Margaret and Terry Talk

There have been several significant Margaret's in my life not least Margaret (nee Milne) my wife and Margaret Weir my sister. But today I have had a lovely chat with Margaret my 2nd cousin - Margaret Berryman from Auckland whose mother Elza was my father, Val Alve's first cousin. 

Among other things we mused about our grandchildren - she has a few more than me - and about how some of them begin to take an interest in things genealogical. This warms the hearts of oldies like us.

We remembered fondly the 1995 Family Reunion where a number of our parent's generation were present but who are no longer with us. Soberly we reminded ourselves that we - the 3rd generation of Alve descendants born in New Zealand - are now the oldies.

I remembered that Hilton Alve and my mum Joyce were among the 50 present at the 2015 Easter Alve gathering in Palmerston North. Just a few weeks before this Alve Purdom had died. My uncle Ivan Alve will turn 90 in June as he and William Alve (Eddie's son) are the only 2nd generation Alve descendants alive. We also acknowledge that Jean (Hilton's wife) continues living in Taupo.

Another awarenessesd we canvassed included the two significant Alve 150th anniversaries coming up soon:

• 14th February 2024 marks the anniversary of Carl & Maria's marriage in St Augustine's, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and
  
  
• 23rd March 2026 is the anniversary of the arrival of Carl, Maria and Anna (Mary Busch) Alve in Wellington Harbour after a 100 day voyager from Bremerhaven, Germany aboard the Gutenberg.

​Carl and Maria are buried in the Terrace End Cemetery, Palmerston North after living in the Wairarapa until 1900 before developing a farm with their children out of standing bush at Rangitane, south from Palmerston North, parts of which were farmed by Alves until 1970.

I plan shortly to canvas family descendants with a view to organising, probably in Palmerston North or Manawatu, an Alve Reunion around the time of the 150th anniversary of Maria and Carl's marriage.

Please comment below with your thoughts about such a celebration.

Terry Alve