1964  -  Velma Mosley Wilson, Annie Pearl Sutton, Walter B. Morris, and Emma Brown had our first family gathering in the backyard of Velma and Eugene Wilson's home in Buffalo, New York.

1968  -  Annie Pearl Sutton and Walter B. Morris Sr. hosted their first reunion in Johnston State Park in New Jersey.  At this time, the families in attendance (New York/New Jersey, Buffalo-New York, and Cincinnati, Ohio) decided to rotate the reunions to these locations every 4th of July.

Emma Brown and her family hosted their first reunion in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Her family steered the reunion in a different direction, instead of staying overnight at family member's houses, we began reserving accommodations at hotels of the hosting families choice.

1979  - A booklet was prepared and circulated which consisted of a family tree, a short history of the family roots, and the names of addresses of family members.  Each hosting family was asked to maintain and update their information yearly.

1993  - We were honored to have Frank Hinson and his family host their first reunion in San Antonio, Texas,  At this reunion, they initiated the attendance plaque which is brought to each reunion and taken home by the state or city with the most people in attendance.

James (Jimmy) Brown originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and now residing in Philadelphia, PA, requested that his family join the New York City/New Jersey area, and they were welcomed with open arms by all.  It was at this time that Jimmy suggested, and all agreed, that the hosting states combined should be called the East Coast Connection.

1998  - Howard Patton, his family, and sisters hosted their first reunion in Pascagoula, Mississippi, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, entertaining the family with a seafood feast.

2000  - Shamika Lackey moved from Syracuse, New York to New York City and joined the East Coast Connection.


2008 - East Coast Connections hosted the reunion in New York.

2009  - Cincinnati, Ohio hosted their first family reunion outside of their state in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2011  -  Gulf Coast Connections hosted the family reunion in Moss Point, Mississippi.

2012  -  East Coast Connections hosted the reunion in New York.

2013  - Cincinnati, Ohio hosted the reunion in Cincinnati, Ohio.

2014  - This year marked the anniversary of our 50th reunion and Buffalo, New York, decided to take us back to our origins.  Also in 2014, Leon Collins suggested that Cincinnati change its name to Cincinnati Southwest to incorporate those members who lived outside of Ohio but were still part of Cincinnati, Ohio.

2015  -  The reunion was hosted in Moss Point, Mississippi by the Gulf Coast Connections.

2016  -  Our family reunion was held in Arlington, Texas and hosted by the Texas Heat (Austin, Dallas, San Antonio).

2017  -  Our reunion was, once again, brought back to the East Coast Connections in New York/New Jersey.

2018  -  The Cincinnati Southwest Family took us to Atlanta, Georgia for the first time.  

2019 - The Gulf Coast Connections hosted the family reunion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the first time.   They partied Mardi Gras style at the Family Picnic.

2020 - 2021 -  The 56th family reunion which was to be hosted in Buffalo New York, was cancelled due to the Pandemic for 2 years.  Reunion was scheduled for 2022
Looking forward to another great year of connecting with all of the family

2022 - 56th Family Reunion hosted by and held in Buffalo, New York.

2023 -  We are blessed, thankful, and honored to have held the 57th Family Reunion once again in Secaucus, New Jersey, hosted by the East Coast Connections. 

2024 - The 58th Family Reunion was hosted by the Cincinnati Southwest Family in Houston, Texas.