Reunion of Upcountry Families Coming Soon

If you're interested in research family history, you'll want to attend an upcoming event at Southern Wesleyan University.

The Reunion of Upcountry Families will be held at Southern Wesleyan University April 25-27.

Members of families that have lived in the Upcountry area for 100 years or more are encouraged to reserve a table and present their family history at the event.

Tables will be set up in the Southern Wesleyan University Dining Commons 9am, Saturday, April 27. Due to the huge response, only table per reservations.

Table reservation forms can be found here. http://www.100yearreunion.com/

Checks should be made out to Birchwood Center.

The event is free for the public to attend. Visit birchwoodcenter.org or call 878-9269 for more information.

County Council Chairman Neil Smith has been researching his own family history and said genealogy could be a big to the local economy.

“This is the fastest growing hobby in the country, genealogy,” he said. “The Pendleton District is a stepping -off place for a lot of families that went west, so we're trying to encourage those families to come back here, to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, while they're basically searching for their ancestors. It's pretty big business, if we can just get this built up over a period of time.”

The three-day event starts on April 25 with programs at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley. “Getting Started in Digital Genealogy” will be held in the library's computer lab from 1:30pm – 2:15pm.

From 3pm – 5pm an Open House will be held in the library's Mary Oates Gregorie Historical Room.

Virginia Pierce will present “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers on the Internet” from 7pm – 8:30pm.

On Friday, April 26, at 10am, Dr. Carl Garrison and Anne Sheriff will lead a tour of Pickens Chapel Cemetery on Three & Twenty Road.

At 11:30am, Brenda Meyers and Neil Smith will lead a tour of Mt. Zion Cemetery. The cemetery is located near Easley.

At 2pm, Dot Jackson and Gerald Bice will lead tours of Carmel Presbyterian Church and its cemetery.

At 3pm, Les McCall will lead a tour of the Pendleton District Commission.

That night, SWU's Folger Auditorium will host two evening sessions.

At 6pm, Dr. Eric Emerson will discuss the SC Department of Archives & History and Upcountry Research.

At 7:15pm, Terry Barton will discuss “Y-DNA Research.”

Saturday, April 27 is Reunion Day. The day kicks off at 10am with a welcome. A tour of Freedoms Hill Church will be held at 10:30am.

A tour of the Faith Clayton Family Research Center will be held at 11:30am.

A lecture on the Robertson, Bowie and related families will be given at 2pm and a lecture on conducting genealogical research in the Probate Office will be held at 3pm.

The Reunion of Upcountry Families will close at 5pm.

The Reunion is sponsored by Birchwood Center for Arts & Folklife, Old Pendleton Genealogical Society, Southern Wesleyan University, Central Heritage Society, Pickens County Historical Society, Pickens County Museum of Art & History, Pendleton District Commission, Faith Clayton Family Research Center, the Pickens County Library System and Pickens County ATAX Funds.