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Join us for the annual
What to bring: enough food for you and your family for our potluck lunch; family photos & histories, etc.; an interesting, encouraging or amusing family story to share with us and/or a testimony of God's faithfulness in your life.
See below for a history of the annual
Stanbery Family Reunion |
For more information email
or call 903-882-1482
Map showing location of Starr Cemetery and Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church between Grand Saline & Canton
History of the Stanbery Family Reunion
This annual family gathering began as a 60th birthday party for "Grandma Mintie" (Mintie Bond Stanbery) on Sept. 20, 1929, who had lost her husband, Van B. Stanbery, six years earlier. The family reunion was held in different family member's homes until 1949 or 1950 when the family began meeting at Starr Baptist church--the church where most of the Stanbery family attended for many years--for an annual Stanbery homecoming. On the fourth Sunday of each September the Stanbery family converged from all over Texas to Starr Church, taking over the Sunday morning service with one of the preachers in the family giving a sermon and one of the musicians in the family leading the song service along with one or more family members singing specials. Family business meetings followed the services, presided by an elected president with an elected secretary giving the minutes from the previous meeting. Many years later the family voted to move the annual reunion to the fourth Saturday of each September so that they wouldn't have to miss attendance at their own churches on Sunday. Even though Grandma Mintie has been dead since 1949, the large Stanbery family has continued having family reunions at Starr in her memory as well as the memory of the 15+ children she raised. As of September 2009, the Stanbery reunion has been going strong for 80 years. On Jan. 20, 2010 the historic Starr church building was tragically completely destroyed by a tornado. There was a lot of history in that old building. Van & Mintie Stanbery raised their family attending Starr Church, and many of the children attended school there during the week.
