June 2006 Newsletter
VOLUME III, NUMBER 3
Annual reunion, 2006
Amherst, Massachusetts
FRIDAY, JUNE 23
5:00 PM Board Meeting at Lord Jeffery Inn
6:00 PM Social Hour at Lord Jeffery Inn
7:00 PM Dinner at Lord Jeffery Inn
SATURDAY, JUNE 24
9:00 AM Special Tour at Emily Dickinson Museum
9:00 AM Registration and Social Time begins
at South Congregational Church, Amherst
12:00 PM Welcome and Lunch
12:45 PM Annual Meeting of the Association
1:30 PM Speaker: Clif Read
If you haven’t yet replied to our April mailing or should you need one, a duplicate response form is provided below for your convenience.
FINAL NEWS OF 2006 REUNION
This year we are back in Amherst, a town which presents many great opportunities. If you arrive early on Friday, you can spend some time in the special collections room at the Jones Library. It is open from 10-5, and also on Saturday from 1-5. Some Emily Dickinson manuscripts are housed there as well as abundant genealogical and historical books.
Depending on weather, Friday may also be a good time for a visit to one of Amherst’s cemeteries. West and Wildwood are relatively central and contain the graves of Emily and Austin, respectively. North and South Amherst also have cemeteries with Dickinson graves.
We also recommend a visit to the First Congregational Church. It is open every day for self-guided tours. Austin Dickinson was a prime force in the design and construction of this building.
On Saturday, the Emily Dickinson Museum will present a special one-hour tour for our members at 9 am. You will be able to visit both Emily’s home and that of her brother, Austin. If you are still around on Sunday you may want to take in their special event, a lecture and garden tour. For more details go to: www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
Our reunion speaker, Clif Read, is Supervisor of Interpretive Services at the Quabbin Visitor Center. He will speak on the history and current status of the reservoir. We noted in our last Newsletter that Harvey Dickinson, who was also to speak, passed away in March. Harvey will be with us, however, through a short video interview which he did a few years ago for public TV.
We highly recommend a drive to the Quabbin. The visitor center is about 15 minutes from Amherst. It is open 9-4:30 every day and provides spectacular views of the lake. The Quabbin Park Cemetery is nearby with many graves moved from the flooded valley, and there are hiking trails all around the reservoir.
Another possibility is the Swift River Valley Historical Society Museum. It is open on Sunday from 1-4 pm. There are exhibits and much information about the towns that were eliminated by the reservoir project and the people who lived there.
April 2006 Newsletter
VOLUME III, NUMBER 2
President’s Message One of the rewards of being webmaster is the occasional e-mails (or letters) I receive from people who have discovered our website and are anxious to find out if they are descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson. Most of the time I’ve been able to track down a connection through our genealogy book and invariably they are delighted to find this new knowledge of their “roots.” And the DFA benefits by adding new members! An interest in family history is certainly something that all members of the DFA have in common. Admittedly, this often comes with maturity. I was in my 50s before I really got hooked. But recently we have seen a growing number of younger members joining our ranks. We even have people in their 20s and 30s on our board and/or committees, and we’re very happy to have them. The annual reunion is a wonderful way to explore family history and to share your stories and reminiscences with other cousins. I hope that many of you will take advantage of that opportunity this year at our reunion in Amherst. Also, if you have something you’d like to display that relates to your family history or to Dickinsons in general, bring it along and we’ll make room for you to show it. I look forward to seeing many of you this June in Amherst. Alan C. Dickinson, president |
January 2006 Newsletter
VOLUME III, NUMBER 1
November 2005 Newsletter
VOLUME II, NUMBER 4
June 2005 Newsletter
VOLUME II, NUMBER 3
April 2005 Newsletter
VOLUME II, NUMBER 3
January 2005 Newsletter
VOLUME II, NUMBER 1
November 2004 Newsletter
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3
April 2004 Newsletter
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2