Page 8 THE BEACON October 2017
Lyness Family 200-Year Reunion ( almost )
They returned .
On the last weekend of July , more than sixty farflung relatives of Dearborn County ’ s Lyness families descended upon Logan and Bright , to begin celebrating the arrival of their “ original American ” ancestor in Dearborn County , and to commune with their cousins .
The descendants stayed at the Higher Ground Conference Center in Logan , for fun and games , talk and prayer , skits , and auctions of family trinkets and memorabilia . All enjoyed getting caught up among themselves .
On Saturday , the descendants packed as many as they could fit into a bus for a tour of their old home grounds , visiting the Mount Pleasant area where the first family homestead is believed to have been . They also toured the Tanner Creek boat ramp and the Lawrenceburg waterfront where the first of their ancestors were thought to have arrived . Their tour included a visit to the Gibson Cemetery where Joseph Lyness and many of his Lyness family progeny have been mourned and buried , even into modern times .
“ It was a wonderful weekend ,” said Karen Lyness , of Michigan City , IN , one of the event organizers . “ We had beautiful weather , and the facilities and services at Higher Ground were perfect . Most importantly , a lot of love
was shared .”
Family historical documents show that in 1819 Joseph Hargitt Lyness , then twentyone years old , came across the Atlantic Ocean from England , and from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River by flatboat . His party pulled off the river into Tanners Creek where he set up his homestead . He met and married Sarah White here in 1826 , then after her death married Nancy Morgan . Among Joseph and Nancy ’ s four children were Enoch and Joseph , Jr . - the great-grandfathers of all of the descendants who recently gathered in Logan .
“ We promoted the reunion as the two-hundredth anniversary of our coming to America ,” noted Jeremy Hoffpauir , a Lyness cousinin-law who headed the committee that planned this reunion . “ We fudged just a little , but 1817 really was the year that got things rolling for young Joseph .”
Dentistry
Drs . Kluener , Rath and McSoley would like to announce Dr . Michael Burns has joined their practice of Dentistry .
Descendants of the Lyness family toured the Gibson Cemetery during the recent family reunion .
Dr . Burns is a graduate of the University of Kentucky where he graduated # 1 in his class . Dr . Burns is well trained in all aspects of dentistry . He will have some Saturday hours .
Please call the office for an appointment .
A friend of Joseph Lyness ’ s in Upleatham , England , had indeed come to America and Dearborn County in 1817 and liked this place so much that he returned to gather some friends to come back with him . Joseph Lyness was one of those friends .
In 1874 , Joseph Lyness died and was buried in the Gibson Cemetery in Bright . A few years later , the Dearborn County Lyness family split up , largely for economic reasons , explained Linda Lyness , of Logan , who organized the historic tour . Enoch ’ s sons led their family west by wagon train , first to Texas , then to Kansas , where they settled for several generations . The dust bowl , the Great Depression , and eventually World War II sent the Lyness diaspora resettling to every corner of the country . But they remained a close family , and for more than fifty years have gathered for one weekend every two years for a reunion .
Meanwhile , Joseph Lyness Jr . kept his family in Logan , where he received a land
Lyness Family members toured Logan and Bright for glimpses of important sites for their ancestors .
grant for seventy-five acres on Brush Creek Road from President Van Buren . The family stayed and prospered to this day among the leaders of our community . Rep . Randy Lyness entertained the reunion group with his singing , Jay Lyness delivered the Sunday fellowship message , and Linda Lyness Maxwell brought welcome gifts from the Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce .
Joseph Lyness ’ s gravestone at the Gibson Cemetery is now barely legible , although it can be readily found because it is in the company of many of his family ’ s graves . This year ’ s reunion group voted that the proceeds of the various weekend ’ s fund raising activities will be used to start a fund to restore Joseph ’ s grave marker to one befitting a family patriarch .
This reunion was the second time the Lyness descendants had gathered here . The first was in 2012 when a similar
Linda Lyness created a collage of family information displayed during the reunion .
gathering gave the cousins , east and west , the first opportunity most had ever had to meet , more or less since that fateful parting back in the nineteenth century . More than one hundred gathered for that event . The descendants said they all had such a good time that they would certainly return .
And they did .
ECHS Class of 1997 20-Year Reunion Ticket Sales
It ' s hard to believe that twenty years have passed since the ECHS class of 1997 graduated . How has twenty years changed you ? How has it changed your closest friends or your long-lost classmates ? Find out by taking part in a night full of sharing memories , friendships , and news from the past twenty years .
The twenty-year high
school reunion will be held on Saturday , Sept . 30 at Chateau Pomije Winery from 7-10 p . m . A light dinner will be served . Adults only please . The ECHS Class of 1997 Reunion Committee has had a great response from classmates purchasing tickets . No tickets will be sold at the reunion .
The $ 40 / person ticket may be purchased via the Eventbrite link on the ECHS Class of 1997 Facebook page or by searching www . eventbrite . com for " East Central High School Class of 1997 20-Year Reunion ."
Several fun activities are planned for both the Saturday evening reunion and the Friday evening Homecoming game .
For more information please see our Facebook page , ECHS Class of 1997 .
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