GFA REUNIONS

Reunion Coordinators are Donna and Chuck Peterson.

Latest Details about the 2024 GFA

Reunion in Reno, Nevada

Join us at the 18^th Biennial Reunion of the Goodenow Family Association!

Plans for Reunion ’24 to be held in Reno, NV, are nearly complete. The Main Program will be held from Wednesday evening, July 17, through Saturday evening, July 20. In addition, there will be an Early Bird Program beginning on Monday, July 15.

The Early Bird Program will take us to area sites and attractions such as the Donner Party Museum, Virginia City (a gold rush town), the state capitol of Carson City, and as much else as we can squeeze into three days, including possible Goodenow connections to the area.

The Main Program will follow our usual format of discussions, presentations, and tours of direct interest to GFA members. Those activities will include:

• Wednesday evening: Welcome dinner and presentation about the history of the Reno area.

• Thursday morning: Business meeting.

• Thursday afternoon: Presentations of general interest to GFA members, including the story of Herbert and Caroline Goodenough’s ministry in South Africa in the late 1800’s.

• Friday all day: A driving tour around the Lake Tahoe area.

• Saturday morning: Additional business meeting (if required).

• Saturday afternoon: Possible tour of nearby Goodenow sites in NV and CA.

• Saturday evening: Farewell Dinner with presentations by Russ and Carolyn Goodenough about the story of the movements west by descendants of one of the three original immigrants, Thomas Goodenow.

• Sunday morning: Farewell breakfast at the Reunion Hotel (optional).

If anyone is aware of any specific connection to the GFA family in the Reno area, please let us know. Also, if you are willing to make a presentation to the Reunion participants about any topic relevant to the GFA, please contact Hal Cutler by phone at 978-443-2525 or email at hcutlercfpe@verizon.net.

Costs

Basic registration fees to cover meeting room rentals, refreshments at the business meeting and Reunion booklet printing are currently estimated to be as follows:

Full Registration (per individual) $80.00

Full Registration (per couple) $120.00

Family Registration (parents and minor children) $120.00

Partial Registration (single day participant) $40.00

There will be no separate registration fee for the Early Bird Program.

Reservation forms will be sent to pre-registrants with additional program details and costs.

Meals

The menus for the July 17 Welcome Dinner and the July 20 Farewell Dinner will be the following:

July 17 Dinner Menu

Grilled Salmon OR Grilled Chicken
Seasonal Vegetables
Mashed Potatoes
Salad of Lettuce/Tomato/Carrots/Cucumbers (dressings: Ranch/Caesar/Italian/Blue Cheese)
Rolls

July 20 Dinner Menu

Chicken Fajitas OR Fish Tacos
Beans
Rice
Tortillas (Corn/Flour)
Salad of Lettuce/Tomato/Carrots/Cucumbers (dressings: Ranch/Caesar/Italian/Blue Cheese)

The costs (per adult) of each of these meals will be $34.00, including tax and gratuity.

Children’s meals will be available for $20.00 per meal, including tax and gratuity. On July 17, the meal offered will be chicken fingers and fries; on July 20, a quesadilla and carrots with ranch dressing will be served.

Accommodations

We have arranged for group accommodations and meeting facilities at the Best Western SureStay Plus Hotel at 1981 Terminal Way in Reno (775-384-5007). The daily room rate for those attending the GFA Reunion is $99.00 plus a City Tourism Fee of $2.00 and sales tax of 13%, for a total of $113.87/day.

Individuals and families will need to make your own reservations; be sure to mention the GFA Reunion in order to receive the group rate.

Pre-Registration

It is now time for all persons who are contemplating attending the Early Bird or Main Programs to complete and submit the Pre-Registration form on page 29, if you have not already done so.

This does NOT obligate one to attend; it is a step that provides a rough idea of potential attendance numbers.

Pre-registrants will receive more Reunion information directly by email or USPS mail.

The deadline for confirmed program registration will be June 1, 2024.

We hope to welcome you to the Goodenow Family Reunion in July in Reno!

(Published in the May 2024 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts.)

Download the Pre-Registration form here.

2024 Reunion T-Shirt

The city slogan of Reno, NV

The city slogan of Reno, NV.

Comstock Cemetery, outside of Virginia City, NV

Comstock Cemetery, outside of Virginia City, NV.

Hal Cutler points out the sign for the Delta Saloon 1876, in Virginia City, NV

Hal Cutler points out the sign for The Delta Saloon 1876, in Virginia City, NV.

Reno

A 1907 map of Reno, Nevada. Reno will be the site of the 2024 GFA Reunion.

Springfield, IL - 2022 Celebrating Our Family in “The Land of Lincoln”

Sudbury, Massachusetts – 2018 The 2018 GFA Reunion marked the 380th anniversary of the arrival of John, Thomas and Ursula Goodenow in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It has been 30 years since the first GFA reunion. Dorothy Goodenow Ruddock came to Sudbury Plantation in 1639 as the wife of John Ruddock. The GFA’s 30th anniversary reunion also celebrated the 380th anniversary of the Goodnow immigrants. The 46 folks who attended all or part of the gathering enjoyed visits to Plymouth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, Lexington and Concord, the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, a welcome dinner at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, a day trip to Kennebunk, Maine, and sites in around Sudbury related to the 1638 immigrants and their descendants. Thanks to Reunion Coordinators Hal and Betsey Cutler. See the August 2018 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts for details. [photograph: group in front of the Goodnow Library in Sudbury, MA]

