ROBERTS, BORDERS, MAUNEY, HOWELL, BRIGGS
AND RELATED FAMILIES

"We've come this far by faith."
~ Since 1906 ~

reunion_logo_plain

WE DID IT AGAIN!

Fellowship photo
The landmark 120th reunion has taken it's place in the long history of this amazing family.

With all the powerful dedication to togetherness with which the past has shaped us, the families that comprise the "Roberts, Borders, Mauney, Howell, Briggs, & Related Families" gathered in Gastonia and Shelby, NC on August 1 - 3, 2025 to celebrate 120 years of togetherness.

In this photo Family Historian Jean Humphrey chats with other family members before delivering an awe-inspiring narrative at the Fellowship Luncheon of an amazing family artifact she and other family members recently discovered and took possesion of.

The Reunion Committee thanks all those who came from as far away as San Francisco, California, and as close as Gaston and Shelby counties in North Carolina, to make the entire reunion weekend the rousing success it was.

Soon, the Reunion Committee will begin again to plan for the next historic gathering. Please plan to join us in August 2026 for the 121st. In the meantime, this site will be undergoing continuous revisions to include all the information you need to plan for and register for the reunion.
Check out the 120th photos!

Welcome To the Family!

If you are a seasoned RBMHB & RF Family Reunion attendee, welcome back. If you are new to the family and just discovering that your roots lie somewhere in our rich traditions, the Reunion Committee bids you welcome and invites you to become an active part of our well over 100 year journey. Continue scrolling to see from whence we came and to where we are going, and to find out how you can become a part of our rich family reunion tradition. For more information, contact the Reunion Committee at: info@1906family.com.
Family Reunion Newsletters
We regularly send out reunion newsletters to keep our family members abreast of family highlights and upcoming Family Reunion activities. If you are not receiving the newsletters and would like to begin receiving them, send an email to: info@1906family.com.

New!

See a list of archived newsletters

From the President's Desk

To our Beloved RBMHB & Related Families,

Rev. Vincent Howell
I hope this message finds each of you safe, rested, and still carrying on about our 120th Family Reunion! Glory to God in the Highest!

What a loving adventure we shared! From the warm hugs and deep conversations to the laughter-filled moments during the bus tour, the beauty of our gathering at the Gantt Art Center, our time at Shelby City Park, the Talent Show, the wonderful Family Museum at Gastonia Convention Center and the powerful worship service with our cousin, Revivalist Cecil Bernard Jackson, the history unveiled by Jean Humphrey—it was all simply moving and memorable. This year’s reunion reminded us not only of how far we’ve come as a family, but of the love and legacy that continues to bind us together across generations and miles.

Seeing so many familiar faces—and welcoming new ones—was truly a blessing. The energy, the spirit, the pride in who we are as the Roberts, Borders, Mauney, Howell, Briggs, and Related Families filled every space we occupied. We honored our ancestors, celebrated God’s favor on our family. I want to sincerely thank everyone who played a part in making this milestone reunion so special—those who prayed, planned, volunteered, performed, donated, cooked, showed up, and showed out. You made it all possible.

As we look ahead, I’m already excited about what’s to come. The bar has been set high, but I have no doubt that next year’s reunion will be just as meaningful—if not even greater. Let’s keep the spirit alive as we plan for Reunion #121—continuing to preserve our history, strengthen our ties, and embrace every opportunity to grow closer as a family.

Stay tuned for updates in the coming months, and in the meantime, keep in touch, check on one another, and carry the love of this family wherever you go.

Myron McNeil, Reunion Committee President

Next Up: the 121st Reunion

The Reunion Committee will begin planning activities for our 121st Reunion after taking only a three week break, and working throughout the coming year. We are looking forward to next year's events, and we hope you are too!

In the mean time, this Family Reunion website will be undergoing extensive revisions. Please check back from time to time to see what has been added in the way of information to help you plan for the weekend.

See You Again In August!

