The Spiker Family Gathering Place

     It has been 15 years since I created our family website. Fifteen years! (Too many to count on my fingers; I had to double-check my math with a calculator.) Yep. Incredibly, that’s the right number. Over the last 15 years, we’ve mourned our parents’ deaths, embraced our children’s marriages, and celebrated our grandchildren’s births. And before we could comprehend it all, the cousins of my generation slowly became the “older ones” at the Reunion. Seamlessly, we stepped up and stepped in to continue and strengthen our family traditions.

     Now, as our own children begin filling “the empty chairs,” I realize it is time to transfer management of our website to the next generation of “younger ones.” Effective immediately, Pete Deremer (great-grandson of Jake and Gay Spiker) will assume the role of Webmaster for the Spiker Family Gathering Place.

     Oh, I will continue to research our history, collect ephemera, and update the family tree on Ancestry. I just won’t be handling the month-to-month operations of the website and newsletter. Very soon, Pete will be copying my files to a new Server/Host. The Domain Name (spikerfamily.com) will remain the same so you may not be aware of the transfer, but you’ll see changes as Pete plans to modernize the look and feel of our site.

     Mr. Deremer cautioned me that he is “not a writer.” He will need scoop reporters, photographers, and proof-readers. And (for the most difficult part,) he will rely on others for article ideas and submissions. Over the years, Paula, Mike, Melinda, Mark, Cathy, Melanie, and Haley routinely came to my aid in publishing the newsletters. (Thank you!!!) I am hopeful the “younger ones” from Pete’s generation are eager to help him succeed.

     My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone for your contributions and your encouragement. More than just a hobby, the Spiker Family Gathering Place has allowed me to “come home” again. As stated on our Home Page, it is “Here we gather to celebrate, to commemorate, and to honor our heritage and wrap ourselves in the warm embrace of our family and our family home.”

     With love and gratefulness,

     Bobbi Spiker-Conley
     Editor - The Spiker Family Gazette
     (Former) Webmaster - Spiker Family Gathering Place
     September 2022

     November 2020 - A shoebox stuffed with letters and cards addressed to our grandparents, Jake Spiker and Gay Zinn is opened and the contents revealed. Follow along as we open their "Courting Letters" from 1905 through 1907.

     December 2020 - Gay sends first Christmas Greeting Card to her sweetheart, Jake Spiker.

     January 2021 - Gay and Jake begin writing almost daily letters to one another. Gay "quits" her other beaus.

     February 2021 - The valentines Jake and Gay sent to one another were not what we expected. See pics.

     March 2021 - Untangling the numerous hidden messages in the courting letters. 

     April 2021 - The Secrets of Courthouse Cave in Harrisville, WV

     May 2021 - Local Courtships and Marriages, and Rumors and Gossip.

     June 2021 - Gay Zinn marries Jake Spiker

     July 2021 - Sweet declarations of love close almost every letter.

     August 2021 - Gay Zinn's Adventures with the Horses

     September 2021 - Sickness, Injuries and Deaths

     October 2021 - What's Happening at the School and Churches

     November 2021 - What's Happening with the Weather and in the Community

     December 2021 - What's Happening at Work and at Home