MAULE FAMILY NEWSLETTER

Vol. IX, No. 2

May 1989

*** 1990 REUNION PLANS ***

As difficult as it may be to believe, it is time for each of us to begin making specific plans for attending the 1990 Maule Family Reunion. As has previously been mentioned in the newsletter and elsewhere, the Reunion is to be held in two locations in August of 1990: Maule, France and Brechin, Scotland.

A group of Maule cousins (who have evolved into an ad hoc reunion planning committee) has been acquiring information and making decisions about the 1990 Reunion. The following information reflects the state of the arrangements as of April 1989. Additional, and more specific information, will be distributed in the fall 1989 newsletter. Subsequent communications will be limited to those who have identified themselves as participants in the 1990 Reunion.

The following information is subject to change:

DATES: Several days during the week of Aug. 6, 1990: Maule, France

Remainder of that week: Participants, at their own option, can visit Paris and the surrounding area

Most of the week of Aug. 13, 1990: Brechin, Scotland and surrounding towns

Before Aug. 6 and after Aug. 18, 1990: Participants, at their own option, can visit wherever they like

ACTIVITIES: It is expected that in Maule, France, there will be group tours and visits of the Museum, the ancient Church, and several other buildings. In Brechin, Scotland and the surrounding area, it is expected that group visits to Brechin Castle, Panmure House, and some of the many other sites connected with the Maule family will be arranged.

TRAVEL: If a sufficient number of people indicate, arrangements can be made for group or charter air travel from New York to Paris and from London to New York. Obviously, participants are welcome to get themselves to the Reunion locations however else they might wish to do so. Similarly, a group crossing of the Channel by hovercraft (and travel from Paris to the Channel and from the Channel to Edinburgh) can be arranged.

ACCOMMODATIONS: The reunion planning committee will try to make group accommodation arrangements (much in the style of the 1988 Salem Reunion) in Maule, France, and Brechin, Scotland. Success in doing so depends on knowing, with great accuracy, the number of participants. If group accommodations can be made, it would be highly desireable for participants to stay in the castle, hotel, or other lodging that has been obtained. All other accommodation arrangements would be at the discretion of the participant.

MEALS: At least one dinner in each location would be planned as a group activity. Preferably, all dinners would be so arranged. Other meal arrangements would be at the discretion of the participant.

COST: These are all ballpark estimates. Air fare, per person, would be about $1200 round trip. Accommodations and meals would be about $100 per day (a difficult call because of the variety of participants' lodging and eating habits and because the cost of accommodations in the two locations would be a matter of negotiation).

PERSONAL PLANNING: Passports are needed, and cannot expire before March 1991. Visa from France also are needed, and the passport is needed to obtain the visa.

NEEDED NOW: The reunion planning committee needs to know by June 30 the names of all those who plan to attend the Reunion. As you can tell from the preceding information, knowing the number of those attending is critical to effective planning. Please fill out and return the form on the next page, even if you do not plan to attend (that helps in making estimates). Feel free to photocopy the form if you do not want to tear up this priceless newsletter.

1990 MAULE FAMILY REUNION
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FORM
NAME(S): _______________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________

PHONE: _________________________________________________________

OTHERS TRAVELLING WITH YOU: ____________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___ I (We) plan to attend the 1990 Maule Reunion....

____ in both Maule, France, and Brechin, Scotland
____ in ONLY Maule, France
____ in ONLY Brechin, Scotland

___ I (We) will make our own travel plans

___ I (We) would like to travel with the group....

___ TO Europe___ from France to Scotland___ FROM Europe

___ I (We) will not attend the 1990 Maule Reunion

OPTIONAL: Because:

____ Not a good month or year to go
____ I have no interest in this
____ Too expensive/inconvenient
____ I've been there before

Questions that I need answered:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Comments: ___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO FILL OUT AND RETURN THE FORM ON THE
BACK OF THIS PAGE
PLEASE RETURN THE FORM BY JUNE 30, 1989

PLEASE RETURN THE FORM TO:

1990 Maule Family Reunion
c/o Jim Maule
517 Britton Drive
King of Prussia, PA 19406

*** SOME OBSERVATIONS FROM THE EDITOR ***

(AN EDITORIAL)

I try to keep this newsletter a vehicle for communicating information of interest to the Maule family and to avoid imposing on you my judgments and opinions. However, I do want to share with you my concerns that the response rate to the 1990 Reunion Information form on the next page will be as low as the response rate that I have seen while planning the last five reunions.

Though attendance at past reunions has been encouraging, though lower than expected (ranging from 40 to 110), the response rate has been surprisingly disappointing. At best, 50 to 75 responses arrive from a mailing of at least 500 newsletters that reach at least 2,000 Maule cousins. Perhaps I overestimate interest levels, or perhaps there is some other factor at work that I have not noticed.

In past years, one could treat a non-response as an indication of non-attendance. The only risk was that someone would attend who had not responded. Usually the arrival of unexpected participants causes no problems; at worst, if the Reunion is like the one in Salem, it might mean last-minute meal changes or someone's non- admittance to a ticketed event. Planning involved estimating the number of participants, "announcing" the Reunion, and waiting for people to respond and attend.

This approach will not work for the 1990 Reunion. A reunion held in two locations in Europe requires a much greater degree of commitment from those planning to attend than did the previous Reunions. It also requires much more detailed planning than anything in which the family has ever before been involved.

Fortunately, with respect to the planning, those of our cousins who are on the reunion planning committee have been doing much work. Most of it involves determining the things that need to be done and the time frame that applies to the plans. For example, Betsey Collins and Gloria Pierce have met with travel agents to ascertain cost estimates, travel and visa information, and ideas for how the travel can be arranged. Bill Maule corresponded with the secretary to the Earl of Dalhousie concerning Brechin Castle. Dave Maule is on standby, and will soon be involved in specific planning for events once the number of participants can be ascertained. My thanks to the committee, especially because I know that I could not have done something of this scope myself.

