Reuben Barrett was a horseman in the South Carolina Militia and fought for America’s freedom in the Revolutionary War. His descendants migrated South and West with many settling in the central Mississippi counties of Kemper, Noxubee, Neshoba, Leake, Attala and Madison.

Reuben and Hannah had 12 children, all of which have active descendant lines.

A Barrett Family Reunion has been organized by descendants of Reuben across the US and is scheduled for Mary 23 to May 26 at the Quality Inn Haywood in Greenville, South Carolina.

Registration at the hotel and a &uot;Get Acquainted&uot; party will be Friday afternoon and evening. Scheduled activities on Saturday include genealogy research, a visit to the area where the Barrett family lived, and an evening gathering at the hotel for Story Swapping.

On Sunday, the group will gather at Tyger Baptist Church where a family member of Barrett descent will present the morning sermon followed by a ceremony in the adjoining cemetery to dedicate the new headstone marking the graves of Reuben and Hannah and dinner on the grounds. Until now the graves have only been marked by two fieldstones with the initials R.B. and H.B. carved into them.

On Monday, plans include Library Research, Show and Tell and a closing meeting. With the exception of Sunday’s memorial service all meetings will be held at the Quality Inn.

There is no charge to attend the reunion, but a donation may be made toward the cost of the meal and also the cost of the marker if one so desires.

Rooms are available at the Quality Inn Haywood, 50 Orchard Drive, Greenville, S.C., at $59 per night if at least 15 rooms are filled. Reservations may be made at (864) 297-9000 and asking for rooms with the Barrett Reunion. Due to the Memorial Holiday, early reservations are suggested.

This event has been organized by people researching their Barrett heritage through the internet. If you are interested in Barrett genealogy, visit the website of Janet Barrett Walker at freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~barrettbranches/. From there you may also request a flyer and map for the reunion and view the design plans for the grave marker.

The Web site itself is a marvel and presents an amazing amount of information that is easy to access and well documented. There is even a Barrett DNA project ongoing which is the ultimate in combining science and history!

For additional information contact Janet Barrett Walker, 11693 Rychlik Road, Boling, TX 77420 or email

CHenry8604@aol.com

or Jim Barrett, 917 Gettysburg, Bedford, TX 76022-7621. In Mississippi, you may contact Marilyn Dowdy at Barrett Family Reunion, 1322 Old Robinson Road, Louisville, MS 39339; (662) 773-3601: e-mail-HKDOWDY@ bellsouth.net

Donations for the marker may be sent to the Reuben Barrett Memorial Marker Fund, c/o James P. Barrett, 917 Gettysburg, Bedford, TX 760022-7621. Checks or money orders may be payable to James P. Barrett.

If you have a Barrett line, check out the information this family has gathered on their Web site and give some thought to attending the gathering.