The Holt family has it's annual reunion the third Sunday in September of every year. When I was little it was held at my Great-Grandaddy Holt's place up on what I think is now called Green's Creek Rd on Bent Mountain. Nowadays it's held at Gerald Holt's house. He's the Sheriff of Roanoke County and it turns out that his land is very near to where my Mom and her sisters grew up in Poage's Mill at the base of the mountain. I love traveling up the mountain roads with my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Stuart. Wanda is the oldest of Mom's sister and she was married by the time Mom's family left for Richmond, so she and Stuart have always lived in the Roanoke area. She knows where all the kinfolk live (or lived) up on the mountain and tells fun stories from her childhood days of growing up in Poage's Mill and spending time with her Grandaddy Holt. I caught some of her stories on video so I wouldn't forget them.
Anyhow, back to the reunion... Gerald Holt's land was a beautiful place with creeks flowing through it and rolling hills. They bought an old farmhouse there and they've added onto it and remodeled it. It's very nicely done to keep in the style of the original home and show off some of the original craftsmanship in the farmhouse.
The count at the reunion came to 175-200 people. I haven't been in years, but really wanted to go this year and re-connect with folks. It was difficult timing since Granny had just passed away and we had traveled there twice already in September, but it was worth it. I met people I had never met before, including third cousins, more of my double second and third cousins and even relatives that there is no word how to describe how they are related to me in the English language. For instance, Ronnie Holt is my great-grandfather's brother's (Pete), grandchild. So, I suppose that's some kind of cousin but it's so distant, I wouldn't even know how to describe it in one word.
It's so neat to see all of your relatives, immediate and very distant, gather together to celebrate their lineage and heritage. They are many more that I have yet to meet, but I look forward to it in the years to come. And seeing all of those people that you know you're kin to somehow, someway, sure does make you think of that six degrees of seperation theory. Seriously, I could pass one of my relatives on the street and not even know they were kin, unless we started asking about who our great-granfathers were. Sometimes, it seems like this world is so large, full of so many people hustling and bustling through life, but in reality, so many of us are related, somehow, someway to one another. It just kind of makes me ponder.
Anyhow, enough pondering... here are photos and video from the reunion. (note- blogger wouldn't upload this one, so it's streaming from teacher tube. You may want to let it play through once and then come back and watch it, or else it will buffer on you while you're watching it.)
Anyhow, back to the reunion... Gerald Holt's land was a beautiful place with creeks flowing through it and rolling hills. They bought an old farmhouse there and they've added onto it and remodeled it. It's very nicely done to keep in the style of the original home and show off some of the original craftsmanship in the farmhouse.
The count at the reunion came to 175-200 people. I haven't been in years, but really wanted to go this year and re-connect with folks. It was difficult timing since Granny had just passed away and we had traveled there twice already in September, but it was worth it. I met people I had never met before, including third cousins, more of my double second and third cousins and even relatives that there is no word how to describe how they are related to me in the English language. For instance, Ronnie Holt is my great-grandfather's brother's (Pete), grandchild. So, I suppose that's some kind of cousin but it's so distant, I wouldn't even know how to describe it in one word.
It's so neat to see all of your relatives, immediate and very distant, gather together to celebrate their lineage and heritage. They are many more that I have yet to meet, but I look forward to it in the years to come. And seeing all of those people that you know you're kin to somehow, someway, sure does make you think of that six degrees of seperation theory. Seriously, I could pass one of my relatives on the street and not even know they were kin, unless we started asking about who our great-granfathers were. Sometimes, it seems like this world is so large, full of so many people hustling and bustling through life, but in reality, so many of us are related, somehow, someway to one another. It just kind of makes me ponder.
Anyhow, enough pondering... here are photos and video from the reunion. (note- blogger wouldn't upload this one, so it's streaming from teacher tube. You may want to let it play through once and then come back and watch it, or else it will buffer on you while you're watching it.)
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