Reunion News and John Henry's story

Horace Council, son of Thomas C. Council

Today I heard from Beverly C., secretary for the John C. Council family reunion. She said the gathering this year was wonderful. It rained just the day before and settled the dust. "the reunion is a lot of fun, especially now that we have the family presentations, cake walk, auction and always lots of good food. This year we had smoked mullet, fried mullet, mullet gizzards, red and white roe and all kinds of good covered dishes and desserts."
Not being from that area where fishing has always been a mainstay, I'm not sure I knew fish had gizzards. I need to look into that a bit more.

I was touched when she told me she has the large tri-fold display board I made last year for the Tom Council family presentation, and she put it out for everyone to see this year. She plans to display it every year. I worked hard on that project and I'm proud of it. Thanks, Beverly.

Thomas Charles Council and Sarah Brock Council had ten children. They were: Mae, Maude,Charlie, Oleo,John Henry,Horace, Hortense, Lillian, Annie, and Coy. John Henry died of malaria when he was only fourteen years old. His parents, especially his mother, were devastated, and so were his brothers and sisters. Before the family left the area and moved to Pelham Georgia about 1910, Charlie and Horace built a small wall around their brother's grave in the Council Family cemetery in Wakulla County. They used small sea shells, maybe oyster shells, which today are still there, or they were the last time I visited that cemetery, showing the love of these boys for their older brother.

John Henry was the only one of Tom and Sarah's family buried in that cemetery, but many years later, when Horace died, his family placed a stone, marked with his name, near John Henry's grave.