Reunion Notices Contain More than Blood Relatives

Rampley Family Gathering, Warsaw, Illinois, 2 Sept 1932.

That reunion listing in the newspaper may contain more than blood relatives.

This 1932 reunion was for descendants of James and Elizabeth (Chaney) Rampley who died in Hancock County, Illinois, in the 1880s. Most of the individuals listed are descendants of that couple or are spouses of descendants. There are a few non-Rampleys in the mix, including a girlfriend of a descendant, the sister of James and Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law (who was the aunt of over half the attendees), another girlfriend of a descendant who is listed as “Mrs.” when she should be “Miss,” and a handful of people I can’t quite figure out, but who are not descendants or their spouses.

Reunions might not contain only “blood” relatives.

Don’t assume everyone in the listing is related to the main family. The connection may be a little less formal than that.