McCarville/McCarvill Reunion

Last weekend, Haydee and I and Sean and Nancy attended a McCarville/McCarvill reunion in Clarksville, Md.

We have never been sure how our branch of the family (the Owen McCarville-Jane Lynch group) fit into the rest of these honorable McCarvilles. They all trace their ancestry back to a Thomas McCarville in a family tree that we are not really part of. It was the first time we ever met with this group.

We met many new friends, two of them called Jim McCarville. One Jim McCarville, the one from Minneapolis, told me of the family DNA project that has conclusively proved we have a common ancestor. We just don't know how far back. (By the way, he graciously offered to host the reunion next year in Minneapolis.)

We met another family with a Jim McCarville from Buffalo. They are all big hockey fans and promised to come to see a game at the Igloo before it closes in 2009-2010. By the way, the Buffalo McCarville's don't know how they fit into the Thomas tree either.

I got to argue about whether my friend, old King McCarville, qualified for the definition of a "High King" (I thought so). I bought the updated McCarville/McCarvill CD and went out today to by the Family Tree Maker software. (I should have more updates in the future.) The great T-shirts were worth the trip alone!

It was great that Nancy came along, she is a Gilbert with her own stories, but (and this was my favorite part), she listened so patiently to all of ours.

We stayed at the Inn at Peralynna Manor that we found on Mapquest. It looked like a corporate retreat or wedding reception place that was not otherwise booked for this weekend. The food was fantastic and the service very attentive. The decor was a tad on the over-opulent or even faux opulent side. One of our group, who will remain nameless, said it looked like it was decorated by Michael Jackson, But none of this is to say it detracted from our stay. In fact, it just added to a really great weekend.