Sunday August 21, 1938 has been set for the date for the Mitty (Wait) Graves-Moore, Diveley and Robey annual family reunion to be held at the Methodist Campground in Lena. This coterie of families, a closely relationship 105 years ago came together in the early days of Stephenson County in the region which later became Winslow Township and part of Waddams township. Brewster Ferry, also Ransomberg upon the Pecatonica River were the very first places to receive settlers. About five years later their populations drifted off to the farmlands and to Winslow which began its existance as a log saw mill erected by the Lott brothers in 1834.

From 1834 to 1837 forebears of the above families came into this pre-emption territory to become its permanent settlers. William, Levi and John Robey came with their families in November 1834; Hubbard, Graves, Lydia, Nelson and Asa Wait came in the spring of 1835. Isaac Diveley came in May 1837. With him came his wife's mother Mitty (Wait) Graves-Moore and her four sons and a daughter, all of whom, in the spring of 1838 moved to Wards Grove Twp. Jo Davies County to become permanent settlers there. Isaac Diveley and his son William were farmers, well and widely known, raising large families who became pioneer teachers and farmers in Waddams' township. William and John Robey, after residing there 13 years removed to Round Rock TX in 1847. Levi Robey and his brother Waddell Robey remained citizens of Stephenson County, the latter to become and early merchant of Rock Grove and later to become identified with political interests in Freeport. Levi Robey remained a farmer in Waddams township but eventually became the most renowned "old settler" of his time.

Nelson Waits large family has dwindled to a singular survivor. Prof. Emeritus Wm. Henry Wait of Ann Arbor Michigan who has no descent. In contrast the descendants of Asa Wait III are numerous and bear such county names as Liphart, Shippy, Cantrell, Zurbriggen, Stamm , Rackow, and Van Matre. The sons of Asa Wait III are William Wait, Red Oak and Cyrus Wait of Winslow. The latter lives on the original acreage preempted to his grandmother Lydia (Kendall) Wait (Asa Jr) in 1835. The original home, built for her by her son-in-law Silas Sears in 1845-46 was burned lately, but later was replaced by a modern structure close to the original homesite.

From the Freeport Journal Standard 15 August 1938

The Mitty (Wait) Graves-Moore, Diveley-Robey family reunion will be held Sunday August 20, 1939 at Lena campgrounds. The gathering will celebrate the 105th anniversary of the Robey family and the 102nd anniversary of the Moore and Diveley families in this section of Illinois, the Waits coming at varoius years in between. Officers are; President - Oliver Graves of Stockton; Vice President - Roland Sites of Cadiz Wisc; Secretary - Mary C. Blair of Nora; Treasurer - Althea Diveley Liphart of Lena. Grounds committee - Frank Schafer, Freeport; Loy Liphart, Lena; William Nelson Wait, Red Oak; Cyrus Wait, Winslow and Clarence Wales, Winslow.

The annual reunion was held at the campground with a large attendance. Those who came from a distance were Otto Herpich of Thiemsville Wisc; Antone Brish of South Milwaukee Wisc; Ann Marshal Wiley of Rockford; Wm. Graves & Family; Wm. Arthur Frundt and family of Norfolk NE; Miss Tillie Sunnock, Glenn Graves of Chicago; Dr. and Mrs. Earl Bucher of Durand IL.

Those who sent regrets were the Bradley Diveley Family of Goshen IN; the Howard Diveley Family of Tacoma Washington; Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Diveley, Mr. & Mrs. George Benton of Chicago; the Wilbur E. White family of Stockton.

Sundays reunion celebrated the 150th since the arrival of the first member of the clan in the Winslow - Waddams area, the first section of Stephenson county to receive white settlers. Wm. Robey and his wife with their 10 children came from Portsmouth OH arriving at Brewsters Ferry on Nov. 21, 1834. With his oldest son Levi Robey came his bride of a few months the former Almira Wait. On Feb. 14, 1835 Levi Robey moved to a new log cabin in Waddams twp. April of that year brought Hubbard Graves and Nelson Wait, brother-in-law of Levi Robey. Both took claims at Ransomberg the boomtown on the Pecatonica River two miles below Brewster's Ferry. Nelson Wait built accomodations to receive his widowed mothers family and they came from Portsmouth OH in 1836.

Nelson Wait (1811-1868) was known as a most honorable and upright citizen. After his mother's family became well established he married in 1844 to Mary Catherine Root of South Danville N.Y. who at that time was visiting her sister Mrs. Hollis Jewell of Freeport. Of their nine children only two lived to manhood - Frank Wait died in 1874 leaving Wm. Henry Wait age 20 as the sole survivor of this pioneer family. He became a noted educator. His death occurred Feb. 28, 1939 at the Michigan Union of the Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan prepared this sketch:

Wm. Henry Wait was born near McConnell IL son of Nelson & Mary Catherine (Root) Wait. His ancestors came from Wales and settled in Massachusetts before the revolution. He received his premliminary training in the public schools of his native place. He was graduated Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1879 - master of arts on examination in 1882 and doctor of philosphy in 1888. After three years of teaching high school in Peoria he became connected with Wesleyan Univ. in 1883. He served as professor of German and Latin from 1883 - 1888, as dean of the University and professor of latin from 1888-1890. From 1890 - 1895 he had charge of the work in ancient classics in the Peoria High School. Having meanwhile spent a year in graduate work at the universities of Berlin and Bonn he accepted a call to the Univ. of Michigan. He was a member of the Philological Assoc. and of the Modern Languages Assoc. He became Professor Emeritus June 30, 1925.

In the single week of Feb. 21-28, 1939 three persons were taken by death from the reunion association. Josiah William Consalus of Nora on Feb. 21 and Mary Ellen (Moore) White of Stockton on Feb. 27, 1939. In the passing of Mrs. White the clan felt the breaking asunder of nearly the last tie that bound the families together in their pioneer sympathies, since everywhere ties of blood had intermingled with hers. An added sorrow attend her departure for in less than a month her husband Wilbur E. White was made permanently disabled by the fracturing of the bones in his hip. Today as he lies in a cast in his pleasant home he has the sympathy of the entire association.

From the Freeport Journal Standard 10 August 1939