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The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a
lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populat ...
-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote education and patriotism. The organization's membership is limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the Revolutionary period who aided the cause of independence; applicants must have reached 18 years of age and are reviewed at the chapter level for admission. The DAR has over 185,000 current members in the United States and other countries. Its motto is "God, Home, and Country".


Founding

In 1889 the centennial of President
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
's inauguration was celebrated, and Americans looked for additional ways to recognize their past. Out of the renewed interest in United States history, numerous patriotic and preservation societies were founded. On July 13, 1890, after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to allow women to join their group,
Mary Smith Lockwood Mary Smith Lockwood (1831–1922) was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Biography On July 13, 1890, after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to allow women to join their group, Lockwood published the story ...
published the story of patriot
Hannah White Arnett Hannah White Arnett (1733–1823) was an American woman who is known for preventing a group of men in Elizabethtown, Province of New Jersey (now Elizabeth) from proclaiming their loyalty to Great Britain in exchange for "protection of life and prope ...
in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
,'' asking, "Where will the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution place Hannah Arnett?" On July 21 of that year, William O. McDowell, a great-grandson of Hannah White Arnett, published an article in ''The Washington Post'' offering to help form a society to be known as the Daughters of the American Revolution. The first meeting of the society was held August 9, 1890. The first DAR chapter was organized on October 11, 1890, at the Strathmore Arms, the home of
Mary Smith Lockwood Mary Smith Lockwood (1831–1922) was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Biography On July 13, 1890, after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to allow women to join their group, Lockwood published the story ...
, one of the DAR's four co-founders. Other founders were
Eugenia Washington Eugenia Scholay Washington (June 27, 1838 – November 30, 1900) was an American historian, civil servant, and a founder of the lineage societies, Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of the Founders and Patriots of America. Wash ...
, a great-grandniece of
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
,
Ellen Hardin Walworth Ellen Hardin Walworth (October 20, 1832 – June 23, 1915) was an American author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daug ...
, and Mary Desha. They had also held organizational meetings in August 1890. Other attendees in October were Sons of the American Revolution members Registrar General Dr. George Brown Goode, Secretary General A. Howard Clark, William O. McDowell (SAR member #1), Wilson L. Gill (secretary at the inaugural meeting), and 18 other people. The First Lady, Caroline Lavina Scott Harrison, wife of President Benjamin Harrison, lent her prestige to the founding of DAR, and served as its first President General. Having initiated a renovation of the White House, she was interested in historic preservation. She helped establish the goals of DAR, which was incorporated by congressional charter in 1896. In this same period, such organizations as the Colonial Dames of America, the Mary Washington Memorial Society, Preservation of the Virginia Antiquities, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Sons of Confederate Veterans were also founded. This was in addition to numerous fraternal and civic organizations flourishing in this period.


Structure

The DAR is structured into three Society levels: National Society, State Society, and Chapter. A State Society may be formed in any US State, the District of Columbia, or other countries that are home to at least one DAR Chapter. Chapters can be organized by a minimum of 12 members, or prospective members, who live in the same city or town. Each Society or Chapter is overseen by an executive board composed of a variety of officers. National level officers are: President General, First Vice President General, Chaplain General, Recording Secretary General, Corresponding Secretary General, Organizing Secretary General, Treasurer General, Registrar General, Historian General, Librarian General, Curator General, and Reporter General, to be designated as Executive Officers, and twenty-one Vice Presidents General. These officers are mirrored at the State and Chapter level, with a few changes: instead of a President General, States and Chapters have Regents, the twenty-one Vice Presidents General become one Second Vice Regent position, and the title of "General" is replaced by the title of either "State" or "Chapter". Example: First Vice President General becomes State First Vice Regent.


Historic programs

The DAR chapters raised funds to initiate a number of historic preservation and patriotic endeavors. They began a practice of installing markers at the graves of Revolutionary War veterans to indicate their service, and adding small flags at their gravesites on Memorial Day. Other activities included commissioning and installing monuments to battles and other sites related to the War. The DAR recognized women patriots' contributions as well as those of soldiers. For instance, they installed a monument at the site of a spring where Polly Hawkins Craig and other women got water to use against flaming arrows, in the defense of
Bryan Station Bryan Station (also Bryan's Station, and often misspelled Bryant's Station) was an early fortified settlement in Lexington, Kentucky. It was located on present-day Bryan Station Road, about three miles (5 km) northeast of New Circle Road, on ...
(present-day
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
). In addition to installing markers and monuments, DAR chapters have purchased, preserved, and operated historic houses and other sites associated with the war.


