The 74th Alexander McDougall & Johanna Rahe Family Reunion

June 13, 1999

Kent McDougall called the meeting to order. He thanked everyone for attending, especially thanked the person who had brought the chicken and dumplings.

The Secretary read the minutes.

Deaths in the family during the last year:

  1. Lydia Scarborough, Ora McDougall Pfennig died June 29, 1998. She had attended the reunion several weeks earlier. She was born January 25, 1924. She was 74 years old.
  2. Gordon Jones died at 62 years on October 1998. He was married to Betsey Zesch.
  3. Orin White died April 25, 1999. His wife is Rosalie White. They had been married 58 years. He had been ill with Alzheimer’s for several years. Estella Hoerster had attended Orin and Rosalie’s wedding and had been at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

A moment of silence was observed.

Births during the year:

  1. William Jeffrey McDougall was born March 5, 1999 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents are Jeffrey and Mary McDougall. They are of the William family.
  2. Zoe Miranda Wetzel was born November 26, 1997.
  3. Austin Lane James was born November 3, 1998.
  4. Travis Scott Pope was born March 19, 1999. His parents are Bryan and Elaine Pope. The great grandparents of Travis are Donald and Betty McDougall. The grandparents of Travis are Dale and Linda McDougall Pope.m
  5. Several children were born to the Zesch family, but no names were recalled.

Marriages:

  1. Cassandra Jordan was married to Matthew Hawk on June 12, 1999. Cassandra is the great granddaughter of Lillie Jordan.
  2. Bart Mahukeu and Adarine Jaffet were married August 8, 1998.
  3. Brittany McMullan and Craig Meadog were married June 19, 1999. Bart and Brittany are great grandchildren of Meta Schmidt.

Additional births added to the minutes were:

  1. Madelyn Gunn born April 17, 1995.
  2. Jordan Lee Gunn born July 27, 1997.

These children were born to Julie Gunn, great great-granddaughters of Lillie Jordan.

  1. Austin Wesley Decker was born January 20, 1998. He is the great great-grandson of Lillie Jordan.

There was a discussion about the chances of Turner Hall having air conditioning by June 2000. The odds seemed likely that it would be operating by then.

Kent bragged about his cousin, Gene Zesch. Gene had given Kent a poster of the carving with the saying “I spent most of my money on beer and women. The rest I just wasted.”

Kent asked Charles Spence to tell about the Scottish outfit he was wearing. He said he purchased the kilts from the Hector Russell W. while on a trip to Edinburgh. He gave quite a history lesson. He mentioned the skindhu – the small dagger used as a last resort, the Battle of Sterling Bridge where William Wallace defeated the English. He mentioned the 150’ tall statue of William Wallace, and talked about DunnolyCastle – the McDougallCastle and the original McDougall name – Dhuglas – gal for Gaelic. He told the story of the Brooch of Lorne torn from the cape of the Norman Robert the Bruce in battle, a prize possession of the McDougall clan.

A head count was taken:

William9

John11

Alonzo3

Thomas9

Henry9

Mary Jane1

Alex0

Emma0

Mathilda13

Herman0

Lillie16

For a total of71

Additional Marriages:

  1. Wanda Bublik’s daughter, Rebecca was married to Kyle LeBlanc. The couple lives in Utah.
  2. Her son Christopher is married to Colleen Connelly. They live in Florida. Her daughter-in-law just graduated from LawSchool at the University of Florida and her son is a chief.

Estella made her presentations:

  • The prize for 1st time to Texas was Madeline ______.
  • The person who traveled the farthest was Charles Spence of San Francisco, California.
  • The longest married couple was Mr. & Mrs. Herbert McDougall (63 years).
  • The most recent married couple was Doug and Doris McDougall.
  • The youngest person was Jordan Gunn who will be two in July.
  • The oldest person was Bess McDougall, who would be 93 the week after the reunion.

