The Family Reunion

"Will the Circle Be Unbroken"
Ada R. Habershon, lyricist

Families historically have provided the basis for survival in the mountains. Close family ties are nurtured, as depicted in the folksaying, "A child should never move further away than you can see the smoke from his chimney." Parents, their grown children, and grandchildren, form a family group which is relied upon for support and assistance in times of need. Kinship networks generally establish the boundaries of the larger rural community and provide an organizational framework for religious and social life. Mountain families continue to honor kin ties despite the changes being wrought by urbanization and out-migration. The "home place" remains important as a symbol of the family group. Decoration Day is still celebrated by gathering to clean up the family or church cemetery and decorate the graves with flowers. Family reunions provide the opportunity for close and distant kin to socialize and renew family ties. At reunions, the significance of the otherwise informal and loosely organized kin group becomes clear.

Image 1  |  Image 2  |  Image 3
   Image 4  |  Image 5