Shall We Gather at the River?
By Marlene Morris, with Susy Wetz
I was stirred to action by the discovery of the reunion booklet of 1908. The copy that should have been in my family was long gone. I had no idea that such an event had taken place. I had no inkling as to the richness of the history of the pioneer families of Washington County. It was Susy Wetz who had the forethought to post the transcript of the booklet in its entirety on a web site for Washington County. It was Susy who had a passion for local history and worked diligently to research and to meet Greene descendants who likewise had a passion for preserving the family story.
The story had to begin somewhere, and the starting point we chose was with the arrival of three men whose families would be joined through marriage in the early years of America. The story starts in the early 1600s with three men who made their mark: Roger Williams whose nature was gentle and spiritual, John Greene who was a surgeon by profession, and Samuel Gorton who was learned in legal matters. These three men locked horns with Governor John Winthrop and with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In what was to become the tiny state of Rhode Island, their struggle established the groundwork for religious freedom as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
It was an exciting and treacherous journey from New England to Washington County, Ohio. Indian wars, disease, accidents, all of these made life very difficult in Ohio. But the pioneers were a hearty lot. They started churches and schools as well as businesses. They cleared the land and established communities.
We are so pleased to offer Shall We Gather at the River? as the official book of the Greene Family Reunion of 2008. It is our hope that this book will be in the home of every Greene and every pioneer family descendant as well as in the homes of every family that has any connection to Washington County, Ohio.
Perhaps, in another century, someone will come across this book and plan another celebration of Newport and the founders.
We are grateful to those who have preserved the family letters and stories over the years because they breathed life into the early years and the names of the pioneers.
So, with great excitement we offer the Shall We Gather at the River?
