Reunions

REUNIONS FOR MY PATERNAL SIDE

Before the Jenkins Reunions, I had only attended one reunion for my father's side of the family which is for his paternal grandmother's family, the Johnsons. I wanted to make sure to acknowledge that before going into the ongoing Jenkins Family reunions.

JOHNSON-COLE REUNION 1998

The only reunion I had ever attended until recently for my paternal side of the family was the Johnson-Cole Family Reunion held in the suburban Chicago area in August 1998. The last Johnson-Cole reunion I recall was held in Portland, Oregon in 2010 although I wasn't able to attend that one.

One memento I had from 1998 was a panoramic picture of those in attendance that year at a reunion banquet held at a Holiday Inn in Harvey, Illinois. Almost 30 years later that hotel has since been closed and boarded up. A lot of people from that panorama have since passed away.

Here's another memento from the 1998 Johnson-Cole Reunion in suburban Chicago. This piece of swag was a t-shirt for those who were in attendance back then.

1998 Johnson-Cole T-Shirt

The first Johnson-Cole reunion was started in Kansas City, Missouri in August 1977. The Cole part represents Mama Georgia's sister Safronia Johnson Cole who displayed a "strong desire to help her descendants know who their people were". Safronia married into the Cole family.

If you'd like to know more about the Johnson family click here for genealogical info.

If you have more info on other Johnson-Cole Reunions that have been held feel free to email me.

JENKINS FAMILY REUNION

Jenkins Family Reunion 2024

Thanks to connecting with the family of Will Jenkins (particularly descendants of his daughter Clementine Jenkins White) on Ancestry I was able to attend though very briefly the 4th Annual Jenkins Family Reunion which took place in Chicago's Dan Ryan Woods 87th Street & Western Avenue on Sunday, August 11, 2024. I was glad to finally meet members of the extended Jenkins family thanks to my ongoing genealogy research.

I'm glad that it lead to the next reunion in 2025.

Jenkins Family Reunion 2025

You can read the recap for this reunion here. This one had a great turnout and proved to bring out not just the descendants of Will Jenkins, but also descendants of his brother Tom - my great-grandfather and Head of the Table. In addition we had some representatives descended from another brother one Levi Jenkins.

How about a group pic because these reunions are about people, in this case people who share a connection through common ancestors - in this particular case Garrison & Delia Jenkins.

Coming soon - Jenkins Family Reunion 2026

The Jenkins Family Reunion hits the road to Memphis, Tennessee July 17, 18, & 19, 2026. And hope to get some swag and more pics from this coming event. Check this blog for further updates.

I don't know if "Back to the Roots" is the reunion theme or motto but I like it. What you might find on any official notices.

Also I'm sorry to say I was too slow on getting a t-shirt from the Jenkins Family Reunions (especially last year) that I had attended but in Memphis you'll see that t-shirt here and other available swag here.

Also if there were other reunions held in the past, I'd like to know about them feel free to let me know about them via this blog's email address below.