Castellaw Family Reunion

Gathering at Holly Grove Baptist Church

A Castellaw Family Reunion was held this past weekend at Holly Grove Baptist Church in Haywood County, Tennessee. It was a fun time as descendants of Thomas Jefferson Castellaw Jr. (1841–1879), and Nancy Marianna Johnson Castellaw (1844-1921) gathered with descendants of their son and daughter-in-law, Robert Edward “Bob” Castellaw (1877–1963), and Zula Zera Watridge Castellaw (1882–1965), to reconnect and, in some cases, meet for the first time.

Robert “Bob” and Zula Zera Watridge Castellaw

The setting made the day even more meaningful. Nancy Marianna Johnson Castellaw donated the land for the school that was built on the property, and generations of Castellaws have attended Holly Grove Baptist Church on the same spot.

Thanks to The Jackson Sun picking up the story, we were able to connect with family members we had not previously met. Lt. Gen. John “Glad” Castellaw and his wife, along with his second cousin Martha, are descendants of John Edward Castellaw, who was Tom Castellaw’s brother and is believed to have married Nancy Marianna Johnson Castellaw after Tom’s death. In Nicholas Cobb Descendants, Joe H. Cobb wrote that Cousin Lura Cobb said, “Nancy had two of them Castellaw men.” Haywood County marriage records also show that J. E. Castellaw and N. M. Castellaw married in 1888.

Robert “Bob” and Zula Zara Watridge Castellaw

One cousin, Margaret, had the thoughtful idea of bringing flowers for us to place on the graves of the Castellaws buried in the Holly Grove Baptist Church cemetery. Later, a few of us drove on to place flowers on the graves of T. J. and Nancy as well. Since we were already in a cemetery mood, we also made a quick trip to the Cobb and Brantley family cemeteries.

There is something important about days like that. In a world that moves fast and forgets easily, taking the time to gather, tell the old stories and stand at the graves of those who came before us is a way of honoring lives that helped make our own possible. Family history is not just about names and dates on a page. It is about memory, gratitude and the responsibility to remember people who worked, struggled, worshipped, raised children and built the communities we inherited.

Days like that have a way of bringing genealogy to life. Names on a chart become people again, and old family places feel a little less distant. Since we were already in a cemetery frame of mind, Michelle, Alex, Liv and I also made a quick trip by the Cobb and Brantley family cemeteries as well.

For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.