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Sunday, June 11, 2000, the Nail-Ray Association gathered for their 20th annual Nail-Ray family reunion at the Old Union Methodist Church in Brandywine Township, Shelby County, Indiana. Dorothy Plymate contacted the Shelbyville News, but no reporter was sent to cover the festivities. When my husband told me about the lack of attention this event received from our newspaper, I called Dorothy and asked if we could put something on our website about the meeting. As soon as she received her copies back from the printer, Dorothy mailed me a copy of the July 2000 newsletter and a program (including a NAIL-RAY outline) of the June 11th meeting. I have not copied the newsletter word for word and I am not including the pictures. It is a very nice newsletter. If you would like to be on the mailing list, dues are $10, payable to the NAIL-RAY Association, 2442 W. Boggstown Road, Shelbyville, IN 46176. - Phyllis Miller Fleming
[newsletter, page 1]
NAIL-RAY ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
July 2000
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The year 2000
marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Nail-Ray Association.
Three of our long-term officers chose this occasion to officially step down from
their posts: Richard Weakley, who has served as Treasurer since 1994;
Dorothy Plymate, who has served as Corresponding Secretary since 1981;
and Charles E. Nail, who has served as our President since 1986. As a
token of our appreciation
....
... One of
the things that has set our Nail-Ray Association apart from so many other family
history organizations is the quantity and quality of the books we have produced.
....
Where They are Now (gravesites of the first three
generations of Nails and Rays
Nail-Ray Family Photo
Tree
Nail-Ray Family Stories
our BIG BOOK, The
Families of Henry Nail & Mary Keller and Thomas Ray & Elizabeth
Pearce:
Pioneers of Shelby County, Indiana, 2nd ed.
[newsletter, page 2]
BUSINESS MEETING
The business
meeting was held on Saturday morning at the Shelbyville Super 8 Motel. President
Charles E. Nail called the meeting to order with 37 members in attendance.
...special recognition of the contributions of Julia Sherer and her
mother Myrtle Smith, whom he credited with bringing this group together
and Dorothy Plymate whom he credited for holding us together for two decated by
keeping us in constant communication and by providing the "home base" for our
annual
reunion.
President
Nail made special note of a letter recently received from a William C.
Ray from Virginia. This letter included new information about three of
the seven early RAY families in Wake County, North Carolina, including
information about William Ray Sr., William Ray, Jr. (both of whom lived
in Brunswick County, VA, before moving to Wake County) and Nathan Ray.
Chuck challenged us to continue looking into this new lead on the ancestry
of our patriarch, Thomas
Ray.
....
The
next topic of discussion was Old Union Church (the ancestral church), which is
currently undergoing financial stress because of declining attendance.
James Russell spoke eloquently about the importance of Old Union to our
organization. Members f the association were asked whether they wanted to
donate money to the church to help keep it open. Dick Weakley moved
that we donate $1000 from the Nail-Ray treasury to Old Union. Lolita
Guthrie seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Clarene Russell moved
that this doantion be made "in the name of the Nail-Ray Association and in honor
of Dorothy Plymate." Rebecca Markel seconded the motion and it
passed
unanimously.
....
"IT'S IN THE LIBRARY"
Tom
Plymate led a discussion of how we should distribute the remaining copies of
"THE BIG BOOK", our 1997 The Families of Henry Nail & Mary Keller and
Thomas Ray & Elizabeth Pearce: Pioneers of Shelby County, Indiana, 2nd
ed. He reported that 171 of the 203 copies received from the printer had been
distributed, leaving a remaining stock of 32 copies. The group agreed that we
should hold some copes in reserve for sale to individuals who find out about our
organization by word-of-mouth in future years, but the consensus seemed to be
that 32 copies was more than enough to meet the demand expected from that
source....
....
