Schneck HistoryIm Schneckengang

The Schneck Reunion is held the first Sunday in August every year at the Schnecksville Grange,  5322 Route 873 Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

This is not your everyday run-of-the-mill family reunion.  It has been going on since 1916. The participants are not even, necessarily, closely related.  However, they all share one thing in common.  The surname Schneck is or was their family name.  If you’d like more information on what goes on at the Schneck Reunion visit SchneckFamily.org.

A group photo was taken during the 1999 reunion by Valentine Photographic Services.

History

 In 1911 the descendants of John Schneck, Jr. planned a family “get-together” at the home of Joseph Schneck in eastern North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, PA.  The only known existing record of this gathering is from an article titled “Family Reunions; List of, Held in 1911”, in the periodical/magazine “The Pennsylvania-German”, Volume XII, No. 10, October 1911.  It lists this Schneck “reunion” as the first, “(1)”, having taken place in the month of August, “8”, but with no exact date given, at the location “Egypt”.  For the next four years, the picnic gathering was held at Francis Schneck’s place at Scheidys, North Whitehall Township. These were small family gatherings with little thought that these picnics were the beginning of the Schneck Family Association annual reunions now held at Schnecksville.

In 1916, it was decided that the entire Lehigh Valley clan of the (Adam) Schneck family would be invited to attend. So, on Thursday, August 3, 1916 the first “official” reunion was held at “Mosser Park, Neffsville”.; There is no detailed written record of the happenings that day, so the following account is presumed: The affair began at noon; some people probably walked to the park, others came by horse-drawn wagon, electric streetcar/trolley, and probably, even a few by automobile. Everyone came with their basket lunch, which was spread on long home-made table and benches of rough boards. The lack of refrigeration influenced the selection of foods prepared. There were potato salads with bacon dressings, red beets, pickled cabbage salad, baked beans, homemade soups, sandwiches made with home-baked bread, smoked meats, ham and sausages. A keg of beer, birch beer, and soda were available all day. A monetary collection was taken to help pay for the liquid refreshment. Undoubtedly, games were played, such as: baseball between the single men and married men, quoits, wheelbarrow races, and “pin the tail on the donkey”.
From the printed “Programme”*, it is known that the program activities began at 1:45 PM “on the Pavilion”. They included Singing (Welsh Baptist Quartet), Invocation (Rev. Longacre), Addresses (Rev. Renninger & Rev. Thomas Bachman), Vocal Solos (Master Howard Lerch & Miss Grace Miller), Duet (Marie & Howard Lerch), Piano Solo (Miss Miriam Schneck), plus Five Minute Addresses! Special badges were presented to the youngest and oldest persons present. AND, OF COURSE, the omni-present Annual Business Meeting was held! Reunion Officers (President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and Executive Committee Members were, probably, confirmed (not elected there, since their names already appeared on the printed program.

The “Schneck Reunion Record Transfer Book”* lists 321 people in the registration book as being in attendance at that first (1916) reunion. They were listed as descendants of John, Hilarius, Peter, Thomas, Gideon, Owen, William, Israel, Abraham, Elias, Samuel, Levi, David, James, Heinrich, and Jeremiah Schneck. They came from Northampton, Allentown, Egypt, Neffs, Schnecksville, Berlinsville, Nazareth, Bethlehem, West Catasauqua, Coplay, Wescoesville, Fleetwood, Emaus, Slatington, Kutztown, Bath, Orefield, Slatedale, Walnutport, Sherersville, Ironton.
The next year, 1917, the second annual Schneck Reunion was held, with essentially the same form and the types of Program activities, with only differences in individual/group names, as the first reunion and that are recognizable as a part of the annual reunions through all the years down to the present day! (Invocation, Singing, Addresses, Music, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, Mizpah Benediction, Annual Business Meeting)*.

