Dear Family,
As we celebrate the kickoff of the Long 
Family reunited and meeting each other there is a lot to be celebrated.
We have an amazing historical legacy to be proud of. We have a lot of collaborative effort coming together in the forms of volunteers, documentation, photos and details that will help us fill in the blanks, and we have excitement about where this joint journey can lead us.
I would like to take this time to thank some of the folks that played a part in this effort.
My husband John who has been a great supporter and investigator. He was instrumental in us connecting the dots that got us close enough to finding the farm that we connected with Betty Ray Cates and sister Linda Rosemead. Their offer to have an event on the farm was the catalyst for all that will come out of this terrific gathering of Scotch-Irish descendants and proud Americans.
Betty and her husband David, Jonathon (next generation Farmer extrodinaire) and daughter Katy, Linda and Husband Steve, daughter Hailey and Cousins Chuck and Heather Lockhart were amazing hosts.They did a phenomenal effort in brushhogging, mowing, arranging for the chairs, tables, tents, chefs for the authentic pig roast. They opened their home and their hearts to all us, not knowing most of us. They dug out the family quilts, and family bibles and laid open the homestead cabin, their home and the entire historic Long farm property. They shopped and gathered, grew and prepped and cooked a huge amount of food and beverages. The pies and deserts were all hand made with the homegrown strawbeeries from Jonathans U-Pick strawberry patch. We will all enjoy lifelong memories of their amazing hospitality.
Kevin Long provided some great links to the Son of Carolina which has been an important guidebook to our families history.
Boyd Switzer at New Hope Presbyterian Church has been a key liaison between visitors to the families home church and descendants that came looking for clues.
George Long created the image on the top of the website.
John O’Rourke is by default our webmaster.
I have dubbed myself “family genealogist” but could not do it without the contributions and sharing from all of you.
My sister Sally Long Johns has suggested that the next Reunion be in Scotland in 2020. I will be researching the Family History and acting as Tour Guide/Travel Agent in planning that next great step back into History.
Meanwhile our efforts to get George Long ( II) proved to Daughters of the American Revolution as a Unknown Patriot continues.
Please send all submissions to Suzanne@ItchyNomads.com and we will continue to build out this website as a platform for all of us to enjoy and share on.
We welcome your Comments and Feedback.
Suzanne,
I will like to thank you for everything. This reunion was fun and also very historical for me! I have meet Third Cousins in the past both on my Grandfather Warren Long’s Side of the family and my Grandmother Dorothy Long’s Side of the family. I have never meet a Fourth Cousin before and this was my first time meeting Fourth Cousins!. I got to take a photo with your nieces and nephews who are your Sister Sally’s Children and Katie Ray who is Betty Ray’s daughter. In that photo we have a representative from the John ” JJ ” Long branch, the Thomas Andersen Long Branch, and the James Daniel Long Branch. I did not get a chance to really talk with Jonathon Ray and I understand the farm is a working farm and he needed to work. I also know that this was really historical for the Long family and a reunion like this will also be historical for any family!
Thanks
John Zemater