On Sunday, August 3, 2014 in
the Family Life Center of Alexis Baptist Church, the descendants of Jacob Straub
/ Stroup held their 85th reunion.
As is tradition, the reunion
day began at 10:00am with Mike Stroupe of Rock Hill leading a walking tour of
the abandoned Stroup Family Cemeteries, located near the church. As an added attraction, this year Mike and
the group were stopped and interrogated at one of the cemeteries (on private
property) by a Gaston County Sherriff’s Deputy, inquiring as to their intentions. Luckily no family members were on the “most wanted
list”, so once the Sheriff was assured that the group was not up to “no good”
and peaceful in demeanor, he allowed them to go about their way. All enjoyed the walking tour.
At 1:00pm President James G.
“Jim” Stroupe of Winston-Salem, called the meeting to order and welcomed
everyone to the event. Approximately 125 family members attended, tying our attendee record
set in 2011. The
first priority was to take group pictures:
first, a picture of the attendees who carry the Stroup/e surname by
birth and a second one of the entire family and guests.
Sid Stroupe, Secretary, read
the names of those who passed away during the previous year. Jim gave the invocation and we proceeded to
enjoy our traditional covered dish lunch.
During this time, Jim acknowledged
several of our family members for their efforts: our talented family photographers, Rita
Quesada-Rodgers and Todd Cloninger and our dependable setup team, comprised of
Alan and Maria Hipp, Mike and Ruth Hipp and Daphna Stroupe Shelton. THANK YOU!
At around 2:00 Jim called the
business meeting to order.
- The 2013 minutes and financial reports were read
and approved by unanimous vote
- The family agreed by unanimous vote to donate
$100 to the Alexis Baptist Church.
- Treasury.
Alan and Maria Hipp passed the collection plate through the crowd.
Beginning Cash on Hand $699.17
Contributions 8/3/14 814.50
Less: Reunion Expenses 160.44 (Door Prizes, $130.00; Set-up Supplies,
$30.44)
Less: Donation to Alexis Baptist
100.00
Cash on Hand for 2015
Reunion $1,253.23
- History Committee Report.
Mike
Stroupe of Rock Hill spoke on behalf of the committee comprised of David
Bartlett Hanna of Charlotte, Carolyn Fogle Mullins of Panama City Beach Florida,
Nancy Stroupe Morrison of Greeneville Tennessee, and
Linda Moss Ballard of Cherryville.
Sid Stroupe offered a couple of notable treasures
discovered over the past year. Mike found,
on-line, a US Bureau of Investigation (predecessor agency to the FBI) report,
dated 1917, looking into alleged seditious activities by German descendants
residing in the Cherryville area. This
was at the start of US involvement in World War I. The “Stroups
of Cherryville”, a sizable family at the time, were not accused of participating in said alleged seditious events and
discussions; however Attorney Matthew A. Stroup and Mr. Stephen Stroup were
interviewed by the federal agent on a couple of occasions. According to the report both men downplayed
the talk of pro-German activities around town and the investigation was closed
within a few months.
Secondly, Mike Stroupe talked a bit about
several personal letters he happened upon, dated around 1880, from Elizabeth
Alice Stroup Hamrick of Cherryville, visiting her brother Dr. Miles Stroup in Red
River County of Texas. Dr. Miles Stroup,
a Civil War Vet, had moved to the area after the Civil War and setup his practice
there. “Soody”, as she was nicknamed,
describes her life in the “wilds of Texas”, including her fear of measles and
smallpox (both deadly diseases in 1880), flea infestations, generally poor
living conditions for the settlers in Red River area and generally her
‘unhappiness’ away from her family. She
soon returned to Cherryville around 1881.
In early 2014, Ben Stroupe of Morganton, a
paper descendant of Jacob Stroup’s son Michael [1779-1855], took a Paternal DNA
test and it confirmed his genetic match to the Straub family of Germany. To date three of our Stroupe males have been
tested and all three tests confirm our link to Martin Straub [1616-1676] of the
Kingdom of Wuerttemberg (now southern Germany).
As a reminder there are many sources
available to learn about our Stroup/e family history, including a family tree
on Ancestry.com: Jacob Stroup/Straub Descendants.
So far Mike, assisted by Sid, has identified and documented several
thousand ancestors of Jacob Straub/Stroup.
If anyone would like access to view the information, its an easy
process. Let us know.
- Milestones
since our last Reunion:
- Deceased
August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014:
i. Mary Frances
Bumgarner Stroupe, age 99, of Alexis. 12 July 2013.
