Photos of 2000 Annual MeetingClick on thumbnails to see full size photos
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Our 61st Family Reunion! by Wayne E. NelsonSheldons gathered at the call of President Bruce H. Robertson at the Ramada Inn in Newburgh, New York on August 3 through August 6, 2000, for the 61st Annual Meeting and Reunion of the Sheldon Family Association. The Board of Directors met for dinner at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 3, 2000, then adjourned for the annual business meeting. Reports by the Secretary, Treasurer, Genealogical Committee, Publication Sales, and Publicity Notices were read and approved. Much of the discussion centered on the frequency and location of the annual meetings. On Friday, August 4, 2000, Sheldons boarded a bus and headed for New Paltz to see the old Huguenot houses. Our first stop was the Reformed Church, founded in 1683. Our guide and church historian, Richard Hasbrouk, told us of the early history of New Paltz and the church. We visited the Waloon Church or the "old French Church," built in 1717 and rebuilt in 1972. We were surprised at the starkness of the church, totally without decoration. A delicious luncheon buffet was served by VFW Post 8645. We ate under a shelter and enjoyed the pleasant weather. After lunch we headed for the D & H Canal Historical Society and Museum at High Falls. The D & H Canal Company was formed in 1825 to carry coal from mines in Carbondale, Pennsylvania to Kingston, New York where it could be shipped down the Hudson River to New York City. The design and building of the canal involved the talents of John Roebling, who later designed the Brooklyn Bridge. When completed, the waterway spanned 108 miles with 108 locks. The canal operated from 1828 to 1898, when it was replaced by the growing railroad system. The museum has a model of a working lock that was demonstrated to us and we observed many canal related artifacts including a watercolor of the D& H Canal by noted Hudson River School artist William Rickarby Miller. We took a short walk to the remains of Lock 16. Looking into the Lock, we noticed the stonework was so precisely cut and laid that mortar was not required. We saw deep tow rope burns gouged into the corner of the DePuy Canal House. We boarded our coach and headed for Pine Bush Cemetery near Kerhonkson. There are many Sheldons buried here and Dick Terwilliger had marked each Sheldon tombstone with a small flag. We paid a brief visit to the Community Ground Cemetery. The cemetery is on private property several hundred feet from the road. Picking our way among the fallen branches and poison ivy, we came upon the cemetery in a small clearing among clumps of trees. Regretfully, this modest cemetery has fallen into a sad state of neglect. The cemetery receives no care and almost all the tombstones have been desecrated by vandals. Bruce Robertson directed us to the graves of S#695 Pardon Sheldon (21 May 1790--27 January 1861) and his wife, Rhoda Daggett. We boarded the coach and returned to the motel for our dinner and business meeting. The next day (Saturday) we climbed aboard our coach for a trip to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Almost the moment we passed through Thayer Gate onto the Academy grounds, we were overcome with a sense of historic reverence. Our first stop was the Cadet Chapel. The Chapel is one of the most recognizable buildings at the Military Academy. Our guide, Joan Daughtry, reviewed the history of the Chapel. Construction began in 1908 and was completed in 1910. The stained glass windows, located in the bays on either side of the Nave, are gifts of the various graduating classes of the Military Academy. The final window was installed by the Class of 1976 during the Bicentennial Year. The Chapel organ, originally built in 1911, has grown to become the largest church organ in the world with more than 20,000 pipes. The Chapel Altar is cut from a single block of marble carved with angels and warriors. We moved on to Trophy Point for a spectacular view up the Hudson River. We examined several links of the "Great Chain" that was stretched across the Hudson River during the Revolution and looked up at Battle Monument. We crossed Cullum Road and looked across "The Plain" (where the "Long Gray Line" marches) at Washington Hall, Arvin Gymnasium and the General's Quarters. The famous monuments of Washington and Eisenhower could be seen plainly. We traveled to the West Point Cemetery. We entered the Old Cadet Chapel and listened to a brief history of the building and the cemetery. We heard the story of the treasonous Benedict Arnold and saw his tablet in the Old Cadet Chapel among those honoring the great generals of the Revolution; from his tablet the name has been effaced. We moved to the cemetery and saw the gravestones of many famous graduates, ending at George Custer's monument. Free time was made available for lunch, a tour of the West Point Museum and shopping in Highland Falls. Our trip to the Military Academy at West Point was a moving and beautiful experience. We returned to the motel for dinner and a program by Bruce Robertson. Our thanks to Bruce, Suzanne, his wife, and all the others who contributed to making the meeting a great success.
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