Next to the red maple tree her grandfather planted when she was a little girl, Amanda Wilcox married her high school sweetheart, Scott Saucier, on the Fourth of July 2008.

The ceremony in Hermon mentioned not only Bob Phillips, who was a Korean War veteran, but Amanda’s paternal grandfather, Gordon Wilcox, veteran of the same war.

Also named were Scott’s grandfathers, World War II veterans Gayland Moore Jr. and Willard Saucier.

It was a wonderful way to remember these patriots who have gone before us.

We also paid tribute to Amanda’s brother, Cpl. Christopher Wilcox, serving with the U.S. Marines in Georgia.

(Those with military service include my husband, Gaelen, in the U.S. Army, back to William Hersey, a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1635, probably a longer list than could be shared at a wedding.)

At the end of the wedding, as a surprise to the new Amanda Saucier, Bob’s 1953 Jeep, painted in “OD green,” was driven up to take her and her husband “around the block.”

Next year, the Fourth of July will be on a Saturday, so no doubt there will be many Independence Day weddings.

Four-year-old Lexi Perry was an absolutely charming flower girl, and Gaelen and I are so pleased to be “Pepere” and “Memere” to her and her little brother, Andrew. They will be wonderful cousins to Aidan Wilcox Saucier in Minnesota.

That’s right, we have another Wilcox connection. Amanda is a Maine Wilcox, and Aidan’s maternal great-grandmother, Lee Barthel, is a Minnesota Wilcox whose ancestry has been traced back to New York – so far. It’s a small world, really it is.

I have described Amanda and Scott as the cheerleader and the football player who are now the nurse and the engineer. Amanda is also a trophy-winning stock-car driver, with two second places in this summer’s Ladies Series at Speedway 95. That’s definitely a new category in our family history!

The Maine Society of Mayflower Descendants, founded in 1901, will hold its summer meeting with Gov. Robert R. Dow on Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Ramada Inn, Odlin Road, Bangor. Registration starts at 10 a.m., luncheon at noon. Reservations must be received by Friday, July 25, sent

to Virginia Link, 17 Mildred St., South Portland 04106.

Cost of the luncheon is $18 for baked stuffed chicken breast, broiled haddock or London broil. Make check payable to the Maine Mayflower Society; no tickets sold at the door.

Requirement for membership in the Maine Society of Mayflower Descendants is proof of descent from any passenger on the Mayflower, which arrived in Plymouth, Mass., in November 1620.

For more information, call 721-9528 or visit the Maine Society’s Web site at http://memayflower.googlepages.com

The Hadley Family Reunion is planned for Saturday, July 19, with an optional dinner on July 18. The Dutch-treat dinner is set for 6 p.m. Friday, at the Chart Room Restaurant on Route 3 in Hulls Cove, Mount Desert Island.

The Saturday reunion begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Grange Hall, Old Bar Harbor Road, Salisbury Cove. An opening nondenominational activity will take place across the street at Eden Baptist Church, then the group will move to the Grange Hall at 9:45 a.m. for coffee and doughnuts and the program.

A catered lunch is at noon. At 1 p.m. participants may visit the local Hadley Cemetery and other Hadley-related locations, returning to the Grange Hall to explore genealogical connections and spend time with members of the clan. Those who have a laptop computer are encouraged to bring it along to provide assistance for those seeking family information.

For information, contact Jim Hadley at Jags@hvc.rr.com or (845) 339-5363. See Web site at www.hadleygenealogy.net

The Descendants of Joshua Williams will meet 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at the Great Pond Town Hall, Hancock County. The family reunion meeting begins at noon.

At the same location, the Friends of the Free Baptist Church of Great Pond will hold a short business meeting at 1:30 p.m. The nonprofit group organized to repair the old wooden church building in Great Pond, and eventually to make it available as a public meeting place. All are welcome.

For information, contact Judy Bragg at 667-9046.

The Swedish Ancestors Picnic will be held at noon Sunday, July 20, at Jane and Bill Macomber’s home on Whetstone Pond in Abbot. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy a relaxed afternoon with friends and family to renew heritage and share genealogy. For directions or information, contact Estella Kronholm Bennett at 876-3073 or e-mail embweb@verizon.net

Members of the Washington County Genealogical Society will gather for a day of research during the Charlotte Historical Society Genealogical Fair 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at the Charlotte Town Hall.

The Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society will present “The Creation of and Early Days of Sumner High School” with Sylvia Gray Noyes, who taught there 1952-1953, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at the Sorrento Community Building. Graduates of that class will take part.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.