DAR press release
The Sarah Maples DAR Lineage research Workshop was a huge success. Many of the prospective members came to learn how to fill out the paperwork and just what proof they would need to join the DAR. Registrar Geneice Morris took them line by line on the four pages and she stressed how to correctly fill out the forms. All of the i’s have to be dotted and the t’s crossed or the papers will be sent back from Washington. Its always a good idea to fill out the blanks with pencil so any mistakes can be erased. If you put a date or name down you better have paper proof to back it up.
Regent Helen Preston and her crew took care of all the wonderful food and drink.
Suzanne Fife told the ladies a bit of history of the DAR. The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) was founded in 1889 and naturally some of the women who’s fathers served in the Revolutionary War wanted to join also. The matter was put to a vote and the SAR decided to officially exclude women from its membership. “BIG MISTAKE”. Discussions in the National Press caught the attention of Mary Smith Lockwood. She wrote a fiery editorial that was published in the Washington Post. In it, she demonstrated that women had contributed much to the Revolutionary cause that had previously been overlooked and ignored. She asked, “Were there no mothers of the Revolution?” William O. McDowell V.P. General of SAR believed that women should form their own patriotic organization. He wrote his own letter to the Post urging women to organize and offered his assistance. Eighteen women attended the first official meeting held on October 11, 1890. Mrs. Benjamin Harrison became President General and their first resolution pledged support toward completing the memorial monument to Washington, mother of George Washington. And so the DAR was off and running.
Lynn Young is now our President General NSDAR. She is the first Texas daughter to hold such an honor but we feel she won’t be the last Texan to become President General. Texas has 199 chapters with 17,350 members. There are 3,000 chapters in all 50 states, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Guam, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom. More than 920,000 women have joined DAR since it was founded October 11, 1890.