Terry Family Reunion

Genealogists enjoy finding out all they can about the family that came before them.  Another great part of genealogy is finding and connecting with ‘cousins’ whether they are first cousins we’ve never met or, 2^nd or 3^rd cousins.  This year I had the amazing privilege of meeting a large group of my ‘Terry’ Family cousins at a reunion in upstate New York.

Probably about 10 years ago while I was working on Carrie’s Letters (see tab Carrie’s Letters) I became obsessed with finding the descendants of the siblings of my paternal great grandmother Carrie (Terry) Warner.  Carrie was the daughter of Gilbert and Almeda(Robinson) Terry of Peconic, Suffolk County, New York.  The children born to Gilbert and Almeda were Carrie, Forrest, Ella, Millard and an infant daughter.  The infant daughter never appeared to have been named since she only lived a few weeks.  Millard died suddenly of apoplexy at age 11.  I knew Forrest and Ella had children, so, I went on a mission to find them.  Carrie had written most of the letters to her sister Ella but also spoke of her brother Forrest.  Forrest came several times in the summer when he was out of school to help on Carrie and John’s farm in Baiting Hollow, New York.  While reading the letters I also obtained confirmation of my suspicion that my grandfather, Olin Forrest Warner, had been named after his uncle Forrest.

First, I looked for the descants of Forrest and Ella through online family trees and then DNA matches.  After much searching I found Theresa who was a granddaughter of Forrest Terry.  An email was carefully crafted explaining that I believed we were related through her grandfather Forrest Terry and my great grandmother Carrie Terry, Forrest’s sister.  Then the hopeful reply came and I couldn’t wait to open and read it   only to hear Theresa say that she was sorry but she didn’t believe we were related because Forrest only had one sister named Ella.  I sent her a copy of a census report that listed Gilbert Terry, wife Almeda and children Carrie, Forrest, Ella and Millard.  Today we still joke about this initial email exchange. Because Carrie died so young and tragically she was not talked about by her siblings as their families grew.  Life goes on.  I know my grandfather and brothers kept in touch for a while (see post Discovering the Purpose of a Group Photo) but…life goes on.  They married and had families and as the generations continued, family lost touch.  But now I had found a connection to Forrest.  Theresa and I keep in touch and when I am in Florida I try to visit. 

Theresa had told me about a family reunion with her Terry cousins in upstate New York each year and said if I could ever come that would be great.  The timing never seemed to work until this year.  Finally, on Saturday, July 16, 2022 everything aligned and I was in the right area at the right time and was able to attend the Terry Family reunion.  What an amazing time this was!  For over four hours I was able to meet so many of my ‘cousins’ and their families.  I was able to soak up stories about their families and growing up a ‘Terry’.  I was able to gain information about their descendants and make connections on several DNA matches I have.  Harley (my furry companion) even had a good time with several of the dogs that were there.

Grandchildren of Forrest Terry and myself

click on image to enlarge

Grandchildren, spouses and Great grandchildren of Forrest Terry

After the party, on my way to my stop for the night, there was a huge double rainbow.  

What a great end to a wonderful day!  Hope to see everyone next year.

Remember whether you are connected by blood or are just related by heart to take time to be together and enjoy that time.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby