Name/Title
AU Lambert, Edward F. - 1930-XX-XX letter to Our Lambert Cousins Through out the WorldEntry/Object ID
1990.1.474Context
E. F. Lambert
P. O. Box 65
Visalia, California
To Our Lambert Cousins,
Through out the World.
Greetings.
This is Ed F. Lambert oldest Grand son of Elwood and Phoebe Lambert, oldest son of George and Harriet Lambert. I was born in Linn Co. Missouri and although we left there when I was but a child I can remember many of our relatives there, some on the most outstanding are Uncle Barclay and Aunt Asenith living near Brookfield. I remember being at their home and seeing Aunt take an old fashioned gallon crock of milk in each hand and carry them down the stairs. I remember Rob Lambert and Mary (Case) Lambert quite well and many others who lived along Yellow Creek and Long Branch in Linn County fifty years ago and knowing as I do that the Lamberts (old stock) were a prolific people I am not surprised that there were some two hundred and eighty Lamberts present at the reunion held at Browning Mo. last Fall.
My mother Harriet I. Reyburn died in 1923, Father married Mrs. Pauline M. Nelson who is Angeline Nelson's (my wife) Mother, which makes the wife and myself brother and sister.
In September 1928 Father suffered a severe stroke and since that time he has never been well. He and Mother Nelson Lambert are spending the winter with us at Visalia, in central California. They seem to be very happy, she cares for him constantly, seems to anticipate his wishes and devotes almost all of her time to making him comfortable. Father will be eighty two years old next fall, save he does not have a pain of any kind, sleeps and eats well, worries very little and has a good chance of living for a number or years.
We are very much interested in the Lambert reunions being held in Ohio, Missouri, and California. In 1923 we perfected a permanent Lambert Family Reunion organization and have held a meeting on Thanksgiving day each succeeding year at the home of some member of the society. There are in California on hundred and six persons eligible to membership which by our by-laws is limited to the descendants of Abner and Martha, Chalkley and Ruth, Elwood and Phoebe Lambert (Should other families come to Calif, we would gladly include them in the eligibles). The largest number attending any one reunion was seventy five at George and Pauline Lambert's home near Whittier in 1920.
The California Lamberts as a whole are a plain people, many of them work hard, they are found in almost ever vocation with a large percentage of them being Farmers and are scattered from Long Beach in Southern California to Chico in the northern part of the State, a distance of six hundred miles. As Thanksgiving week draws near the Lambert homes take on new life, every one is planning to attend the Reunion, which is to be held at the home of some member chosen the previous meeting, and by Wednesday morning the family car is loaded to capacity with the finest of every thing to eat, from Poultry to Peanuts, the bedding is tied on and the family crowds into the little space left for them and they are on their way. By the middle of the afternoon they begin to arrive and through out the night they come, from every direction, each arrival knows that there is an ample supply of Boston baked beans, Brown Bread and Coffee in the kitchen to which they are expected to help them selves before giving their attention to making up the beds for the remainder of the night.
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Thanksgiving morning and a simple breakfast with all present members seated at the table arranged in the shape of a hollow square, the visiting begins and as the younger ones become some what acquainted again and lose their shyness the chatter increased in volume, as each one is anxious to tell of the things which interest them most until we are reminded by the chairman of the "Dish Washing Committee" that they must have the dishes immediately to enable them to be ready for the 1st session which is to meet at 9:30 A.M.
Morning Session.
Prayer, with earnest gratitude and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for his care and protection over this our Lambert family during the year past etc.
Roll Call and Registration. At which time any new members are introduced and elected to membership.
Charge. The President devotes a few minutes to describing the Organization and its objects, of which the two principal ones 1st, To bring together at Thanksgiving time the Lambert relatives, to renew and strengthen the ties of kinship, create among the younger members the feeling and appreciation that we are all one great family and cultivate respect and affection for the Members.
2nd, that while the Lambert Family are perhaps a plain, hard working people, many of them caring little for style, and show, they are jealous of their reputation and good name. That so far as is known there is not one Lambert in all the land that has ever brought disgrace to the Lambert name and each member present is charged with the responsibility of keeping his name free from Stain.
Pledge.
At this time the President asks all to stand and repeat the following pledge:
I WILL, FOR MYSELF, ENDEAVOR TO SO LIVE EACH DAY DURING THE COMING YEAR SO THAT NO ACT OF MINE WILL BRING REPROACH OR DISGRACE UPON THE LAMBERT NAME.
Welcome from the Host and Hostess.
Response from various members.
Program, Reminiscences, songs and stories.
DINNER.
We will not even attempt to describe this Feast, except to say that it is from the choicest and finest meats and fruits brought from various homes with modern pastries, nuts and confections and if there are better cooks in the world than these Lambert Women I have never seen them.
Evening Session
Program. Tableau, Skits, Songs, Jokes until a late hour the meeting closes after business session by singing, God be with you until we meet again.
Many of the Guests remain over Friday, Saturday and some until Sunday noon for a real visit before returning home to immediately begin planning for the next Lambert Reunion to be held on the next Thanksgiving day.
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How much we would like to have one grand Reunion with all the Lambert Cousins present. All those Lamberts and families from way back in Ohio that we have heard so many good things said of ty those who have been fortunate enough to know you. How I would like to meet every one of those 280 Lamberts down in Missouri, I remember many of them and can vouch for them as being the salt of the earth. After forty years to meet Ida and Jordan Harris again, meet Cousin Caroline Lambert Charles and family from far away Philippine Islands and those Oklahoma Cousins, we hope to have Tom Lambert visit us if he can be induce to leave Stanford long enough even to spend a week end with us.
We know that is not possible to have you all here at our reunion but we want to urge every one of you to plan to see us when you have the opportunity. We will do all we can to make you enjoy the tome spent with us. We live in the Great San Joaquin Valley in Central California, a vast level Valley devoted to fruit growing, principally Raisins, Prunes, Cling Peaches and Oranges along the foot hills.
From my office window I can see the snow covered Sierras which is the home of the Big trees (Sequoias) with a drive of one and half hours through the beautiful orchards, and Orange groves, up the mountains over a cement high way brings us to these Giant Red Woods Chief among these is the General Sherman Tree, measuring 273 feet to where the top is broken off, is 106 ft in circumference at the ground, weighs approximately 6,167 tons and would require 200 freight cars to haul it away.
We have lived here for eleven years during which time I have been Superintendent of a Fruit Cannery. During the fruit season we work very often more than 500 men and women, in the Peach season we use about 350 women and 175 men. The peaches are pitted by electric machines, peeled while passing through a bath of a hot chemical, placed in the cans by girls, the cans are closed by automatic machines at the rate of 100 cans per minute passed through automatic cookers which are regulated by "Tag" Thermostats and are so dependable that last year out of six million cans we did not have one spoiled can.
I am going to make one request before signing off. I know all of the Lamberts meeting for the next reunion at our home on Thanksgiving day would appreciate a message from as many of you as can send them. A letter or a post card to arrive here just before Thanksgiving morning or a wire.
Please send them in Care of Lee Lambert President, Marysville, California [or] E. F. Lambert, Visalia, California.
Goodbye.
