Shortly after the Civil War there was a rebirth of interest in Genealogy.  Soldiers were meeting other soldiers with the same name but were unknown to each another before the war. Some families had fought against each other during the war as well.  This is true in the Carman family also - there are Confederate soldiers named Carman as well as in the Union soldiers.

As a result of this interest, the "Association of the Descendants of John and Florence Carman" was formed, regular meetings were held, and a family reunion was held, in Hempstead, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of John's arrival in America.  The reunion was a huge success.  William Stillwell Carman took the opportunity to interview attendees and gather more information for his journals.  Ezra Ayres Carman was the keynote speaker.

Those who joined the Association were given a serial numbered certificate of membership.  The opening graphic on my home page is the lithograph from one of these certificates.

Below is one of the flyers that was circulated to advertise the event and established the rules for the reunion.  The original I photocopied resides in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Soceity Library in New York City, however this color scan is from the family documents of John Carman of Merrick, Long Island.   I have deliberately left it actual size so it can be readable.

Note that the number two person listed on the committee members list - Ringgold Carman. It demonstrates that even by 1881 the families history had been forgotten by many, as Ringgold is not a descendant, rather he is from one of the German lines.

I have attempted to "hot-spot" the names in the document, meaning if you 'click' your mouse on a named person it should jump you to his/her family line.