Whipple-Taylor Reunion 2000
6276 Columbine Drive, 10704 Big Canoe
Big Canoe, Georgia 30143-5133Residence 706.579.1919
Office 706.579.1920
Facsimile 706.579.1383
Email bwhip@mindspring.comREUNION 2000 REPORT
Some 100 descendents of Sarah Ann and Stephen Bennett Whipple and Minnie and John Rawls Taylor gathered in North Georgia on the weekend of June 17-19 for REUNION 2000.
Attendance was about evenly split between the two clans with several descendents of both. While most were from Georgia, others traveled from Florida, South Carolina and West Virginia to attend the gathering.
The families have been close since the late 19th century when Stephen Bennett and John Rawls retired from farming and built residences cattycorner to each other at East Dykes Avenue and Sixth Street in the town of Cochran in middle Georgia. Stephen Bennett and Sarah Ann produced eight sons and Minne and John Rawls five daughters. But it was not until the early 20th century, that a grandson of Stephen Bennett married one of the lovely Taylor daughters to establish a bloodline connection between the two families.
Arrivals for Reunion 2000 began on Thursday and Friday, June 16 and 17 at the Unicoi Lodge near Helen, a resort location in the mountains of North Georgia. Some spent free time shopping and dining in Helen and others enjoyed the beach at the nearby lake and other Lodge facilities.
On Saturday, the group assembled for the eleven o’clock Reunion Stand Around in the Lodge’s Logo Lobby to visit and share family memorabilia. Luncheon was then served in the Logo dining room at noon followed by family introductions and reports. Afterward, the families gathered in the courtyard for a group photograph.
On Sunday morning family groups enjoyed breakfast together in the Lodge’s main dining room. Later in the morning, William Wallace Lyons Jr., of Atlanta, one of the reunion sponsors, conducted a "Whipples on the Web" workshop with instruction on how to access the Whipple web site and entering information in the genealogical records section. Bill agreed to accept the job as the family’s official genealogist.
The other sponsors of Reunion 2000 were Dr. Deryle Taylor Whipple of Perry, Georgia, and Stephen Bennett Whipple II of Big Canoe, Georgia.
CONTACT:
Bennett Whipple
706.579.1919
bwhip@mindspring.com7/27/00