BINNEY---GOW---HANMER---MEISSNER---POMNITZ

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1.  Purpose of this Newsletter
  2.  Family Stories, Events and Biographies:
       »  Family Reunion 2003
  3.  History
       »  Walter Anderson Binney, Jr., as remembered by
           Bert Tolsen Smith
  4.  "Passages": Births, Anniversaries, Deaths
  5.  Family Projects:
       »  Family T-Shirt Now Available!!
  6.  Pomnitz Family Fund Report - Ed Pomnitz, Sr.
  7.  Services Offered To Family Members
       »  Photo Gallery II
       »  Automated Subscriptions
       »  Chat Room Access
       »  Internet Dial-Up Service
  8.  Newsletter Mechanics:   
       »  Format & Layout of the Newsletter
  9.  Contact Information:
       »  How to subscribe/unsubscribe
       »  Where to send articles & news
10.  Notizen Aus Dem Ziegenstall (Notes From the Goathouse)
11.  Next Newsletter Date
12.  Final Quote

1.  THE PURPOSE of this newsletter:  to note and share items of possible interest for the "greater Pomnitz Family".  The 178 family names mentioned in the Family Tree are listed at http://www.pomnitz.net/history/surnames_list.htm.   Please do send me suggestions or ideas for future newsletters:  they will be taken seriously.

2.  FAMILY STORIES, BIOGRAPHIES AND NOTES OF INTEREST:

THIS ISSUE:  FAMILY REUNION 2003
Yes, it's time to make your plans for our 8th Biennial Reunion to be held July 12 and 13.  Your attendance is required to help make this the greatest Family Reunion ever!  Please check our website for details and updates.  If you don't have online access, please contact our 2003 hosts, Donal & Marion McKeown at the following address:

Donal & Marion McKeown
619 Old Orangeville Road
Fergus, Ontario N1M2W4

Online Details:  http://www.pomnitz.net/reunions/pomnitz2003.htm

3.  HISTORY - This Memory of Walter Anderson Binney, Jr. (1903 - 1997) comes from Bert Smith (Alberta Tolson-Smith), Agnes Binney Tolson's daughter.

About 11 years ago, at the Fergus reunion, we Binney bashers arrived from cousin Jim Wyche's place in Heidelberg, Ontario.  What a surprise it was to hear bagpipes and later a Celtic harpist!  During that afternoon, Uncle Walter and I had a conversation about the beautiful area at the Gow house.  Apparently other relatives had also lived in the house next door.  As we walked toward the stream, Walter shared that he had visited the site many times.  (WHO lived there?)  The relatives had a chicken hut at the back of the property.  Walter became one of the volunteer dismantlers of the chicken coop.  During that project, he sustained a head injury.  Fortunately, the wound must have been minor as Walter had lived a very alert life until he passed on in his early nineties.

4.  PASSAGES:  EVENTS REPORTED SINCE THE LAST NEWSLETTER (births, graduations, marriages, deaths, careers):

• None Reported: Please send your announcements to editor@pomnitz.net.

5.  FAMILY PROJECTS:

FAMILY T-SHIRT NOW AVAILABLE!! -A Pomnitz Family T-Shirt is now available.  Full ordering information is at http://www.pomnitz.net/wc/t-shirts.htm  INSIDER TID-BITS: You just HAVE TO KNOW a couple things about the shirts: 1) - The graphics printed on each shirt were graciously designed and donated by Kathy Kelm-Cronin (daughter of June Meissner Kelm).  Kathy is founder and Director of NISDA (Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts).  You can get a peek at what she does by going to http://www.nisda.org. 2) - The Tag inside the neck of the drawing of the Coat of Arms says "Einfuhr Aus Deutschland" ("Imported from Germany").  That means YOU, not the shirt. 3) - The "Volunteer Shirt Model" (with that sleek male physique) is none other than our esteemed Web Meister, Edwin Pomnitz, Sr.  (Note the hair on his chinny-chin-chin.)

6.  THE POMNITZ FAMILY FUND REPORT - (A Note from Ed Pomnitz, Sr.):  The greatest significance of our Family Reunions, our Family Newsletters, our Family Tree Database, Family Website and ongoing Research that they help us to:  1) Understand our rich heritage...  2) Stay in touch with one another.

Thanks to our contributors last year, we had enough funding to stay online through the end of 2002.  We are now in need of funding for the 2003 year.  You can help out through the purchase of a family T-Shirt or by simply making a contribution.  ALL profits from our T-Shirt sales go towards the Family Fund!  We STILL have a way to go to pay for the initial run of T-Shirts (-$73.19).

