Denton John came and shared some stories with us. Below is a transcript and videos of the stories. Enjoy!

NOTE: The information below is for a previous reunion and is left here to serve as a record of recent history.

Details

Mark Your Calendars For This Year's Reunion: June 16-17, 2023 in Portage Utah

This is an annual event hosted by the Thomas and Margaret John Family Organization for any and all descendants of Thomas and Margaret John. It takes place on the third weekend of June in Portage Utah, the small town near the Utah-Idaho border where the Johns took up residence after immigrating to the United States from Wales. The family organization has been meeting since 1883, making this year the 140th year of the organization.

This year will bring fun and joy to all. All are encouraged to come Friday evening to enjoy a cool evening around a campfire, enjoying the taste of fresh ribbon fries and hot dogs with delicious pie-filling-stuffed WooFums for dessert, playing lawn games, catching glow sticks as they fall from the sky, listening to family stories, and camping for the night in the park.

With Saturday comes the main events. There will be a Family History display for everyone to enjoy, then the annual business meeting for the yearly reports and election of family officers. During this time there will be crafts and games in the park for the children to enjoy. At the close of the business meeting a wonderful Potato bar will open for lunch. Potatoes and toppings are a guarantee, and side dishes and other goodies are welcome- Please bring something to share if you can!

Other events include the Silent auction and the presentation of the donation for the Portage Cemetery. Auction items are donated by family members. If you have the skill to make something for the auction it is encouraged to make donations. This can be a drawing, something knit, carved, modeled, painted, or even something practical. They don't need to be big, but it makes it fun when they are desirable, like a handmade quilt, or a jar of fresh honey (just throwing it out there). This will conclude at 1:00 PM and winners will be announced then, along with those that made the closest guess to the number of candies in a few jars. Just put down your name and your guess and you are in the running!

This year a special gift has been made to be given to the Portage cemetery. It is a large sign designed to serve as a plot map of each of the burial sites of those who have been laid to rest there, including a great number of the John family. This is the final event of the day and will take place just down the road from the park at the cemetery at 2:30 pm.

Also, note that we will do our best to make the events of the reunion available virtually to those who will not be able to attend in person. We are grateful to have you in this great family and would love to have you join us in any way that you can.

If you have further questions regarding the reunion or events thereof please shoot us an email at Johnfamily999+TheJohnFamily@gmail.com or visit our Facebook Page.

Welsh History

Map

Camping, meals, games, and socializing will be at the Portage Public Park. 

Historic Displays and Meetings will be held in the Church building just southeast of the park.

Bathrooms and some access to electricity in the pavilion will be available. If camping, bring your own tent/sleeping bag/other gear.

Attending Virtually

The business meeting will be broadcast live on Zoom and Youtube at 10:30 AM on June 17th.

Zoom ID: 822 224 9856 Password: 140Years