Here gathered at his Towpath House near Fairport, New York, on Labor Day of 1910 are all of George Eugene ("Gene") King's living children, spouses of those who were married and their children. Grandfather Gene's first wife my Grandmother Louis (Lois) Ferrin, whom he had married on December 13, 1876, died on their sixteenth wedding anniversary in 1892 at age 33. Gene then married Harriet Wells of East Lavonia, New York, who is shown in the photograph seated to his left holding their new son Raymond on her lap. This photograph was given to me by Uncle Raymond. Of Grandfather Gene King's first nine children the oldest had died in 1903 and by Labor Day 1910 only Uncle Wesley was unmarried The three women seated to his right in the picture with their husbands standing behind them are, from left to right, Aunt Vemie, wife of Uncle Zeke; my Mother Elizabeth, wife of Father Lewy, holding me on her lap; and Aunt Mary, first wife of Uncle Aleck, holding cousin Eleanor on her lap. Uncle Wesley is standing behind his father and behind him stands Uncle Willy with his First wife Aunt Etta to his right. The three women seated to Hattie's left with their husbands standing behind them are, from left to right, Aunt Mabel, wife of Uncle Ernest Rubenstein, with cousin Buddy on her lap; Aunt Alice, wife of Ernest's brother Uncle Will Rubenstein, holding cousin Lillian on her lap; and Aunt Minnie, wife of Uncle George Maynard, with cousin Alice on her lap.
To Uncle Willy's left stands Aunt Cora, with her hand on Uncle Wesley's shoulder and in front of her behind their mother stands older sister Aunt Helen. Seated on the ground are five other children of the second marriage: Uncles Dewey, Geney, Carly, Laurence and Aunt Stella who is sitting directly in front of their mother. Beyond her are cousin Lois, daughter of Aunt Mabel and Uncle Ernest, and, at the very end, cousin Mildred, older daughter of Aunt Minnie and Uncle George.
It should be noted that all of the children of the first marriage had left home by Labor Day of 1910 and that several of them had begun raising families within the previous year or two. Very likely these were the catalysts that brought about the gathering of the Kings for their first reunion in this century. Others followed; I have a photograph of the 1911 reunion which was given to me several years ago by cousin Marjory (Newman) Barber, daughter of Uncle Delbert and Aunt Helen.