A Brief Family History

As retold each year in the Family Reunion program (photo from the 100th Reunion Souvenir Journal).
1953 Reunion
The ancestors of the Roberts, Borders, Mauney, Howell, Briggs and Related Families were not all kin, but were fellow slaves from various plantations in Cleveland County, North Carolina. We are the descendants of these former slaves and former slave owners. Our history records include the slave owner family names of Roberts, Borders, Fulenwider, Magness, Weir, Mauney, Beam, and Briggs.

The matriarch of our family was a slave woman named Phebe Magness Roberts (owned by William Magness, slave owner) who had seven daughters (known as the "Seven Sisters") and one son, born between the late 1790's and the early 1800's. The "Seven Sisters" were named Sylvia Roberts, Delilah Dillingham Beam (b.1799), Fannie Briggs (b.1803), Kitty Bird Roberts (b.1804), Betsy Forney (b.1806), Priscilla Mauney (b.1814), and Martha Roberts Howell (b.1819).

The patriarchs of our family were the male slaves named Emanuel Roberts, Big George Roberts, Isaac Roberts (b.1794), Big Bob Roberts (b.1815), Aaron Roberts, Simpson Roberts, and Little Bob Roberts. Big George and Simpson married two of Phebe's daughters, Kitty Bird and Martha. Martha's second husband was Solomon Howell.

The descendants of these seven sisters and seven male slaves toiled together as family and developed a kinship for one another so much so that Wesley Mauney (b.1846), John Wesley Roberts (b.1862), and Eli Borders Roberts (b.1840), all descendants of related slaves, organized a family reunion to include as one family all descendants of the "Seven Sisters" and "Great Slave Fathers". Wesley Mauney was the son of Priscilla Mauney, Eli was the son of Martha Roberts, and J.W. Roberts was the grandson of Big George and Kitty Bird Roberts. The wife of J.W. Roberts (Ida Roberts) was the granddaughter of Emanuel Roberts.

The first reunion was held at the home of Wesley and Naomi Mauney in 1906. For many years, the reunion was held at the homestead of Mason and China Roberts - son of Eli and Sarah Roberts - in Cleveland county (pictured above). The accomplishments of this great family are numerous. Wesley Mauney is credited for building numerous schools and churches, and dedicating his life to improving the quality of life for his people. John Wesley Roberts was an elder in the CME Zion Church and founded Roberts Tabernacle CME church in Shelby, NC. Eli Roberts was a great land owner who donated land for the Borders School and Holly Oak Park in Shelby.

Members of our family have become preachers, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, legislators, engineers, pilots, artists, writers, and in general, outstanding American citizens.

The Family Roots

The Amazing Beginnings of a Wonderful Family

Our original Family Tree

(All silhouettes are AI generated avatars
and are for illustrative purposes only.)

Phebe Magness Roberts
Matriarch of Our family


Born in Guinea, West Africa, captured by slave traffickers and transported to the auction blocks of Virginia, a young woman later named ”Phebe” was purchased and transported to the Roberts plantation located in the Buffalo Creek region of Cleveland county, now known as Shelby, North Carolina.

Phebe's Seven Daughters

Sylva

Eldest of the seven

Delilah

Dillingham Beam

Priscilla

Married Samuel Mauney

Kitty Bird

aka "Catherine"
Married Big George Roberts

Fanny

Married Nelson Briggs, Sr.

Betsy Caroline

Married Jacob Roberts and Peter Anthony

Martha

Married Simpson Roberts and Solomon Howell


Male Slave Patriarchs on the Plantation

Emmanuel
Married Ann Roberts
Big George
Married Kitty Bird
Isaac
Married Haney Roberts
Big Bob
Married Hanna Weir/Ware
Simpson
Married Martha

The seven enslaved daughters of Phebe, and the male slaves on the plantation formed strong family units that comprised the roots of our amazing family. Phebe also had a son named Josh who died before achieving man-hood. An amazingly complete geneology of the families that sprang from these individuals is being compiled by the Reunion Committee and will be made available in the near future.

Founders of the Family Reunion

The three couples who got together and decided to start this amazing family tradition.


In the year 1906, three descendants of those early families - Wesley Mauney, John Wesley Roberts, and Eli Borders Roberts, and their wives organized the first family reunion. Descendants of those early founders have gathered to strengthen those bonds each year continuously since then.
(Actual archival photographs)

Roberts

John & Ida Wesley Roberts

Borders

Eli & Sarah Borders Roberts

Mauney

Wesley & Naomi Mauney

Family colors

The colors shown here were adopted as the official colors of the various family branches. Family members often wear their family colors proudly when attending reunion events. Many often wear purple, the color of our matriarch, which is always appropriate at any event.


     

Growing Participation Through the Years

72nd Reunion Re-enactment

Reunion attendees in, a re-enactment of a gathering of the original seven sisters and male slaves on the Roberts plantation. Presented to give younger family members a glimpse of what folks may have looked like on the plantation during the family's early years.

112th Reunion Fellowship

A near capacity crowd gathered in 2017 at the 112th Family Reunion on Sunday morning to worship, enjoy a meal together, and listen to an inspiring keynote address. Reunion gatherings have grown in size from enough to fill the front lawn of Wesley and Ida Roberts' home to enough to a large ballroom of the host hotel in Charlotte.

118th Reunion Fellowship

Vocally talented family members Jean Humphrey and May Howell gave an emotional and soul-stirring rendition of the hymn "We've Come This Far By Faith" at the Family Fellowship.

119nd Reunion Picnic

Family members at the 119th Reunion Saturday Picnic show off with pride tee shirts form various past reunions.

119th Reunion Fellowship

Reunion Scholarship winners at the 119th Family Reunion.

119th Reunion Family Museum

One of the vast array of family tri-fold photo displays and memorabilia on display in the 119th Family Reunion edition of the Family Museum.

120th Friday Meet & Greet

Family members at the 120th Reunion Meet & Greet at the Harvey Grant Center.

120th Reunion Fellowship

Reunion Scholarship winner at the 120th Family Reunion.

120th Reunion Family Museum

One of the vast array of family tri-fold photo displays and memorabilia on display in the 120th Family Reunion edition of the Family Museum.

Reunion Day Events

Planning for the 121st Family Reunion will begin soon!

The RBMHB & RF Reunion Committee would like to thank all of you who attended the 120th reunion and made it the special event that it was. The new venues chosen for this year's events were more than adequate for our purposes.
  • Gastonia Convention Center - the new Host Site where the Family Museum, Talent Show, Sunday Family Fellowship and Dinner will be held.
  • Hilton Garden Inn Gastonia - the new Host Hotel with special rates for attendees. The Historic Bus Tour will pick up from the hotel and return there.
  • Shelby City Park - the new site of the Saturday Family Picnic. We've been there before and had lots of good fun and food!
(All times shown are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and are tentative.)

Friday, August 1st, 2025

HISTORIC BUS TOUR
8:30AM - 5:50PM - Leaving from the Hilton Garden Inn Gastonia host hotel
FAMILY MUSEUM
Noon - 6:00PM - Gastonia Convention Center
FAMILY MEET & GREET
7:00PM - 9:00PM - The Harvey B. Gantt Center For African-American Arts + Culture.

Historic Bus Tour
An informative and enjoyable tour of historic family sites. Leaving from the Hilton Garden Inn Gastonia host hotel, with a stop in Kings Mountain to pick up other guests, the tour includes a stop for lunch at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Kings Mountain. Those who do not take the tour bus can join for lunch at the church for the same charge.
Family Museum

Family photographs, memorabilia, and other historic items on display at the Convention Center. Find out how you can add yours to the collection by contacting museum curator Mrs. Ina Biggers.
Family Meet & Greet at the Harvey B. Gantt Center

Cap off the first reunion evening on the rooftop of the Harve B. Gantt Center for a leisurly meet and greet with family members, and a glimpse of the many fine pieces of African American art work on display in the museum.

Saturday, August 2th, 2025

REUNION PICNIC
10:00AM - 4:00PM - Shelby City Park
FAMILY TALENT NIGHT
7:30PM - 10:00PM - Gastonia Convention Center
Family Picnic
Food, fun, and games for all to enjoy. The Shelby City Park is only a few miles from the host center and has ample room for such a gathering plus many recreational facilities to enjoy as well. There will will be plenty of food, fun and family games to enjoy.
** Picnic registrations must be made in advance. No registrations will be done at the door. **
Family Talent Night
Entertaining and enlightening family talent on display by enthusiastic family members. Some planned, some ad hoc, but all in the spirit of fun!

Sunday, August 3th, 2025

WORSHIP SERVICE
11:OOAM - Gastonia Convention Center
FELLOWSHIP DINNER
1:OOPM - Gastonia Convention Center
Family Worship
The families will gather in a Gastonia Convention Center event space for the annual service and keynote address by one of our very own cousins (TBD)
Dinner
Enjoy a sumptous dinner prepared by the host center staff as a fitting end to the weekend.
** Sunday Only registrations must be made in advance. No registrations will be made on Sunday. **
Zoom Sessions
The Morning Worship and the after-dinner program will be simulcast for the benefit of those who cannot attend in person. A link to join the sessions is included in the latest edition of the Family Reunion Newsletter. If you did not receive a newsletter, send an email to Reunion President Myron McNeil, and request a link.

SUNDAY'S KEYNOTE SPEAKER - TBD

Selection of the keynote speaker for the traditional Sunday Fellowship will be determined as part of the planning for the next reunion.

RBMHB & RF Reunion Registration

Looking Forward to Seeing You again in August 2025

Register Early For the 121st!

Registrations for next year's reunion will be available in late March, 2026. Check back on this website for more details and look out for the initial Family Newsletter near that time frame. Don't get caught waiting for the deadline to pass before you register your family for the entire weekend or the events you want to attend.

Contact Us

Written communications can be sent to the Reunion Committee at the address shown in the footer of each page on this site. For questions or concerns about this site, please contact Arnold Sanders by email at awsander19@gmail.com

2024 - 2026 Reunion Committee

Executive Committee

President:
Myron McNeil
1st Vice President:
Sabriyya Roberts
2nd Vice President:
Dr. Jarvis Roberts
Recording Secretary:
Sandra Harris
Treasurer:
Brenda Ford
Historian:
Jean Humphrey

At-Large Committee Members

Patricia Bates
Ina Biggers
Barry Crosby
Rev. Vincent Howell
Winnie Keaton
Cossette Padgett
Clayton S. Reid
Turkessa Reid
Cenaa Roberts
Edgar Roberts
Ericka Roberts
Howard B. Roberts, Jr.
Jalen Roberts
Dr. Jarvis Roberts
Zahra Roberts
Gwendolyn Robinson
Tiffany Robinson
Arnold Sanders
Dr. Graham Watt
Josie B. Wilson


Making It Happen Year After Year

Reunion Committee Planning and Operations

Reunion Committee

Since the early 1960's, a group of dedicated family members have gotten together as the Family "Family Reunion Planning Committee" to plan and execute the activities and events of the annual reunion. If you would like to know how that gets done year after year, and want to become a part of the committee, this section will help. The committee is always eager to welcome fresh perspectives and young talents to its already energetic, experienced, and resourceful group of organizers. We expect to face many new challenges in the coming years, and realize that contributions from new and younger committee members will make the outcome of our efforts to face those challenges even more successful and rewarding.

Committee Meetings

The Family Reunion Planning Committee meets on the second or third Saturday of each month, except the month of December. A schedule of actual dates and locations is created during the September meeting. Since 2019, all meetings have been conducted on Zoom Video Conferencing to eliminate travel, thereby allowing committee members to attend from anywhere in the country.

If you would like to join the committee, contact them at info@1906family.com.

