Edmonds Reunions / Interviews

For decades there were yearly Edmonds Reunions.

A place for cousins who were raised together as children to visit and exchange stories and memories.

This was also a place for the new generations of Edmonds to gather around our senior cousins and learn about their ancestry and the struggles that surrounded all of them and their families.

I was born in 1966. Unfortunatley I never had the opportunity to visit a Edmonds Reunion until 1996. I do not know why my family never attended. It was a terrible loss for me personally because I would have loved to have those memories of meeting my Edmonds Cousins.

These Edmonds Reunions were put on every year for many years by Leroy and Ray Edmonds, the sons of Harrison Roy Edmonds. Harrison Roy and My Grandma Mary Edmonds Charf were siblings.

The first reunion I attended in 1996 was when Ray was not well but in attendance. We all gravitated towards a picnic table that day and just listened to Cousin Ray and Cousin Leroy share stories of their lives growing up on the farm in Cheyenne County Kansas. My Grandma Mary was there also but at that time she was not able to communicate very well. That didn’t stop Ray and Leroy teasing my Grandma Mary about riding bare back on a horse with her bright red hair trailing behind. My Grandma had the sweetest big smile listening to them tell this story with tears in her eyes. I will never forget that moment.

The only story that I recall other than the story about my grandma was Ray and Leroy sharing a funny frog story.

Story:

Ray and Leroy’s father Harrison Roy Edmonds told them as boys to go out and bring the horses or cattle back to the farm because of a storm that was coming in. The boys took off to follow their fathers instructions. Ray and Leroy became distracted from their orders by a pool of water with frogs jumping around. They decided that it was time to try to catch a frog or two. They must have been taking to long because the boys heard a noise behind them to find their father angrily staring at them. Ray and Leroy both laughed when sharing that they received a very good licking because of their Frog Hunting distractions.

The Edmonds Reunions continued after Ray Edmonds passed away for a few years by the hard work of his Brother Leroy Edmonds. After Leroy passed away the reunions were continued by Cousin Lyle Edmonds son of Cousin Ray.

The Edmonds Family Reunions sadly are not being held anymore but the memories of the stories and of our Cousins who have now passed are deeply a part of me as a Descendant of our Edmonds Family Line.

1. Reunions
   1. 1996 Edmonds Family Reunion
   2. 2004 Edmonds Family Reunion
   3. 2008 Edmonds Family Reunion
   4. 2010 Edmonds Family Reunion
   5. 2015 Edmonds Family Reunion
2. Family History Get Togethers pictures / Interviews
   1. Eva Edmonds 1998
      1. Very poor audio.
   2. Eva Edmonds 1998 – Pictures copied
   3. Cousin Roberta 2008
      1. Most of these pictures were not known by Cousin Roberta. If you think you recognize anyone in the pictures please contact me via the website.
   4. Cousin J 2008
      1. NOTE: Many of these pictures were not known by the cousin who shared them with me.
   5. Cousin C 2009
   6. Cousin D 2010
   7. Cousin M 2014