FAMILY FUND REPORT - From Ed Pomnitz, Sr.

------------------------------------------
Balance from Last Quarter
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$  8.04
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Receipts
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$   0.00 - Mail-In Contributions
$   0.00 - Profit From T-Shirt Sales
======
$   0.00

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Disbursements
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$  38.85 - Web Hosting Pomnitz.com & Pomnitz.net  01/01/03 - 03/31/03
======
$  38.85

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Current Balance
------------------------------------------
$ -30.81
======

If you desire to make a contribution to the Pomnitz Family Fund, you can mail your check or money order to:

• Myra Pomnitz
  7891 Marlborough Ave.
  Parma, Ohio 44129

7.  SERVICES OFFERED TO FAMILY MEMBERS:  Please contact Ed Pomnitz regarding these services at webmaster@pomnitz.net.

	PHOTO GALLERY II:  Family members can load their own family photos directly onto our website for all to see.  The Pomnitz Family Web Photo Gallery II can be found at: http://www.pomnitz.net/pg/gallery_ii.htm. We would like to see at least one photo of each family member posted here.  You can include a title and description of your photo as well as "keywords" to help others search for your information.  Please follow the categories that have been supplied.  If you require a new category, please E-Mail webmaster@pomnitz.net with the photo category you would like to see added. Join in the FUN.  Registered family members can post new photos, leave comments and even vote on any of the photos in this area. Registration is simple.  Just use your FIRST and LAST NAME when asked for a USER NAME.  Then select a PASSWORD of your choice and provide a valid E-Mail address.
	AUTOMATED SUBSCRIPTIONS:  Our automated subscription service is back online and better than ever.  You can subscribe or un-subscribe from this newsletter online.  You may also elect to receive Web Update Notices.  An update notice will let you know when something has been changed or added to our website.  To subscribe or unsubscribe go online to: http://www.pomnitz.net/news/newsletter/subscriptions.htm.
	CHAT ROOM ACCESS: The family website now offers family members (only) their own 'chat-room', where you can (at no cost to you) chat with others anywhere in the world.  You can find it in the "In Touch" area, http://pomnitz.net/intouch/index.htm and just click on "Family Chatter".  This area requires a USER ID and PASSWORD.  Contact webmaster@pomnitz.net for your password.
	INTERNET DIAL-UP SERVICE:  Family members are offered an economic way to get to the Internet as well as having e-mail AND their own Web Site, if desired.  Ed Pomnitz' computer consulting company (FXtra) which handles the technical side of "Pomnitz.net", is also able to offer Family Members a low-cost connection to the Internet, called "EZDial".  A special offer for low-cost EZDial is available in both the US and Canada, is economic ($15.95 USD per month) and reliable, with no pop-up ads, no-spam, privacy (does not sell your e-mail address), no set-up fee, free web space, unlimited access.  If you are interested and want to join-up, you need to go to http://www.fxtra.com/deal and enter this PIN number when prompted: "ae80701".  If you need more information before you do, contact Ed at webmaster@pomnitz.net via e-mail.  The added benefit to us all is that Ed's company will donate another $2 per month to the Pomnitz Family Fund, which helps to underwrite our website and our other family activities.

8.  NEWSLETTER MECHANICS:  TROUBLE VIEWING THE NEWSLETTER IN THIS FORMAT??:  Please notify editor@pomnitz.net to describe any problems you are having.  This Newsletter is composed and sent to you in "html format".  Some subscribers may not have computers capable of handling html or graphics in their e-mail.  If you are having difficulty with this E-Mail, go to the Newsletter section on our family website.  http://www.pomnitz.net/news/newsletter/index.htm.  You can print a copy if you wish.

9.  CONTACT INFORMATION:  To Subscribe or Un-subscribe to this Newsletter, or to correct names and addresses, please do so online at:

http://www.pomnitz.net/news/newsletter/subscriptions.htm

or send a regular postal letter to the address below.

PLEASE DO SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK on your next visit to The Pomnitz Family Web:  http://www.pomnitz.net.

SEND E-MAIL REPLIES TO editor@pomnitz.com.  Replies by regular postal mail may be sent to Art Meissner, Editor, Pomnitz Family Newsletter, 15 Three Oaks Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572-2675, (845) 876-6407 OR TO OUR ASSOCIATE EDITOR!!, Nancy Meissner, at nlmeissner@aol.com.

