OWEN FAMILY NEWS Y'all Come
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OWEN FAMILY NEWS Volume 20, Issue 1 Published by Owen Family Association March 2005 Page 1 htpp//www.geocities.com/~owenfamily Y’all Come . to The Beautiful Texas Hill Country! INSIDE THIS ISSUE OurINSIDE Feature THIS Article: ISSUE Descendants of William and DrucillaFeature Echols Article:Owen— Part 4 Update:C. Owen The JohnsonOwen DNA Project Pageby Whit 52 Athey Page 4 Reuben Pickett Owen Grahamand His Owen Descendants: Obituary AdrianPage Boone 3 Owen Jody Moeller and Who WasLee Eli Gentemennzabeth Rowland Owen? Pageby Jane 55 Hillard Page 6 Discover the Owen Texas history and German heritage of the Texas Hill Country by IN FUTURE ISSUES attending the Owen Family Association 2005 Reunion, September 23rd, 24th and 25th, Reuben Pickett Owen and His - March Feature Article - 2005. The reunion will be held in the quaint and historic town of Boerne [burr-knee] Descendants (Conclusion) by Descendants of William and Texas which lies just up the road from San Antonio. Arrive early or stay late to do re- Josephine Moeller and Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 5 search or just to enjoy the many attractions and events of the area but spend the week- Lee Gentemenn by C. Owen Johnson end with our Owen cousins at the reunion. Details are still being planned by Karen and Page. 7 ˜ Bill Grubaugh and their committee. Descendants of ReubenHenry “Buck” Pickett OwenOwen —andPart His 4 byDescendants Josephine Moeller(Part 3) OWEN FAMILY ASSOCIATION 2005 REUNION by Marshall˜ Thomas A David PageFranklin 8 Owen September 26th through September 28th Narrative Biographyby Hugh of William Goodman Joseph Boerne, Texas Owen (Conclusion)˜ by Chris Hanlin Descendancy of Tentative plans include a reception to welcome everyone on Friday evening, Henry “Buck”Page 9 Owen September 23rd. On Saturday, September 24th a Genealogy Workshop which By Marshall Thomas will include a DNA presentation by Whit Athey following the Owen Family A Book Review˜ (Conclusion) Association Business Meeting. In the evening, the traditional banquet will be a EwingBy C. Elmer Owen Fidler Johnson Story By LouisPage 10Owen Texas Bar-b-que. The speaker, Hugh Goodman, is a Texas Owen descendant who has done extensive research and will speak about the Owens of Texas. Do GenealogyOwen HistoriesAbbreviations wear your cowboy hats and boots! On Sunday we will continue the tradition of ChrisPage Hanlin 11 worshiping together before we depart for our respective homes. March 2005 Volume 20, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 2 Editorial Staff of the The President’s Message Owen Family News by Arnie Owen Editor & Chief Karen Grubaugh 1945 in Texas Publisher Bill Grubaugh PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE- Greetings from southwest Florida the place we call 111 Stonegate North home for three months out of the year. As we have done for the past eighteen Boerne TX 78006 winters, Mary and I have made the 1121 mile journey from our home in Penn- (830) 249-3487 (FAX & voice) sylvania to Port Charlotte, Florida. However, this year was different because of [email protected] the visible changes that had occurred during our absence. First we noticed the lack of many street signs along highway 41, piles of rubbish and vast property Contributing Editors: damage. The landscape had definitely changed after hurricane Charley’s visit on Friday, August 13, 2004. Trees uprooted, vacant lots where houses once stood, Jane Owen Hillard roofs gone, walls blown out and businesses closed are only the noticeable scars 3419 Mt. Rainier Dr. of this disaster. Libraries are not available for genealogy research. Not so no- Louisville, KY 40244 tic eable, but more tragic are the cases of those who lost their homes and all their (502) 426-4771 belongings including irreplaceable family treasures. We were most fortunate, having only lost some shingles from our roof and two large palm trees. The roof Kimberly Ayn Owen has been replaced and we plan to plant two new palms. We are sorry to hear that 8006 Cottesmore Ct. long time members, Bill and Judy Owen, in Milton, Florida sustained serious damage to their home, by another hurricane that visited Florida last summer. Richmond, VA 23228 [email protected] Our hosts for the 10th Biannual Owen Family Association reunion are planning a C. Owen Johnson a Texas size event in September and I hope everyone is making plans to attend. Crystal Plaza #809 So. Karen and Bill Grubaugh will welcome you to their home state of Texas and 211 Jeff Davis Hwy. educate us with the history of that area of our great country. I plan to revisit Arlington, VA 22202 places from my days as a youth in Texas. Yes, as an eighteen year old youth, I (703) 415-1473 was stationed at