Cory Family Reunion 1996

Riverhead, New York

the eighth annual Cory Family Society Reunion was held in Southold, Long island on Septem¬ber 13, 14 and 15. The reunion head¬quarters was the Ramada Inn at Riverhead. John Cory I settled in Southold, it is believed, in 1640 and came with a party headed by the Rev. John Youngs from New Haven. The first recorded mention of John Cory is 1644 as Whale Commissioner in Southamp¬ton. He later moved (back) to Southold and remained there until his death

All the Corys began arriving at the Ramada Inn on Thursday afternoon. Cousins gathered in the lobby to visit and meet. Friday morning bright and early we gathered on our trolley to pro¬ceed to the Horton's Point Lighthouse and Museum. It was raining that morn¬ing but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. The lighthouse was built on the original land of Rarnahas Horton, a contempo¬rary of our John Cory. We were given a tour of the museum and climbed the steep steps to the lighthouse itself.

Next stop was the First Presbyterian Church and churchyard of Southold. It was this church that the early Corys of Southold attended. The current church structure was built in 1803 and is the third church built on this site. The society was given church records relating to the Cory family and were given a tour of the sanctuary. Some mustered enough courage to brave the rain and wander in the cemetery. The oldest Cory stone was that of David Cory, sheriff and grandson of John Cory I. Pictures were taken and off we went to Hashamomack Cemetery, where John Cory may have been buried. There are no Cory markers in the cemetery. After lunch we returned to Southold and visited the Southold Historical Society. Many of us learned that a local vineyard was selling "Corey Creek" wine. Some left for the local store to purchase the wine to bring home.

On Saturday, the trolley picked us up for a cruise on the "Peconic River Lady" at River¬head. We had an hour and a half cruise down the Peconic River and into Gardiners Bay. Once back in Riverhead we proceeded to the Suffolk County Historical Society and Mu¬seum where we were met by Mr. Wally Broge, the curator. He gave us a description of the museum and a brief tour. Following the museum we gathered in the trolley for a tour of the Paumanok Vineyards. We were supplied a lunch and a wine tasting tour. Our last stop of the day was at Palmar Vinyards for another wine tasting tour. We returned "happily" that day back at the Ramada Inn.

On Sunday we returned to the First Presbyterian Church at Southold for church services. We were recognized and welcomed to the church. On the return to the Ramada Inn we drove to Corey Creek near Southold for pictures. We made it back to the Ramada Inn just in time for the banquet.

At our annual business meeting we voted to donate $100 for the restoration of St. Peter's Church in Bramerton, Norwich, England. Many Corys are buried within its walls that once occupied Bramerton Hall. Elections were held for the offices of President and 1st Vice President. Charlotte Muller was President and Jenny Withers was elected 1st Vice President of the Cory Family Society.

Dorothy Rout presented a special tribute to outgoing president Mark Hester. A plaque was presented to Mark with special thanks for his service during the last 10 years. The members voted to give Mark a lifetime membership. Mark expressed his gratitude and indicated the last 10 years had been a labor of love. He wished Charlotte and Jenny the very best and knew they would do an outstanding job in their offices.

It was voted to hold the 1997 reunion in Colorado. Arthur and Vera Corey will be the hosts. It was voted unanimously by all to dedicate this reunion weekend to the memory of Helen Cozy Mercier.