Main Events 

Lee Smith, Ph.D.: From Jersey to the Wilderness:  Black River, New Jersey to Kingston, 1773. Discussed life in Chester, New Jersey, prior to the migration to Mississippi; explore possible motivations for leaving New Jersey; and the Jersey Settlers role in the development of religion in Mississippi.

William L. Costley: Descendants of Mary Swayze Seward. Mary Swayze, the youngest of eleven children of Judge Samuel Swayze married into a prominent N.Y. family, the Sewards.  This talk primarily covered her grandson, William Henry Seward, prominent politician who was responsible for the acquisition of Alaska from Russia while U.S. Secretary of State. An article about William Henry Seward.

Jim M. Swayze: Swayzes in Early America: Reassessing History. DJS books tell us a John Swayze came to America, likely around 1629, along with his two sons, Joseph and John.  Where does this information originate?  Is it substantiated or even likely accurate?  Jim took a look back at history beginning in England in the 14th century in an attempt to establish a reasonable scenario for Swayzes in America. This is Jim's essay 

Patricia Swayze Larsen: The Movers and Shakers of DJS:  Those that Shaped our History.  Pat shared the highlights of the organization’s history and her personal reflections on the personalities she came to know from when she began attending the reunions, during her presidency, and beyond.  While too many to name all here, her talk included Frances Mills, William Aubrey (Billy) Sojourner, Louisa Drane, Dot Sojourner, Annis Laird, Ruth Latham, the McCraines, and the Swayze Sisters (Betty Jo, Alyne, and Minnie). 

Billy and Bobbie Aguillard hosted the Friday Night Social at their Commencement Plantation in Kingston.

On Saturday there was a Re-dedication of the Reverend Samuel Swayze Memorial Marker by the Samuel Swayze Chapter of the Colonial Dames of XVII Century, Kingston United Methodist Church, 1090 Hutchins Landing Road.

Webbie Eidt: History of the Kingston United Methodist Church.  Here is a blog post about the history of the church.

Tours of Kingston Plantations: Cedar Grove, Magnolia Hill, and Oakwood.
               

DJS Genealogy VP Polly Tarver Scott and George W. Armstrong Reference Librarian Marianne Raley were available Saturday afternoon at the library to assist with family research.

Saturday Night Social was at the Natchez Community Center 

 
Sunday morning general meeting, April 27, 2014

After the short memorial service, dressed in period dress the Trum ladies gave a reading from the Civil War Diary of Alice Phipps (1842-1871), wife of Daniel Smith Farrar (1836-1914) and daughter-in-law of Daniel Farrar (1786-1845) and Eliza King (1791-1864). The diary entries were from the spring of 1865. Diary extracts can be read here.   

These ladies consist of the children of Carla Scharnberg Trum, grandchildren of Sydney Todd Scharnberg, great grandchildren of Ruth Anna Phipps Thistle Todd, great-great grandchildren of Caroline Ireson Phipps, great-great-great grandchildren of Hannah Swayze Ireson, and great-great-great-great grandchildren of Rev. Samuel Swayze.  Alice Phipps Farrar was Hildegarde, Sydney, and Carla’s great-great aunt.