Planning Committee
Toomer Reunion
ToomerFamily.com
Committee Members
Bernice Sullivan
Catherine L Williams
Charleen Timms
Cheryl Scott
Emily Miller
Floyd M. Riley
Gladys Young
Gwendolyn Wilson
Loretta Phillips
Marianne Cole
Patricia Washington
Renee Clayton
Shamele C. Jordon
NEW!!! Mailing Address
Floyd M Riley
c/o Toomer Family Reunion
104 Sweet Bay Avenue
Sicklerville, NJ 08081
Email Addresses
Our primary goal is to plan the family reunion every other year and to
raise funds specifically to keep costs low. We do this to keep the family
together as we grow and spread.
View reunion information
If you would like to join the committee please let us know.
Not all committee members shown.
DNA Testing to Learn African Ancestry
AfricanAncestry.com will test three Toomer swabs.
In November 2005 the Toomer family took the first step towards learning what modern DNA testing can tell us about our distant African past. Using swabs, sent by AfricanAncestry DNA, a company in Silver Spring, MD, we collected DNA from three family members. the results will be announced at the 2006 reunion. More...
Family Updates
Remember to send updates of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, graduations and ADDRESSES as of the 2004 reunion. Call, mail or email updates to Floyd M. Riley. Also, ensure that we have any additional updates and birthdates. You can also email info@toomerfamily.com.
Fundraisers
Take part in our family fundraisers. So far this year our fundraisers will be a family cookbook and the Flea Market in May.
Family Cookbook
Send in your recipes for the Toomer Family Cookbook (2nd Edition). All types of recipes are accepted. You can give them to Catherine L. Williams or any other planning committee member.
Our first cookbook was a smashing success. We sold out very quickly. Many commented that the recipes were quick, easy and offered a variety to choose from. This hardcover cookbook will cost $15. Purchase a cookbook now and/or buy a gift certificate. .The deadline for the submission of recipes is March 2006.
Email Catherine (kattwilliams@yahoo.com.)
Flea Market Saturday’s May 2006
This May we
reserve a table at the Berlin Farmer’s Market outdoor flea market. We
will take donations of items to sell. You can drop off (and pick up if
necessary), items at the flea market, on Saturday. We will be at the
table between 7am and 8am on each Saturday morning. We will pack up and
go around 3pm.
To help out you can do any of the following:
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Donate items. Donate time working the table. All items are welcome. This fall there were requests for costume jewelry, clothing, shoes, cute knickknacks and many other items. Contact Shamele Jordon or any planning committee member if you have questions.
Generally we rent a table on the T row. This is closest to the entrance on the Blackwood Clementon Road. The T row faces the parking lot. The dates for the Flea Market Saturdays in May are:
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May 6, 2006
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May 13, 2006
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May 20 2006
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May 27, 2006
Other Activities
Family Display in Voorhees During Black History Month
During the month of February 2006, make sure that you visit the Voorhees branch of the Camden County Library to view a display of Toomer family history. The exhibit will take place throughout Black History Month. Floyd and Shamele have also agreed to do a presentation on family reunions at the new library annex in the Echelon Mall.
Gravesites of Grandparents found!!
The final resting place of Lucy Toomer and Florida Guiles has been found, ending the mystery of their burials. Floyd M. Riley, the family historian knew that they had passed in the mid 1920’s. He also suspected that Eden Cemetery was their final resting place. A few phone calls and one trip to Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, PA, confirmed the burial sites of Lucy Toomer, mother of Henry Toomer, and Florida Jackson, mother of Bertha Walker. Also buried with Lucy is James Toomer Jr, son of James and Mellenesse Toomer. Buried with Florida is Minnie Parson, daughter of Lewis and Ida Parson.
This cemetery is also the final resting place of the ancestral remains from the excavations of the First African Baptist Church cemeteries in Philadelphia.
Many famous Blacks are buried at Eden Cemetery, such as Charles Tindley, “father of gospel music”, Frances Harper, writer, and Marian Anderson, opera singer
ToomerFamily.com, Toomer Family Reunion, family historian: Floyd M. Riley webmaster: Shamele Jordon,
© 1999-2006 All Rights Reserved.
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