A Kansas Farm Before the Dust Bowl

While scanning a stack of old family photos that belonged to my great-grandmother Nevella (Benedick) Lumpkins, I came across a picture of a farm. The back of the photo was labeled the Walbridge Farm in Russell County, Kansas.

I couldn't immediately pinpoint the importance of the farm, but the Walbridge name was familiar.

Because it was among photographs belonging to my great-grandmother, I pulled an old family history book published in the 1990's. The volume detailed the life of my second great-grandmother Minnie Hawks who was born in a dugout on the Kansas prairie near the town of Cuba. She was married twice - first to John Lumpkins who died young and then to Joseph Barber. Between those two marriages, she had eight children who lived to adulthood.

Thumbing through the family history, I found a passage that explained the Walbridge farm's link to my family:

"In 1922, when Vernon [Minnie's youngest child] was old enough, Minnie and Joseph Barber and their children, Roy Lumpkins - age 18, Marion Lumpkins - age 15, John Lumpkins - age 12, Vuferd Barber - age 7, Virgil Barber - age 5, Joe Barber - age 2, and Vernon Barber moved to the Walbridge place which is located one mile east and four miles north of Gorham, Kansas in Russell County. They lived there until 1927."

Joseph and Minnie Barber with their sons Vuferd (back, left), Virgil (far right)
Joe (front left) and Vernon (front right). Taken about the time they lived on the
Walbridge farm.

Living on the farm for five years between decennial census enumerations, the family was documented only once on the property in a 1925 Kansas state census.

Joseph Barber was renting from an L. C. Walbridge who owned the land and was its namesake.

Although the photo doesn't ID any of my ancestors (and I can't make out any of the men - surely one of them must be Joseph), it provides a glimpse into what life was like for my Kansas kin in the years just before the Dust Bowl. It's the next best thing to having a time machine and experiencing it for myself. 

A Family Reunion Revived

Growing up, Memorial Day always meant family reunion. Each year, we would travel back to Kansas to decorate the graves for our loved ones. We would also celebrate my 2nd great-grandmother Minnie (Hawks) Barber, her eight adult children, and - over the years - her hundreds of descendants.

Minnie (Hawks) Barber pictured center with her eight adult children.

Minnie Hawks married John Lumpkins in January 1897 in Rossville, Kansas. They had six children, of whom four lived to adulthood. On his 37th birthday, while walking home from work, John slipped on ice and sustained a fatal head injury. At 28, Minnie was a widow. In October 1914, Minnie married Joseph Barber. Together, they had four sons. Joseph raised Minnie's children from her first marriage as his own. Minnie lived out the rest of her life in the small prairie town of Plainville, Kansas.

It was this family history that gave rise to the annual Lumpkins Barber family reunion at Webster State Park. Over the years, the reunion was routinely featured in Plainville's society pages.

However, as the years passed and Minnie's own children began to pass away, the number of attendees started to dwindle. In recent years, the reunion nearly ceased. A few family members would meet at a local steakhouse and reminisce. But the days of hundreds of cousins reconnecting seemed a thing of the past.

This year, I was eager to see if I could rekindle the reunion experience that seemed lost.

In January, I reserved a site at Webster State Park. I next turned to social media, creating a Facebook event invitation that invited all of the family who were members of our online Lumpkins Barber Facebook group to a Memorial Day weekend potluck lunch.

I sent regular reminders to make sure the reunion stayed on everyone's radar. I even brought Grandma Barber into the mix, hoping she would be a compelling saleswoman for the reunion.

Would they show?

Happily, the ancestors looked very favorably on our revived reunion. It was a huge success. The weather forecast calling for a 60% chance of rain gave way to warm sunshine. Attendance was remarkably robust with 100 people from across the US showing up to reconnect and remember. There was a fantastic energy and a strong interest in ensuring that the reunions continued.

