[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 134 (Thursday, August 20, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE ETHEREDGE/ETHERIDGE FAMILY REUNION

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, August 20, 2026

  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 
Etheredge/Etheridge Family Reunion, taking place from August 20 to 
August 23, 2026, and to honor a family whose story reflects the 
resilience, perseverance, faith, and achievements that define the 
American experience.
  The family's traceable history begins in Edgefield County, South 
Carolina, where their ancestors were born into slavery and were the 
property of Joseph Etheredge, a farmer and slave owner during the 
nineteenth century. Following emancipation, like many formerly enslaved 
people throughout the South, members of the family adopted the surname 
of their former enslaver, transforming a name once associated with 
bondage into one that would become a lasting symbol of strength, 
family, and achievement.
  On Christmas Day in 1895, Samuel Etheredge, one of the family's 
earliest known ancestors, purchased 195 acres of land from Joseph 
Etheredge, a transaction recorded in the Edgefield County Courthouse. 
That purchase represented far more than the acquisition of property--it 
symbolized freedom, opportunity, and the beginning of a self-sustaining 
African American community.
  Samuel Etheredge later sold twenty-acre parcels of land to his sons, 
establishing what became affectionately known as Etheredge Town. Life 
in Etheredge Town was centered on faith, education, hard work, and 
community. Families shared resources, raised livestock, hunted and 
fished, operated a grist and syrup mill, and developed businesses and 
skilled trades. Even after a devastating storm destroyed their church, 
they rebuilt it with lumber harvested from their own property, 
demonstrating remarkable determination and unity.
  Today, descendants of the Etheredge/Etheridge family reside 
throughout the United States, from the East Coast to the West Coast. 
They continue to make meaningful contributions to their communities 
through leadership, public service, education, business, military 
service, ministry, healthcare, and civic engagement.
  The 2026 Etheredge/Etheridge Family Reunion is not merely a gathering 
of relatives. It is a celebration of generations who transformed 
adversity into opportunity, preserved their heritage, and created a 
lasting legacy for future generations.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Etheredge/Etheridge 
family and the enduring legacy of this extraordinary American family.

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