In 1972, Clarene Pinkston Russell and Ruth Wyckoff Hunt convened a group of enthusiastic friends, relatives, and acquaintances at the Schlitz Belle to found a new Memphis-area history club. The single attribute that those attending had in common was that all were descended from pre-1871 residents of Shelby, Tipton or Fayette Counties in Tennessee, Marshall or DeSoto County in Mississippi, or Critt
enden County in Arkansas. Among the charter members of the Descendants were folks whose ancestors included some of the earliest and most prominent Shelby Countians such as the Winchesters, Carrs, Lawrences, Rawlingses and McLemores. But the area’s pre-1871 settlers also included lesser-known folks. Some of them were here before the Chickasaw Cession in 1818, and others arrived as late as 1870. Some stayed and had families who remain in the area to this day. The descendants of all are welcome to become members upon approval of an application including: proof of their ancestor's residence here before 1871, proof of their descent from that ancestor, and payment of annual dues of $25.00. The Descendants meet each winter, spring, and fall for a luncheon or dinner and presentation on some aspect of regional history or culture. Presenters have shared their research on topics such as Overton Park, the Memphis Zoo, Messick High and Memphis University School, the Mayflower Society, Southern railroads, area museum and archives collections, movie theaters, World War I aviators, riverboats, and more. From time to time, other gatherings are coordinated for outings to places of interest such as Shiloh, the Sultana Museum, Collierville's Morton Museum, Victorian Village, and Dyess, Arkansas.
