The much anticipated Smith Clan Reunion in Oklahoma City came together last weekend and was a huge success. Sixty-two people attended the two day event and by the time of this writing they've all made it back home safely with the exception of the Brosman family who are driving back to Washington State by way of southern California with a few stops along the way.
Most of the folks who attended were from Oklahoma but there were two from Washington State, three from California, three from Ohio, two from Texas, one from Massachusetts, three from Colorado, and two from South Carolina. (Thanks to Mary Simms for the statistics.) The activities started with brunch at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Oklahoma City on Saturday followed by a gathering at the American Legion Building in Yukon (thank you Joanne for that indoor facility on a rainy day).
Most of the folks who attended were from Oklahoma but there were two from Washington State, three from California, three from Ohio, two from Texas, one from Massachusetts, three from Colorado, and two from South Carolina. (Thanks to Mary Simms for the statistics.) The activities started with brunch at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Oklahoma City on Saturday followed by a gathering at the American Legion Building in Yukon (thank you Joanne for that indoor facility on a rainy day).
Sunday we met at the Hometown Buffet in Oklahoma City for a few hours of good food and friendly conversation. Around three o'clock some of us accepted Belle Rawson's invitation to continue the fine conversation at her home in Yukon while six carloads of us caravaned to Noble, Oklahoma. We met at the home of Adele and Frank Auwen in Noble. Frank Auwen is the grandson of John Alvin Smith - the only brother of our ancestor William Franklin Smith. The Auwens led us through the countryside to a spot about twelve miles from Noble where the brothers William Franklin Smith and John Alvin Smith supposedly homesteaded. We now know that they didn't really homestead those parcels of land; instead, they bought out homesteaders who relinquished their land. We still believe that somewhere in Oklahoma William Franklin Smith did homestead but just where is still a mystery.
Adele and Frank Auwen also led us to two cemeteries where we searched for the graves of Sarah Frances "Fannie" Buchanan Smith and her daughter Lillian Vernetta Smith Moore. Only after a fruitless search did Mary find a note in her records that Fairview Cemetery is where we will find those graves. That search will have to wait for another day, perhaps a reunion in 2010!
Photos taken at the reunion are trickling in. There are about 136 of them on this Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdpamrussell/2864661282/ Keep in mind the photos appear in reverse order with the last one taken posted first (I don't know why Flickr works that way.)
