a few family members established new connections with relatives they didn't know. Once people had a chance to meet fellow descendants they began organizing reunions in Toronto, Newfoundland and Vancouver and quickly realized the value of holding larger events in ancestral home lands, as well as local events across the country. Local reunions and the major gatherings have become important events for family members with organizing committees working several years in advance. In 1999 an international reunion was held in Carbonear, Newfoundland and in 2004 the family returned to Corfe Mullen, England, for a reunion there. In all of these reunions local travel has been arranged so that sites of family significance can be visited.

The first member of the Bemister family arrived in Carbonear from Corfe Mullen Parish, Dorset. William Willis Bemister (1789-1863) was fourteen years old, and arrived as an apprentice clerk for a local export firm. His younger brother Edward joined him in 1812, and they eventually went into business on their own as they became young men.

The major family lines were established by the 18 children of these two brothers and their wives.
William Willis Bemister (1789-1863) m. Ann Howell (1789-1851)

1. Maria Ann m. Richard K. Shepherd (9 Children)
2. John G. m. Jane Taylor (5 children)
3. Louisa -
4. Willis m. Mary Elizabeth Bartlett (7 children)
5. Mary m. Mark William Forward (8 children)
6. William m. Dorcas Charlotte Bartlett (3 children)
7. Frederick Thomas m. Emily Louisa Taylor (5 children)
8. Reuben James m. Emily Jane Pike (3 children)
9. Sarah Jane m. Stephen B. Pike (5 children)

Edward Smith Bemister (1796-1878) m. Susannah Grant (1803-1859)

1. Thomas Grant -
2. Mary Amelia 1m. Joseph Drover (1 child) 2m. James Forward
3. Emma m. James Drover (6 children)
4. Julianna m. Robert Joyce (9 children)
5. John Ridout m. Mary Anne Cannon (10 children)
6. Elizabeth Susannah m. William S. Parsons (2 children)
7. Stella Jane -
8. Caroline m. James Hutchings (1 child)
9. Edward Fredric m. Elizabeth Clarke (5 children)

Wimborne Minster, Dorset

The Parish Church of Wimborne Minster, Dorset has a enduring significance for the Bemister Family of Carbonear.

It was on the 30th of May 1785, in the Minster - as it is locally known - that John Bemister married Mary Willis. John had been baptised there on the 13th of November, 1747.

It would be two of the three sons that John & Mary raised at nearby Lambsgreen Farm - a location that is now a popular pub and eatery surrounded by farmland - that would eventually establish the family in Newfoundland as young lads. The first to accept an apprenticeship in the Newfoundland with a merchant was William Willis Bemister, when he was 14. His younger brother Edward Smith Bemister joined him and both became established in their own firm in Carbonear eventually.

The descendants of the Bemisters of Carbonear are all related to one of these two men.

Wimborne Minster has served as a place of workship for centuries, in fact the history predating the current Norman structure dates to its foundation by Cuthburga, sister of Ine, King of the West Saxons in 718.

In 871 Alfred the Great buried his older brother King Ethelred I of England, in the minster.

An historical overview is now available of one of the early stages of the Minster when it operated as the Collegiate Church of Wimborne Minster.

Historic Churches in Dorset

The website for Wimbourne Minster tells a bit of the history of this church which has served its community for over 1300 years. It remains an important site for descendants of John Bemister (1747-1832) and Mary Willis (1749-1838) as they were married there on 30 May 1785.

Their sons (William Willis Bemister and brother Edward) established the Newfoundland Bemister family at Carbonear.

Likewise the Parish Church of St. Hubert's at Corfe Mullen, and the church yard cemetery were John and Mary are buried is a very special location for their descendants.

Historic Family Pictures

The Rorke Family fonds, ca.1880 - 1970, includes 330 images of the Rorke, Bemister and Forward families of Carbonear. The Bemister and Forward families were connected to the Rorkes by marriage ties.

These images paint a picture of life in Carbonear, Newfoundland from the 1880's to 1970's.

Locating the first pictures I have ever seen of William Willis Bemister and his son Capt. Willis Bemister (who were both ancestors of mine) was a real thrill.

Welcome To Bemister Blog

Hi Folks,
This blog is dedicated to the Bemister family name - maintaining contact among those who share Bemister ancestry and interest in family history research.

Check out Bemister@HomePort for more information

Sincerely
Ian Scott