Camp Walters situated between Mineral Wells and Weatherford. The year was 1945 and I had completed basic infantry training William P. Owen, III when WW II ended. Needless to say, many of us visited the Camp beer garden P O Box 24165 to celebrate that evening. At that time I had close cropped, bright red hair, was Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 clean shaven, 150 lbs and wrinkle -free. It is amazing what sixty years can do to [email protected] one’s body. While I can still do so, I plan to revisit my youthful memories in Texas. I urge everyone to attend this year’s reunion. A special thanks to Karen Publication Dates and Bill for volunteering to host the 10th Biannual Reunion. March, June, September And December Jane Hillard, chairman of the nominating committee is seeking volunteers to Deadlines are the 10th day of the month preceding publication serve the Association for the coming two years. Those who will offer their tal- ents to serve should contact Jane. Her contact information is in the column to Submission of lineages, biographies, pho- the left of this message. I know that our organization has many talented people tographs, historical and genealogical data who can offer much to the well being of the Association. about any Owen anywhere is encouraged! Your ideas for the newsletter are also so- Arnie licited, just contact the editor. March 2005 Volume 20, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 3 A Fond Farewell to Our Dedicated Member and Officer Graham C. Owen Graham C. Owen died on Friday, December 17, 2004, at Roberts Care Center in Palatka, [FL] after an extended illness. He was 71. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ashton Owen, Se., of East Palatka; a brother and his wife, Gene and Dorothy Owen of Jacksonville; a brother in law, Ellington J. McMeekin of Hawthorne. Surviving are his beloved wife of 45 years, Julia McMeekin Owen; two sons and wives, Graham Ashton and Tracey Owen of Branford and Wade and Alice Owen of Baldwin, GA; three grandchildren, Samantha and David Owen of Branford and Emma of Baldwin, Ga., and his mother-in-law Eva B. McMeekin of Hawthorne. He is survived also by two brothers and their wives, Dr. Harry Ashton Owen, Jr., and Phyllis Owen of Durham, N.C.; and Michael and Dot Owen of Marietta, GA; sister, Edith Owen Roysden of St. Augustine; sisters and husbands, Emily Ann and Gene Zimmerman of Jacksonville, and Carolyn and Perry Smith of Okeechobee. He is also survived by two brothers-in-law and wives, Jeff and Margaret McMeekin and Joe and Irene McMeekin, all of Hawthorne; also many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and special cousins. Graham was born Aug. 17, 1933 in Knights Station, a small village in Hillsborough County. He grew up in east Palatka and attended a three room elementary school there. He graduated with the class of 1951 from old Mellon High School and attended Florida State University. He served in the U.S. Army in the Army of Occupation in Austria and Germany and, in 1957, began a banking career with the Exchange Bank of Palatka. In 1961 he became a senior officer, stockholder, and member of the board of directors of the Branford State Bank and was with that bank over 20 years. While in Branford, Graham served on the town council, on the board of directors of the Suwannee County Change of Commerce, Chairman of the Suwannee County Housing Authority and was a long-time member of the Suwannee County Development Authority. White serving on the Development Authority, Graham was instrumental in obtaining “The Spirit of the Suwannee” park north of Live Oak. In 1981, Graham sold his interest in the Branford State Bank and formed a Georgia Corporation for business consulting and accounting. For the next 20 years, he and his wife owned and operated Owen Fi- nancial Services, Inc. in Habersham County, GA. Graham served as president of the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors of the United Way and was one of the original founders of the Downtown Cornelia Business and Professional Association. He was a long-time member of the Habersham County Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. After retiring and returning to Putnam County, Graham realized a lifelong ambition to do some writ- ing and as a correspondent for the Palatka Daily News had over 100 special feature stories and articles published. In a joint venture with his brother, M. M. Owen, and cousin, Kim A. Owen, Graham co- authored a book, The War of Confederate Captain Henry T. Owen. The book was published by Heritage Press in June, 2004. Graham was a charter member of the Curahee Rangers Camp 935, Sons of Confederate Veterans of Toccoa, GA and a member and former commander of The Sgt. Charlie Dickison Camp, Sons of Confeder- ate Veterans-Palatka.