Use your browser's button after each photo to return or right click for a separate window.

Family Gathers for Yearly Mississippi Sojourn

Shreveport, LA - December 8, 2003:

Family members/descendants of the Mississippi Settlement met in Laurel, MS on October 17, 2003, for the annual cemetery restoration/fellowship project. The first order of business was a good meal at Ryans Steakhouse shortly after the groups arrival.Click Photo

Click Photo New participants this year were Dan and Gertrude Rankin from Oswego, Kansas, Robert P. Rankin Click Photo from Houma, LA, and Margie Rankin ClickPhoto from Shreveport, LA. We had the good fortune of having Alex Jernigan, and daughter, Click Photo Frances Davis, and Curtis Jernigan Click Photo and wife Bobbie, join with us for the meal. Also returning this year were Richard Johston, David and Billie Jean Evans, and Donald Rankin. Click Photo

The Saturday session was sprinkled with visits from Herman and Doris Welborn, Robert and Jerry Gregory and the hostess, Mollie Welborn Blackledge. ClickPhotoMollie stayed with us all day and had lunch with us. During lunch we visited with Gerald Johnson and Curtis Jernigan as well as the group from Louisiana. Click PhotoAt the cemetery Alex Jernigan provided a good service with his chainsaw removing stumps from last years cut. Curtis Jernigan was a formidable presence with his tools removing larger growth Click Photo that was left from last years visit. Richard, Gerald, Robert, Click Photo David, and Donald whacked away with their various tools to leave a much improved view of the cemetery by the end of the work session.

Click Photo The work went smoothly this year as the new growth was easy to manage. The real reward was getting together with some of the kin of the Laurel, Stringer, and Taylorsville area. Click Photo Our day was capped off with a midafternoon coffee break at Bits with a visit from Robert and Jerry Gregory who brought a portrait of grandfather Jeromier Gregory for our viewing.

Robert and Jerry traveled ahead of us Click Photo to the cemetery to visit the graves of great grandparents Jeromier and Luvenia Gregory. Wayne Tew ClickPhoto of Jerimiors Grave was seen along the way and he accompanied us for the visit to the cemetery.Click Photo of Grave of Louvinia Gregory We saw the wife and crew at Bits for lunch but Elwin Tew was hunting today and we missed visiting with him. Wayne and Elwin are nephews of Robert and Jerry.

The Louisiana group - including Dan, Robert, Donald and Margie, David and Billie Jean, Click Photo and Richard - met at McAllisters Deli for dinner. We had a grand visit and it turned out to be a hoot! (remind me to tell you the joke that Richard told that night) Click PhotoSome of the crew did not stay for the Sunday activities. A report will be forthcoming from those who were there for further tours and the noon meal.

This was not just a work session. It was family. Click Photo It was roots, its history. It was a kick! It was an inspiration. Its cousins youve never met before. We saw Jerry Gregory for the first time.

Click Photo The enthusiasm for the journey has not waned after two visits to this beautiful area. Click Photo Those who received us were gracious and helpful and this made the sojourn all the more pleasurable.

We look forward to a greater attendence next year with more visits with distant cousins. Click Photo Needless to say we missed the Mooneyhams, Nelda, Vicki, and Lacey, and Royce Stringer. Maybe next year.

Richard Johnston showed his leadership skills by having the necessary metal connectors to put the fence back in good order at the end of the work day.Click PhotoIt was a great time.

For more photos of this trips activity go to:

Mississippi Wide Photos with names of the persons shown here and on the photo gallery page.

For the October 2002 Mississippi Report click : Report 2002

For the 2006 pictorial report Click REPORT 2006

Go to the top