Mershon News

2009 Mershon Southern Chapter Reunion

Minutes of Meeting

Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn Express in Independence, MO June 20, 2009 and opened @ 10:37am by President John Kaster.

Invocation given by Chaplin Glen Roberts.

Pledge of allegiance to U.S. Flag led by Dr. Jim Mershon.

Officers present: President John Kaster; V.P. Larry Morton; Recording Secretary Wally Riviere; Corresponding Secretary Ann Roberts; Treasurer Jean Kaster; Chaplin Glenn Roberts.

A list was passed so that everyone may update family data.

Mershon Crest pins presented to everyone as a gift from John & Jean Kaster.

Minutes of 2008 meeting were read and accepted as read.

Ann Roberts reported that mailings to members last year had good response.

Jean Kaster reports $2539.98 in bank account. Motion carried to accept treasurers report .

President John Kaster presented certificates for past service to following: Bill & Barbara Trott; Dr. Jim & Bev Mershon; Ann & Drexel Roberts; Clare & Sharon Mershon; Lallie Benkowski; Jim & Betty Butler; Wally & Nancy Riviere; Larry & Lois Morton; Glenn Roberts; Jean Kaster; Teresa Mershon.

John presented a report on his DNA He also announced that a website, www.henrymershon.com, is now on line.

Thanks was given to Betty & Jim Butler for hosting this years reunion in their home town.

A hat was passed for donations and $135.00 was collected for the treasury that is used to defray miscellaneous expenses and mailing costs of the association. As in the past, 10% ($13.50) of collection will be sent to the National Mershon Association.

Report on sites for 2010 reunion of Beaufort, SC or St. Augustine, FL was given by Wally. A vote to have the 2010 reunion in Beaufort, SC on April 30 & May 1, 2010 carried. President John Kaster volunteered to host the event.

Dr. Jim Mershon presented an interesting computer generated slide show of Mershon sites in Lawrenceville & Princeton, NJ including the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, Houghton Mershon’s house (tour by present owner and Mershon descendant, Weedie Stokes), and Nassau Hall and the FitzRandolph Gate on the Princeton University campus (first 450 acres donated were donated by Nathaniel FitzRandolph and Rebecca Mershon FitzRandolph). Ed.

Break for lunch at 12:20pm. Meeting reconvened @ 2:30pm after lunch.

Motion to change nominating committee selection to odd year carried after a lively discussion.

Thanks to National President Clare Mershon and Sharon and to former President Dr. Jim Mershon and Bev for their support of the Southern chapter.

President Clare Mershon announced that the 2009 Mershon Association (National) reunion will be held July 16 in Pulte, NY.

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 by President John Kaster

Respectfully Submitted, Wally Riviere, Recording Secretary

Report of weekly activities by attending members

A pleasant week was had by all beginning on Monday as members arrived each day. Tuesday Jim & Wally made their annual visit to Bass Pro Shop while Betty & Nancy went shopping.

Ann & Drexel arrived Wednesday and we all had dinner at a wonderful fish fry at Jim & Betty’s home.

Thursday the girls went shopping at the “Caves” and the guys visited the WWI memorial museum. After Glenn was retrieved from the airport, we returned to the Hotel where Clare & Sharon, Jim & Bev and Bill & Barbara had arrived. We then went on a tour to find the Golden Coral and had a fine meal after we found it.

Everyone enjoyed the excursion on Friday, planned by our host Jim and Betty Butler, to the Harry S Truman Library and Museum in Independence, MO.

After a nice luncheon at Ophelia's we traveled downtown to the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City, MO.

That evening we all had dinner at The Hereford House.

We were all invited to our host’s home Saturday evening where we had a great time continuing our fellowship and snacking.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann, Betty, & Wally

Arthur H. Mershon, Jr. (1916 – 2009)

Arthur Mershon passed away in February 2009, in his ninety-second year. He is survived by his wife Florence, his sister Clara Mershon Buroff, his son Donald H. Mershon, a professor at North Carolina State University, two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was a long time newspaper editor and when he retired in 1981, he owned the Kenly News in Kenly, NC. Bob Boyette, a former Kenly News columnist wrote in 1983 that “Hart” Mershon was “born to be a newspaper man.” He published his first newspaper in 1928 at the age of 12 years; it was a Sunday edition called the Red Star News that included a self-drawn comic strip and sold for 10 cents. Each paper was set by hand and there were usually four printed. Boyette wrote that advertisements were accepted for ten cents. Ads were usually from his father or a neighbor who owned a department store. When Arthur entered the eighth grade in 1930, the Red Star News exited the newspaper scene but the Crusader 8-C commenced.

This tabloid had a circulation of over 100 copies weekly. Arthur graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in journalism. This account was reprinted in the Kenly News for April 4, 2009. Arthur’s obituary is on our website www.mershonassoc.com (available no later than June 9, 2009.)

Arthur was descended from the Mershon family that operated the Mershon Publishing Company in Rahway, NJ, and New York City. His father, Arthur H. Mershon Sr., and his sister Clara (Mershon) Buroff, both served as President of our Mershon Association. As related by Clara, during annual meetings of the Mershon Association, Arthur and Clara as young children used to walk from the Lawrenceville Church onto the adjacent Lawrenceville Golf Course to pick up loose golf balls lying on the fairway, much to the consternation of golfers on the course.

Arthur H. Mershon, Sr. started our Mershon genealogy database with handwritten charts. His daughter Clara later assumed this responsibility. Starting in 1985, Bill Trott digitized our genealogy database which now includes over 32,900 names from 1685 to present. Our current Genealogist/Historian, Teresa Mershon of Obetz, Ohio, continues this important and on-going work for our Association.

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