Flagstaff, Arizona - 2016 The GFA’s 2016 reunion allowed attendees to explore classic American West landscapes, including the Wukoki Pueblo, Sunset Crater Volcano, the Grand Canyon, Walnut Canyon, Sedona and its Red Rocks and Vortexes, Meteor Crater, and Winslow, Arizona. Thanks to Reunion Coordinator John T. Goodnough. The August 2016 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts includes more details and photographs. [photograph: group shot at Grand Canyon overlook]

Grand Rapids, Michigan - 2014 A group of 32 family members visited Goodenow sites in Lundington, Hart and Grand Haven; the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and Albion, MI; the Frederik Meijers Gardens and Sculpture Park; the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum; and a “Dutch Heritage Tour” in Holland, MI. Six couples opted for a “bonus” add-on tour of Upper Michigan, visiting Carol and Bob Goodenough’s cottage on Lake Charlevoix and on to Mackinac Island, the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, and the Whitefish Bay Lighthouse and Shipwreck Museum. Thanks to Reunion Coordinators Carol and Bob Goodenough. The August 2014 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts includes more details and photographs. [photograph: group shot in front of gazebo]

Washington, DC - 2012 This reunion attracted 49 family members, who bore through the July heat and paid visits to such landmarks as Mount Vernon, the Clara Barton National Historic Site, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Fort McHenry (“birthplace” of the Star-Spangled Banner), a historic home (Cherry Grove) that was likely part of the Underground Railroad, Lincoln’s Summer Cottage, and the Arlington National Cemetery. A small group made an excursion to Antietam Battlefield. Thanks to Reunion Coordinator John T. Goodnough. The August 2012 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts includes more details and photographs. [photograph: Top - group photo Bottom - ClaraBartonHouse

Salt Lake City - 2010 A total of 44 family members and friends explored sites in Salt Lake City such as the Latter Day Saints’ Family History Library, Temple Square, Conference Center and the Joseph Smith Building; Kennecott Copper Mine, the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Promontory, Utah, and enjoyed a concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Thanks to Reunion Coordinators Shawn and Virginia Doyle. The August 2010 issue of Goodenows’ Ghosts includes more details and photographs.

Sudbury, MA - July 2008 The GFA’s 20th anniversary reunion also honored of the 370th anniversary of the arrival of the immigrants to Sudbury. Those who attended visited area sites and attractions such as Lexington and Concord, Sturbridge Village, Boston’s Freedom Trail, a whale watch, the Lamson & Goodnow factory in Shelburne Falls, and the Goodnough Dike at Quabbin Reservoir. Thanks to Reunion Coordinators Hal and Betsey Cutler. See the August 2008 issue of Goodenows' Ghosts for details. [photograph: group shot at boulder etched with “Goodenough Dike”]

England - July 2007 Twenty four GFA members traveled to England to visit some of the sites associated with the Goodenow immigrants in the 1600's. Places visited include Arundel and Old Wardour Castles, churches in Ebbesbourne Wake, Donhead St. Andrew, Donhead St. Mary, Semley and Shaftesbury, Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, Stonehenge, Isle of Wight and museums in Dorchester and Chichester. The Early Bird program included a double decker bus tour of London and tours of Hampton Court and Windsor Castle. A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to meet Jenny Potter, GFA's U.K.-based genealogist, and hear first-hand of her activities and progress in finding traces of our English forbears in the 16th and 17th centuries. See the August 2007 issue of Goodenow's Ghosts for more pictures and essays contributed by the travelers plus an in-depth account of Ms. Potter's research in England. [photograph: group shot in front of Parliament building]

South Africa - August 2003 Eighteen GFA members plus five family friends attended the Great South African Adventure in August 2003 hosted by Stanton Goodenough, GFA president. Stan, who lives in the Howick area of South Africa, led the group on a trek across the country from Cape Town to Durban to Kruger Park, visiting landmarks such as Table Mountain, Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly 27 years), the Cape of Good Hope, battlegrounds in Natal where the British and Zulus clashed and a Zulu cultural center. Highlights of the trip included a tour of the oldest black township near Capetown and a memorable visit to Adams Mission (now a school) where Stan's great-grandparents were missionaries to the Zulus in the 1880's. Four days were spent at the world-famous Kruger National Wildlife Park where the group quickly spotted the big five (buffalo, elephant, lion, rhino and leopard) and a host of other wild creatures in natural habitat. Some of the group continued on to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe for an additional adventure. See the November 2003 issue of Goodenows' Ghosts for a detailed account of the tour. [photograph: group shot at Cape of Good Hope]

Seattle Reunion and Alaska Cruise - July 2002 More than 60 GFA members gathered in Seattle for the "North by Northwest" Reunion in July 2002. Sightseeing excursions were arranged to notable Seattle sites such as Mt. Rainier, Pike Place Markets, Snoqualmie Falls, the Space Needle and Mount St. Helens. After the reunion, half of the group journeyed together to Vancouver to board Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas for a 7-day cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Three ports of call were visited -- Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan -- as well as the Hubbard Glacier and the Misty Fiords. See the November 2002 issue of Goodenows' Ghostsfor pictures.

England - 1996 The Goodenow Family members embarked on the inaugural trip to the West Country of England to visit the ancestral home of the Goodenow immigrants. Please visit our Facebook page! Contact webmaster Submit query to database manager ©The Goodenow Family Association, Inc.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - 2014

Sudbury, MA - July 2008

England - July 2007

South Africa - August 2003

Seattle Reunion and Alaska Cruise - July 2002

England - 1996