Hello cousins..  Time is drawing near for our annual Barlow - Hilton & Allied Family Reunion. As you all know, this year we are going to try something new, in that the  reunion will be held at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman, Copiah Co Mississippi.  I have tried to gather all the information you will need to make plans, and will  relate that information in this newsletter.   The reunion location is being planned by Luther Hart, and I am to provide the information to you.   Neither of us are in good health this year, thus the delay in getting information to you.  This year's reunion is planned to be held on Saturday, OCTOBER 27, 2001.  For those coming from out of town, you have the option of staying with us at the camp, Luther has obtained a reservation to house a minimum of 20 people,  for which he has made a deposit, with the hopes that that many will come so he can get his deposit refunded.  Photographs of the facility are available at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~barlow/campwesleypines.html

Cost for the rooms are as follows:

4 beds  - $30.00 each person

3 beds  - $33.00 each person

2 beds  - $36.00 each person

1 bed - $39.00 each person

This includes 3 meals ... but you will need to bring your own bedding, for twin size beds, & your own towels  and toiletries.   You will need to reserve your room(s) thru either Luther or myself, no later than the 22nd of  October.  The payment can be made upon your arrival, bu sorry, credit cards cannot be accepted.

E-mail or contact Luther at:   lmhart3@juno.com      phone:  601-939- 4832

If you are local,  or have other  sleeping arrangements,  the reunion meal will be prepared at a cost of  $7.00 - $10.00 per person.   Luther or myself will also need  that information in advance so that they might know how many they are feeding.

Those of us who will be  staying over can arrive at 2 pm or after on  October 26,  and  perhaps we can gather together and  get  out to visit  kinfolk,   sit  around  and  gossip,  traipse  around  cemeteries,  or  some other  fun thing ..  (note the  rocking  chairs  on  the porch :)      We  will need to be out of our rooms  by  noon on Saturday, though we can  visit  longer  in  the  "Big Room".    If  it  goes over well, we may have the option to  use  Durr Wise Retreat  for  our  future reunions, we will  decide that during  our  reunion  this year.    The hope is to be able to spend more time with one another, rather than to come and go in a few short hours.

The reunion itself can begin as early as we would like, we can begin gathering as soon as you would like to arrive, I assume we will gather in the "Big Room"...

If you have further questions, please email either me or Luther.  We will do our best to get you an answer.  For now, we  know the  date and the  cost.  I think we have local folks who are willing to run ads in local papers, and I will be mailing out invitations to those who do not have e-mail.   If you have kinfolks to invite, please do. All of our allied families are welcome, you don't have to be a Barlow!

Directions  as given by Luther seem easy enough:

Coming from the South on Highway 55 take a right off at GALLMAN, North of Hazelhurst, and follow the signs East to the camp

Coming from the North (Jackson) on Highway 55 take right off  at GALLMAN,  then take the LEFT  back under Highway 55 and follow the signs to camp.

The most important thing is that you be there.  Bring your photographs, or any other items to share...you know we love genealogy, and want to know where you fit into our wonderfully large family.. That's not a necessity,  but it is fun!  Hey, raid they attic, and see if you can find some of those old family photos you had forgotten about!  If you have some of  the  older  folks that  need a ride, please think about stopping by and bringing them along!   They have so much wonderful information to share about our past!   I do pray that  Haskell Waller Bufkin can be there this year, she lives in Oceanport, Mississippi, I believe, if anyone is coming thru there, and would  be willing to  give her a ride, let me know so that we might make those arrangements.  She is a dear lovely lady, and is so fun at the reunion!    I may be speaking out of turn here, I have not spoken with her lately, and hope that her health will allow her to come.

If any of  you are interested  in making a trip to  the  George Washington Barlow Cemetery, bring your jeans.. or some other type of clothing that will allow you to climb barbed wire fences and walk thru the briars!

In other news,  I do have some new interesting items from the Berry family to share, sent by a newfound cousin, Ann McNair  ...  and will get those  to you all sometime in the future.   I also have new Goza  information to share sometime in the future.  Have tried to collect Cranfield data, but without much success.  Found another new cousin, Julie Mello,  from the John Wesley Barlow family, she comes from the Blankenship --- After John Wesley Jr.'s disappearance,  his wife Lizzie went to Louisiana and married a Blankenship.  She and Paul have  shared some interesting letters, and I have been witness to several of those.

Make plans to join us at the reunion .. be sure to contact Luther or myself with your plans .. Looking forward to another year of great fellowship!

Love, Susan