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July 2006
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Unknown
Faces and Places
One of the matriarchs of our family was Mary Magdalene (Whipkey) Harbaugh, nicknamed "Aunt Lany," the widow of Civil War veteran David Harbaugh. This couple, both born in Somerset County, PA, had 12 children born over the span of more than a quarter of a century. When Mary celebrated her 94th birthday in August 1926, her family decided to throw her a birthday party on a grand scale. What resulted was a massive picnic -- of some 225 people -- on the old Harbaugh farm, now part of Clairton Lake, but owned at that time by the Harbaughs' daughter and son in law, Susie and Alexander Wilson Conn. Several photographs were taken that day, including a close-up seen here of Mary in a favorite rocking chair, and a panorama photograph showing all in attendance. The event was so successful that it was named the first annual Harbaugh Reunion, and the event continued every year, after her death in 1930, and spanning decades of peace and war. The reunions are still held today at Wharton Township Park near Farmington, Fayette County, PA. Our website contains the annual minutes of the reunions from 1947 to 2000.
Copyright © 2006 Mark A. Miner