When Viennessee Timmons Black moved to Brooksville in 1961 at the age of 8, she was shocked to learn about “whites-only” and “colored-only” water fountains. Being from Washington, D.C. she was unaware that people of color were treated differently in parts of the South.
“My best friend was white. I didn’t know anything about segregation,” Black said. “When my mother passed, we moved here to be closer to my father’s family. It was really hard, but once we adapted to the culture, being here was just like coming home. We never felt like we were strangers. Our community just wrapped their arms around us. There was no pity, just support.”
Black’s experience speaks to the tight bonds of a family whose legacy began before the turn of the century with her great-grandfather, Moody Timmons.
Born into slavery in 1857, Timmons settled in Brooksville after emancipation and worked to build a life for his wife and 12 children. In 1893, he homesteaded 80 acres near what is now Barnett Road in Brooksville and began farming the land growing peas, corn, cane and raising livestock. The Timmons Settlement as it was known was one of four Black-owned, self-sufficient communities where families and neighbors helped one another through the hardships of the day. Between 1893 and 1927, Timmons continued to acquire land securing 38 parcels and becoming a powerful figure within the Black community.
However, life in Brooksville for people of color was notoriously difficult. Jim Crow laws along with a 1948 zoning law that restricted where African-Americans could live or own property, limited opportunities for Black families to build wealth, yet the family persevered.
Today, many of the descendants still live on the land their ancestor secured more than 130 years ago. The family’s branches extend to include other legacy families such as the DeLaines, Harts, Washingtons, Reddings, Mobleys and others, all of whom call Brooksville home, and all of whom are celebrated during the family’s annual Timmons Family Reunion.
Started in 1968 by Moody Timmons’ youngest child, Lucille Ballard, the annual reunion brings together every branch of the family tree for a gathering forged in faith and kinship.
“We’re a close-knit family,” said 94-year-old Hattie Redding whose husband was Moody’s grandson. “We come together every year to build relationships and connect with those we don’t see all the time.”
The reunion usually draws a few hundred people with some traveling from outside of Brooksville, however, attendance isn’t limited to family members.
“Everybody knows our family or has some connection to it. We’re about building community so all are welcome,” said Black, who has been a member of the planning committee since 2008.
Planning for the two-day event starts well in advance with weekly meetings, although, after decades of experience the system runs pretty smoothly. RSVPs are required and registration fees help cover expenses, like for this year’s Saturday fish fry and Sunday barbecue feast. There are also activities planned and decorations that include framed family photos from past reunions that adorn the pavilion of Ballard’s Wayside Park on Timmons Road where the reunion usually takes place.
Although attendance has waned as the older generation has passed, there are signs that the younger generation may be willing to take up the mantle. Redding noted the younger people who took over the cooking and decorating for this year’s event. Having never missed a single reunion in nearly 60 years, she is among the older members of the family but not the oldest. That distinction belongs to 101-year-old Eloise Larry Wright, Moody Timmons’s granddaughter.
As for the youngest members of the family, 1-month-old Neteyam Valentine took in his very first Timmons Family Reunion this year. His arrival, along with that of his 1-month-old cousin Xavier Thomas Jr., marked four generations of Timmonses currently residing in Brooksville.
This year, the family celebrated its 58th consecutive reunion and has already begun planning for the milestone 60th anniversary in 2028.