Hugs, handshakes, and comparing notes on family history follow the Beech Settlement Homecoming service on Sunday., Aug. 27, 2023. This year’s service took place on the Hannon family farm in Carthage, a property that includes the Beech Cemetery. “We’re honored to have been asked to host the homecoming this year,” J.D. Hannon said after introducing himself and his family. “We’re glad you’re all here.” He was met with applause.
Anne Durham Smith | Daily Reporter
CARTHAGE — Under the white tent they gathered, sang hymns and remembered.
Descendants of the Beech Settlement, a group of free Black people who came from North Carolina in the 1820s and settled in the Carthage area, met Sunday for the annual Beech Settlement Homecoming service.
They gathered on a farm, close to the cemetery where a number of those early settlers are buried.
The annual August gathering draws descendants of the settlement, descendants of the Quakers who welcomed them to the area, and other interested local residents and historians.
It’s common to find people at a Homecoming who have been to many of the services over several decades, people who remember coming as young children. This year’s service drew descendants from as far as Michigan and Lafayette. After these services, people talk about different family lines that trace back to the settlement — and discover ways they might be related to each other.
Kevin Vanardo, a Beech Settlement descendant, remembers coming to the services as a child.
“I remember it was so much fun getting to run around here with my cousins,” he said. “My mother brought me here every year…
“It’s history. It’s good to be a part of history.”