Thus, for the first 26 years, the slower paced era prior to World War II, annual reunions were held on the first Thursday in August.  These took place at Mosser/Moser’s Park at Neffsville/ Neffs, Lehigh County; then at Indian Trail Park across the Lehigh River in Northampton County; and finally, at Neffs Valley Park, again at Neffs. Then, during the years of the Second World War, no reunions were held while gas rationing was in effect.  Fortunately for us attending today, when the war was over, the annual reunions were resumed; however, with the faster pace of life and other changes in American society developing from the war activities, the day of the reunion was changed (only 3 exceptions) to the first SUNDAY in August. For almost-30 years after the war, the reunions were (with only 1 exception) generally held at 3 locations: Neffs Valley Park; Friedens Fire Company, and Wehr’s Dam.  During these years, the children of those local Schneck clan members who attended the reunions “before the war” now attended the reunions as adults and parents with their own children. And some Schnecks from “other” (than Adam) Schneck families began occasionally to attend reunions, searching for their possible connection.

For the last almost-20 years, the Reunions have been held (appropriately) in SCHNECKSville. In many cases, the grandchildren of those first reunion attendees are now attending as adults/parents with children of their own (who hopefully will be future attendees at the 100th Reunion!). And more and more during this period, members of the “other” Schneck families attended the Reunions, increasing the breadth of interest/sense of inclusion of ALL Schnecks in the Reunion!

In addition to the sociability and sense of mutual common bond provided over the years, the Reunion has made much progress in the past 25 years. From the 51st Reunion in 1970 onward, the effort to identify and document the family relationships between Reunion attendees proceeded. At the 57th Reunion in the American Bicentennial Year 1976, this effort was given new impetus, and expanded to include all of the branches of the entire Adam Schneck clan and other Schneck clans. At the 65th Reunion in 1984, a written Constitution and By-Laws were adopted to define how our Reunion is organized and operates. At the 66th Reunion in 1985, the book titled “Im Schneckengang” (which recorded the early Schneck family history and the genealogical relationships between the members of several Schneck families) was released. At the 71st Reunion in 1990, the Schneck family was a key participant (through singing performances, a pre-Reunion dinner, marching in the official parade with our log cabin “float”, etc.) in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Village of Schnecksville. Since 1990, members of the Reunion have led, and been very active, in the effort to save from destruction and preserve the “original” Schneck House. At this 75th Reunion, this effort is coming to fruition (thanks in large part to the generous consideration of the Schneck family-member property owners)!!!!

But much still remains to be done! The preservation of the “original” Schneck House MUST be completed. This project will take the time, energy, and of course, monetary contributions of not only the Schneck Reunion attendees, but also the Schnecksville area residents, if it is to succeed! And then, in only five more years, at the 80th Schneck Reunion in 1999, we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Adam Schneck in America from Germany in 1749. Finally, lest it be overlooked, it should be mentioned that the 100th Schneck Family Reunion will take place in just 25 years (in the year 2019) !!!!

So, in 75-PLUS years the Reunion has grown from a small “get-together” of one branch of the Adam Schneck family to probably the one central Schneck Family Reunion for the nation, possibly even the world! This growth has been due to the dedication and work of many individuals over the past 75-PLUS years! Those attending and supporting the Reunions, of course! Without attendees/ supporters, the Reunions would have been discontinued long before this 75th! But also the Officers and Executive Committee Members, past as well as present! To honor all of these individuals and as a memorial to those deceased, the lists of those who have served the Reunions as an Officer or Executive Committee Member, along with their years of service, are presented on the sheets following a list of “Schneck Family Reunions- Dates & Locations”.

The records of the Schneck Family Reunion are contained in three (3) books:

1. “Schneck Reunion Record Transfer Book”, includes the Programs, Registration Lists,
   and (some) Attendance Ribbons for the 1st (1916) to 26th (1941) Reunions;
2. “Records of the Schneck Family Reunion”, includes the Programs, Registration Lists,
   and (some) Attendance Tickets for the 27th (1946) to the 41st (1960) Reunions;
3. “Records of the Schneck Reunion”, includes the Minutes, Programs, and (some) Attendance
   Tickets, but NO Registration Lists, for the 42nd (1961) to the 75th (1994) Reunions.

The records contained in these three books have been used by the present Schneck Family
Reunion Historian to prepare this Reunion Review and to compile the following lists of
Reunions- Dates and Locations, and lists of Reunion Officers and Executive Committee
Members. Anyone who wishes to have further details on the History of the Schneck Family
Reunion may review these Record Books during the 75th Reunion. Anyone having Programs,
Attendance Ribbons/Tickets and/or Registration Lists and would like to donate them to the
Reunion to complete these records, please speak with the Historian.

 Officers

Committee