[newsletter, page 3]
NEW PROJECTS
Terry
Keller and Chuck Nail reported that they have started work on a video which
will summarize the history of the Nails and Rays. ... They requested that each
branch of the family record their own video "snippets" of the homesteads and
land-grant sites of their ancestors, with narration by family
descendants.
Clarene
Russell asked us to consider placing historical markers on Nail-Ray lands.
....
OTHER FESTIVITIES
Boggstown Cabaret, Goodrich Party House, Sunday worship at Old Union
including a pitch-in and an afternoon program given by David Craig
("Shelby County's Unsolved
Murder").
....
[newsletter, page 4]
GREETING, REGRETS, and GOOD-WISHES from those unable to attend:
[Letters from the following people were posted-PMF]
Mary Noonan, Palo
Alto, CA
Lenore Ballard Stanton, Topsham, ME
Cherry Ballard Page,
Encinitas, CA
Eleanor Neumayer, Gaithersburg, MD
Jean Fenimore Porter, St.
Charles, IA
Esther L. Read, Winterset, IA
Ray Ballard, Carmichael,
CA
Bethany and Don Roberts, Warren, MA
Alice Kauzlarich, Marshall,
NC
Dr. Mark Thomas, Brownstown, IN
[newsletter, page 5]
Gene and Dolores Leach, Farmersville, IL
Jill Knitl, Casselberry,
FL
Danny Ray, Zebulon, NC
Helen Wray Lawson, Newport News, VA
Pat
Lorentzen, Santa Barbara, CA
Sue Bogardus, Warsaw, KY
Patricia
Ballard-Anderson, Vancouver, BC,
Canada
---------------------------------------------
Hope to see you for
our 21st annual get-together June 8th - 10th, 2001.
[newsletter, page 6]
FAMILY MEMERS PRESENT, 2000
The family of HENRY NAIL (1771-1827) and MARY (KELLER) NAIL:
From JOHN NAIL and MARTHA RAY:
Through
Christina Nail (1)
Berry:
James
M. Russell (wife Clarene), Collierville,
TN
Through
Perlina Nail (1) Steward:
Julia
(Smith) Sherer, Tower Hill,
IL
Janet
(Morgan) Ross (husband David), Springfield,
VA
From Samuel Nail and Cherry Wray:
Through Rebecca
Nail Thomas:
Dorothy
(Thomas) Plymate, Shelbyville,
IN
Thomas
G. Plymate (wife Lynda), Springfield,
MO
John
M. Thomas, Shelbyville,
IN
Rebecca
(Thomas) Markel, Shelbyville,
IN
Robert
E. Thomas (wife Arlene), Shelbyville,
IN
Patricia
(Thomas) Montgomery (husband Floyd), Waldron,
IN
Peggy
(Montgomery) Risley, Shelbyville,
IN
Rebekah
Risley, Shelbyville,
IN
Rachel
Risley, Shelbyville,
IN
Michael
Risley, Shelbyville, IN
From OBADIAH
NAIL:
Through
Warren Nail:
Charles
E. Nail, Noblesville,
IN
Through
James A. Nail: Lillian (McGrew) Guthrie, Bloomington,
IN
Opal
(McGrew) Bolin, Casey,
IL
Helen
(McGrew) Shepherd, Portland,
OR
Mary
Ann (McGrew) Freels, Portland,
OR
Lawrence
E. McGrew (wife Louise) Oregon City,
OR
Betty
(McGrew) Cook (husband Paul), Terre Haute,
IN
Leana
(Shepherd) Hoogerwerf, Yuma,
AZ
Charlene
Micthel, Portland, OR
Descendant of Abraham Keller, brother of MARY
(KELLER)
NAIL:
Terry
Keller (wife Barbara), Dongola, IL
The family of THOMAS RAY (1762-1829)
and ELIZABETH (PIERCE) RAY:
From HUDSON
RAY:
Through
Barnabas Ray:
Billie
Lee (Alcott) Rammelsberg (husband Glen), Blairstown,
IA
David
Walter Ross (wife Janet), Springfield,
VA
Through Mary
Ray Goodrich:
Richard
Weakley, Shelbyville,
IN
Julia
Lavina Goodrich, Fairland,
IN
Cora
Marie Goodrich, Fairland, IN
From JAMES
WRAY:
Through
Wiley Wray:
Barbara
(Borland) Snow, McLean,
VA
Through Cherry
Wray:
Descendants
listed under her husband SAMUEL NAIL,
above.
