St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-09-02
WATERFORD.
Lee Family Reunion.


i The old Lee Homestead. now occupie
7 by Albert Lee. was the scene of an inte
! esting and enjoyable reunion last Thur
day, when about thirty of the descend
f ants of Asa and John Lee held the frs
; annual reunion and meeting of the lie
.. Family Association. Although ther
were but few of the family present. i
was true Old Home Week gathering
many coming from out of the state
Those attending were Mr.. and Mrs
Albert Lee of Waterford; Rev. and Mrs
Edward P. Lee and daughter of Islanc
Pond; Mr.. and Mrs. Ira Lee of Hill
N. H.; Mr.. and Mrs. Irving Lee anc
daughters of West Concord Mr.. and
Mrs. Ernest Lee and Esther Lee of West
Concord; Judge and Mrs. Henry Lee o.
Lyndon; Miss Bertha Lee of Cleveland
o.; Ralph l. Lee of Barre; Mrs. Abbie
Lee Hall and son of Lyndon; Mr.. and
Mrs. Willard Chase and daughter OF
West Concord; Mrs. Elizabeth (Morrill)
Chapman of st. Johnsbury; Mr.. and
Mrs. John Farnham and children of St.
Johnsbury; Mrs. Dene (Buell) Burbank
of Fitzwilliam, N. H.
Tables were spread under the trees in
the yard where a picnic dinner was
served. Group pictures were taken by
Mrs. Hall. Atterward the company
gathered on the hill on the site of the old
homestead, built by John Lee in 1901.
Here the formal meeting of the Associa-
ton was held with Rev. Edward P. Lee
as master of ceremonies. After a few
remarks Mr.. Lee introduced the speaker
OF the day, Judge Henry Lee of Lyndon.
Mr.. Lees paper dealt with the origin
and history of the family, and was in
brief as follows:
The FIRST Lee of whom there is any
account was General Launcelot DeVerde
Lea, a Norman, who came over from
France with William the Conqueror in
1906, and who, for bravery and efficient |
service at the battle of Hastings in 1906 |
was granted dukedom. In absence of |
records of the family for the next few
generations, the frequent recurrence of
family names is taken as conclusive evil
dence OF the descent of the Lee family
from General Launcelot Lea. Nehemiah
Lee OF Manchester, England, came to
M Massachusetts, Bay colony in 1880. Da.
Vid' his brother, came to New Haven
colony in 1884, and Richard, a third
brother, came to Virginia colony in 1641,
Asa Lee and John Lee were descendants
u Nehemiah Lee. Asa Lee came from
Moultonborough, N. H., to St. Tohns-
Jury in 1871 to the home of DR.. Iona.
han Arnold, the first settler Of ST..
ohnsbury, making his way by marked
rees across what is now St. iohusburv
Plain. He cleared land on the place now
,wned by Charles Higgins on the East
it. Johnsbury road, and moved his fam.
ly there in 1894. Asa Lee was born at
Manchester, Mass, in 1869, and died at
It. .johnsbury in 1S4S. John, a brother
u Asa Lee, was born at Northumberland,
\. H., in 1777 moved to Waterford in
oo1, and died at Waterford in 1861
The John Lee homestead on which the
eunion was held has been in the possess.
on OF his descendants for 1O2 years"
The paper then follow the genealogical
ecord of the family from that time to
be present day showing that but com.
'aratively few of the descendants of Asa
zee and John Lee are now living in Yer
mont. At the conclusion of the paper
y, Judge Lee. letters of regret from the
GLOWING people were read: Mrs. Lois
Lee Parker, wife of the late Bishop
:; W. Parker, of India; Mrs. Ida (Mor.
,ll) McCurdy of Andover, Mass; Miss
,harlotte Morrill, of Andover, Mass.
ars. Mary Fisher of Fergus, North Da-
ota; julius Morrill, of Brooklyn. N. Y,
Kew. Mr.. Lee then made plea for the
rganIzation of permanent association
I the family, which was discussed and
dopted, and officers were elected as 1
,llows: President, Rev. Edward P. Lee
island Pond; vice president, Mrs.
nm Maria (Lee) Chase of West Con |
ord; secretary and historian. Judge t
lenry Lee of Lyndon; treasurer. Ralnh
Lee of Barre; executive committee ,
hcers OF the association. Efforts will /
made to enroll all members of the
'mily in the association, and its object i
'ill be to preserve the records and com. :
lie the history and genealogy of the /
'mily. - 'A
This is the first reunion of the kind (
YER held and it's success is due LARGELY i
the untiring efforts of those who ar. t
anged 1t. 1t is confidently expected that
ucceeding occasions will be even more I
nccess'ul in inducing absent members of
ne family to revisit their native state
no town and thus to aid in carving
ut the Old Home Week idea. :