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The third Sunday in September has been the Lovelace Family Reunion for a number of years now.
This is the gathering of the ancestors of Jim and Ruby Lovelace. It’s now held at the home of my Great Aunt Carolyn Lovelace. She and my Great Aunt Marie Lovelace, who is about to turn 90, are the last two of the original family members who initially began the reunion.
I asked Aunt Marie today about how the reunion got started.
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Aunt Marie Lovelace |
“When Poppa died, we said we want to continue gathering but we didn’t want it to be on Poppa or Mama’s birthdays. I bet a lot of people here have forgotten that his was the 25th of September (1885) and Mama’s was the 12th of August (1887). Back then, Poppa’s children always met on his and Mama’s birthdays and then at Christmas time, Momma would cook and have her children to her house and then we always met but we especially got together during their birthdays.”
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Jim Lovelace in chair with l to r: Hobert Lovelace, Blanch Lovelace |
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Aunt Marie Lovelace with her father, Jim Lovelace |
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Standing l to r: Ovid, Homer, Marie and Blanch |
Since he died on March 3, 1968, 16 years after his wife Ruby, I am assuming the first reunion was held the following year. At one time they were held on Sundays and I remember attending even as a really small kid. At that time, it was held at the home of Uncle Hobert and Aunt Carolyn.
Before then, I can remember a few of the reunions that were held at the Haywood County Penal Farm since one of my uncles was the sheriff.
At today’s reunion there were a lot of Jim and Ruby’s second and third great grandchildren. Bo Greenway was the youngest ancestor at the reunion.
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Bo Greenway |
Hopefully, the tradition will continue for many more years to come.
For more information about the Lovelace family, visit their page on HaywoodCountyLine.com.