WELCOME TO THE JOHN COUNTS OF GLADE HOLLOW FAMILY REUNION WEBSITE

In 1936, Dickenson County native and historian, Elihu Jasper Sutherland (1885 - 1964), organized the first annual John Counts of Glade Hollow Family Reunion in Cleveland, Virginia.  The Counts Family Reunion has been held every year since then, apart from four years during World War II, and is the longest-running family reunion held in Southwest Virginia.  

The reunion was created as a memorial and celebration of our ancestors, John Counts of Glade Hollow (circa 1725 - 1803), and his wife Mary Magdeline, who settled in Russell County, Virginia in 1789, a short distance north of Lebanon, Virginia in a place called Glade Hollow.  The Counts Family Reunion has been held at various locations throughout Southwest Virginia including Cleveland, the Breaks Interstate Park, Sand Lick, Clinchco, and at Sulphur Springs Primitive Baptist Church where numerous Counts kin have worshipped and preached.  

Although the number of attendees at the reunion has dwindled substantially since its heyday, the descendants of John Counts are still gathering yearly to remember our ancestors of the past and celebrate their memories and accomplishments.  

You don't need to have the Counts last name to attend the reunion.  John & Mary Counts of Glade Hollow have thousands of descendants that do not carry the Counts surname but are Counts kin by their ancestors blood.  Below is a sampling of the surnames that trace their roots to John Counts:

Amburgey, Anderson, Arrington, Artrip, Bowman, Breeding, Bumgarner, Cantrell, Carter, Childress, Colley, Combs, Compton, Counts, Deel, Dingus, Dye, Dye, Edwards, Fields, Fleming,  Fuller, Green, Grizzle/Grizzel, Hay, Jessee, Johnson, Jones, Kelly, Kiser, Lang, Long, McReynolds, Mullins, Musick, Owens, Powers, Pressley, Rasnick/Rasnake, Ratliff, Robinson, Selfe, Skeen, Smith, Stanley, Sutherland, Sykes, Taylor, Turner, Viers, Wright, and Yates

Some Descendants of John Counts of Glade Hollow - the starting point of Counts research and history

Elihu Jasper Sutherland, creator of the Counts Family Reunion was the genealogist and driving force behind the book "Some Descendants of John Counts of Glade Hollow".  In the early part of the 20th century, Elihu researched and collected the genealogy of Counts' kin and related families, planning to put it into book form.  Data was obtained from records of bibles, censuses, churches, courthouses, and tombstones, as well as through personal interviews and correspondence with hundreds of people in all sections of the country. The amount of information he collected pre-internet was monumental.  Many related Counts kin eagerly awaited the publication of this book.  Unfortunately, Elihu (EJ or Li as he was affectionately known) passed away in 1964 before his labor of love could come to full fruition.   

Following EJ's death, Joshua H.T. Sutherland, president of the Counts Family Reunion in 1969, planned for EJ's work to be published in 1975 as part of America's Bicentennial celebration.  Unfortunately, his death on February 27, 1970, came without having fulfilled the hope of publication. 

EJ's wife, Hetty Jean Swindall Sutherland, served as the Counts Family Reunion genealogist and kept the Counts research alive.  She took the lead in compiling and publishing her husband's research.  Along with their son, Bill Sutherland, and his wife, Thora, the book, "Some Descendants of John Counts of Glade Hollow", was published in 1978.  The first edition sold hundreds of copies to Counts' descendants all across the country.  In 1998, a second edition was also published due to the demand.  Hetty, passed on June 6, 2004, at the age of 102 and was still attending Counts Family Reunions as late as 2002. 

Bill Sutherland, EJ and Hetty's son, continued the Counts research and has published a supplemental follow-up, Volume 2 of Some Descendants of John Counts of Glade Hollow, the "big book" of Corrections and Additions.  He also began the website sutherlandbooks.org.  Bill, last attended the Counts Family Reunion in 2016 and passed away in 2022.  Bill's work continues to inspire family members.  Bill's wife, Toy, now carries on the Counts family research that E.J. Sutherland started over 100 years ago.  The people of this area are heavily indebted to the Sutherland family for their preserverance in research and collecting family and local history.

Prepared by Phyllis Counts 

THE LOCATION FOR THE 85th 2026 COUNTS FAMILY REUNION, IS CURRENTLY UNDER DISCUSSION.  Due to the considerable financial donations made by some members of the John Counts of Glade Hollow Facebook group, consideration is being given to hosting next year's reunion at the indoor air-conditioned meeting rooms of the Breaks Interstate Park, located between Haysi, Virginia and Elk Horn, Kentucky.  This venue is of particular interest to the history of the Counts Family Reunion as its founder, Elihu Jasper Sutherland, participated in the official governmental recognition of it as an interstate park.

On Saturday, August 2nd, 2025, the 84th Counts Family Reunion was held at the Lebanon Recreational Center, 45 Gibson St Lebanon, VA.  Due to several challenges that were faced, the reunion began later than planned and ran until approximately 4 pm.  Approximately 60 Counts kin were in attendance.  Presenters included Frieda Patrick Davison, Karen Sutherland Davis and Colleen Counts Sutherland.  A trip to the Glade Hollow cemetery of John & Mary Counts followed the reunion for those wishing to go and is located a mere 10 minutes from the rec center.