Words from a Reader

The “Writing Life Stories” e-mails I receive are such treasures. As soon as I see there is one in my inbox, I read it immediately. I look forward to them and never know how they will touch me. They can be interesting, informative, humorous, and/or touching.
Showing posts with label Council reunion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Council reunion. Show all posts

Friday, October 24, 2008

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.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Council Reunion coming up in Crawfordville, FL

Today I received a letter from the secretary of the Council Reunion down in Wakulla County, FL, inviting us to the big weekend in October. We won't be able to go this year.


I'm sure my cousins will have a great time. They plan a cake walk and an auction to make money for the perpetual care cemetery where my great grandfather, John Cecil Council who started this big clan, and many of his family are buried. As usual a fish fry will be held on Saturday night and a huge picnic dinner on Sunday.


The families of Noah Council and Redding Council are asked to bring information to share about those families.


Noah Columbus Council was born Sept. 13, 1862. He was the son of John Cecil Council and died May 18, 1926 in Crawfordville, FL and is buried in the Council Cemetery in Wakulla County. Noah married Loudy Vickers and had seven children. After she died, he married Sara Louvina (Lura)Greene and they had two children. So there should be quite a few descendants from this family at the next reunion.


Included in the letter I received today was a wonderful photograph taken at the first or second reunion held at the Lawrence Council home in Wakulla County, FL. To my surprise, there I was right in front, a teenager. While all my cousins had on sun dresses as befitted a warm October day in Florida, I wore a dark fall dress and I remember, not the reunion so much, but that dress. It was hot, hot hot!


I'll try to post that photograph if I can scan it into my computer.