Wife of the late David G. Stroupe and mother of Jackie Stroupe and Judy
All of Alexis.
ii. Blois
Katherine Evans Stroup, age 85 of
Dallas NC. Wife of the late Reuben
Jerrell Stroup, descendant of Daniel Stroup.
August 19, 2013.
iii. Lorraine
Stroupe Borden, age 70 of Eufaula,
Alabama (formerly of Cherryville);
1 October 2013. Descendant of
Daniel Stroup and son Abner Albert Stroup.
iv. Don Eugene
Stroup of Fairview, Buncombe County,
NC, age 79. Formerly of Kings Mountain
where he was owner and operator of a building supply company for many
years. October 9, 2013
v. Elizabeth
Denham Stroupe, age 100 of Winston-Salem;
4 November 2013. Wife of the late Dr. Henry Smith Stroupe, family
historian and at one time head of the History Department at Wake Forest
University. Dr. and Mrs. Stroupe were
long-time attendees of this reunion.
vi. R. Dean
Stroupe, age 78 of Lincolnton, NC; 11
December 2013. Brother of reunion
attendee Dennis A. Stroupe. Descendant
of Daniel Stroup and son Albert Abner Stroup of Cherryville.
vii. Peggy Rector
Stroupe of Hendersonville, age
86. Wife of the late Robert Earl Stroupe,
son of Connor Bartlette Stroupe, descending Philip and Moses Stroup. 27 December 2013.
viii. Nicole Hill
Stroupe, age 41, of Morganton, wife
of Jeff Stroupe, a descendant of Philip, then Peter Stroup of Alexis. 4 January 2014.
ix. Pauline
Woods Stroupe of Mount Pleasant,
South Carolina. 13 January 2014, Wife of
the late Hughes Warren Stroupe, descendant of Adam Stroup -> through the
Buncombe County [NC] Stroup Family.
x. Eddie “Jean”
Harris Stroupe, age 84, of Dallas; February 16, 2014. Wife of Lamar Wesley Stroupe, a descendant of
Philip Stroup and son Wesley W. Stroup.
xi. Joyce Mae
Stroupe Foster, age 87 of
McAdenville. March 12, 2014. She was a former wife of the late Winford
Ladelle Stroupe, descendant of Philip and Jonas Stroup of Alexis.
xii. William
Oates “Bill” Stroup of Fort Mill,
South Carolina, age 92. March 14,
2014. He descended from Michel (Michael)
Stroup, through his grandson Archibald Cathey Stroup who moved his family from
Alexis to the Clover area of South Carolina about the time of the US Civil War.
xiii. Ronald
Edward Stroupe, age 82 of Gastonia. 4 June 2014.
A descendant of Philip, then Peter Stroup of Alexis
xiv. Gary Steve
Stroupe, age 65 of Cherryville; 22 June
2014, a descendent of Daniel Stroup, through his son Matthew Wallace Stroup.
xv. Reaford
“Zeke” Stroupe, age 73 of Ripley,
Alabama. 19 July 2014. Descendant of Daniel, Jacob Cephus and Peter
Stroupe of Alabama.
- Births:
None
to report August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014
- Marriages:
Joseph
& Caroline Pope, granddaughter of Ivey Lee and Rachel Brown Stroupe and
daughter of Michael & Susan Stroupe Laughter. 19 August 2013.
- Election of Officers for term 2014-2015. The current officers were nominated and
confirmed by unanimous vote “yes”:
- President. Jim
Stroupe of Winston-Salem.
- Vice President. Nancy
Quesada of Austin, Texas.
- Secretary. Sid
Stroupe of Durham
- Treasurer. Maria
Hipp of Alexis.
- Family Historian. Mike
Stroupe of Rock Hill, South Carolina.
- Recognition, Door Prizes and Other.
- Oldest Male and Female Attending:
Robert E. “Bob” Stroupe of Colfax NC and Anne Abernathy Orren, of
Cornelius NC. Bob and Anne are
maternal first cousins, grandchildren of Quincy Young Stroup [1860-1920].
- Youngest Boy & Girl Attending: Caleb Edward House, born July 21,
2012. Bailey Diane House, born
October 21, 2013. Proud parents
are Zach House and Kelly Stroupe of Dallas NC.
- Traveled Farthest: Samuel
Stroupe Quesada of Dallas, Texas.
- Drawing Winners! Carolyn
Fogle Mullins of Panama City Beach Florida, Cheryl Hurt Radley of
Davidson, Karla Clark of Taylorsville and John Lutz.
With the business meeting
closed, the Reunion was adjourned. The next
Stroup/e Family Reunion meeting will be held, as is custom, on the first Sunday in August, the 2rd, 2015.
Hope to see you then -----
Sid Stroupe III, Secretary
