Attendees of the Wetherelt Family Reunion are pictured above, including left to right: Bill Wetherelt, Gladys LaRiviere Considine, Thelma Lester Vrana, Mary Ellen Wetherelt Irion Smith, Irene LaRiviere Friend, Blondie Wetherelt Woolston, Lloyd Lester, Ida Lester Harmon, Hazel Lester Brosnan, Thomas Moulton, Wesley Wetherelt (fighting infection), Joan Moulton Laycock, Wayne Wetherelt. Vernon Wetherelt, Edna Anderson Morey, Don Anderson, Norman Anderson, and Allen Wetherelt were also present, but are not pictured.
Descendants of Thomas and Georgie Hopkins Wetherelt, Powder River County pioneers, held a reunion June 22, 23, 24 at the Fairgrounds in Forsyth, Montana. Thomas and Georgie had 10 children who lived to adulthood, most of whom lived in and around Broadus. They gave us 38 first cousins. Twenty-one are still living; 18 attended the Forsyth reunion. The six older living cousins aged 80+ all were there.
More than 150 members of this far flung family, the oldest aged 87, the youngest age 3, travelled from Arkansas, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Illinois, Wisconsin and from all over Montana. A cousin and his wife who live close to the location of Wetherelt/Bacon ancestors drove from Ontario, Canada. Powder River County residents who attended were Wayne and Anita Wetherelt, Blondie and Larry Woolston, Sheri and Don McDowell, Mary Ellen Irion Smith and Carla Kay Bowers.
As they have done all their lives, generations of the Wetherelt clan cooperated to plan and carry out the event. Allen and Laura Wetherelt (youngest son of the late Hazel and Glenn Wetherelt of Broadus) headed this reunion supported by their daughters and cousins. Barney Considine mailed invitations to 185 households.
Attendees helped with meal preparation, cleanup and general care of the fairgrounds. A number of families brought their camping trailers to hook-ups on the grounds. As in past years, family crafts-people, artists, authors, poets, photographers and cooks brought items for a silent auction to offset some of the reunion expenses. A program of singing, story-telling and poetry reading was held Saturday evening. Roselyn and Mykal Anderson from Ashland, great, great grand-daughters of Thomas and Georgie Wetherelt, led off the entertainment with traditional celebratory Northern Cheyenne dances. Their great grandmother was Edna Wetherelt Anderson; grandfather is Norman Anderson; parents are Chad and Philenga Anderson. The night ended with a karaoke concert with music provided by Colin Hanzlik, son-in-law of Wayne and Anita Wetherelt.
There were many family reunions amongst the larger clan reunion. We shared life stories and memories. Smile muscles were overworked and sore the next day as everywhere around the grounds and in the lodge, groups of people talked and laughed and laughed. The open kitchen at the Fairgrounds assured that the kitchen crews were laughing, too.
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