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 the same building during the week.
Due to
the building having been destroyed, beginning Sept. 2010, the annual family
reunion was held at the nearby Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
