52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 – Week 22: Reunion – Journey Through the Generations

NOTE: I accepted the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge headed by fellow genealogy blogger Amy Johnson Crow. The idea behind this challenge is that you will receive email prompts, a word or phrase, every week, and you find something about your research or family history to write about. Click HERE to read my first 52 Ancestors blog post in 2019.

Reunions have always been a part of my family, both family reunions and school reunions. It seems like I was always at some sort of reunion every summer growing up. My mother’s paternal side has been having family reunions since the 1970s, and her maternal side since the 1990s. The African American school my parents attended, and my Granny taught started having school reunions in 1988 after the school closed in 1970 due to integration. So, I’m very familiar with hanging out at the park on a hot Saturday dressed in matching t-shirts.

But I must admit that I am also blessed to have had these experiences and memories. These reunions laid an historical foundation for my research that I didn’t even know was happening at the time. Because of these reunions, I have been able to trace my mother’s paternal line back to 1796 and I discovered that I am 6th generation Arkansan. Those school reunions gave me lasting memories of seeing my parents laughing and enjoying their friends while reminiscing about the good old days.