Greetings
Family!
I’m
excited to announce that plans have begun for the 2018 Ealy Family Reunion in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg,
Tennessee. Our first reunion was held in 1974 in Detroit, Michigan and has
continued every two years. Following that historic precedent, this will be our 23rd family reunion for the descendants
of Robert "Big Bob" Ealy of Leake County, Mississippi. Born into
slavery in North Carolina and transported to Leake County, Mississippi as a
young man, Big Bob had many children. At least 17 of his children have currently
been documented, and his wife, Jane Parrott Ealy, was the mother of 12 of them.
The Ealy Family tree just keeps on growing!
First,
let me introduce myself and the Midwest Chapter Planning Committee. My name is Nacsha Ealy Green, Chairperson. I am the daughter of Larry & Donna Ealy
of Detroit, the granddaughter of Willie Albert Ealy (1921-1995), the
great-granddaughter of Elijah “Bung” Ealy (1881-1987), and the great-great-granddaughter
of Paul Ealy (1859-1943), one of Big Bob’s sons. I am very proud to be an Ealy,
and I am honored to serve as Chairperson.
Secondly,
we – the Midwest Chapter Committee – comprise of a wonderful group, who eagerly volunteered to help
plan another memorably awesome reunion. Planning a four-day family reunion for
a very large family takes a lot of work and a lot of skillsets to pull it off.
I am thankful for their willingness to serve in some capacity. These family
members represent numerous branches of the Ealy Family tree. They are the
following:
Sandra Richardson (Co-Chairperson) from Kentucky (Paul Ealy Branch)
Melvin J. Collier from Virginia (Paul Ealy Branch / Martha Ealy Kennedy Branch)
Chandra Blanks from Michigan (Bob Ealy Jr. Branch)
Avis Thomas Lester from Maryland (Paul Ealy Branch)
Myrna Woods Taylor from Michigan (Annie Ealy Beamon Branch)
Julia Reese-Woods from Georgia (Annie Ealy Beamon Branch)
Jasmine Stokes from Mississippi (Gus Ealy Branch)
Ester Denson Watkins from Mississippi (Haywood Ealy Branch)
Clois Denson Slocum from Mississippi (Haywood Ealy Branch)
Ellen Ealy from Mississippi (Paul Ealy Branch)
Tobias Robinson from Texas (Gus Ealy Branch)
Franzella Washington-Strong from Tennessee (Paul Ealy Branch)
Zilliah Ealy from Michigan (Paul Ealy Branch)
Thirdly,
I also would like to acknowledge and give thanks to the previous chairperson,
Sandra Richardson, and her committee members for an outstanding 2016 reunion in
Atlanta, Georgia. The 2016 Ealy Reunion will truly be a tough act to follow!
Lastly,
but certainly not least, the planning committee has started making preliminary
plans. The reunion is slated to be held Thursday,
July 19 – Sunday, July 22, 2018. Mark
your calendars! We will be planning fundraising activities over the next few
months to decrease the cost of attendance. Please take the opportunity to
participate in these forthcoming efforts to lower costs and to make the reunion
affordable for more families to participate. All fundraising proceeds will
benefit the family as a whole group, not individuals, and will be applied
towards registration, incidentals, and administrative costs. Additional information about the reunion,
including fundraising efforts, registration information, hotel information, and
etc., will be available on our family website, www.ealyfamily.org, and also on our Facebook group page.
Should
you wish to volunteer to help, or if you have questions, comments, or concerns,
please contact me, Nacsha, at 313-308-6655 or email me at BobEalyFamily2018@yahoo.com. Please feel free
to duplicate and forward copies of this letter to family members who may not
have received this welcome letter or may not have access to the internet. Also,
please send contact information (name, address, and/or e-mail address) of other
family members that we may not have to BobEalyFamily2018@yahoo.com.
Warm
regards,
Nacsha
Ealy Green
Chairperson, 313-308-6655
