The annual Taylors of Tabernacle Kinfolk Camp is the granddaddy of all family reunions. Each year in July, around 700 descendants of the Taylor lineage return to Tabernacle United Methodist Church near Brownsville in western Tennessee for a weeklong event like no other. For many Taylors, the event isn’t just a family reunion; it’s a spiritual renewal. For Harold Taylor, of LaGrange, this year is special, not just because it’s the 200th anniversary; it’s the first year his grandson could go. The Taylors of Tabernacle Kinfolk Camp is the longest continually running family reunion and spiritual camp meeting in the world. The camp was started in 1826 by Rev. Howell Taylor. Harold is a direct descendant of Howell and a seventh-generation Taylor. The family first settled in Jamestown, Virginia, and eventually made their way west to Tennessee, where they settled in Brownsville. It was rough going at first, and they basically survived the winter on bear meat, but the land was rich because of the Mississippi Delta, and they were able to grow all kinds of crops there. Richard Taylor built the ancestral home there, called New Hope, which started as a log cabin and still exists, now as a full-size home. Richard donated 11 acres and commissioned the building of the original church, which has since been rebuilt several times. “His goal was to reach the community for Christ,” Harold said, noting the family was primarily Methodist-Episcopal and very devout Christians. “Most of the people…
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