How it began... 

This is where we are...The crown on our heads have been paid for, so put it on and wear it well with much pride. These are your People. Your kin, "Ivery". Those have paved the way. Keep on keeping on family.

Five of the children came to live in the middle Georgia area. They were Proffitt Ivery, John Ivery, Abe Ivery, Bessie I. Goodloe, and Ike Ivery. Realizing the importance of family, it was placed upon the hearts of a few of the grandchildren to reunite the children of Ike Ivery.

The first gathering took place in Macon/Warner Robins, Georgia in 1974. It was a huge success! Eight of the children were present. For the next ten years, the Ike Ivery descendants combined with another established family reunion, The Family Affair, with hopes of reuniting the family.

Persons involved and responsible were Lula Reid and Rosalee Tukes. It was scheduled for Warner Robins, GA for July 5, 6, and 7th 1974 at the farm of Abe Ivery. Due to the response from some of the family, activities were held at Jerusalem Baptist Church and the family stayed in Warner Robins two days.

In 1975, a gathering was hosted by Juanita in Birmingham, AL. A marker for the gravesite of Ike Ivery was suggested and Lula Reid and Rosalee Tukes were responsible. The services for dedication of marker was held at Mt. Coney Baptist Church in Midway, Al. The family stayed at a hotel in Montgomery, AL and traveled to the church for activities.

In 1984 while attending the Family Affair reunion in Trenton, New Jersey, several Ivery family members asked Rosie L. Tukes, a grandchild of Ike Ivery, to work on an Ivery Family Reunion.

Rosie Tukes was born in Midway, Alabama and came to live with her mother, Bessie Ivery Goodloe, in Houston County, Georgia in 1942. She later moved to Macon, Georgia and lived there until her death in 1990.

During the summer of 1985 several Ivery children met together in Macon, Georgia. This was the site of the very first Ivery Family Reunion meeting. Family members who were present at the meeting were: 

Rosie Tukes	Bessie Goodloe (daughter)	Walter Ivery (son)
Robert Ivery (son)	James Goodloe	Alvin & Rose Goodloe
Lula Reid	Charlie Nobles	Nathaniel Reid
Sabrina Foster	Ruth McHugh	Jimmie & Janet Tukes, Jr.
Vanessa Tukes	Annie B. Tyler	Hattie Bell
Kenny Breeze	William & Regina Sankey	Robert Goodloe

Plans were made to have an Ivery Family gathering in Montgomery, Alabama on July 4, 1986.

In 1986 the second gathering of the Ivery family members took place in Montgomery, Alabama and was hosted by William Sankey. The first national officers were elected:

• Alabama: William Sankey (Chairperson) and Ann Thomas (Secretary)
• Florida: Eddie L. Ivery (Chairperson), Ruth McHugh (Co-Chairperson), and Robert Penn (Secretary)
• Georgia: Rosie Tukes (Chairperson) and Hattie Bell (Secretary)
  

The first Ivery Family Reunion took place in Montgomery, Alabama on July 10-11, 1987. It was decided that an Ivery Family Reunion would take place every other year. Since then the reunion years and hosting cities follows.

Reunion Hosting Cities

1974 - Present

Year	Hosting City	Chairperson
2023	Cincinnati, OH	Stan Foster
2022	Warner Robins, GA	Family Gathering
2021	Beaufort, SC	Cancelled due Covid pandemic
2019	Pocono Mountains, PA	Rose Felder
2017	Orlando, FL	Veronica Sellers Watson
2015	Pittsburgh, PA	Shirley M Scott
2013	Virginia Beach, VA	Yolanda Scroggins
2011	Cincinnati, OH	Stan Foster
2009	Atlanta, GA	Victoria Nobles Pearson
2007	Philadelphia, PA	Kevin Ivery
2005	Birmingham, AL	Howard & Ruth Taylor
2003	Cincinnati, OH	Clayton Neel
2001	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Veronica Watson
1999	Trenton, NJ	Gladys Washington
1997	Macon, GA	Jimmie Tukes, Jr.
1995	Coraopolis, PA	Ada Jones
1993	Eufaula, Al	Nettie Robbins
1991	Clearwater, FL	Kenny Breeze and Alvin Goodloe
1989	Cleveland, OH	Robert & Jean Sellers and Marion Smith
1987	Montgomery, AL	William Sankey
1985	Macon, GA	Family Gathering
1984	Trenton, NJ	Family Gathering
1975	Birmingham, AL	Family Gathering
1974	Macon/Warner Robins, GA	Family Gathering