The Annual Austin Reunion will be held on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Georgia (401 Main Street, Dallas). Doors will open at 11:45, and a covered dish lunch will be served at 1:00 p.m. All friends and relatives are invited to attend. Bring a covered dish to share. Paper products and beverages will be provided.
The Austin Reunion celebrates the long and storied history of the Austin Family in the United States, and particularly in Paulding County. Michael and Edith Austin were both descendants of the original Irish immigrants, William and Ruth Austin, who came to the British colony of Virginia with their family in the early 1700s. Michael’s line originated in Virginia, then moved to North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina before settling in Georgia. Edith’s line moved from Virginia to South Carolina, and then moved west into Walton County, Georgia, before settling in the western portion of Cobb County that was ceded to Paulding County in 1852.
Michael Austin was born in 1818 in Habersham County, Georgia, as his family made its way westward from South Carolina via oxcart. They settled in old Campbell County, Georgia, before moving to the newly created Paulding County in the early 1830s. Michael Austin’s parents were Michael Austin, Jr., and Narcissa Gray. His grandparents were Michael Austin, Sr., who fought in the American Revolution, and Ellen Green.
Michael Austin had four siblings: James J. Austin (m. Martha Hodge) who moved to Texas; Sarah Austin (m. William Eason); Mariah Alcey “Lizzie” Austin (m. Simpson Patrick Compton) who also moved to Texas; and Gideon Brown Austin (m. [1] Nancy Jane Bishop [2] Sarah L. Cochran). Gideon Brown Austin was the ancestor of many of the Austins in Cobb County.
Edith Austin was the daughter of Etheldred “Dred” Austin and Candis (Lake) Austin. Dred’s parents were John Austin, Sr., and Elizabeth (Jones) Austin. John Austin, Sr., was a Revolutionary War veteran who was under the command of Lt. Colonel Francis Marion, “the Swamp Fox.” His maternal grandfather, Isaac Jones, also fought in the American Revolution.
Dred & Candis Austin had four children: Edith was the eldest. William H. Austin married Catherine Umphries; he is the namesake of Austin Bridge Road in southern Paulding County. William and Catherine are buried in the cemetery of Sweetwater Baptist Church. Mary “Polly” Austin married Thornton McClung, and they are buried at Flint Hill Methodist Church in Hiram. The youngest child was Margaret Candis Austin, who married William James Harding, lived, died, and was buried in Douglasville.
From the original Irish immigrants, at least thirteen generations have lived in the United States, and there have been Austins in Paulding County for almost 200 years. We invite all friends and relatives to join us for the reunion, which dates to at least 1908. Bring photos, documents, and family Bibles to have them scanned into the genealogical record. For more information, email Boyd Austin at .

Photo: Michael Austin and Edith (Austin) Austin, about 1880.