Est. 1935 · Ninety-Three Years
93rd Annual James & Annie Hall Family Reunion
2027 · Hosted by the New York Family · All Aboard!
Setting Sail in 2027
The 93rd Annual Reunion
The New York family is hosting next year's reunion. Dates, location, and booking details will be announced here — all aboard and check back soon!
Dates
To be announced. The weekend and sailing dates will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.
Host Family
The New York family will host the 93rd annual gathering and is already planning the fun.
Theme
All aboard! Get ready for a voyage-themed weekend of food, games, and family time.
Questions about the 2027 reunion? Email dchallfamilyreunion@gmail.com and we'll keep you posted as details are confirmed.
About the Reunion
The Hall Family Reunion is a tradition more than nine decades in the making, bringing together generations from across the country. Each year a different host family welcomes us to reconnect, honor our elders, and carry the Hall name forward — and in 2027, the New York family takes the helm with a celebration on the water.
Reconnect
See familiar faces and meet family members for the first time.
Celebrate
Honor our shared history and the bonds that unite us.
Create Memories
Build new traditions and stories to share for years to come.
History of the Hall Family Reunion
A legacy of love, faith, and family spanning more than nine decades
James and Annie Hall of Richburg, South Carolina — ancestors of the Hall family reunion
The Beginning
Starting around 1913, on the second Sunday of May, the men, women, and children of the Hall family would embark on a fishing trip in Richburg, South Carolina. The day was climaxed by the making of a pot of fish soup, homemade gingerbread, and coffee. This led to the beginning of the Hall Family Reunion.
The men and boys were responsible for the soup; the women and girls made gingerbread and cornbread.
Through the Years
Sometime around 1929, the reunion date was changed to Thanksgiving Day. The men were responsible for the large variety of meats served. They would hunt game, kill hogs, and fish during this time of the year. The ladies baked cakes, pies, breads, and cooked vegetables. Each family would bring a basket or box chock full of goodies.
In later years, because the young men in the family wished to go hunting with friends on Thanksgiving Day, the date was changed to the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Today, due to weather and the many different reunion locations, the reunion is held in October or November.
For many years, the gathering was held in Rock Hill, South Carolina, or Charlotte, North Carolina. As family members moved further away, that changed. The reunion is now hosted by family members in Rock Hill, SC; Charlotte, NC; Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; and Atlanta, GA — usually on a rotating basis.
A Growing Family
The tradition of bringing “Pot Luck Dishes” ended in Charlotte, North Carolina during the late 1970s, due to the large increase in family members and the long distances we must travel. It is now the custom to send monies (as determined by the host family) to defray the cost of the reunion dinner, which is usually a banquet. Consequently, we have celebrated this wonderful occasion in some of the finest hotels in the country. Our one-day family gathering has now become a full weekend of fun, pleasure, and spiritual renewal.
The Hall Family Reunion has grown with time. Family members have prospered and attendance is better than ever. Many members plan their vacations at this time and travel from as far as Houston, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; and Discovery Bay, Jamaica.
According to written records, this is the seventieth (70th) anniversary. However, the exact date of the first reunion is unknown. Many older members say this is at least our seventy-ninth (79th) year. We are sure that this tradition has taken place on an annual basis since 1934.
Our Ancestors
This reunion consists of descendants of James and Annie Hall of Richburg, South Carolina. James Hall, the last of the ten original children who gave rise to this tradition, passed away in March of 1975.
We are descendants of Martin Hall, who was born in the early to mid 1800s in or near Fairfield County, South Carolina. A free man himself, Martin Hall is believed to have been a descendant of slaves of the Burch Hall family of Lancaster, South Carolina. He was a Round Constable or “sheriff” whose job included returning law breakers and runaways. He traveled extensively in his work and also amassed some land, which was unusual for a black man prior to the abolition of slavery.
Martin Hall married around 1850. Despite the loss of most of his land due to mismanagement, poor crops, and taxes, he and his wife raised a family. One son, James Hall, raised a family of ten children with his wife Annie. It is these ten children who began the Hall Family Reunion — perhaps unintentionally, by simply getting together to fix fish soup after a fishing trip.
The Ten Children of James and Annie Hall
Maggie · Millie · Eliza · Squire · Alice · Hillard · Julia · Mary Bell · Alberta · James
We strongly urge the future generations of the Hall Family to continue this annual celebration of love. Through the strong bond of our adult members and the enthusiastic participation of younger members, the visions and dreams of our ancestors are realized. The legacy of “Family Love” that has been established has deep roots, and will continue to bear fruit for many years to come.
Hall Family Reunion Committee
Questions about the 2027 reunion? Email us — we're here to help.
dchallfamilyreunion@gmail.com