DAR Hospital Corps (Spanish–American War, 1898)

In the 19th century, the U.S. military did not have an affiliated group of nurses to treat servicemembers during wartime. At the onset of the Spanish–American War in 1898, the U.S. Army appointed Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee as Acting Assistant Surgeon to select educated and experienced nurses to work for the Army. As Vice President of the DAR (who also served as NSDAR's first Librarian General), Dr. McGee founded the DAR Hospital Corps to vet applicants for nursing positions. The DAR Hospital Corps certified 1,081 nurses for service during the Spanish–American War. DAR later funded pensions for many of these nurses who did not qualify for government pensions. Some of the DAR-certified nurses were trained by the American Red Cross, and many others came from religious orders such as the Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Mercy, and Sisters of the Holy Cross. These nurses served the U.S. Army not only in the United States but also in Cuba and the Philippines during the war. They paved the way for the eventual establishment—with Dr. McGee's assistance—of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901.


Textbook committees

During the 1950s, statewide chapters of the DAR took an interest in reviewing school textbooks for their own standards of suitability. In Texas, the statewide "Committee on Investigations of Textbooks" issued a report in 1955 identifying 59 textbooks currently in Texas public schools that had "socialistic slant" or "other deficiencies" including references to "Soviet Russia" in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica''. In 1959, the Mississippi chapter's "National Defense Committee" undertook a state lobbying effort that secured an amendment to state law which added "lay" members to the committee reviewing school textbooks. A DAR board member was appointed to one of the seats.


Contemporary DAR

There are nearly 180,000 current members of the DAR in approximately 3,000 chapters across the United States and in several other countries. The organization describes itself as "one of the most inclusive genealogical societies" in the United States, noting on its website that, "any woman 18 years or older — regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background — who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership". The current DAR President General is Pamela Rouse Wright, the founder and owner of a jewelry and luxury goods business in Texas.


Eligibility

Membership in the DAR today is open to all women, regardless of race or religion, who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving United States independence. The National Society DAR is the final arbiter of the acceptability of the documentation of all applications for membership. Qualifying participants in achieving independence include the following: * Signatories of the
United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
; * Military veterans of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, including State navies and militias, local
militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
s,
privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
s, and
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
or Spanish soldiers and sailors who fought in the American theater of war; * Civil servants of provisional or State governments, Continental Congress and State conventions and assemblies; * Signers of Oath of Allegiance or Oath of Fidelity and Support; * Participants in the Boston Tea Party or Edenton Tea Party; * Prisoners of war, refugees, and defenders of fortresses and frontiers; doctors and nurses who aided Revolutionary casualties; ministers; petitioners; and * Others who gave material or patriotic support to the Revolutionary cause. The DAR published a book, available online, with the names of thousands of minority patriots, to enable family and historical research. Its online Genealogical Research System (GRS) provides access to a database, and it is digitizing family Bibles to collect more information for research. The organization has chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
. DAR chapters have been founded in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
,
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. The DAR is a governing organization within the
Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America ("HSC") is a non-profit organization, founded in 2002, which conveys the public interface for over 300 lineage societies. HSC's primary mission is to facilitate and increase the commu ...
, and each DAR President General has served on HSC's board since its inception.


Education outreach

The DAR contributes more than $1 million annually to support five schools that provide for a variety of special student needs. Supported schools: *
Kate Duncan Smith DAR School The Kate Duncan Smith DAR School is a Kindergarten, K-Twelfth grade, 12 State school, public school in Grant, Alabama. History The school was established in 1924 and operates under a public-private partnership between the Marshall County School ...
, Grant, Alabama *Crossnore School, Crossnore, North Carolina *Hillside School, Marlborough, Massachusetts * Hindman Settlement School,
Hindman, Kentucky Hindman ()Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''p. 141. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 30 July 2013. is a home rule-class town in, and the county seat of, Knott County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population ...
*
Berry College Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian princip ...
,
Mount Berry, Georgia Mount Berry is an unincorporated community contiguous with the main campus of Berry College in Floyd County, Georgia, United States, bordering the city of Rome. Mount Berry Mall, the shopping mall serving Rome, is in the Mount Berry area. It i ...
In addition, the DAR provides $70,000 to $100,000 in scholarships and funds to American Indian youth at Chemawa Indian School, Salem, Oregon; Bacone College, Muskogee, Oklahoma; and the Indian Youth of America Summer Camp Program.


