About Our Family
Henderson/Knowles/Harris (HKH) is a God-centered family with a strong belief in Christian values and a lifestyle that embraces those values. The HKH family has a proud tradition of celebrating family through family reunions that started formally in 1969.
The gloried history of the HKH family begins with the family matriarch, the late Mardest Dewdrop Harris. Missionary Harris was indeed a great woman of God who loved the lord and her family with all her heart and soul.
Phoebe and Henry Ward of Meridian, Mississippi had eight children together. Cora Ward was the seventh child of Phoebe and Henry. Cora married Willis Cooper (from Windgate, Mississippi) and they had five children together—Alberta, Mardest, Mary Jane, and twin girls, Elma and Velma. Mardest was born on January 4, 1906, a cold wintry day in Meridian, Mississippi. She was such a tiny baby that her father, Willis Cooper, often said he could put her in his pocket, and he sometimes did.
At the age of thirteen, which was not unusual in that day, Mardest first married Joe Henderson of Ellendale, Tennessee. To this union, she was “mama” to Aaron and Ernest Henderson.
God in his infinite wisdom allowed Mardest to be widowed and she later met and married Harvey Preston Knowles of El Paso, Texas. To this union, she was “mama” to Henrieta, Clinton, Albert, Grace, Neshada, Lucinda, Garland, David, Harvetta, Corrine, Samuel, Lena, Mardest, Elma, and Mattie “Curlie” Knowles.
She continued her labors of love in the work of the Lord by serving in several capacities at the Calvary Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tennessee under the pastorates of Elder J.T. McDonald, Superintendent C.C. Knox, and Elder W. L. Fields.
Yet again Mardest was widowed, and yet again she later married her third husband, Hilliard Harris, of Robertsville, Mississippi, and to this union, she was “mama” to Ezra and Cynthia Harris.
Who We Are?
A loving family whose foundation is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
What We Do?
Witness to the goodness of the Lord!
Since 1969, the HKH Reunions have been held in the following locations:
Since 1969, the HKH Reunions have been held in the following locations:
- 1969 (Memphis, TN)
- 1977 (Los Angeles, CA)
- 1979 (Detroit, MI)
- 1983 (Memphis, TN)
- 1986 (Washington, DC)
- 1988 (Atlanta, GA)
- 1990 (Detroit, MI/Canada)
- 1992 (Long Beach, CA)
- 1994 (Dallas, TX)
- 1996 (Colorado Springs, CO)-“Celebration of the Family”
- 1998 (Atlanta, GA)-“Sharing The Vision”
- 2000( Indianapolis, IN)
- 2002 (Orlando, FL)—“Family Treasures”
- 2004 ( Chicago, IL)
- 2006 (New York, NY)-“Follow the Northern Star”
- 2008 (Oklahoma, OK)-“At the Heart of it All”
- 2010 (San Diego, CA)-
- 2012 (Memphis, TN)-“Generations of Blessings”
- 2014 (Washington, DC)-“The Legacy Continues”
- 2016 (Detroit, MI)=”The Tree of Life Still Growing”
- 2018 (Houston TX)
- 2020 (Virtual)
- 2022 (Virtual)