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I
wrote the following letter to the Mayor of Swisher, Iowa
in November 2001. I will update news from the folks in Swisher
when I hear from them.
UPDATE:
1.16.02 - I just received an email
from a resident of Swisher, who tells me that the town has
held a meeting and that my letter was discussed. She has
let me know that we will be hearing shortly from the town
about their plans for the centennial. More updates as they
come.
Mayor
Scott Grabe
Swisher, IA 52338
November
12, 2001
Dear Mayor Grabe,
My
name is Chris Knudsen and I am a Great Great Great Granddaughter
of Benjamin Swisher and Elizabeth Smith Whitmore Swisher.
I keep the family genealogy, and in my continuing research,
I recently ran across an interesting fact. The town of Swisher
was platted on July 22, 1903. We have wanted to plan a family
reunion for some time, and with the 100th anniversary of
the platting of our family's home in Iowa, we thought that
might be a great date to hold it.
We
would like to know if the town is planning any events for
its Centennial, and if Swisher would allow us to host our
reunion there during that time. Since we are in the early
stages of planning, we have no idea how many would attend,
but my rough estimate would be about 100 to 150 attending.
We are very excited about the prospect of holding our reunion
in our family's historical home, but of course, we want
to know how the town would feel about having a gang of Swishers
descend upon it. Below are a few of my initial questions
regarding any possible Swisher reunion held in Swisher,
Iowa July 2003.
1. Does the original Swisher Family home still stand? Are
there current photos of it?
2. Are there some current photos of the town (or a town
brochure) that you could send me?
3. Is there an area or facility in Swisher where we could
hold our reunion events?
4. What local people would be good contacts to help us plan
our reunion?
5. We would expect to stay in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids,
unless there are accommodations closer to town that you
could recommend. What nearby lodges, hotels, motels and
bed and breakfasts are available?
I know that a year and a half seems far in the future, but
with our widespread family, we will need as much time as
possible to plan. Any thoughts, ideas and assistance you
could give us in beginning the plans for this event would
be most appreciated. You may write to me at this address,
or if you have e-mail, you can contact me at aspi@harbornet.com
.
Sincerely,
Chris Knudsen
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
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