The 1998 Goudey Family Reunion
In
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
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The first Goudey reunion in Yarmouth Nova Scotia was a fantastic sucess. Steve,
Chuck, and Gordon and their families and friends did a great time of organizing
the reunion so that all of the events went off as smooth as glass. There were a
total of 101 attendees at the Goudey reunion. Goudeys came from five Canadian
Provinces and eleven States, and one couple came from France. The Canadian Goudeys
came from British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and of course Nova
Scotia. The United States attendees came from Alaska, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, and Pennsylvania. There were 50 attendees from the United States, 49
from Canada and 2 from France.
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Friday Afternoon - Registration and Picnic at Frost Park
After registration we all gathered in Frost Park in the heart of the Yarmouth downtown for a picnic.
We all met more Goudeys than we had ever known in our lives. Frost park is located where part of the
original graveyard for yarmouth was located and some of the oldest gravestones are located in the park.
Among them is the Gravestone of James Goudey
(son of George Goudey I) and his wife Elizabeth shown in the picture at the right.
Saturday Morning - Yarmouth Town and Cemetary bus tour.
Saturday morning we boarded a bus for a tour of Yarmouth. The tour was Co-hosted
by Nancy Knowles of Yarmouth tours and Steve Goudey. Of course Steve started us out with
one of his famous stories (and a few more along the way). We saw Nanny Dumm De Dum's house
as well as other famous buildings in Yarmouth. If you don't know who Nanny Dumm De Dum is
just ask Steve and he will tell you a story. One of the highlights of the tour was
a visit to Goudey Street in Yarmouth (Picture on left). There is also a Goudey Road in
Port Maitland, Nova Scotia. We also visited Mountain Cemetery where a number of Goudey
ancestors are buried. Many of these Goudeys were prominent members of the community.
Saturday Afternoon - Yamouth County Museum.
Saturday afternoon we all met at the Yarmouth Museum and Archives for a self guided
tour and afternoon tea. The museum has a fantastic collection of nautical items
including a number of Goudey Items and pictures of Goudey Ships. The archives also
contain a wealth of information on Goudey and other ancestors who who were among
the first european families to come to the Yarmouth area.
Sunday Morning - Tusket island cruise and Wedgeport visit.
Sunday morning we all drove to westport and boarded two lobster boats for a one hour trip
out to the Tusket Islands. For those that were unable to make the cruise we would like
to let you know that in spite of the 12 foot swells none of the Goudey's got sea sick.
I guess the sea-faring genes run deep. When we got to the Islands we all feasted on clams
and lobster that was freshly cooked on the Island! The Picture below shows one of the lobster
boats full of goudey leaving the Island where we feasted on Lobster and clams. The picture
was taken from the other boat. The only "Sea Monsters" we saw on the trip were a
few seals and a couple of dolphins.
Sunday Evening - Dinner and Dance at Yarmouth Golf and Country club.
Sunday evening we were treated to a wonderful dinner at the Yarmouth Golf and Country
Club which included some great Acadian dishes. Following the dinner Steve treated us
to one of his famous stories (picture on right). Next we were treated to great
entertainment provided by Barry and Jacquie (Goudey) Megquier, and their family and
friends (picture below). The entertainment was followed by dancing until the wee hours
of the morning.
Monday Morning - Farewell Tea at the Museum
We all assembled in front of the "Colony" and marched down Main Street, Yarmouth to the
Museum. Jacquie provided marching music for the group including "Yankee Doodle"
and other selections. As we were walking down Main Street Steve led a yellow assault on City Drug
Store which will never be the same again. The rest of Yarmouth may recover from the Goudey
reunion but I'm not sure City Drug Store will. I went into the drug store a couple of times
after the reunion and they certainly knew my last name every time I went in there.
The procession made it's way from City Drug Store to The Yarmouth Museum where group
pictures (below) were taken. We then went inside for tea and farewell speaches. It was
an emotional farewell to the many friends we had made over the three days. There was
also discussion about forming a Goudey Family association and about having another
reunion in 3 to 5 years.
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