From GILLY RAY
BYERLY:
Through
Elizabeth Byerly Hill:
Katy
(Morse) Bruce (husband Bob), Kenney,
IL
Dallas
Michael Morse, Kenney,
IL
Joan
Morse, Kenney, IL
Through Samuel
Bluford Byerly:
Ruth
(Kirby) Brady (husband Hugh), Seymour, TN
From
SUSANNAH RAY
BASS:
Through
Frances Bass Thayer:
Lolita
(Thayer) Guthrie (husband Mearl), Bowling Green,
OH
From MARTHA RAY NAIL:
Descendants
listed under her husband JOHN NAIL, above.
-------------------------
GUESTS:
Rev. and Mrs. Larry Odom (Larry and Ruby), Muncie, IN (Pastor of
Old Union U.M.C.)
David Craig, President, Shelby County Historical Society,
Shelbyville, IN
Charles and Wanda Ketron, Knoxville, TN (Charlie and Hugh
Brady are cousins)
Rome and Betty Nail, Columbus, MS
Maurice Holmes,
Shelbyville, IN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[program booklet cover]
20th
Annual
Nail-Ray
Family
Meeting
[inside cover]
THE NAIL - (W)RAY STORY
"Away back in the
[eighteen-] twenties, when Indiana was a baby state, and great forests of tall
trees and tangled underbrush darkened what are now her bright plains and sunny
hills,"* two families came from North Carolina to claim land and pioneer in this
locality. Henry Nail's family settled on the banks of the
Brandywine. Thomas Ray's family settled on the banks of Big Blue.
Both of their homes were within sight of this church where we are
today.
Many of
the young Ray's and Nail's intermarried. That is why we call our organization in
the Nail-Ray Association, many of us being descendants of both
pioneers.
After
some years in Indiana, some of the younger couples adventured still farther
West, on into Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, as those new lands were
opened up for
settlement.
As
time went on and the families grew and scattered, as families do, we find
seventh, eighth, ninth, and even tenth generation descendants of these two
Indiana pioneers all over the United States and
Canada.
So today,
we who have remained here "at the scene of the nativity", welcome our cousins
from other states, from east coast to west coast, and many states in
between.
____________
* Opening line from Charles Major's "The Bears of
Blue River"
[insert front]
The family of THOMAS RAY
(1762-1829)
and
ELIZABETH (PIERCE) RAY
1. HUDSON
RAY
Barnabas
Ray
Bryant Ray; Martha
Nail
Zebedee
Ray
Bailey Ray; (1)
Lydia Nail
Mary Ray
Goodrich
Elizabeth Ray
Snider
2. JAMES
WRAY
Wiley
Wray
Cherry Wray;
Samuel Nail
Lucinda
Wray Shull
Hardy
Wray
Thomas
Wray
Tempe Wray
Howard
Charles W.
Wray
Isom
Wray
Levina Wray
Cobler
3. GILLEY RAY
BYERLY
Elizabeth Byerly
Hill
Henry Farley
Byerly
Thomas Dugan
Byerly
Catherine
Byerly
Nancy J. Byerly
Coppenbarger
Elkanah
Austin Byerly
Samuel
Bluford Byerly
Mary
Byerly
Ray
Byerly
4. SUSANNAH RAY
BASS
Joel Burgess
Bass
Elizabeth Bass;
Greenberry Nail
Elias
Bass
Ellen
Bass
Benjamin W. Bass,
Jr.