Committee Officers and Their Duties

President - serves a 2-year term and is succeeded by the First Vice President at the end of the term. The duties of the office include:
  • Organizes and presides over all regular monthly committee meetings.
  • Secures venues for the family reunion activities.
  • Delegates responsibilities to other committee members.
  • Presides over reunion operations.
  • Coordinates sub-committee operations.
  • Ensures all committee members are in good standing.
  • Regularly communicates with other officers.
First Vice President - serves a 2-year term and is succeeded by the Second Vice President at the end of the term.
  • Performs all duties of the President in his or her absence.
  • Succeeds the President at the end of his or her term, or if that office is vacated for any reason.
Second Vice President - serves a 2-year term. At the end of the term, a new Second Vice President is elected by the membership at the reunion meeting.
  • Performs all duties of the First Vice President in his or her absence.
  • Succeeds the First Vice President at the end of his or her term, or if that office is vacated for any reason.
Secretary - No defined term. Elected by the committee members when the office is vacated for any reason.
  • Records the meeting minutes and logs attendance at each committee meeting.
  • Communicates notice of upcoming meetings to each committee member in a timely manner.
Treasurer - No defined term. Elected by the committee members when the office is vacated for any reason.
  • Maintains the family reunion bank account by depositing money collected and issuing payments as necessary.
  • Reports expense payments, collections, and fund allocations at each regular committee meeting.
At Large Members - No defined term. Voluntary positions open to all family members who desire to serve.
  • Serve on standing and ad-hoc committees as directed by the President.
  • Represent the family members as advocates during committee meetings.

Reunion Weekend at a Glance

Friday

  • Opening of the Family Museum - Family photographs, memorabilia, heritage documentation, and other artifacts commemorating the families' rich and continuing history are on display. The museum is open to the family as well as the public throughout the weekend. Family members are encouraged to contribute their own photos and artifacts for display.
  • Credentials and Late Registration - Credentials are given to pre-registered family members and late registrations are collected ($10.00 late fee for each person registered) at the host location.

Saturday

  • Family Picnic - The traditional gathering of food and fun where cousins rub shoulders and partake of a catered picnic lunch as they renew old acquaintances, introduce new and old family members to each other, and generally have a good time.
  • Family Talent Show - Family members showcase their talents and gather afterwards to hob-knob and get to know each other better.

Sunday

  • Family Worship - Our family motto – "We've Come This Far by Faith" – is exemplified and strengthened at this morning worship, which features a keynote address by an esteemed family clergy member or other personality.
  • Fellowship Dinner/Meeting - Immediately following the worship, a catered dinner is enjoyed by the family, accompanied by special presentations that include family member memorials, special presentations and remarks by family members, and a recounting of the family history.
Our goal each year is to fill each day with enough interesting family oriented activities to keep reunion participants engaged while giving ample opportunities for building strong family bonds.

Reunion Logistics

In order to ensure that all the reunion activities happen smoothly, the following logistical items must be handled by the reunion committee during the months leading up to the actual reunion weekend. The planning and execution begins in October and culminates with a final host location walk-through in July one week before the event.

Pre-Reunion Weekend Tasks

  • Complete host location arrangements (acquire signed contract).
  • Acquire Worship Leader and Keynote Speaker for Sunday Fellowship
  • Process registration forms – print and mail paper forms.
  • Verify membership list, recruitment, etc.
  • Complete reunion program design and printing.
  • Secure picnic venue and hire caterer.
  • Establish menus for picnic and fellowship dinner.
  • Process newsletters (creation and distribution).
  • Update web site, online registration, etc.
  • Complete weekend Itinerary.
  • Process scholarship applications and disburse funds.

Friday Operations

  • Setup Family Museum.
  • Pass out credentials and process late registrations.
  • Conduct Historic Family Tour.
  • Ensure location signage is in place and accurate.

Saturday Operations

  • Setup picnic venue on-site.
  • Monitor and lead activities (adult and youth).
  • Host the Talent Show.

Sunday Operations

  • Host Worship Service and Fellowship Dinner.
  • Conduct Business Meeting.
  • Announce recognitions and adjourn.

See You Again Next August!