BELFRY — The Williams family reunion of nearly 150 members was held on Saturday and Sunday in Belfry, nearly doubling the area's population for the weekend.
“I would walk here from Idaho, if I had to, to be here," said Ronald Williams, who is one of four remaining of what the family refers to as "The Original 12" — siblings of some of the first Williamses in Montana.
The family of an estimated 500 extended living members has a thoroughly documented history, dating back to 1645, according to Olinda Jones-Nottingham, the family's genealogy expert.
"Sometimes, I have to explain to them, ‘This is how you all fit in,'" said Jones-Nottingham, who has written an instruction manual on how to trace and document family lineages.
On Saturday, Doug Toland met Lorena Willams, his sister, for the first time after discovering he was related to the Williams from a DNA test.
“From here, there's a lot of unanswered questions," said Toland, "Some highs and lows. I guess the lows part would be, ‘why did it take so long (to learn),’ right?”
