Holcomb Family Reunion
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Members of the Holcomb family have been holding reunions in this location since 1897. George Creagor Holcomb moved to Texas from Arkansas in 1842 and later brought his father Joseph and uncle Zachariah Holcomb and their families to Texas. The Holcomb family acquired land in Cherokee County and soon became active in local churches and communities. A family reunion was organized in 1897 to honor Joseph and Zachariah Holcomb and to allow kin to renew acquaintances with long absent family members. Held at Cold Springs near Alto, the first reunion was attended by about 200 Holcombs. They arrived by horse and buggy and camped out in tents at the site. The reunion continued year after year and drew more family members from near and far. In the 1950s family members contributed to the construction of a pavilion and changed the Tuesday through Thursday meeting to a Saturday and Sunday schedule. Held the second week in July, the Holcomb family reunion has met for six generations and more than 100 years to share food and entertainment along with the events and accomplishments of its members. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Holcombs have gathered on this Cherokee County ground every year since 1897, when about 200 kin arrived by horse and buggy, pitched tents at Cold Springs, and honored family patriarchs Joseph and Zachariah Holcomb. The clan had come to Texas from Arkansas beginning in 1842; their reunion grew into a multigenerational institution, adding a pavilion in the 1950s and continuing for more than a century.
Why it matters
It preserves the deep American tradition of family and kinship networks that anchored rural communities and knit together the descendants of the westering pioneers.
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Related people
- · George Creagor Holcomb
- · Joseph Holcomb
- · Zachariah Holcomb
Themes & tags
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