Newspaper Articles

Newspaper Articles

The following Newspaper articles have been published:

Roarks Survived Ambush, Helped Settle Birchwood

The following article was published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on July 11, 1993:

R-CA Newspaper Article 7/11/93

50th Reunion To Be Held in Cleveland, TN

The following article was published in the Chattanooga.com on October 5th, 2008:

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/10/5/136517/Roark-Conner-Association-50th-Reunion.aspx

Family Members Collect, Preserve Ancestral

The following article was published in the Times Free Press on June 8, 2011:

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/community-ooltewahcollegedale/story/2011/jun/08/family-members-collect-preserve-ancestry/51487/

Cleaning Up the Family Past

The following article was published in the Cleveland Banner on June 14, 2016:

Long-neglected Clinton cemetery gets needed facelift and a new roadside sign

http://clevelandbanner.com/stories/cleaning-up-the-family-past,36368

Please Note: You must subscribe to the Cleveland Banner to access this article.  

 

1959-2019: A Family Reunion Of Local Significance

As a result of the 2019 Press Release, about the Family Reunion, the following article was published:

Sixty years ago, in the summer of 1959, the Roark-Conner family held its first reunion in Birchwood, Hamilton County. On Sept. 27-29, the Roark-Conner Association (R-CA) will hold its 61st annual family reunion in two locations (Cleveland and Charleston) in Hamilton County. The R-CA Reunion is an important gathering of Roark and Conner descendants and relatives of local pioneer families who settled, during the mid to late 1830s, in the eastern portion of Hamilton County, TN.

A brief summary of reunion events follows.

 The R-CA Reunion will begin on Friday, Sept. 27, from 4-8 p.m. in the Hampton Inn, 355 Frontage Road NW, Cleveland, Tn. 37312, Phone: 423-458-1222. Activities include: early registration, (4-6 p.m.), a “Meet and Greet” session (6-8 p.m.), and a presentation by the Tennessee Society Sons of the American Revolution (TNSSAR) at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $5.00 and includes a “snack supper.” 
 
During the “Meet and Greet” session, TNSSAR will talk about the ceremony they will conduct on Oct. 12, honoring Revolutionary War veterans Thomas Palmer (a Roark-Conner ancestor) and William Jefferson Moore. TNSSAR will install memorial markers at the grave sites of these two patriots, who are buried in the Conner family Cemetery on private property. Patriots Palmer and Moore were early settlers of Hamilton County, which is currently celebrating its 200th anniversary as an organized county. Descendants of both patriots still reside in Hamilton County.
 
The R-CA Program will continue on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Candies Creek Baptist Church, 94 Old Eureka Road NW, Charleston, TN 37310, Phone: 423-479-3731. It will begin with hot coffee and pastries, and an R-CA Business Meeting. This will be followed by a Memorial Service to honor deceased family members, and a Worship Service including a sermon by Mr. John A. Roark, Jr. J.D., from Hopkinsville, Ky., entitled “The Promise and the Prodigal Scripture Verses.” Lunch will then be served. After lunch, the feature presentation will take place at 1:30 p.m., with David Johnston from Salt Lake City, UT, speaking on the importance of religion, in particular the Baptist Church, in the lives of the Roarks, Conners, and Moons and their family formations.
 
The R-CA 2019 President, Mr. Terry L. Roark, of Myrtle Beach, SC, will also present information on select family research projects. Exhibits, photos, and heirlooms will be on display, and family-related books and DVDs will be sold. A 50/50 Drawing and Door Prizes will be awarded. The cost is $15.00 for the Saturday program, and participants may join the R-CA for an additional $10.00 per year. Family members may visit/join @Roark.Conner for more information on membership and R-CA benefits.
 
Sunday, Sept. 29, is open for family members to visit a local church or gravesites, or to take the Roark-Conner Heritage Trail Tour. The Tour book, written by family members, features 37 family-related historical sites including: the Juda Carr and Joseph Roark Homestead circa 1833, the site of the former Salem Baptist Church established in 1848, and several local family cemeteries. For further information on attending the reunion, call 410-827-0152.

As a result of the 2020 Press Release, about the Family Reunion, the following article was published:

The R-CA Annual Reunion Is Meeting Virtually To Preserve A 62-Year Tradition

Here is the link to the article that was published in the Chattanoogan.com on September 16, 2020:

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/9/17/434981/Roark-Conner-Family-Is-Preserving-A.aspx

Roark-Conner Family Is Preserving A 63-Year Hamilton County Tradition Virtually

The following article was published in the Chattanooga.com on September 17, 2021: 

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/9/17/434981/Roark-Conner-Family-Is-Preserving-A.aspx

Roark-Conner Association: Preserving A 64-Year Hamilton County Tradition Virtually

The following article was published in the Chattanooga.com on January 18, 2023:

https://www.chattanoogan.com//2023/1/18/462625/Preserving-A-64-Year-Hamilton-County.aspx

Roark-Conner Association: ETHS Honors Hamilton County Initiative with Award of Excellence

ETHS Award 2023

Roark-Conner Association: Local Family Celebrates 65-Years Together

Article 9-2-23 Chattanoogan.com


Hamilton County's Roark-Conner family takes history, genealogy to the next level

As a result of the 65th Family Reunion, the following article was published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on October 1, 2023: 

Click here to read the article.

R-CA Newsletter Articles

Still In The Family

This article was published in the May 2019 R-CA Newsletter:

Details the interesting history of furniture once owned by Reba Shropshire Wilson.

Click to read: Still In The Family article written by Johanna Roark and Jere Glover 

Roark-Conner Family News Stories - 1992-2014

Select articles taken from the R-CA Newsletters published between 1992-2014, and compiled by Chuck Gross. 

This softcover book is available for sale in the R-CA Bookstore for $12. On the website, go to “Documents” then “Books.”

Click to read information on: Roark-Conner Family News Stores

Birchwood, Tennessee - R-CA Newsletter Articles

Click to read select: Newsletter articles featuring Birchwood, Tennessee – published from June 1994 – January 2022

Articles included are:

  1. Tribute to Marleita Carmichael (Roark Homestead) – by Johanna Roark – January 22 
  2. “Ken and Margaret Gamble’s Blacksmith Shop” – by Margaret Gamble, Gayle Gamble, and Johanna Roark – May 2021
  3. “Birchwood, Tennessee”—1850 to 1920 – by Chuck Gross – January 2021
  4. “R-CA Historical Markers” – by Terry L. Roark – May 2019
  5. “Dr. L. L. Friddell and Historical Marker Project” – by David C. Roark – August 2004
  6. “Dr. Luther Lee Friddell November 13, 1877” – July 20, 1950 – by Darwin Lane – August 2004
  7. “The 1834/35 Trip Down the Tennessee River to Birchwood – Letter from Charles Palmer of Newport, TN” – January 1999
  8. “The Candies Creek Baptist Church” – by Reba Wilson – January 1999
  9. “The Lost Cemetery” – by Chuck Gross – January 1998
  10. “John Lewis Roark and Salem Baptist Church” – by Edgar Roark – June 1995
  11. “William Harrison Roark Farm Life in 1936” – June 1994