Hello Mr. or Ms. Simmons,
The link below is an informative site.

That's a great idea to send out an introductory letter to family members just to get a feel of what they think about having a family reunion. After you send the letter, you may find several family members who are willing to assist. However, just prepare yourself if the response is not what you want. For some reason, we are typically slow to respond via letter. The interest may still be high, but not many people take time to send back a response or survey. Therefore, you may have to do some calling as well. But an initial letter will definitely get family members thinking. Also, it would be a great idea to set up a website for your family members to see, just to reiterate how serious you are, the research you've done, and to get other family members to assist in the reunion planning. It doesn't have to be fancy, but websites have been good in increasing interest in the family.

Suggestion: When you send out your letters, it's a good idea to collect any addresses of family members that they may have. You may want to include a blank address form and ask them to send it back to you with contact info for other family members. Since this is your first reunion, building up your address/phone/e-mail directory will be important for future letters once the reunion is being planned.

Good Luck!
Melvin