The 2010 Nationwide Gwaltney Family Homecoming is scheduled for July 23 and 24, 2010 in Smithfield, Virginia!
*The 2009 Gwaltney Homecoming Follow-up
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
It took me a week to clear off my desk at work after returning from the Gwaltney Homecoming, but I finally now have time to do a follow-up to the 2009 Homecoming!
I want to thank everyone who attended the 2009 Gwaltney Family Nationwide Homecoming on July 24-25, 2009. I know I had a great time, and it was good to see everyone and meet new family that I had never met before. I have so many people I could thank for their help in making the event enjoyable and I know I would miss someone if I tried to rattle off names…but thank you to everyone who was there. I hope you have great memories, and I’d like to invite you back next year as we have already set the date for the 2010 Gwaltney Family Nationwide Homecoming for July 23 and 24, 2010 in Smithfield, VA.
On Friday, July 24, after a delicious dinner catered by George Pulley and crew, we had several ice-breakers and then evening entertainment. On Saturday, July 25 we held a worship service guided by Dr. Bill “Old Tom” Gwaltney and with singing led by Wayne and Kate Gwaltney. Talitha Gwaltney and Wayne and Kate blessed us with special singing and Dr. Clifford Gwaltney had a challenging sermon. We then had group prayer for the entire Gwaltney family in America. We also had a special moment when we had a chance to call Tom Gwaltney of Minnesota and tell him, as a group, we missed him and were praying for him. Tom and his family had a chance to attend the 2008 Homecoming last year, but unfortunately Tom has come down with Lou Gehrig’s disease, and we need to keep him in our prayers. I’m sure Tom would be glad to hear from you also.
After our Saturday luncheon, we were introduced to the family tree presentation with opening remarks from Dr. Jack Gwaltney, “The cold doctor,” who shared some of his thoughts and research about the Gwaltney family (by the way, Dr. Jack Gwaltney recently had a fellowship chair named in his honor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville—we are proud of you, Cousin Jack!)
Then Dr. Bill and Dudley Gwaltney did an outstanding job of acting out the roles of Thomas Gwaltney “Old Tom”(1613-1666) and his son William Gwaltney. They each dressed in character and made their personalities come alive with information we know about our founding Gwaltney fathers. After an overview of the family tree, Hank Burnham gave an excellent presentation on the Gaultney family which moved from North Carolina into Georgia. He also gave a compelling request for DNA tests to help in identifying characteristics of the Gwaltney family, so if any male Gwaltney is interested in a DNA test, please contact me, and Hank will help us set up something.
Right before dinner, we held a moment of silence to honor those Gwaltney family members who have passed away in the past year. After an excellent dinner, we had entertainment and storytelling. We also recognized the artists in our midst who had contributed artwork or quilts for display. Steve and Nelson Edwards provided some humorous and enlightening entertainment and we enjoyed the gospel singing of Kate and Wayne, and Trey Gwaltney’s ragtime piano. We also enjoyed Elizabeth Gwaltney Cumming’s a cappella jazz singing! We appreciate everyone who told a story or sang for us.
On Sunday, July 26 we took an optional auto tour of some Gwaltney-related historic sites in Isle of Wight and Surry counties. About 35-40 family members joined us for this activity. We started off by a nice lunch at the Surrey House Restaurant which was founded by the Gwaltney Family (although it is no longer in Gwaltney hands). Thank to Will and Bina Gwaltney for setting the meal up for us. Then we visited the homeplace of the John Avington Merit Gwaltney family and his descendents. Will Gwaltney and Tucker Gwaltney still own some of the land in that area. Next, we visited the site of the original 200 acres that was granted to Thomas Gwaltney in 1666. This was a very spiritual experience for me. Imagine from one man and one location spread the Gwaltney family that exists today! I appreciate the work of Gerald Gwaltney and Raymond Edwards in identifying the property and setting up the tour. The Gwaltneys owned the property from 1666 to 1870 (about 200 years) and then sold it in 1870 to the Bell Family. It now resides in the hands of another family, but we were able to tour the historic home which is actually built around a pre-1870 one-room house that belonged to the Gwaltney family. But from that piece of acreage Gwaltneys have spread all across America. If anyone who attended would like to send a “thank-you” note to the family who allowed us to visit the old Gwaltney homeplace, please email me, and I will send you their address.
We then toured Mill Swamp cemetery which holds the relatives of many Gwaltneys and then Bethany Methodist Church which was heavily influenced by the Gwaltney family. We had a great time and it was so nice to be able to spend extra time with the Gwaltney family.
Again, we have made plans to meet again next year, July 23 and 24 in Smithfield. If you were unable to attend the Homecoming this year, we’d love to have you attend next year. It is an educational and spiritual experience. I know I had a number of people who attended the first two Nationwide Homecomings say they enjoyed this year better because they knew more people and were able to visit more. We are not only meeting family, we are making friends and creating a bond. We will do things a bit differently next year and want to have another interesting auto tour, especially if Jean Barcroft can work out a surprise location for us.
We have had requests for the Gwaltney Homecoming t-shirts that we sold at the Homecoming. I apologize that I did not have more made, but I will check into ordering more. I will send out an email soon with more information about the shirt. We charged $10 per shirt at the Homecoming which was slightly above our cost, but may have to charge a bit more if we have to pay to have them shipped to you. Also Marybeth Gwaltney designed a wonderful Gwalchmai-Gwaltney sticker. I will check into how you can obtain those and I know Trey Gwaltney had a replica of a stencil used by the P.D. Gwaltney ham company reproduced. They would make a great Christmas ornament and we will get you more information on that later also.
Contact me at jbkoonce@hotmail.com
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This is a website devoted to the accumulation and preservation of the Gwaltney/Gaultney/Gortney/Gwatney/Galtney/Gwartney family history in America (Gwaltney is the original Americanized spelling). While there are Gwaltney's who have traced their individual lines back several generations, our goal here is to discover and provide information about the general Gwaltney population in the United States. While all Gwaltneys in America seem to have originated from Surry County, Virginia, migration patterns took them into North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Then into Texas and Mississippi, and ... eventually scattered all over this great country.
This is a website devoted to them all.
(Oh, by the way, the photograph above is of my momma, May Helen Gwaltney of Obion County, Tennesee, taken about 1958 when she was 16.)