Killough Family Reunion News

I hope everyone had a fun, safe 4^th of July, and all is well. This year’s family reunion, held June 8&9 in Jacksonville, Texas was a success in many ways. We had a larger turnout than we have had in the last few meetings, our dinner was great thanks to Stadler’s Restaurant, and our guest speaker was extremely entertaining! We had 31 people at the dinner, cleaning out the restaurant’s entire dessert menu!! Ann Chandler, who lives in Jacksonville, was our guest speaker. She has written an historical fiction based on the Killough Massacre, entitled Hannah’s Story. Her book has been nominated for a Newberry award, and is very entertaining. Ms. Chandler spoke to us about her research and how she came to write about the Massacre, as well as its significance in Cherokee County, Texas, and national history. Her book is available from Amazon, if you are interested. We had productive meetings, and ended the reunion, as usual, with a trip to the Monument to lay a wreath. A good time was had by all who attended. The next Reunion will be held June 13 & 14 of 2015; mark your calendars and make every effort to come join us!

John Killough and Ann Chandler

Killough’s attending wreath-laying on Sunday

During our meeting on Saturday afternoon long-time Treasurers John and Liz Killough announced that they were stepping down as Co-Treasurers. They will retain their positions on the executive board, but will no longer be responsible for the treasury or reunion. Their service to our organization has been exceptional, and we thank them for the many years devoted to our cause.

Our new Treasurer is Sharon Killough Farmer. All correspondence concerning our treasury, such as donations or dues, should be made with her. Sharon’s address is:

635 E US HWY 84, Fairfield, Texas 75840. Her e-mail address is: dnsjfarmer@yahoo.com. We welcome her to the board and look forward to working with her.

At this time we also voted in other new board members. These new members are: Ricky Killough, at-large, Sherry Emaline Schlunger, at-large, and Sally Killough Wisdom, at-large. These new members fill vacant positions; we look forward to their contributions as well.

I recently connected with Dr. Katherine Pinotti, our contact and wonderful friend on the Cherokee County Commissioner’s Court, serving Precinct 3. Her department, along with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Cherokee County Adult Probation has been instrumental in gaining improvements at the Monument and Cemetery. Working together, they have kept the cemetery and roads mowed, have stepped up monitoring of the site, and have issued tickets to people caught trespassing. Precinct 3 had game cameras installed at the site, which has cut down on the unsavory activity that had been occurring there. We so appreciate their efforts!

We are still attempting to get National Cemetery Designation for the monument site. To that end, we are looking for original photos, going back as far as we can, that can be scanned. Other items we need include a list of who is buried there, a plot map, or survey. The older, the better, so that we have an accurate list. Due to serious vandalism, many of the original headstones and artifacts are just gone. These documents will help us get restoration going as well as allowing us to get the added help the National Historical Cemetery Designation will bring. You can send information to me, Rachel Killough Heitz, at 1921 S St HWY 161 #4, Grand Prairie, Texas 75051, or contact me via e-mail at mymamasezso@aol.com, or Rachel_Heitz@yahoo.com.

Have any news to share, questions, et. Cetera, just drop a line, e-mail or snail mail!