Priscilla Bass
Montgomery
Thomas
Bass
Frances Bass
Thayer
Celia A. Bass
Worland
5. MARTHA RAY; JOHN
NAIL
Methana Nail
Roberts
Mary Nail
Snider
Christina Nail
(1)Berry
(2)Snider
Elizabeth
Nail Snider
Perlina
Nail (1)Steward
(2)Colvin
Hiram
Nail
James
Nail
Sarah Nail
Evans
Wilson S.
Nail
Hugh P.
Nail
P.
Nail
Ellen Nail
Wetherford
6. SARAH E.
RAY
7. CHANEY RAY
CAMPBELL
Elizabeth A.
Campbell
Hames Harvey
Campbell
Nancy A.
Campbell Leach
Robert
Milton Campbell
Martha
J. Campbell
Lafferty
Sofia
Campbell
Susannah E.
Campbell Keith
Mary
Emmaline
Campbell
Newton
Campbell
Thomas
Franklin Campbell
Isaac
Newton
Campbell
Annaretta
Campbell
[insert back]
The family of HENRY
NAIL (1771-1827) and Mary (KELLER) NAIL
1.
JOHN NAIL; MARTHA
RAY
Methana Nail
Roberts
Mary Nail
Snider
Christina Nail
(1)Berry
(2)Snider
Elizabeth
Nail Snider
Perlina
Nail (1)Steward
(2)Colvin
Hiram
Nail
James
Nail
Sarah Nail
Evans
Wilson S.
Nail
Hugh P.
Nail
P.
Nail
Ellen Nail
Wetherford
2. CATHARINE NAIL
LEACH
Elbert
Leach
James Martin
Leach
Zadock
Leach
Franklin
Leach
Mary Leach
Campbell
John
Leach
3. DANIEL
NAIL
Henry T.
Nail
4. DOROTHEA NAIL
KELLER
John G.
Keller
Wesley
Keller
Mary M. Keller
Crown
William A.
Keller
Cynthia A.
Keller Crown
Margaret
A. Keller
McReynolds
Roseanne
Keller McReynolds
Sarah
J. Keller
Anderson
Nathan E.
Keller
Daniel J.
Keller
Clarissa A.
Keller
Thomas C.
Keller
Samuel T.
Keller
Amos W.
Keller
Wesley
Keller
5. MARTHA NAIL; BRYANT
RAY
Lewis
Ray
Martha Ray
O'Dell
Joel
Ray
Mary Ray
Cobler
James
Ray
6. SAMUEL NAIL; CHERRY
WRAY
Emily
Nail
Malinda Nail
Hiestand
Rebecca Nail
Thomas
Daniel W.
Nail
James H.
Nail
Harriet A. Nail
Malpas
Nancy E. Nail
Francis
John William
Nail
7. LYDIA NAIL; BAILEY
RAY
Henry Milton
Nail
Margaret Jane Ray
Bolinger
Greenberry
Ray
John Thomas
Ray
8. INFANT
NAIL
9. HENRY
NAIL
Lucinda
Nail
John Amos
Nail
Samuel
Nail
John Henry C.
Nail
10. EMELIND NAIL
LEWIS
11. OBADIAH
NAIL
Mary E.
Nail
Charlotte Nail
Goodrich
Martha Ann
Nail (1)Landingham (2)Marker (3)Kinney
(4)Spain
William H.
"Doak" Nail
Nancy E.
Nail Montgomery
Warren
Nail
James A.
Nail
12. GREENBERRY NAIL; ELIZABETH
BASS
Edward
Nail
Susan Jane Nail
Kessinger
Mary Irene
Nail Kessinger
Joel
Burgess Nail
Amanda
Nail Walcher
James E.
Nail
William Franklin
Nail
Richard Henry
Nail
Melinda Estella
Nail
Martha Elizabeth
Nail Cress
Alfred Berry
Nail
Thomas Elry
Nail
Robert Lewis
Nail
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