What emerges from the committee's work is the paramount fact that no matter how much any one specific member of the ad hoc planning committee does, the 1990 Reunion cannot be adequately arranged without the cooperation of each and every member of the family. It is essential that each person respond by filling out and sending me the form on page 3. Knowing that 450 people are planning NOT to attend makes planning infinitely easier than knowing that 40 people plan to attend, 7 do not, and 493 do not care enough to respond.

Please be nice to those who are trying to put this together. Take a moment to share YOUR plans, no matter what they are.

*** NOTED AND NOTABLE ***

Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine (Nov. 13, 1988), p. 28:

A 1913 photo looking west from the Broad Street Station, in which can be seen the Maule Building, with "Maule's Seeds" prominently displayed. This and other photographs will appear in "Philadelphia: Then and Now" (Dover Press)

From "The Paw Press" (Newsletter of the Chester Co., Pa. SPCA):

An article about the Siberian Husky notes that they were imported into Alaska by Charles Fox Maule Ramsay, who was Governor- General of Canada in the nineteenth century.

*** TIME FLIES, WE GET OLDER,.... ***

One of the least fulfilling aspects of sharing news is informing people of the deaths of others. This is particularly so when I knew the person, and even more distressing when I never found or made the time to see them again as I had planned.

DECEASED: Katherine Hewitt Cummin, on Dec. 17, 1988. Kady was very active in the Radnor Historical Society, wrote "Radnor: A Rare and Pleasing Thing", and was very helpful in teaching this writer about Radnor and places connected with our family history. Though not a member of the Maule family, she made the collation of its genealogy one of her concerns. She and her concern will be missed.

DECEASED: Jane Maule Little, Jan. 7, 1989. Jane was the last member of a major branch of the Maule family. Her father, grandfather, and great grandfather were involved in the Maule Lumber and Maule Seed Company enterprises. Jane was very interested in Maule family history, and fortunately shared what she knew when I met her some years ago. She was one of the last of that group of special cousins who knew Maules in the fifth, sixth, and seventh generation, and who encouraged me in the early stages of my involvement in the Maule family history project. I am happy to report that there have been entrusted to me much of her Maule collection, and I will see to its preservation along with the rest of the Maule Collection now in my care.

DECEASED: Lawrence Lambelet, December 4, 1988. Larry was well known by those who attended Maule Reunions, as he attended most of them and made it a point to talk with people and get to know them. He was a strong supporter of the reunions, the Maule genealogy research projects, and of the family in general. He will be missed.

DECEASED: Mary Zelma Maule, wife of Bob Maule and mother of Bill Maule (whom many of you know from reunions and his service as Consul General in several places). I regret that I never met Zelma. In my correspondence with Bob, one of the many things I learned was that she was a fantastic person. She and Bob were married for more than 64 years, which says a lot about both of them.

DECEASED: Marguerite M. Foley, Jan. 18, 1989. Peg was the widow of my father's only Maule first cousin Bob Foley. Bob's father was the brother of my grandmother and his mother was the sister of my grandfather. Some years ago I visited Bob and Peg when I was putting together the Maule genealogy. It was interesting, though perhaps typical, that she had acquired more information from older members of the family when she was younger (or at least remembered it) than had Bob, though both shared several hours of their time educating me. In my usual style of being overextended I never did get back to see them after that visit.

*** OVEREXTENSION ***

In my comments about the distress of reporting deaths, I noted that part of my reaction is due to the fact that I find myself not visiting people whom I had planned to visit again. It may be an excuse, but it is true, that I have so overextended myself that finding or making time to do so has become very difficult. The same can be said of my failure to respond to some of your letters, and of my almost total inactivity (other than publishing this newsletter, maintaining the mailing list, doing some reunion things, and reading obituaries) with respect to genealogy (whether it be the Maules, my other ancestral families, or my children's ancestry).

It is not as though I was not warned. Years ago, when I was much younger, more energetic, and less understanding of others' slower paces, my mother told me that as I grew older I would get busier, acquire a longer "to do" list, and discover that days grew shorter. Nowadays, the fancy word for this phenomenon is "overextension". The fact that I have friends dealing with the same problem lets me take comfort in viewing this as an aspect of being in one's thirties!

When I discover how to put 30 hours in a day I will let you know. In the meantime, my apologies to those expecting to hear from me.

*** MONEY ***

I hate asking for money. But once again I must. The fall 1988 newsletter cost $333.38 for printing and postage. This one will cost as least as much. Donations for the year 1988 amounted to little more than the cost of one newsletter. A few of you have been supportive, and we thank you. Hopefully, the many hundred others of you will be able to spare two dollars. Thanks.

*** DISAPPEARING COUSINS ***

Fall 1988 newsletters addressed to the following people were returned as undeliverable, usually with forwarding order expired:

BOWMAN, Susan (Rockford IL)MAULE, Norman P (Carmichael CA)
EBERT, Janet (Chalmetter LA)MAULE, M/M Warren (Idaho Falls ID)
KASKI, Nancy Mae (Portland OR)MAY, M/M Lewis L (Frisco TX)
LEWIS, M/M Peter (Visalia CA)PAXSON, Mildred S (Lititz PA)
MAULE, Bill (North Wales PA)SKAGGS, D & MAULE, Mrs James(Norwalk CA)
MAULE, James S (Beverly Hills CA)THOMSON, Mrs Erma (Wagontown PA)

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