HAWKINS REUNION IN JACKSON COUNTY

On Sunday, June 7^th, members of the Hawkins and related families gathered at Dodson’s Branch School house in the fifth annual reunion. The meeting was attended by about 125 persons, with 51 persons bearing the name, Hawkins. Dinner was served on the school’s tables and was enjoyed by all in attendance, including the editor of the Times, who had a special invitation to attend.

This branch of the family is made up of the descendants of John G. Hawkins, who was born December 25, 1818, and died March 24, 1863. He is supposed to have been a native of Jackson County, Tenn., and was a small man, a farmer by calling and a Baptist in religion. He was most probably from Virginia. His wife, the former Miss Hailey Lee, daughter of Curry Lee, lived many years after the death of her husband, who passed away at the age of 44 years and a few months. John is said to have had at least two brothers and the same number of sisters, one of the latter having been Elizabeth Hawkins, who married Pate Anderson. Names of the other members of the family of his parents are not recalled. John Hawkins and his wife, Hailey Lee Hawkins, were the parents of: Curry Hawkins, married Betty Ann Dudney, and left no issue; Russell Hawkins, married a Spivey; Kenner Hawkins, married Polly Smith; John, and we have no additional information; Elizabeth Hawkins, married Pate Loftis; Nancy Hawkins, married a Loftis, but we have no knowledge as to whether they were related; and Josephine Hawkins, married a Adcock.

We have none of the grandchildren of John G. Hawkins, except the sons and daughters of Kenner Hawkins and wife, Polly Smith Hawkins. They were: John Van Dorn Hawkins, married Cyrena Gentry; Alex Hawkins, married Polly Ann Martin; Philander Hawkins, married a Allan; Dillard Hawkins, married Nancy Jane Burris; Luther Hawkins, married a Maberry; Clay Hawkins, married Dora Burris, a cousin of Dillard’s wife; Bettie Hawkins, married Terry Martin; Dora Hawkins, married Billie Maberry, a brother of Luther Hawkins’ wife; Mary Jane Hawkins, married Thomas Allen; Emma Hawkins, married Bob Lynn; and Martha Hawkins, married a Whitson.

We were in error as to having no names of other grandchildren than the children of Kenner Hawkins. We have the children of Russell Hawkins and his wife, the former Miss Spivey. They were: Radford, married a Poteet; Sanford, and we have no additional information; Bedford, married Tilda Swann; and Grant Hawkins, present Circuit Court Clerk of Jackson County. He married a Garrison.

In the exercises Sunday, William Hawkins served as master of ceremonies, and his son, Harold Hawkins, served as secretary. Mrs. Pauline Taylor is treasurer of the organization. These officers were re-elected to serve another year, and the reunion was set for the first Sunday in June 1954, at the same place.

We informed the group that one of our great-great-grandmothers was Phoebe Hawkins, who married Thomas Gregory, mentioned in our column as making his will in 1811. Phoebe married Thomas Gregory in Halifoz County, VA., from the records we have. This occurred in 1787. She bore him two daughtrers, one of whom married Richard Brown, and the other Basil or Bazerl Burch; and three sons, A. J. Gregory, supposed to have been called a long time ago “Jackie” Gregory; Gabriel Gregory, and we have no additional information; and Thomas Gregory, Jr., who is mentioned above as “Big Tom” Gregory, who married his first cousin, Betty Gregory, daughter of Bry. They were the parents of four sons and ten daughters, including our grandmother, Sina. We also informed the group of the fact that Sina had a brother, named Robert Hawkins Gregory, the father of Tom, Jim, Gub, Sandy, Bill, George and John Bob Gregory, all first cousins of our father. We also told the group that “Big Tom” Gregory haad a grandson, Ben Hawkins Gregory. These two facts show that the namne was kept alive for a long time in the offspring of Phoebe, who is buried on the waters of Peyton’s Creek, perhaps on the present farm of Richard Stafford.

We were informed by older memebers of the Hawkins family that they recall hearing of a visit long, long ago of some of the Gregory’s who said they were related to the Hawkins family. But we were not able to learn any of the names of these visitors, nor where they were from. But we are quite sure that Phoebe was closely connected with John Hawkins, perhaps her nephew.

We promised the group that we would try to learn the connection, if any, between Phoebe’s branch and that of the Jackson County group of Hawkins.