Officers of the USA Arbuthnot Family Association:
As elected in Omaha, NB October, 2000
Chairman: Allan Arbuthnot
Chair-elect: Caroline Burtt
Vice-Chairman: Russell Parker
Treasurer: John Orsborn
Secretary: Phyllis Jones
Newsletter editor: Vickie Jones
Genealogist: Betsy Henry

Reminder -- Reminder -- Reminder -- Reminder -- Reminder -- Reminder
This is your official reminder that Dues are due. $10 for life members; annual membership is $15 for non-life members.  See the dues form inside this newsletter and send it in today.  If your address label says "L00" that means you are a life member, and paid through 2000. The newsletter editor apologizes for the lateness or this edition -- I had to fulfill many last-minute Jaycee commitments in January.   Mea Culpa,  Vickie.

From:   Form Submission
Subject:  Arbuthnot Newsletter Submission   (via website)
Date:   8 Feb 2024 00:38:46 +0100 (MET)
Name: Starla At. Jeppson
comment: Great job! I knew we had a website after reading the latest family newsletter.
Member?: yup

"My new Cairn terrier (very Scottish!) puppy bears the proud name of Arbuthnot's James, named for my grandfather James Hill Arbuthnot.   He is called  Jamie."  Peg (Ridall) Davis    (Betsy Henry's sister)

Spotlight on Table 5
James Arbuthnot, I  settled in eastern PA in 1772 and served in the Revolutionary War. His son, James, II, was born around 1773 and married Mary W. White around 1790. They settled along Kittanning Creek in Virginia. Their son, James, III, was born there 1 Dec 1796. He and his first wife, Eliza Armstrong, lived in what is now Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, later moving to West Virginia and then Ohio. James, III was graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, PA in 1822, studied theology in Pittsburgh, PA, and was a preacher and founder of several academies.    Table 5 descendants include the following current and former members of the US AFA:
Rev. Charles William Arbuthnot, Jr. of Maine
James Brader Arbuthnot of New Mexico
Joan Kelsey Arbuthnot of Maine
Alfred Harold Arbuthnot of Florida
Jean Arbuthnot Johnson of Washington
Julia Johnson Byers of Washington
Craig Johnson of Washington
Eric Johnson of Washington
Beverley Arbuthnot McRae of Washington
Alison McRae Mixter of Washington
Stephanie McRae Nelson of  Idaho
Michele McRae Power of Alaska
Joyce Wahlbrink Meier of Florida

If you'd like to see more of these "Spotlights", please inform Betsy Henry. 

From:  Margaret Arbuthnot Ridall
"I was very pleased when I received the unexpected resolution naming me  an honorary member. It was very thoughtful of John Orsborn to carry it  out.  I keep the folder by my chair.   I wish I were still able to do  the genealogy because I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the  correspondence.  I'm glad that Betsy was able to carry on with it.   I've  received many comments about how well she is doing."

From:   Judi Byram Says "Thanks"
I d like to thank those who signed my get well card.   I enjoyed reading what was signed by everyone.  As for me now, I'm still trying to get my blood count down.  Boy, do I know what a yo-yo feels like.  My insulin has been changed three times. I was on 73/30 and "R", but now I'm on "R" and Nolvin.  I've gotten my count down between 160-250. But on Turkey Day it went up to 354. (I guess that cinnamon roll and rice chrispie  square didn't help.) I have been trying to watch what I eat, but it's been hard.  Thanks a lot, Judi.

