The descendents of Jacob John Unruh and Anna Dirks Unruh gathered for a reunion at the Red Coach Inn in Newton, on the weekend of April 15, 16 and ended activities with the celebration of the 80th Birthday of Velorris Boese, the first cousin to reach that milestone on Sunday April 17.
There were twelve first cousins and their spouses who were representatives of the following family members of the J.J. Unruh and Anna Dirks Unruh family: Gladys Unruh Rudiger and Harry Rudiger, Harvey W. Unruh and Geneva Unruh Unruh, Eva Lena Unruh Unruh and Elmer Unruh, Laura Mae Unruh Freeburg and Lavern Freeburg, and Laverne Jay Unruh and Lois Unruh Unruh.
The family gathered on Friday evening the l5th of April at the Red Coach Inn and then proceeded to have supper together at the Bread Basket, a traditional German Buffet supper, followed by more visiting and Pluma Moos after the supper at the Red Coach Inn.
Saturday morning visiting continued around cups of coffee, and a poolside presentation of some genealogy research that had been done by Sandra Freeburg Darcey. We were also joined by some of the children of the cousins gathered. The original family roots go back to Karlswald; Volhynia in what would be south west of present day Russia. The Henrich D. Unruh and children, grandfather of Jacob John Unruh were among the founding members of the Emmanuel Mennonite Church near Canton and Moundridge. Saturday afternoon an excursion was made to the Emmanuel Mennonite Church Cemetery, where the graves of the Anna Richert Unruh Rudiger, great grandmother and great-great-grandmother Helen Jantz Richert of the gathered cousins was identified. The exhibits of the Kauffman Museum were also enjoyed by some of the cousins and the Passenger Manifest of the S.S. Vanderland that carried the Heinrich D. Unruh family to America, disembarking in Philadelphia, Pa. was also noted.
Cousins in attendance were Velorris Rudiger Boese, Velmar Rudiger and Anna Mae Becker Rudiger, Marlene Rudiger Seibel and Harlan Seibel, Joan Rudiger Unruh and Gary Unruh, Eldo Rudiger and Evelyn Hunt Rudiger, Donovan G. Unruh and Naomi Reimer Unruh, Darrel L. Unruh and Wanda Mausolf Unruh, Dennis R. Unruh and Kathleen Friesen Unruh, Kathleen Unrun McGee, Sandra Freeburg Darcey and Lowell Darcey, Patricia Freeburg Hanken and Ramond Hanken and Gary L. Unruh.