Estella related her memories of the 1st reunion. Estella who was a teenager, helped her mother. Kent’s Uncle Bill & her brother Kurt planned the 1st reunion at her mother’s house in Kerrville. The first reunions were held on the banks of the LlanoRiver. Following reunions were held at KlaernerPark. Estella is to be 92 on August 5th.

Ed Schwartz put family charts on the wall and encouraged family members to send him information to update the charts. It was estimated that there were 730 plus descendants of Alexander and Johanna.

More bragging:

  • Nathan Gunn won 3 Grammy Awards for the production of religious music with the conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. The musical pieces are on MI records.
  • Ryan Lambrecht, son of Philip and Sherry Lambrecht of San Antonio and grandson of Lawrence Lambrecht of New Braunfels was awarded a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from UT Law School on May 23, 1999. The Lambrechts are of the William McDougall family.

Family Note: Lawrence Lambrecht went to his 1st reunion in 1929 at age 12.

  • Casey Zesch’s wife obtained her counselor’s license.
  • Gene Zesch drove his Harley thru the Alps.
  • The grandson of June and Horace Brandenberger, Mack Rageneau graduated from the NavalAcademy at Annapolis. He is an ensign and will serve on a destroyer off the coast of Japan. He is of Henry’s family.

Wanda Bublik discussed her break thru research on Johanna Rahe’s family – going back 5 generations. Wanda gave an account of how Johanna’s father, Johann Hermann Rahe and his brother (Fritz) came to Texas in December 1949, one year ahead of the rest of the family. Hermann established a home for his family and a home for his brother Franz in Oak Creek settlement in GillespieCounty.

Wanda discussed the plans for the family book and encouraged family members to respond to the questionnaires they would receive by mail.

1999 Attendance:

  1. Kent McDougallHenry
  2. Eugene & Leona ParkerTom
  3. June R. Wellsvisitor
  4. Lilly Pearl M. FrantzenWilliam
  5. Eska & Lois McDougallWilliam
  6. Scott ZeschMathilda
  7. Patsy ZeschMathilda
  8. Gene ZeschMathilda
  9. Ben ZeschMathilda
  10. Zach ZeschMathilda
  11. Joy WilliamsHenry
  12. Charlie WilliamsHenry
  13. Rosalie WhiteLillie
  14. Carol Berridge(guest)
  15. Hazel & Tom WetzelJohn
  16. Mary Ann MacDougall Lynn
  17. Herbert and Moraine McDougallJohn
  18. Josephine & Walton BartelsWilliam
  19. Fowler & Rhonda P. CarsonTom
  20. Bonnie ParkerTom
  21. Coleby Lane DucheneauxTom
  22. Gina Smith ParkerTom
  23. Donald & Betty McDougall
  24. Doug & Doris McDougall
  25. Bob & Dennice McDougall, Morgan & Kaiden BurkeyJohn
  26. Wanda & Rick BublikJohn
  27. Paul McDougall
  28. Bess McDougall
  29. Jane McDougall BrandenbergerHenry
  30. Horace BrandenbergerHenry
  31. Ronny ZeschMathilda
  32. Jane ZeschMathilda
  33. Ray & Aline JordanLilly
  34. Glenna WilsonLilly-guest
  35. Casey ZeschMathilda
  36. Annisa ZeschMathilda
  37. Telisa ZeschMathilda
  38. Wesley ZeschMathilda
  39. Lawrence & Trudy LambrechtWilliam
  40. Ray JordanLilly
  41. Aline JordanLilly
  42. Glenna WilsonLilly – visitor
  43. Renee JobeLilly – visitor
  44. John JordanLilly
  45. Charles JordanLilly
  46. Jeremy JordanLilly
  47. Paul JordanLilly
  48. Julie GunnLilly
  49. Nathan GunnLilly
  50. Madelyn GunnLilly
  51. Jordan GunnLilly
  52. Linda JordanLilly
  53. Verena McMillanMary Jane
  54. Reginald McDougall
  55. Elizabeth McDougall
  56. Lucinda ZeschMathilda

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