April 6, 1911
FAMILY REUNION
Of Orr And Brantley Families
And Birthday Celebration
Held At Blackford.
On Wednesday, March 8th, there was assembled at the home of Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Brantley in Blackford, members and relatives of the Brantley and Orr families, numbering more than thirty people.
Those gathered there made the visit as a surprise party, it being the seventy-second birthday of Mrs. Ibbie Brantley, who is a sister of the late J. W. Orr, of this city, Dr. E. A. Orr, of Caldwell county, and Kelly Orr, of Crittenden county.
This reunion brings to mind a rather unusual relationship existing among the Orr and Brantley families, which are two of the pioneer families of this section of Kentucky, both having located here, the Orr family in Crittenden county, and the Brantley family in Crittenden and Webster counties, in the early part of the last century.
There were four intermarriages in the two families, and yet there was no marriage of blood relations.
The two original families were those of Joshua Orr and James Brantley, the descendants of the latter, and the sons and daughters of William and Jesse, being the ones who married into the Orr family.
First L. D. Brantley, son of William Brantley, married Margaret Orr; next, Kelly Orr married Laura Brantley; then followed the marriage of John W. Orr and Nellie Brantley, brother and sister of Kelly and Laura, and then to even up the score, Ben Brantley and Ibbie Orr were married, which made the four weddings in the two families.
Those present at the birthday reunion celebration were Mrs. J. W. Orr, Miss Katie Orr, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Orr, John Thomas, wife and son, Mrs. Rich Corbett, Providence; Mrs. John B. Easley, Al Easley and son, Marion; Miss Georgia Kuykendall, Clay; Mrs. John Stuart [Stewart] and son, Piney; Mrs. Margaret Pickens, Mrs. O. S. Travis and daughters, John R. Travis, Piney; and Mrs. Dolly Walker, Marion.
Together with those mentioned above Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Brantley represent four generations of both the Orr and Brantley families.
The survivors of the older generations of the two families are as follows: Dr. E. A. Orr, age 78; Kelly Orr, age 74; Mrs. Ibbie Brantley, 72, sons and daughter of Joshua Orr, and Mrs. Bernice Gilbert, 85, Thomas Brantley, Daniel Brantley, B. P. Brantley, Mrs. Laura Orr, Mrs. Rebecca Babb, sons and daughters of Jesse Brantley.
Source: Crittenden Record-Press. (Marion, Ky.) 1909-1919, April 6, 1911, Image 3 - Chronicling America - The Library of Congress.
[My comments are in brackets.]