10.  NOTIZEN AUS DEM ZIEGENSTALL (Notes From The Goathouse):  By Art Meissner, Editor.

Dear Folks -

In the last newsletter I noted that there are only four (4!) living Pomnitz Family Members who knew Ida Telschaw: Charles Edwin Pomnitz (our Historian, son of Jacob), James Gow (son of Nora), Jean Binney Smith (daughter of Walter Binney, Jr.) and John C. Meissner, Jr, (son of Celia).

I was wrong.  There is one more person: Mabel Pomnitz Slear, sister of  Charles Pomnitz (our Family Historian).  She corrected me, all the way  from Hawaii... with much the graciousness that only a person from Hawaii could muster.  And she shared a few memories of Grandmother Ida with me.  Wonderful.

Chuck and Ed Pomnitz, co-historians, have done marvelous work in digging up, recording and saving family history, including all that we presently know of Grandmother Ida and Grandfather Adelbert.  I refer you to all the bits and pieces of facts and photos you'll find as you roam the different files on this website.

Now these five of us who have first-hand personal memories of Ida Telschaw all seem to hold Grandmother Ida in high respect and awe.  They’ve given me a little sense of just why she is beloved in their memories.

What was Ida Telschaw like?  A loving, nurturing mother/wife/householder?  Or an old, Teutonic version of the dominant hausfrau ("she-who-must-be-obeyed")?  I've always wondered.

After all, she began life as a most privileged child of her day, given that she was sired by the Kaiser.  Her education was the best available, including Latin, Spanish, as well as what served in those days as our "three R's".  She even told her children of being ridden around in a coach drawn by white horses, escorted by servants in livery...   She could have so easily become a demanding prim Donna.  But, no.

The Image of Ida that comes through the mistiness of history is based on the impression she made on the five of her grandchildren who are still alive today.  Ida Telschaw died at 79 in 1934, so their memories of her are from the 1920's and early 30's.  Those memories suggest she was a loving, resourceful and compassionate woman.  Ida bore 13 children, 3 or whom died as children or teenagers, over a period of 22 years (1876 - 1898); this is about 1 child every twenty months!  Yet the few photos we have of her in later years show a woman standing tall, with a pleasant and almost serene look on her face.  To bear so many and then to look so well in older years tell us of her physical health, strength and of the obvious patience and dedication she had in order to survive as she did. 

It also tells us of her love for her husband and children without using a lot of words.  No antibiotics; no sterile hospitals as we know them; no endless supplies of prescription drugs for body or mind.  What stamina!  What a healthy immune system, with no antibiotics or vaccinations to help it along!

Jean Binney Smith recalls Grandma Ida working in a kitchen with a white apron over her black skirt, washing dishes.  All the time she was humming Strauss waltzes and would occasionally waltz around the kitchen in time with the waltz she was singing.

John Meissner, Jr., remembers Grandma Ida baking the tastiest white raisin bread, letting the dough rise in a bowl sitting on the hot-air grate on the floor... the wonderful smell filling the house.

Jim Gow remembers Ida as a widow, taking the train all by herself from Detroit to Fergus, Ontario, to spend a time visiting with her daughter, Nora Gow, and her family.  He reports being struck by her dignity and gentle warmth, combined with a tenderness for others.  (He especially remembers how she did not talk a lot!)  As Jim wrote, "She was a guileless person who accepted people at face value and loved them. Such people are blessed with love returned."

Chuck Pomnitz notes, "I remember Grandma Pomnitz as a very regal woman with a very kind and caring presence.  She demonstrated her love of the children openly.  She was laid out at the Binney Home on Van Dyke in Detroit and I recall someone remarking that her skin was like silk."

Quite a heritage for us all.

DO NOT FORGET THAT THE NEXT FAMILY REUNION will be hosted by Marion (Gow) and Donal Mckeown in Fergus, Ontario: July 12-13. Save the dates and plan to be there.  FOR YOU HISTORY BUFFS: THE REUNION WILL BE JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET FROM THE SITE OF THE OLD CHICKEN COOP THAT WALTER BINNEY, JR. HELPED DISMANTLE... as Bert Tolsen Smith tells us about earlier in this newsletter.  For more details of the upcoming Reunion, go to this website address:

http://www.pomnitz.net/reunions/pomnitz2003.htm

(Rumor has it that Donal McKeown just might wear kilts and squeeze a bagpipe for us!)

Warm best wishes to you all.

Art Meissner

11.  NEXT NEWSLETTER is tentatively scheduled for May 1, 2003.  It will contain a summary of then-current Family news as well as any articles submitted by family members.  Please help by submitting newsletter items no later than April 15, 2003.  You do not have to do a lot of writing:  Just list WHO in the Family did WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE.  ("How" and "Why" are optional.)  We will edit it for a future issue.  THANKS!