History of the family association

After a meeting of the retired American teacher Hazel Easterday from Akron/Ohio and the German genealogist Friedhelm Ostertag in Summer 1969 there was the idea of organizing a meeting of the far spread Ostertags in his home town Nördlingen. Hazel Easterday wanted to get to know the home of her ancestors and was enthusiastic about this idea. So both of them collected addresses of the Ostertags and Easterdays and sent letters with the suggestion of planning an international meeting in Germany. In August 1972 the first international family reunion took place in Nördlingen and was very successful.
To be able to care for the genealogy and the family traditions, shortly after the German Ostertag Association was founded in Nördlingen. Friedhelm Ostertag was the leader of the association until his death in the year 1997.
In August 1975 Hazel Easterday organized the first American Easterday-Family-Meeting in Frederick/ Maryland. Also European Ostertags took part in this meeting. The location for the meeting was chosen because Frederick was the town where the first Ostertags (who called themselves Easterday later) which came on board of the ship "Christian" settled in the USA.

The members of the Ostertag Association met and meet every year with friends and guests in Nördlingen or other homes of Ostertag branches such as Stuttgart, Nürnberg, München, Epfig/Elsaß or others. Every six years, there is an international meeting in Europe. Between these meetings, the American Easterdays organize their reunions.

1978

International reunion in Niederbronn les Bains/Elsaß/Frankreich with visit of the castles Winstein and Ramstein, which were at time property of the noble Ostertag families.

1981

Ostertag-Easterday- Reunion in Frederick/ USA, the last meeting with Hazel Easterday

1983

Death of Hazel Easterday, later foundation of the Ostertag-Easterday Association of America

1984

International meeting at the lake Chiemsee in Germany

1987

Ostertag-Easterday-Reunion in Frederick/ USA

1990

International reunion in Basel/Switzerland including a visit of the ruins of Ramstein, Gilgenberg and the water castle of Zwingen which were once property of the Ramstein families.

1993

Ostertag-Easterday-Reunion in Frederick/ USA

1996

International Ostertag meeting in Bad Dürkheim/Germany with appreciation of the donator Dr. Valentin Ostertag born about 1450 in Dürkheim. It was the last meeting which was organized by Prof.Dr.Dr. Friedhelm Ostertag.

1999

Ostertag-Easterday-reunion in Frederick/ USA, unfortunately without the presence of Prof.Dr.Dr. Friedhelm Ostertag (died 1997) and his wife Ursula (died 1999)

2000

Re-election of the board of the German Ostertag Association; Monika Trepte is the new chairwoman

2002

International Ostertag meeting in Straßburg/Alsace including visits of ruins Winstein and Fleckenstein, and boat trip and guided tour in Straßburg. The reunion was organized and held by the German Easterday Association and Alsatian Ostertags. There is a book Die Ostertag-Familien which was printed and released in German and English at the family reunion.