Our Caldwell-Perryman ancestors, Matriarch Ida Caldwell and Patriarch Starling Perryman originated from Calhoun, Lowndes County, Alabama. During the Great Migration, from the 1920s through the 1970s, many of our ancestors moved from Alabama to Northern states looking for better jobs and a better life. Because of the number of Blacks that flooded Cleveland, Ohio, the Black community was nicknamed “Alabama North.” Comparably, numerous Blacks moved to Michigan to work in the auto industry and industrial plants. It is fondly said that “half of the Blacks living in Saginaw, Michigan are originally from Lowndes County, Alabama.” However, the first location our ancestors settled in Michigan, may have been the city of Albion. Many Blacks in Albion have roots in Calhoun, Lowndes County, Alabama. Once our ancestors settled in towns in the North, family elders sent for other family members and boarded them while helping them find jobs.
Other family ancestors stayed in Alabama and worked for change, succeeding despite numerous racial barriers. Several family elders were even part of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO), also known as the first Black Panther Party. LCFO played a significant role in the historic Civil Rights Movement, inspiring Blacks throughout the United States to adopt a new paradigm in the fight for Civil Rights. Today, most Caldwell-Perryman family members reside in AL and MI, but others live in AZ, FL, GA, CA, IL, LA, MA, MS, NC, NE, NY, OH, TX, and other parts of the United States.
When we think of our family heritage and legacy, we think of our Family Reunions. The Caldwell Reunions began as Family Gatherings, first held in Calhoun, Alabama. Uncle Lee Caldwell (born 1852), an elder at the Big Union Christian Church, is credited with starting the Family Gatherings to keep the family connected. When the third generation of Caldwells moved to Michigan, they continued the Family Gatherings. The first official Caldwell Family Reunions began in 1946 as a Labor Day dinner in Albion. Emma Caldwell Cook hosted this Reunion at her home, 211 South Ann St, Albion, Michigan. The 2nd Caldwell Reunion was held the following year to celebrate the homecoming of Viola Caldwell Thomas’ son, Adam Thomas, returning from serving in WWII. Joann Caldwell Moorehead hosted this Reunion at her home, 413 West Chester St, Albion, Michigan.
The Perrymans, 1st cousins to the Caldwells, began holding Family Reunions in Calhoun, Alabama, and later, in Saginaw, Michigan. It is believed that these Reunions were started by Rosie Bell Bandy Nelson, daughter of Nellie Perryman Bandy. The Lafayettes also held Family Reunions in Alabama and Michigan. Frank "Bocher" Lafayette and his Caldwell siblings (Edna "Red", Ethel "Dillard", Minnie "Honey", James "Buddy", LuVorn "Ooh", Jessie Lou "Doonie", and Rebecca) always held their Reunions together. The other Lafayettes (Lucius Lafayette's (Hattie Caldwell’s former husband and Frank's uncle) and his siblings who migrated to Albion from Lowndes County, Alabama) held separate family reunions. Later, the Lafayette’s descendants began to participate in the Caldwell Family Reunions. Over the years, our Reunions have been referred to as Caldwell Family Reunions or Perryman Family Reunions, Caldwell-Perryman Family Reunions, Bandy-Perryman Family Reunions, Perryman-Wiley Family Reunions, Caldwell-Lafayette Family Reunions, or Caldwell-Perryman & Lafayette Family Reunions. These Family Reunions were held in Alabama, Florida, Michigan, and Mississippi. More recently, according to Edna Caldwell Smith Edward, to unite all the descendants of Ida Caldwell and Starling Perryman, our Family Reunions are referred to as Caldwell-Perryman Family Reunions because We are One, One Family. Today, our Family Reunions alternate from Albion and Saginaw Michigan and Alabama and Florida. We have pictures from Family Reunions from over four decades, from 1980 to 2023.
This website keeps families abreast of our biennial family reunions and our family history research. Our genealogy research is also documented on our Family Tree on the Ancestry.com website under the Lowndes County Ancestral Family Tree. Information on the roots of our Family Tree was passed down by Edna Caldwell Smith Edwards -- fourth generation. Edna was also in attendance at the first and second Family Reunions in Albion, Michigan and would go on to become the third Family Reunion President.
