Once Upon a Time...

On August 8, 1898, a baby boy named Ernest Glasper was born to Tommy and Mary Glasper. On June 21, 1899, a baby girl named Cecelia Holmes was born to Bedford and Rosie Holmes.One sunny day Earnest and Cecelia met and fell in love. To this union, sixteen children were born: Ernest, Jr, Rosie Mae, Alberta, Cecelia, Virginia, Louise, Chalmes, Clarence, Tommy, Allen, Alice, Theodes, Roy, Virgen, Jerry, and Eddie Lee. Twelve of their children lived to be adults: Ernest, Jr., Rosie Mae, Alberta, Cecelia, Louise, Chalmes, Clarence, Tommy, Alice, Theodore, Roy, and Jerry. Three of the twelve are currently living: Alice, Theodes (Theodore), and Roy.

Ernest and Cecelia Glasper lived in Hayti, Missouri. Down the road from the Glaspers lived two families who became very close to the Glaspers and later became a part of their family… the Presberrys and the Prides. In fact, two Presberry brothers fell in love with two Glasper girls, and three Glasper brothers fell in love with three Pride girls, and the three families joined and are still joined together today.

One summer, one of the Glasper boys, Tommy, thought it would be a great idea to have a family reunion. So, he called all his brothers and sisters and told them he was organizing a family reunion at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. It was a hit! Families came from all over the country with their children to eat, drink, and fellowship.

In the summer of June 1981, another brother, Chairman Ted, decided to organize another family reunion in St. Louis, Missouri and made it a three-day event with a Meet & Greet on Friday evening, a picnic on Saturday, and on Sunday, a morning church service and banquet that followed. Almost 300 family and friends attended the reunion. At that reunion, his brother, Chalmes, nominated Theodore as the president of The Glasper Family Reunion. It was carried out and unanimously approved.

Chairman Ted contacted family members in St. Louis, Missouri, and held a family meeting at his and Lillian’s home. Chairman Ted organized the St. Louis Headquarters Committee. This committee would be responsible for receiving and paying out all monies and correspondence and helping other families in different cities organize a reunion. President Ted appointed his wife, Lillian, as the treasurer, Ida Presberry as the secretary, and Gay Glasper Thompson as the Event Coordinator.

Chairman Ted and Lillian started traveling the country to find Ernest and Cecelia’s sibling’s children and invite them to family reunions. They found Cecelia’s brother Joe Holmes’ children, Cecelia’s aunt Ophelia Holmes and Edd Heaston’s children, Cecelia’s cousins through Amos and Lucy Holmes, Ernest Glasper’s brother Tommy and Hattie Glasper’s daughter Dorothy Glasper’s children, Ernest Glasper’s sister Harriet Glasper’s children, and Ernest Glasper’s brother Clarence Glasper’s children. They traveled north, south, east, and west. They researched archives. They videoed some of their interviews with aunts, uncles, and cousins who have left us.

At the reunion in San Antonio, TX, Chairman Ted’s brother, Clarence Glasper, nominated President Ted Glasper to be GHH’s Lifetime Chairman, It was carried, and he was unanimously voted in as the Lifetime Chairman of the Glasper, Holmes, Heaston Family Reunion.

Chairman Ted Glasper organized an Executive Committee consisting of all of his siblings, his wife Lillian as treasurer, and niece Linda Mason Mincey as secretary. This committee was responsible for implementing and carrying out rules for the reunion. As Chairman Ted’s siblings began passing away, he appointed the oldest sibling of his siblings to sit on the board to represent their parents. After the Holmes and Heastons joined GHH, he invited Robert Daniels to represent the Holmes and Eddie Heaston, Sr. to represent the Heastons. Robert Daniels has passed away; therefore, he has invited Elizabeth Matthews and Twyla Redd to represent Amos Holmes. His brother Tommy Glasper has passed away; therefore, his oldest child, Leonard Mark Glasper, will represent him. Regina Glasper will be invited to sit on the board representing her mother, Dorothy Glasper Williams.

