Far-flung clans get together at Heritage Days in Berne, and many meet kin for first time

By Robert Lopez

Staffwriter

Berne - Everyone here is related, Barbara Dietz Johnson said jokingly. But the statement wasn't much of an exaggeration.

A number of Dietzes, Shoulteses and Wrights, some from as far away as Florida and South Dakota, converged on Berne Town Park on Saturday for an informal family reunion at the town's fourth annual Heritage Days.

"We had one set of cousins who were total strangers," said Jill Dietz of Baldwinsville, Onondaga County. "And they put us up for the night."

Organizer Harold Miller said one of the main reasons for starting the Heritage Days was that he wanted to meet all the people who had, over the years, inquired about their ancestors in the area. The festivities also attract a number of tourists from nearby Thatcher Park and Warner's Lake.

The event kicked off Friday night with a welcome dinner and speech by state Assemblyman Jack McEneny at Berne Reformed Church. Saturday opened with a self-guided tour of three local Dutch barns that were built in the early 1800s.

The structures (many of which were actually built by Palatine Germans) are distinguished by their H-frames, made of large hand-hewed timbers, use of wooden pegs to hold them in place and lack of center posts. The Jacob Shoultes barn on rock Road in Knox played host to several of its builders descendants.

"We've been over here looking at the grave sites, but didn't know the barn existed," said Ed Shultes of Rotterdam. The various branches of the family spell their name differently. "It's amazing that it's still here and that our bloodline was a part of it.

Terry Shoultes, who was born in Tioga County but now lives in Jupiter, Fla., helped dedicate a historical marker on the site. "I'm just trying to imagine what it was like when Jacob Sholtes was looking at it, probably thinking that if the cost of building materials keeps going up, nobody's going to be able to afford to live here," he said.

Festivities at the town park began at noon and featured live music, a display of military vehicles and a forum for World War II veterans to talk about their experiences. Also on hand were Gordon and Joan Wright, who were scanning pictures and showing off their genealogy website www.bernehistory.org. The two used to live in South Dakota but now make their home in an RV and trace their roots to the Wright family in Berne.

"When I was little, I spent my summers up here," Gordon said. "And I just loved it, I had very fond memories. And I've heard alot of people talk bout how the Helderbergs are really one common area. Instead of four towns, its really one big community."

The Heritage Days will conclude today at 10 am with a clean-up and picnic at the Wright family cemetery on Willsey Road. Town Supervisor Kevin Crosier said he expects a turnout of about 2,500, including those related and unrelated to the town's founders, for all the events.

Robert Lopez can be reached at 454-5030 or by email at rlopez@timesunion.com