USMFA Reunion Update

Dear United States McCraw Family Members and Friends,

Every two years we look forward to welcoming our family and friends to our biennial reunion. As you know, our event was scheduled for this summer and preparations were being finalized for a great time in Fairhope, Alabama.  But these are unprecedented times and although it was unthinkable only a short time ago, we have been forced to consider canceling our signature event. We delayed making a decision and had hoped the pandemic would abate and allow us to hold our reunion as scheduled. Current guidance from the CDC recommends we stay home as much as possible and avoid close contact. They warn that staying in temporary accommodations (hotels, motels, and rental properties) may expose you to the virus through person-to-person contact and possibly through contact with contaminated surfaces and objects. They also state that traveling to visit friends and family increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19 and recommends that people avoid all non-essential travel, especially if you are at higher risk of severe illness.

Considering the advisement from the CDC and with our utmost concern being the health and safety of our family members the board has voted to cancel the 2020 reunion. While this news is unfortunate, we hope it also provides a level of certainty in otherwise uncertain times. As of now, our plan is to reschedule this year's Fairhope Reunion for the same venue in 2022. 

While we won't be able to be together this summer, you can always find updates and additional information on our website.

USMFA Home Page We are the United States McCraw Family Association! An organization comprised of the descendants of William Macc...

You can also find us on Facebook at McCraw Genealogy.

In the future, will meet at a reunion with Covid-19 in the rear-view mirror.   Until then, take care of yourselves and stay safe. 

Janet Harvey

Secretary, USMFA

2020 USMFA Reunion Update!

Hello Members and Friends of The United States McCraw Family Association!

 

I hope you are all beginning to see signs of Spring where you live.  I don't know about you, but to me it is such a relief to see more sun and milder temperatures! 

We have a lot of news to share about the activities of USMFA and our reunion that is less than four months away.  Time will fly by and it will be here before we know it. 

Our 2020 Reunion will be held in Fairhope, Alabama from Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, 2020.  Our host, Phyllis Pittman Ledine has put together a terrific reunion.  Our reunion is a great time to visit with family members from around the country, make new friends and connections with family members interested in our family genealogy, and share stories of your family with other descendants of William I.  We will get updates on ongoing research to find the land that William settled on as well as our DNA project.  Our Saturday night banquet will include a delicious menu and live music.  Many people enjoy wearing their kilt or tartan to the Saturday night banquet.  So, if you own one, be sure to bring it and wear it to the banquet.

To register for the reunion, click here 2020 Reunion  to complete the registration process online at our website.  If you prefer, I have attached the reunion registration form to this email. You may also register by completing the form and mailing it with your check to Tim McCraw at the address on the form.     

Phyllis has made arrangements for those who are interested to meet for dinner on Thursday and Friday nights.  If you are interested in one or both of these optional events, please let Phyllis know (phyllisledine@gmail.com) so that you will be added to the reservation.  You will find more information about these locations at their websites and on the registration form.

 

Thursday night we will meet for dinner at McSharry's Irish Pub.     

 http://www.mcsharrys.com/

Friday's optional dinner will be at the Pier Bar and Grill.

https://www.thefairhopepierbarandgrill.com/

Now is a good time to make reservations for your hotel stay.  The Holiday Inn Express on Greeno Road (US 98) will be the location of our meetings.   A block of 10 rooms is being held for June 25, 26, and 27, 2020.  The rooms are $109 for Thursday night and $139 each for Friday and Saturday nights.  The room block code is RFC.  Your Holiday Inn reservation is entirely separate from the Reunion registration and must be handled directly with the Fairhope Holiday Inn Express.  The hotel phone number is 251-928-9191.  

I have attached information from our Fall newsletter about the reunion, Fairhope and the surrounding area.  There is plenty to do in the area so that you can extend your stay and make a vacation of it if you are able.   Mobile, as well as the beautiful beaches of the Gulf are not far away.

If you haven't visited our website lately, you haven't visited at all.  It has undergone a complete overhaul in the time since our last reunion, and our Webmaster, Scott McGraw, has redesigned the site and added many new features.   Not only can you register for the reunion online, you may now join USMFA online at the website and/or renew your membership.  Click here Join The USMFA! to join USMFA or renew your membership.  I am also attaching the paper membership form to this email so that if you prefer, you may complete it and mail it to Tim McCraw with your check to the address on the form. 