2016 Lumpkins Barber Family Reunion

I think Grandma Barber would have been very proud to see her descendants gathering to remember her legacy - a legacy that seems positioned to continue for years ahead with renewed purpose and commitment.

Family Reunions in the Digital Age

Growing up in Colorado, I always looked forward to spending Memorial Day weekend in Kansas for our three-day family reunion. The carnival-esque atmosphere with odd characters and activities were thrilling.

The annual reunions began as a birthday celebration for my 2nd great-grandmother Minnie (Hawks) Lumpkins Barber. Born in April 1881 in a Kansas prairie dugout, Minnie was married twice (first to John Lumpkins and, following his untimely death, to Joseph Barber). She had ten children - eight of whom lived to adulthood.

Minnie Lumpkins Barber pictured center with her children

As her children grew and married, her descendants climbed into the hundreds. To celebrate her birthday, aunts, uncles, and cousins would convene at Webster Reservoir for camping, karaoke, bingo, fishing, and a Memorial Day potluck dinner.

The reunions were immensely popular, drawing hundreds of family from across the country, and continuing unabated for nearly 40 years after her death in 1973.

Lumpkins Barber Reunions Drew Headlines

As Minnie's children began to pass away, attendance at the reunions started to decline. Eventually the gatherings became less frequent and the location switched to church basements or local restaurants. It seemed that the headline grabbing strength of the reunions was bound to be lost, proving the Legal Genealogist's point that family history is typically lost within three generations.

Leveraging the Power of the Internet
Last year, after my grandmother was diagnosed with and dying from cancer, it occurred to me that I was losing my link to this family. The person who I relied on to tell me stories and answer questions about the many aunts, uncles, and cousins that made the reunions a weekend of wonderment wouldn't be around forever. I felt compelled to salvage the family link and preserve the family bond.

Facebook was my go-to tool because it is ubiquitous and easy to use. I created a closed group and began inviting family to join. In the span of a couple days, membership had climbed to over 100. There was an appetite for the group.

Family History With A Purpose
To give the group a defined sense of purpose, I drafted and posted a brief mission statement. I wanted to make it clear from the outset that the group would be a safe place to share stories, genealogy, and photos.

Despite the sizable membership and articulated purpose, the group's initial postings lacked focus and frequency. I needed a game plan to infuse energy into the group and bring the family's history to life in a way that better engaged members.

This Day in History
I created a Google calendar that included birth, marriage, and death dates for Minnie, her parents, her husbands, their parents, and her children.

When an ancestor's birthday would roll around, I would create a succinct Facebook post with photos and a brief blurb that celebrated and informed about their life. Check out the sample post for my 3rd great-grandfather William Lumpkins (Minnie's first father-in-law).

Group engagement numbers shot up. Posts began to gain dozens of likes and elicited comments from relatives recounting their own memories and stories.

Most recently, I've started farming out the updates. When a particular aunt or uncle's birthday rolls around, I now reach out to one of their children and ask them to take on the responsibility for posting the commemorative blurb. They love it, engagement numbers continue to climb, and comments are effusive with praise and excitement to see the family's history.

Reunion Again
The group celebrated it's one year anniversary in July. Since its inception, membership has grown to nearly 130, the group's photo album is bursting with family pictures (many of them new to me - the family historian!), and memories are being logged (and jogged, for that matter!) in comments. It's a true family reunion in the digital age that's preserving our history for at least another generation. I hope.

Facebook Group Event for Family Reunion

Perhaps the group's greatest success to-date, was the reinstatement of a family reunion in Kansas. Restored connections and renewed interest in our shared heritage led to creating a Facebook event for a Memorial Day family reunion. It was the first in years and drew family from several states for an afternoon dinner and fellowship.

As the group continues to gain its footing in the coming year, I'm hopeful for an even stronger showing in 2016.

Tips
What about you? Have you had luck with any of these strategies for keeping your family connected and engaged in family history? What tips do you have?