Future GFA Reunions

Jan. 15, 2012 - There will be a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Graves Family Association at the Army-Navy Country Club, Arlington, VA, at 12 noon, Sunday, January 15. Attendees will be eating the ANCC Sunday buffet at $22 per person. Payment does not need to be made in advance. The buffet is one they have every Sunday, and there is always plenty of good food. Dress will be informal, with coat and tie for men, and dress, skirt, or slacks for women. All Graves and Greaves descendants from all families are urged to attend. The buffet luncheon will be followed by a meeting and a presentation by Ken Graves about Graves/Greaves genealogies and the exciting advances in DNA testing. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions about your part of the family or anything else that interests you. This is a great opportunity to meet or renew acquaintance with other Graves descendants, learn about new discoveries, and get off to a good start with genealogical searching in the new year. For more information and reservations, contact Ernie Graves.

Differences between National Reunions and Regional Reunions
The two most obvious differences between these two types of events are:

  1. Regional Reunions usually last for only part of a day. They include a meeting and sometimes a meal. National Reunions usually last 2 or 3 days, usually on a weekend.
  2. A special effort is made to notify and invite all Graves/Greaves descendants everywhere for National Reunions, whereas the emphasis is more on inviting people from the area to a Regional Reunion.

Who is invited?
All Graves/Greaves descendants and family members are always invited and welcomed to all Graves Family Association gatherings.

Does anything else happen in conjunction with these gatherings?
Yes. When the reunion is held in conjunction with a genealogical conference, there may be a GFA booth in the exhibit hall that will be staffed by GFA members. All interested people are invited to stop by, talk to the people at the booth, and ask any research or family questions they may have.

Other Traditional Graves Family Reunions

There are many Graves/Greaves family reunions of all sizes and types that are held in many parts of the U.S. and other countries. Many of these are held each year, often at the same time. If you let us know about these, we will post them here.

Future reunions
Send information about your planned reunions to Ken Graves

  • Sept. 8-10, 2016 - Gathering for all Graves family members whose ancestors of the 1700s hailed from Virginia, and who are part of the DNA-related family from Francis Graves (genealogy 220). This includes members of genealogy 77, 94, 118, 150, 152, 215, 511, and others. For more information, see the official announcement.
  • April 26, 2008 - Graves-Spiers-Williams reunion for all descendants of David Rice Graves (genealogy 270) at Ono Grange Hall, Ono, Shasta, CA. For more information, contact Emma L. Erickson, 3353 NW Crest Dr., Corvallis, OR 97330, 541-753-4329, email Emma Erickson.
  • July 18-20, 2008 - Reunion of all descendants of Paschal Graves (8th generation descendant of Capt. Thomas Graves, genealogy 169) at Graves Mountain Lodge, Syria, VA. Jim and Rachel Graves, owners of Graves’ Mountain Lodge in Syria, VA, will be hosting the reunion at the lodge. To let them know of your interest or for questions, contact them or Sharon S. Carter at Graves’ Mountain Lodge, Route 670, Syria, VA 22743, phone 1-800-420-4231 or 540-923-4231.
  • Aug. 1-3, 2008 - Keck Reunion. This is also for related families, including the Graves family descended from John Graves (Johann Sebastian Graff), genealogy 105. In this family there have been many Graves-Keck marriages, the earliest being Solomon Graves (b. 1797) who married Charity Keck. For more information, contact Billy G. McBride, Jr., 1302 15th St., Galveston, TX 77550, email Billy McBride.

FUTURE TRIPS

May 2009 (tentative date) - The Graves Family Association will be conducting a tour of England and Ireland. This will consist of a combination of expertly guided tours of Graves/Greaves homes and towns, historic places and scenic sights, and visits with local family members.

The tour of England will be the main attraction, since the origin of all the Graves/Greaves families of both Ireland and England is believed to be the area of southern Yorkshire and the northern parts of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. This will be about 10 days. Some of the places we may be visiting are Mickleton in Gloucestershire, Moseley in Worcestershire, various places in Yorkshire, Bakewell & Beeley in Derbyshire, Horbling, Drayton & Kirkton in Lincolnshire, Hertford in Hertfordshire, Nazeing in Essex, and London.

We hope to have noted expert George Redmonds escort us in Yorkshire again. We also hope to have at least two afternoons or evenings where family members from the local area gather with us.

The tour of Ireland will be an option. It will be several days, and will include Waterford, Wexford, Dublin and Meath, and possibly Limerick. It will also probably include Tyrone and Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

More information will be provided well in advance of the trip. Cost of our previous trip in 1995 was $2375 per person double occupancy plus airfare. If you have questions about this trip or would like to help plan or conduct it, contact Ken Graves. To get a better idea of what these trips are like, take a look at the 1995 trip summary.