Chenault Family National Association

National Reunions

A Brief History

A "national" reunion of Chenault/Chennault family cousins was first held Sunday, September 30, 1950 in Dallas, Texas.  The site of the reunion was Glendale Park.  Arrangements were handled by W. R. "Bill" Chenault and Ancil D. Chennault, both of Dallas.  Registration began at 11 a.m., and lunch was served at 12:30 p.m.  The program, presided over by David Chenault, included allowing every attendee to introduce themselves followed by a presentation by W. S. "Bill" Chennault, brother of General Claire Chennault and former "Bronco Busting" Sweetwater, Texas, mayor.  Entertainment was provided by the Morton's Potato Chip Magicians.  It must have been an enjoyable afternoon, for they all agreed to do it again in 1951.

The second reunion was held Sunday, September 2, 1951, at the picnic grounds at Dallas' Fair Park.  Lunch was furnished by the local family members, who brought plenty of fried chicken to feed the large crowd that gathered for the afternoon festivities.  Arrangements were again handled by W. R. Chenault and Ancil Chennault.  Cousins from Maryland, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, and Texas shared history on their branches of the family.  Dr. Frank Chenault, longtime historian who had amassed a remarkable collection of information about the family, was one of the featured speakers.

The first printed program of the reunion was available at the third reunion, Sunday, August 31, 1952 at the Texas State Fair Grounds in Dallas.  Although Gen. Claire Chennault had planned to attend, a last minute emergency in the Far East demanded his attention.  In addition to lunch and introductions of guests, a musical program was directed by David Chenault, and all cousins joined in an old-fashioned family sing song.  Following the third reunion in Dallas, there were three reunions held in Memphis, Tennessee before the site began to be moved to a new location each year.  Following the 33rd reunion in 1982, the date of the reunion began to change moving into the summer months, and finally being set to the third weekend of July after about four reunions.

The Golden Anniversary (50th) of the annual reunion was celebrated in Jackson, Mississippi, July 16-18, 1999.  Although attendance has fluctuated through the years, interest in the annual gatherings has remained high among family members scattered across the country.  One of the most popular reunions was the 2001 reunion held in Williamsburg, Virginia, when the program centered around the 300th anniversary of in America of Estienne Cheneau aboard the Nassau.

However, whether attendance is high or low, the attendees seem to thoroughly enjoy the fellowship with their cousins, recounting the history and stories from their branch of the family, and a chance to meet newly-found family. 

A Family Treasure

 In the early 1990's, a new feature made its first appearance at the annual reunions. Alma Deurene Oates    Morgan (RB# 11142.31751) brought a large round tablecloth with the Chenault coat of arms in the center and spread it out on one of the tables. Attendees signed the cloth while at the reunion. Following the reunion, she embroidered each signature to preserve it. The cloth was displayed at subsequent reunions for those who had not previously signed it to add their signature, which was then embroidered to preserve it. This practice continued for a few years, but when Deurene passed away the cloth was temporarily mislaid.

2024 NATIONAL REUNION INFORMATION

 

APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL AID TO ATTEND A REUNION:  For application information for this aid for the Jul 2023 reunion, contact Sue Chenault at schenault@tx.rr.com. 

The following letter concerning the 2024 Annual Reunion is from Chenault Family National Association President, Jerry A. Chenault:

“Many of you are wondering what is going on with regard to the annual Chenault Family National Association reunion for 2024. Although we all prefer in-person gatherings because we enjoy the socialization aspect of them, the Executive Board has decided that this year the reunion will be handled as an electronic gathering via Zoom. The date of the call is Saturday, July 13. The start time and the agenda is being arranged and will be provided as soon as it is finalized. A special program that allows for some socialization, an interesting program about our ancestors, and the business of election of officers, financial status, and results of the 2023 Fall survey will be included in the agenda.

“We recognize that those of you who have attended our in-person reunions will be disappointed, but since travel is so expensive financially and with it being more difficult for our more senior members with health issues to travel, the challenges of holding in-person gatherings have increased, and we would like to have your input to meeting those challenges. Certainly, this will be on the agenda for our call.

“Please note your calendars and plan to join us on this important gathering.”

If you previously received this letter via email, then you are on our email address list to receive the Zoom link and other mail concerning the call including the agenda. If you did not receive the previous mailing and would like to be included on the call, please email your request to Sue Chenault, secretary/historian, at schenault@tx.rr.com, and she will add your contact information so you can be included.