Brinton Family Reunions
2009 and 2011
The Brinton Association of America will hold its next family reunion in 2009, in Pennsylvania. As always, all descendants (and their families) of William and Ann Brinton are invited.
The Association also is working with "The Descendants of David Brinton (1814) Utah Pioneer" to organize a reunion out west in 2011.
More details will be provided about each of these reunions as their dates approach.
Highlights of some past reunions
2006
Once again, the Brinton Association of America co-organized a Brinton Family Reunion in the Salt Lake City area, along with the group called "The Descendants of David Brinton (1814) Utah Pioneer." The festivities occurred on the weekend of July 14 to 16, 2006.
2004
On July 9 to 11, 2004, the Brinton Association of America celebrated the 300th anniversary of the William Brinton 1704 House. It was also the 90th anniversary of the first American Brinton reunion.
2003
About fifty people attended the 2003 Brinton Family Reunion, which occurred on Saturday, October 11, 2003, at The Birmingham (PA) Friends Meetinghouse, near West Chester. The family members ranged in age from 2 to 80 and hailed from eight states, including Georgia, Illinois, and Iowa. Many folks spent the morning hours enjoying the scenic grounds, exchanging family history stories, and simply catching up with one another. After a catered sandwich luncheon and the Annual Meeting, guest speaker Wesley Sessa, owner of 18th Century Restoration, Inc., concluded the day's festivities with a slide presentation about his company's experience reviving several old barns from the Delaware Valley.
2002
The 2002 Brinton Family Reunion was held on Saturday, July 13, 2002, at The William Brinton 1704 House and Historic Site in Dilworthtown, Pennsylvania. In attendance were about eighty family members from nine states, including those as far away as California, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. The theme for the day was the 225th anniversary of the Battle of the Brandywine. In the morning, Dennis Kane, who was dressed as a Revolutionary Soldier, gave demonstrations of the musket and other items that a typical soldier would have carried. Beth Rump, also in period costume, provided the children with hands-on educational activities such as dressing in colonial clothes, dancing, and weaving. In the afternoon, guest speaker Nancy Webster told the group about the effect of the Revolutionary War on the lives of Brintons and other Quakers, so many years ago.
[NOTE: The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article, complete with maps and photographs, about the 2002 Brinton Family Reunion, in the "Chester County and Brandywine" and "Delaware County and Main Line" sections of its Thursday, July 18, 2002, newspaper. The article, written by Susan Weidener, was titled "Wide-branching Clan Returns to its Roots," and included many details about the William Brinton 1704 House and Historic Site and about the history of the Brinton family.]
2001
For the first time, The Brinton Association of America held its annual Brinton Family Reunion in the west, as a combined effort with a group called "The Descendants of David Brinton (1814) Utah Pioneer." The weekend-long event began on Friday, July 13, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 400 Brintons attended, representing thirteen states plus Alberta, Canada. About half of the attendees lived in Utah, and roughly 75 family members traveled from the Eastern United States for the event. The festivities included a play about the William Brinton immigration, presentations and large displays of family history, a hands-on demonstration of the Mormon handcart trek from Missouri to Salt Lake City, a Tabernacle Choir broadcast, reports from Association officers, special activities for children, delicious meals (most of which were prepared by our Western family members), and tours of the Salt Lake area.
[NOTE: David Brinton (1814) was a descendant of William Brinton the Colonist, and he lived for a while in The William Brinton 1704 House. As an adult, he was converted from his Quaker roots by some Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) missionaries who preached in West Chester, Pennsylvania. After a few years he moved to Utah with his wife and children, settling in what is now the Holladay / Cottonwood Mall part of Salt Lake City.]
2000
The 2000 Brinton Family Reunion was held at The Brinton 1704 House in Dilworthtown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, September 9, 2000. Following a buffet picnic lunch, Brinton Family Association (now, Brinton Association of America) President Ted Brinton reported on the trip he and his wife had taken to England's Brinton Country that spring. The reunion was held on the same weekend as the local Chadds Ford Days fair to provide additional interest for families and long-distance travellers. And, as in the preceding few years, free tours of The Brinton 1704 House were provided throughout the day's get-together.
1999
The 1999 Brinton Family Reunion was held at The Brinton 1704 House in Dilworthtown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 17, 1999. One hundred and three family members attended, representing the following fourteen states: California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Adults and children alike enjoyed entertainment and education provided by period crafters from the 1700's, bus tours of selected sites in "Brinton Country", and a buffet picnic lunch. The day concluded with a dinner at the Chadds Ford Ramada Inn and a special viewing of the movie The Hessian, which had been filmed at The Brinton 1704 House in the 1970's.
1998
The 1998 Brinton Family Reunion was held at The Brinton 1704 House in Dilworthtown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, October 10, 1998. About 100 descendants from eight states attended. Following a buffet picnic lunch, they heard from guest speakers, Ann Hege Hughes of Gateway Press and BFA Genealogical Secretary Denise Brinton Berti, about the process and importance of researching and publishing family histories. The new Brinton genealogy books (1924 reprint and 1998 supplement) were available for sale under the registration tent. Also available for viewing and purchase was the new video production about The Brinton 1704 House and the emigrant William Brinton family.
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