From:   Betsy Henry,  USA Genealogist
At the meeting in October I stated I do not plan to send the genealogy of living people to Sir William Arbuthnot to be put on the Arbuthnot Website.  At the time I thought that was also his intention.  Since then I have learned that he has added the genealogy of the UK Arbuthnots to the website.  Let me know your thoughts on whether you think it is appropriate to include living people in the website genealogy section.  It is common for people who have individual family websites to put on their own genealogy, but as the genealogy compiler, I am concerned about privacy issues.  I would appreciate feedback to me either at Betsy Henry/8750F East Yale Ave./Denver, CO/80231

Searching for My Roots
(editor note, Thank you, Kyle, for sharing your story with us.)
My name is Kyle “Boo” (Elizabeth) nee Wilson Karson, and I am a new, yet old member to the Arbuthnots of North America.  I am located on Table 1, in the section descended from Samuel Arbuthnot and Isabella Sarver, but what follows is the journey I have traveled to discover my true genealogy.
     My mother is Rachel (Rebecca) nee Arbuthnot Domber.  Upon my birth in Gainesville, Florida on March 1, 1962, the Wilsons in Birmingham, Alabama adopted me.  I always knew that I was adopted, and all it did was make me feel doubly blessed because there were two more “parents” out there who cared and thought about me.  Anyway, for some reason, my adoptive parents had an extra legal document signed by Rachel.  It was never sealed into my adoption records, and was easily accessible to my frequent snooping since it was stored in boxes full of old pictures and memorabilia.  I can’t tell you how many times I pulled out that release form and stared at her signature wondering just who and where she might be; what she must have been feeling at that emotional time; how she was treated when she went home (her secret hushed and forgotten) and, most importantly, was she still alive and well.  The one thing I did know was that I must belong to a really cool family since my last name was so unique.  Also, the unusual last name proved to be a blessing since there couldn’t be very many Arbuthnots out there!!
     I tried several times in my college years to locate Rachel to no avail.  In 1989, my husband, Bryan, and I drove down to Miami, FL for his brother’s wedding.  We stopped at the University of Florida in Gainesville (a beautiful campus) to check out the yearbooks.  There was no picture of her in the annuals, but we did obtain and xerox a copy of her graduation ceremony held in December 1962 listing her as a business graduate (my same degree by the way). This was great news because it verified that she did indeed use her proper name on the birth certificate because so many other birth mothers used false names.  I felt some sort of closeness to her walking on that campus holding that graduation listing.
     I was satisfied with that information for a long time, but then when Bryan and I were thinking about starting a family of our own, my curiosity (for obvious reasons) grew stronger.  I found a woman knowledgeable in searching for lost relatives, and together we began to shoot out every kind of license request to every bureau or agency that had the potential to give me ANY kind of additional information on Rachel.  In the meantime, my adoptive big sister (who is the biological daughter of my adoptive parents) began calling as many Arbuthnots in Florida as we could find.  There weren’t very many, so we thought for sure that someone would know Rachel (I subsequently learned that she did live for a long period of time in Lake Worth, FL just outside of West Palm Beach).  Anyway, here’s a listing of the people we spoke to in case any of you guys remember a strange phone call back in 1991: in Polk County we called Joe, Allan, Don, Carroll, James and Matthew Arbuthnot; in Fort Lauderdale we phoned George and G. Arbuthnot; in Melbourne we phoned M. Arbuthnot, Arby Arbuthnot – none of these people had heard of her.  The only clue we received was from June (James’ wife in Polk County), which was that an Arbuthnot reunion was held in Atlanta in 1989 and that they were working on a family tree, yet none had ever heard of a Rachel.  No one ever mentioned the North American Arbuthnot book or anything about the Arbuthnot association.  That would have made my search so much easier!!  Anyway, several months passed with little or no new information resulting from any of our efforts.
     Finally, a University of Florida in Gainesville, FL college archivist called me and told me that Rachel’s records had been forwarded to Georgia State University in Atlanta in 1967.  I immediately phoned the Atlanta library requesting that they look up Rachel Arbuthnot in the 1968 city directory.  I was given her 1968 current address as well as the fact that she worked for HUD.  I quickly found out that she was still working for HUD in Tampa, FL, was the Deputy Manager AND was using her maiden name!!!!  Hooray, homerun (so to speak)!
     I didn’t want to call her because I though it might upset her.  Also, I didn’t know if her husband knew about me, and if they had children that would have to be told.  I decided to mail her a certified letter with pictures and a poem I had written for her in 1982 as follows:

 I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to feel,
 I find myself wondering if you are make believe or real.
I know that you exist, wherever you may be,
 I know that I’m a part of you and you a part of me.
 I love you very much, tho I’ve never seen your face,
 I love you for your self-denial, and for giving me a place.
 A place to grow, live and learn, someplace of my own,
 But your presence never left me, it just remained unknown.
 And your presence remains unceasing in my heart forever
 Since your blood runs through my blood, we’ll always be together.
 You live with me through music, a gift from you to me,
 I thank you for this treasure that’s impossible to see,
 I thank you for your sacrifice, made with inner strife,
 But most of all I thank you for giving me my life.
     To my horror the letter was “returned to sender” weeks later - unopened!! Rachel somehow obtained my phone number from the post office and later, through a subsequent wonderfully enlightening conversation; I was given her correct address.   I found out that she, like I, played the piano and that she and her husband, Mat Domber, are involved in a venture that strives to record and preserve true Dixieland Jazz.  She immediately mailed me copies of my related sections from the mammoth book The Arbuthnots in North America.  I was so overwhelmed!  Every adoptee always imagines that he/she belongs to some kind of special people or heritage.  Not only was I from an interesting bloodline, but to top it all off, we even have our own castle and town in Scotland!!
     In order to further reclaim my roots, I named my 3rd child Kathryn “Kate” (Arbuthnot) Karson.  Kathryn was derived from her paternal great aunt Cathryn “Kay” (Miles) nee Arbuthnot Schultz (my grandfather Paul Arbuthnot’s sister) and her maternal great great grandmother (Mary) Catherine “Kate” nee Hoffmaster Rohrbach (Rachel’s great grandmother).  If she had been a he, then he would have been Samuel “Sam” Arbuthnot Karson.  To top it all off, Kate shares the same birthday as her grandmother Rachel.
     I am so thankful for Rachel’s decision made so many years ago, as it was definitely the best thing for us both.  I am also grateful to now have the biological and historical knowledge that is so important in knowing one’s self (a civil right I believe).  I know that I am a lucky individual, and I try to count my blessings every day.  One of my greatest blessings has been not only the warm welcome I have received from Rachel and Mat into their lives, but also the warm welcome I’ve received from all of the Arbuthnots out there.

 Neal Hunt Obituary
Neal R. Hunt, husband of past chairman, Liz Hunt, of Albion, Nebraska, died on February 9, 2001.  He had been ill since late December, diagnosed with sudden-onset diabetes, and began using insulin.  However, he did not improve, and a CAT scan showed a spot on the pancreas.  Liz says that she was thankful that he was not in pain and that he knew everyone all the time.  The funeral was February 12, with cooperative weather making it possible for a large crowd to gather.

Neal was born 17 September 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.  He was in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953.  Neal and Liz were married in 1956.  He was a dealer supervisor, representing seed companies, for 35 years. Neal was active in community organizations; he also enjoyed purebred cattle shows, traveling, and Nebraska football.  He collected toy trucks, cars, tractors, and belt buckles.   In addition to his wife, Neal is survived by Liz's sister, Caroline Burtt, who will take office as chairman of the Arbuthnot Association in 2002.

Many Arbuthnots met Neal at various functions over the years.  He and Liz were the hard-working hosts of the most recent gathering in Omaha in October of 2000.  Neal was a genial person who enjoyed conversations, and was always "one of the family" with the Arbuthnot groups.  He will be missed by all who knew him.  Liz's address is: Mrs. Neal R. Hunt, PO Box 212, Albion, NE 68620.

From:  Allan Arbuthnot
The Dates for the Florida, 2002 Gathering have been set.   Mark your Calendars for May 24-27. 2002.  Watch the newsletter for more details as they become available.