PAST FAMILY REUNIONS
RAINS COUNTY FAMILIES.

2002

Mercer Family Reunion
On Saturday, Aug. 10, 2002, over 80 descendants and friends of John C. and Martha
Hibler Mercer held a family reunion at the civic center in Lone Oak. The reunion
started at noon with a big welcome and dinner. At the reunion our family’s history
and heritage was discussed with lots of good fellowship and visiting. A variety of
family photos were on display along with other family information. There was
recognition of all the Mercer families, with special recognition of the first
grandchildren of John C. and Martha Mercer who were present. They were Nadine
Mercer Sanders of Grand Prairie, Kathryn Mercer Murphy and Imogene Mercer
Ensley, both of Lone Oak. Also recognized was the oldest descendant attending,
which was Nadine Mercer Sanders who has celebrated her 91st birthday. Children of
John C. and Martha Mercer who had families present were William P. Mercer, Henry
Mercer, Sam L. Mercer, and Bunk Mercer. Several families traveled long distances to
attend. They were Larry and Peggy Sanders from Soquel, Calif., Ron and Gloria
Mercer from Alvin, and several families from the Dallas area, also from Miller Grove,
Emory, Greenville, Sulphur Springs, Longview, Como, and Rhonesboro. What a great
reunion we had!      Submitted by Sam L. Mercer III

2003

Dodson Reunion
The descendants of George and Maude Dodson will have their family reunion on July 21 at the Point Community Center. A covered-dish lunch will be served. All friends and family come and let’s catch up.
Update
The family of George and Maude Dodson held their annual family reunion, and everyone had a great time. There is one son Robert Dodson and one daughter Delphine Pilcher surviviring of their children. One grandchild, Glenda Faye Dodson Giger had a birthday on the 21st of July.
The decendants who came and some friends of the family were: Robert and Bobbie Dodson, Nowana Dodson, Francine Dodson, Johnny and Dorothy Warrick, Mont and Pat Payne, Viola Dodson, Bobby and Cleta Hooten, Barney and Jannette Slantey, Ray and Linda Franklin, Margaret and Rayford Briggs, Johnny and D’linda Briggs, Elaine, Katherine, Jordan Briggs, Amanda Campbell, Rick and Pam Campbell, Clint Dodson, Kris and Crystal Dodson, Eddie and Layten Dodson and Whitney, Jim Jacks, Sue Donaldson and Megan, Billy Dodson, Bill York, Deleta Hathway, Ronnie Dodson, Lottie F. Dodson, Jim and Pam Dunworth and Jennifer, Jerry, Nicole and Paul Dodson, Keith Dodson and family, Randy Jacks, Garrette, Brandi Jacks, Doug Dodson, Phillip and Stephanie Ortez, Ricky and Bobbie Underwood, Kate Key and Kaylee Cooper, Azeyna, Mitchell, Penny Burns, Sherry Cone, Lucille Beaty, William Beaty, Margie Carpenter, David and Mirlyn Dodson, Wayne and Glenda Jones, Shane and Katie Campbell, Louise and Lavern Moss, Joe and Branda Dodson, Martha Lee Girdner, and Pam Burns. Everyone had a wonderful time.

McMillan Family Reunion
The McMillan family reunion will be held this Saturday, July 20, at the Rains County Fairgrounds Exhibit Building. All friends and family are invited.
Update--
The forty-sixth annual McMillan family reunion was held Saturday, July 20, at the Rains County Fairgrounds exhibit building in Emory. The reunion was organized by the late Jewell McMillan as a way for families to come together without it being a funeral. It started on Highway 19, the McMillan homeplace, then the home of Elbert (Boots) McMillan, and now it’s held at the fairgrounds. All of Daddy’s immediate family have passed on, but we hope to continue on for generations to come. We had family members from Emory, Tyler, Mesquite, several from different places in the Houston area, Lone Oak, Greenville, Dallas, Rowlett, Ft. Worth, Arlington, California, Campbell, Corsicana, DeSoto, and Grand Prairie. We had 127 family members to register. Florene McMillan had the largest number of family members present. She had 45 family members to come. Troy and Kenneth McMillan did a wonderful job cooking the meal: brisket, pork shoulder, chicken and link sausage. We all really had a good time and look forward to having a wonderful time next year.

