The Reunion ‘season’ is now officially upon us! It is almost certain that someone in at least one of your family lines has been working for months now to orchestrate the most perfect gathering yet. And if you have BARRETT connections, your family will be among the first out of the gate.

The BARRETT FAMILY REUNION-MISSISSIPPI 2005 has been scheduled for June 10-12 (Friday thru Sunday), 2005, at the Pearl River Resort outside of Philadelphia, MS.

All descendants of Rueben Barrett of South Carolina and his 12 children are invited to attend. And if any of you have a Barrett ancestor but aren’t sure if there is a connection, the Barretts encourage you to come and meet with their family researchers for free assistance in tracing your own family roots. This is an offer you definitely should not refuse.

The Reunion headquarters will be in the Pegasus Room at the Golden Moon Hotel, Pearl River Resort. There will be a registration fee of $10 per family. Participants may register from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 10; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11; and 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday, June 12. Once registered, you may participate in any or all activities and events.

On Friday, June 10, the plans are somewhat unstructured and include a Family History Search & Swap in the Pegasus Room from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with genealogists present to assist with research questions. From 2 to 4 p.m. there will be a tour of downtown Philadelphia and Choctaw, and a self-guided tour of significant BARRETT sites in Neshoba County. Maps and directions will be provided.

On Saturday, June 11, the Genealogy Search & Swap will continue throughout the day, and from 10 a.m. to noon there will be a visit to the historic Barrett Family Cemetery located on the bluff of the Pearl River on the Pearl River Reservation. The afternoon will be free for the self guided tour and recreational activities at the Resort. At 6 p.m. the group will enjoy a banquet at the Neshoba County Shrine Club. (Tickets are $14.50 and may be purchased in advance from a reunion representative.)

Sunday, June 12, will see hospitality and research continuing in the Pegasus Room until noon. The group will travel to the Good Hope Baptist Church, Madison County, for the morning church service and &uot;Dinner on the Grounds.&uot; This is the church that Reuben Gallitan Barrett helped organize and pastored in the 19th century. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish and beverage. Plates, cups, napkins and utensils will be provided.

Anyone interested should contact Marilyn Dowdy (662-773-3601;

email-k.dowdy@mchsi.com

) or James P. Barrett (817-283-6289;

email-parino@flash.net

).

DOES ANYONE KNOW …

… Sarah Graham (

cpsmiller@intop.net

) is looking for information about her grandfather, JOHN GEORGE GRAHAM, prior to 1898 when he married her grandmother, MARTHA ANN MAUM of Rankin County, MS. It is believed that his grandparents are ROBERT GRAHAM of NC, KY and TN and MARY CARSON(?) GRAHAM. After Robert’s death in 1832, Mary married EBENEEZER PICKETT of Lincoln County, TN. The 1850 Census found Mary living in Lincoln County in a household containing Ebeneezer, four Graham children, Sarah Carson (age 7), and a 22-year-old female named Amy Faulkner. By the 1860 Census, Mary was living in the household with a son, DODSON (DOTSON) GRAHAM (born 1822 in KY); Elizabeth (born 1820 in KY); Catherine (born 1825 in KY); JOHN J. (born 1832 in Lincoln County, TN); his wife, SUSAN MARY BARKER (married 30 Sept 1857); their son, JAMES R. GRAHAM (age 1) and a Samantha (?). John J. was a Confederate Pvt., Company A 44 Tenn, Consolidated Infantry Lincoln-Bedford Tenn area in 1862. The family thinks their grandfather, John George, is possibly the second child of John J. and Susan who was born in 1862. The family legend has John George’s father in the Civil War and his mother dying in childbirth. In 1880 at age 17, John George worked at the brick plant and lived in Lauderdale County, MS., just south of Meridian in a place known as Graham Switch with the family of D.H. Barker (born 1840 in GA) and Emily C. Barker (age 35, born in MS). In his adult life he lived and worked around New Augusta, Richton, and Lumberton, MS., as a brick mason. He died in 1917, leaving a wife and 7 children. Three children predeceased him and are buried around Richton and Lumberton. John George was buried in Rankin County, MS in 1917. Can any reader provide any other information about this man and his earlier family?

Please send your announcements and queries to FAMILY TREES, 900 Main Street, Natchez, MS 39120 or email

FAMTREE316@aol.com

. All queries are printed free of charge.

We look forward to hearing from you!