(Submitted by D. Howard Doster to Webmaster and Newspaper at the same time.)

     As is the custom to picnic together on the second Saturday in August, 255 Colletts and McKays from 19 states met on their four-acre plot in Chester Township at 5353 Gurneyville Road, Wilmington. This land is part of the first 1,000 acres Moses McKay, a Virginia Quaker, purchased in 1805 from the first surveyor in the Northwest Territory, Nathaniel Massie. Four of Moses' children married four Colletts, also from northern Virginia, in the 1820's. Their kids held the first picnic in 1866, partly to see who returned from the Civil War. By then, the families were mostly Methodists and Baptists, and some of them were killed in the war.
     Just prior to lunch, trustees Wilbur McKay and McKay Collett reported the picnic site was prepared by Don Collett, Steve Pidgeon, Dan Doster, Steve Collett, and John Mothersole. Howard Doster, his daughter Anne, and his grandsons Nathaniel and Eric Glaze (eighth generation descendants of Moses McKay and Daniel Collett) planted eight oak trees earlier in the spring. Oaks were chosen over maples because they may live longer under a possible warmer future climate.
     The trustees also proposed the idea of establishing a $10,000 - 30,000 endowment fund to provide on-going support to maintain the grounds and to pay the real estate taxes, currently at $350 annually.
     During lunch, Robin (Magee) Fabian was the first to move from her family's table spot to other tables as she foraged for the best desserts. The youngest eater was Connor Luby, son of Heather and Naben Luby, born June 19th. At age 100, Esther Doster was the oldest attendee, but Howard Shambaugh, who first came to the picnic in 1906, likely set an attendance record at this picnic. Two-year-old Aron Baugh was the youngest person who helped store away the 1879 picnic table boards.
     McKay Collett reported that Roger Magee is going to Africa as a missionary. Daniel Collett, McKay's son, just returned to Spain as a missionary. After checking with their owners, McKay reported Kate Luby brought the youngest dog, and Martha Denny had the oldest dog present.
     There was much activity at the genealogy table. Kate Luby distributed copies of the McKay generations. Greg Stephens offered a CD of the Collett "blueprint" records. Howard Doster shared an alternate Collett genealogy he received recently from Hugh Collett, shown on the blueprint as a g-g-g-grandson of Daniel and Mary Haines Collett, a g-g-grandson of Moses and Rebecca Haines Collett, and a g-grandson of Nathan and Mary Hackney Collett. This alternative genealogy is similar to the Colletts listed on the blueprint back to Daniel Collett's parents living in Maryland. Whereas the blueprint immigrant is from France, this immigrant is John Collett, a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, who came to Baltimore from London in 1650. Michael McKay said he would place both the Collett blueprint records and the alternate Collett genealogy on the McKay website at www.robertmackayclan.com.
     Out-of-state attendees included the following. From the west came Robert Doster, Buckeye, AZ; Karen, Shawn, Elvis, Landen, and Tristyn Dunivant, Goodyear, AZ; Evelyn and Gene Collett, Escondido, CA; Steve, Denise, Evan, and Aron Baugh, Broomfield, CO; Mary and Raymond Sell, Boulder, CO; Rachel Pidgeon, Denver, CO; Jennifer, Paul, John, Anna, Rebekah, Sarah, Ashley, and Aaron Dunn, Shepherd, MT; Marilyn Talmage, Omaha, NE; Elizabeth, Gary, and Megan Schow, Taylorsville, UT; Kim, Delwyn, Zoe, Adam, and John Price, Midvale, UT; and Roger Magee, Sequin, WA.
     Persons from the midwest included Allen and Karla Inwood, Lebanon, IL; Robin, Chad, Karen, and Chuck Fabian, and Becky Panjan, Des Plaines, IL; Barbara and Howard Doster, West Lafayette, IN; Mary Browning, Collette, and Brandon Berg, Grand Rapids, MI; Dave, Cindi, Ashlee, Drew, and Adam Doster, and Brandon Scott, Novi, MI; and Ellen Magee, Madison, WI.
     Coming from the east were Gregory Stephens, Linthicum, MD; Carina Talmage, Bayonne, NJ; Susan Doster, Brooklyn, NY; and Michael McKay, Winchester, VA.
     Southern attendees were Bob and Sue Ramsey, Opelika, AL; Sandra and Marjorie Ames, Arcadia, FL; Alison, David, and Sally Sell, Richmond, KY.

Collett-McKay family to gather August 9 at picnic grounds

     The 137th annual Collett-McKay picnic will be held Saturday, Aug. 9 at the family picnic grounds at Gurneyville and Inwood roads. Lunch at noon.