Gay Glasper Thompson, GHH Event Coordinator, approached the GHH St. Louis Committee about allowing her to organize a GHH Scholarship. At the GHH Family Reunion held in St. Louis, Missouri, GHH held its first reunion, where over $35,000 was raised from all over the country to kick off our first scholarship. Three judges were chosen to read a threepage typed essay and listen to and judge a three to five-minute speech about the essays. Seven family applicants applied, and applicants were given $500-$5000. There was also a raffle for a car valuing over $11,000 given away. The winner was Lenora Glasper.

The Glasper, Holmes, Heaston Family Reunion has been held in: Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Sacramento, CA; Kansas City, MO; Memphis, TN; San Antonio, TX; Dallas, TX; San Diego, CA; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Chicago, IL; Atlanta, GA; Nashville, TN; Tucson, AZ; Benton Harbor, MI; and St. Louis, MO. Our family reunion is forty years strong. This weekend we celebrate our 20th anniversary! Thanks go out to all of our family and friends who have supported our vision to keep family alive!

A Family that Prays Together Stays Together!

Biography of Tommy & Mary Glasper

The Roots of the Glasper Family embedded in the United States soil have sprouted a proud and industrious people who today are scattered throughout the U.S. and foreign countries. Despite its wanderlust, the Glasper Family has remained a close-knit extended family whose parents have placed the children first in their lives.

Tommy Glasper was born in the Southern United States in the year of 1853. He was sold as a slave at a very young age. Upon reaching manhood in Osceola, Arkansas, he became a man of freedom and wealth.

Later in his life, he met and married Mary Cherry, also of Arkansas. To this union, eight children were born (3 boys and 5 girls): Celia, Clarence, Earnest, Dairy, Tommy, Lucienda, Harriett, and Georgia (twins). This union marked the commencement of many years of marriage filled with struggles, happiness, sadness and prayers.

Rearing a family of eight children during the first half of the 20th century in rural Arkansas was not an easy task. To rear them, to serve and be served, to respect and be respected, to love and be loved, was a reflection of the values Tom and Mary held and installed in their family. The values are a blaze in the soul of the Glasper Family and give us the zest to enjoy the good times, the courage to accept the difficult times, and the wisdom to accept advice from our seniors.

In the year of 1930, after a fruitful life with Tom, God saw fit to call Mary to rest. Many years later, after abounding life as a sharecropper, Tom departed this world in 1951. Life’s struggles for Tom and Mary were called to an end.

Tom and Mary are gone now, but the fruit of their labor will never die. Their spirit is with us this weekend. We thank you for the love, respect, goals and values that you have instilled within us. These principles are being passed down from generation to generation.

•Lucy Holmes

•Amos Holmes

•Eldridge Holmes

•Robert Holmes

•Ophelia Holmes

•Katherine Holmes

•Bedford Holmes

•Geanie Holmes

•Sammy Holmes

Tree

•Alex Jr. Holmes

•Fannie Holmes

•Beatrice Holmes

•Johhnie Holmes

Profile of Amos Holmes

•Elise Holmes

•Naomi Oliver

•Jessie Oliver

•Eddie Bell Oliver

•Matthew Oliver Jr.

•Otha Lee Oliver

The life of Amos Holmes history takes us back to slavery. Amos was one of two children that we know about. He and his brother were born as slaves. We assume that they were in Mississippi because his master moved and relocated to Arkansas. We also know that his brother was sold before the move and that his new master moved to Tennessee.

Amos Holmes had seven children and to the best of our knowledge, they were born in this order: David, Jim, Alex, Frances, Joe, Sarah, and Lucy. In our family tree, we show all of these lines. We have not found any descendents of Frances nor of Joe Holmes. Lucy Holmes had no children, but she did raise a child - Annie Lou Ghosten.

Our family tree continues to grow with members of the family that did not know we were all here. A lot of this goes back to how some grew up not knowing how we are related.