2004

Osborn and Dement family Reunion is to be held March 27, 2004 at the Rose Community Center in Emory. It will start at 10:00 a.m. Please bring a covered dish. Friends of the the family are also welcome or any local researchers interested in the above families.

UPDATE

1st Osborn and Dement family reunion was held Saturday, March 27, 2004 at the Rose Community Center, Emory. After the reunion the group visited the Dement Cemetery, located 2.5 miles northeast of Point. They found the well! - the one were all the stones were thrown years ago. It is not very deep.
Ira Bradford Dement, Sr. is buried in the cemetery along with many slaves. Currently there is only one marked grave in the cemetery:
D. C. Demint
died November 07, 1891
Aged 36 years
Attending the first Osborn and Dement Reunion were:  (click on above link for picture)
Sherry Stringer & her mother, Nelda Adams - San Angelo
Dusty Williams & grandmother, Kim Williams, Howe
& Van Alstyne Texas
Jackie Redding
David & Dump Osborn
Boo Summers - Glen Rose Texas
Judie Shields - Victoria Texas
Diane McCarty - Ector Texas
Derohn Cooke - Emory Texas
Penny Randolph and son Mike
Bud & Eunice Mitchell - Sulphur Springs Texas
contributed by Dusty Williams

2006
The third annual Osborn-Dement family Reunion was held Mach 18, 2006 at the Rose Community Center in Emory. Attending this years reunion were: Derohn Cooke of Emory; Diane McCarty of Ector; Dusty Williams of Van Alstyne; Pauline Pennington of Greenville; Hanspeter and Marla Tobler of Cedar Park; Cody Williams of Howe; Joann and Jennifer Welk, both of Caddo Mills; Rev. Vernell Nelson of Greenville; Bud and Eunice Mitchell of Sulphur Springs; Sam Coats of Emory; Don and Sue Eggleston of Edgewood; Joyce Tate of Cameron Oklahoma, Jeri, Doug and Bryan Cain all of Poteau, Oklahoma. The food was blessed by Rev. Vernell Nelson who’s father was Basil Alexander of Emory, known far and wide as the only one armed guitarist in the whole world. Basil Alexander mysteriously disappeared one day after performing a show. It is believed that he was murdered, but there has yet to be any evidence of what really happened to him. This years reunion was held in loving memory of the Osborn siblings, James Milton Osborm, Esther Audrey Osborn Leggett, Ima Lou Osborn Huff and Elias Dement Osborn, all children of Robert Lee Osborn and Sarah Ann Dement Osborn.
Reunion tradition is that the flowers from the welcome table be taken to the old Dement Cemetery in the Richland Community, east of Point and be placed at the only remaining tombstone. The cemetery was founded by Ira Bradford Dement, who brought his family to Texas after serving in the Texas Revolution. Some time ago the cemetery was vandalized and most of the stones were thrown into a well. The only remaining stone is that of D. Clinton Dement who was the son of I. B. Dement. A fund has been started to erect a monument for the Dement family and is hoped to be completed by the summer of 2006.
Ira Dement was born on January 06, 1811 in Sumner County, Tennessee. He was married first to Sarah Shores who together parented nine children. After her death he was married to Mary Ann Speegle and they had a son, Rev. Thomas Dement. Ira was married a total of five times and parented thirteen children. Most of the Dement family are laid to rest at the Dement Cemetery and a creek flows nearby which was named in their honor, Dement Branch.
Rev. Thomas Dement was born on June 02, 1860 at Point. He was pastor at the Woosley Baptist Church for a number of years and traveled to the homes of Rains County Couples and married them. He himself was married to Irene Elizabeth Dennis and to this union were born twelve children. One such child was Sarah Ann Dement who connected the Dement and Osborn families by marrying Robert Lee Osborn, a son of Elias Burton Osborn and Mary Jane Moore. The Osborn family had come from Arkansas and settled in the Yantis area before branching off in various locations across the state of Texas. Submitted by Dusty Williams

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