New for this reunion is The Carol McCraw Award of Merit.  This award is designed to "honor family members who have made significant contributions to our association or to society."  The first award will be presented to Carol McCraw posthumously at this summer's reunion.  Scott has created a page on the website further describing the award and Carol's amazing contributions to our organization.   As the primary researcher and author of It is McCraw not McGraw we owe her our gratitude for compiling a massive amount of information about our progenitor William 1 and his descendants in such a usable book.  We will be presenting this award to other deserving family members every two years at our future reunions.  Nominations for the 2022 award are open and you will find information about the award as well as the nominating form here Carol McCraw Award of Merit  Be thinking of someone that you would like to honor in this way.  It is never too soon to complete the nomination form. 

By popular demand, we now have a USMFA store!  Many people at the 2018 reunion said that they would like to purchase USMFA items.  Your wish is our command!  You may now purchase shirts, cups, travel mugs, can coolers, magnets, buttons, pillows and much more with the USMFA logo and the 2020 Reunion logo.  Be sure to visit the website and our new store here USMFA Store

 

The 2020 Reunion in Fairhope, Alabama promises to be a fabulous time in a beautiful setting.  Make plans to join us today!

See you in Fairhope!

 

Janet Harvey

USMFA Secretary

Re: 2020 USMFA Reunion

On Tuesday, February 4, 2020, 01:46:43 PM CST, janet harvey <jkh1256@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hello Members and Friends of the United States McCraw Family Association! 

We are excited to provide updated information for the USMFA 2020 Reunion which will be held in Fairhope, Alabama from Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, 2020.  Our host, Phyllis Pittman Ledine has been working hard to put together a terrific reunion.  During the reunion, we will have time to visit and share stories with other descendants of William I.  We will get updates on ongoing research to find the land that William settled on as well as our DNA project.  Our Saturday night banquet will include a delicious menu and live music.  The fillable registration form is attached for your convenience.  You may complete the form, print and send it with a check to Tim McCraw at the address on the form.  

As an added convenience, you may now choose to complete the reunion registration form and pay the registration fee at our website.  Click this link to complete the registration online 2020 Reunion

2020 Reunion Registration and Information for the 2020 USMFA - United States McCraw Family Association - Reunion in Fairhope,...

Phyllis has made arrangements for those who are interested to meet for dinner on Thursday and Friday nights.  If you are interested in one or both of these optional events, please let Phyllis know (phyllisledine@gmail.com) so that you will be added to the reservation.  You will find more information about these locations at their websites and on the registration form.

Thursday night we will meet for dinner at McSharry's Irish Pub.     

 McSharry's Irish Pub – McSharry's Irish Pub

McSharry's Irish Pub – McSharry's Irish Pub

Friday's optional dinner will be at the Pier Bar and Grill.

The Fairhope Pier Bar & Grill Restaurant

The Fairhope Pier Bar & Grill Restaurant original southern food served in a unique over the water restaurant with great Mobile Bay sunset views and a lon...

Now is a good time to make reservations for your hotel stay.  The Holiday Inn Express on Greeno Road (US 98) will be the location of our meetings, and many attendees will want to stay there.   A block of 10 rooms is being held for June 25, 26, and 27, 2020.  The rooms are $109 for Thursday night and $139 each for Friday and Saturday nights.  The room block code is RFC.  Your Holiday Inn reservation is entirely separate from the Reunion registration and must be handled directly with the Fairhope Holiday Inn Express.  The hotel phone number is 251-928-9191.   

While you are on the Gulf Coast, why not make a vacation of attending the 2020 reunion and visit some local attractions before or after the reunion?  I have attached information about the reunion and attractions in the surrounding area for your information.  

Also, now is a good time to renew your USMFA Membership.  Many members like to renew their memberships at the same time that they register for the reunion.  A fillable membership form for the 2020-2022 period is attached for your convenience.  You may complete the form and mail it with your check to Tim McCraw at the address on the form.  

As a convenient alternative, it is now possible to complete the membership form and pay online at our website.  Click this link Join The USMFA!    to visit the membership page and join or renew your membership for 2020 - 2022.  

Join The USMFA!

Thanks to the efforts of our Webmaster, Scott McGraw, the website is a wealth of information.  You will find information about our family history, past reunions, and about our plans for the 2020 reunion.  

One final note:  We will be presenting the first USMFA Carol McCraw Award of Merit this summer at the reunion banquet.  This award was created to recognize and celebrate contributions to our knowledge and understanding of William I and his descendants.  Carol McCraw (the main author of It Is McCraw Not McGraw, our treasure trove of information) was an obvious choice for the title of the award as well as for the first recipient.  Members may nominate a candidate for the 2022 award from now until December 31, 2021, so be thinking of someone that you would like to recognize in this way.  

 

I hope to see you all in Fairhope for our 2020 USMFA Reunion!

Janet Harvey

Secretary, USMFA

Lt Doris McCraw Takes Europe!

Last night we shared that we had lost one of our own. Back in the Fall of 2016 our newsletter editor Mary Cone shared with us the story of Doris McCraw Cobb and her experiences in the military where she retired from the Army as a Colonel in 1974.

You can read the full article by clicking this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aHVU_102a4T3woyq0gWyeCecy_EP5NV8/view?usp=sharing

Doric McCraw Cobb has passed away.

We are sad to report that we just learned we've lost one of our long term members. Doris McCraw Cobb passed away on Christmas Day, 2019, at the age of 97. In addition to being a veteran of WWII, Korea & Vietnam, she had been very active in the USMFA. She will sorely be missed.

You can click the link to read her obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/universal-city-tx/doris-cobb-8974639

USMFA 2020 Reunion

Hello United States McCraw Family Association Family and Friends!

 

We hope that you have had a wonderful holiday season and that 2020 is a very good year for you.  

 

As the calendar has turned to 2020, so do our thoughts turn to our USMFA 2020 Reunion.  The reunion is being hosted by Phyllis Pittman and will be held in Fairhope, Alabama from Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, 2020.  During the reunion, we will have plenty of time to visit and share stories with other descendants of William I.  The reunion is a great time to make new friends and learn about our McCraw ancestors.  The event culminates with a banquet and celebration on Saturday night and with a business meeting on Sunday morning.  Many people enjoy meeting for dinner on Thursday evening, prior to the official reunion events, so make plans to join us for that as well.  The reunion registration form will be coming out in the next couple of weeks so be watching for it.   

 

In the meantime, you can go ahead and make reservations for your hotel stay.  The Holiday Inn Express on Greeno Road (US 98) will be the location of our meetings, and many attendees will want to stay there.  Make your reservations early.  A block of 10 rooms is being held for June 25, 26, and 27, 2020.  The rooms are $109 for Thursday night and $139 each for Friday and Saturday nights.  The room block code is RFC.  Your Holiday Inn reservation is entirely separate from the Reunion registration and must be handled directly with the Fairhope Holiday Inn Express.  The hotel phone number is 251-928-9191.   

 

While you are on the Gulf Coast, why not make a vacation of attending the 2020 reunion and visit some local attractions before or after the reunion?  I have attached information about the reunion and attractions in the surrounding area for your information.  

 

Also, now is a good time to renew your USMFA Membership.  A fillable registration form for the 2020-2022 period is attached for your convenience.  You may complete the form and mail it with your check to Tim McCraw at the address on the form.  

 

As a convenient alternative, it is now possible to complete the membership form and pay online at our website.  Click this link Join The USMFA!

Join The USMFA!

 to visit the membership page and join or renew your membership for 2020 - 2022.  Thanks to the efforts of our Webmaster, Scott McGraw, the website is a wealth of information.  You will find information about our family history, past reunions, and about our plans for the 2020 reunion.  Once the reunion registration forms are available, you will be able to register and pay for reunion attendance at our website as well.  Stay tuned for that information, I will let you know when the reunion registration form is available.

 

I hope to see you all in Fairhope for our 2020 USMFA Reunion!

 

Janet Harvey

Secretary, USMFA

 

 

 

 

Hotel Information:

 

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS FAIRHOPE

19751 Greeno Road, Fairhope, AL, 36532, US

 

Reunion Code:  RFC

 

Room Reservation

(888) 217-5507

 

Union (Oregon) home wins prize for best holiday display

Union home wins prize for best holiday display

By Dick Mason - The Observer Dec 27, 2019 Updated Dec 29, 2019

LA GRANDE — Christmas lights of the past are helping a Union home sparkle in the present.

The lights on display at Joel and Jill McCraw's home at 780 Serenity Lane in Union won the Union County Chamber of Commerce's honor as best decorated home in the county for 2019.

To read the full article, Click Here: https://www.lagrandeobserver.com/news/local/union-home-wins-prize-for-best-holiday-display/article_c1035d00-285b-11ea-8aa7-dbb33b556eb5.html