Civic work

DAR members participate in a variety of veteran and citizenship-oriented projects, including: * Providing more than 200,000 hours of volunteer time annually to veterans in U.S. Veterans Administration hospitals and non-VA facilities * Offering support to America's service personnel in current conflicts abroad through care packages, phone cards and other needed items * Sponsoring special programs promoting the Constitution during its official celebration week of September 17–23 * Participating in naturalization ceremonies


Exhibits and library at DAR Headquarters

The DAR maintains a genealogical library at its headquarters in Washington, DC and provides guides for individuals doing family research. Its bookstore presents scholarship on United States and women's history. Temporary exhibits in the galleries have featured women's arts and crafts, including items from the DAR's quilt and embroidery collections. Exhibit curators provide a social and historical context for girls' and women's arts in such exhibits, for instance, explaining practices of mourning reflected in certain kinds of embroidery samplers, as well as ideals expressed about the new republic. Permanent exhibits include American furniture, silver and furnishings.


Literacy promotion

In 1989, the DAR established the NSDAR Literacy Promotion Committee, which coordinates the efforts of DAR volunteers to promote child and adult literacy. Volunteers teach English, tutor reading, prepare students for GED examinations, raise funds for literacy programs, and participate in many other ways.


American history essay contest

Each year, the DAR conducts a national American history essay contest among students in grades 5 through 8. A different topic is selected each year. Essays are judged "for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness." The contest is conducted locally by the DAR chapters. Chapter winners compete against each other by region and nationally; national winners receive a monetary award.


Scholarships

The DAR awards $150,000 per year in scholarships to high school graduates, and music, law, nursing, and medical school students. Only two of the 20 scholarships offered are restricted to DAR members or their descendants.


Segregation and exclusion of African Americans, and later inclusion

In 1932 the DAR adopted a rule excluding
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
musicians from performing at DAR Constitution Hall in response to complaints by some members against "mixed seating," as both black and white people were attracted to concerts of black artists. In 1939, they denied permission for
Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...
to perform a concert. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization. In her letter to the DAR, Roosevelt wrote, "I am in complete disagreement with the attitude taken in refusing Constitution Hall to a great artist... You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed." As the controversy grew, the American press overwhelmingly backed Anderson's right to sing. '' The Philadelphia Tribune'' wrote, "A group of tottering old ladies, who don't know the difference between patriotism and putridism, have compelled the gracious First Lady to apologize for their national rudeness." The '' Richmond Times-Dispatch'' wrote, "In these days of racial intolerance so crudely expressed in the Third Reich, an action such as the D.A.R.'s ban... seems all the more deplorable." At Eleanor Roosevelt's behest, President Roosevelt and Walter White, then-executive secretary of the NAACP, and Anderson's manager, impresario Sol Hurok arranged an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a dignified and stirring rendition of " America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)". The event attracted a crowd of more than 75,000 in addition to a national radio audience of millions. The DAR officially reversed its "white performers only" policy in 1952. However, in 1957, the Colorado branch of the DAR refused to allow a Mexican-American child to participate in an Abraham Lincoln birthday event. In 1977, Karen Batchelor Farmer (now Karen Batchelor) of
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, was admitted to the Ezra Parker Chapter ( Royal Oak, MI) as the first known
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
member of the DAR. Batchelor's admission as the first known African-American member of DAR sparked international interest after it was featured in a story on page one of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
.'' In 1984, Lena Lorraine Santos Ferguson, a retired school secretary, was denied membership in a Washington, D.C. chapter of the DAR because she was Black, according to a report by ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
''. Ferguson met the lineage requirements and could trace her ancestry to Jonah Gay, a white man who fought in Maine. When asked for comment, Sarah M. King, the President General of the DAR, told ''The Washington Post'' that the DAR's chapters have autonomy in determining members. King went on to tell ''Washington Post'' reporter Ronald Kessler, "Being black is not the only reason why some people have not been accepted into chapters. There are other reasons: divorce, spite, neighbors' dislike. I would say being black is very far down the line....There are a lot of people who are troublemakers. You wouldn't want them in there because they could cause some problems." After King's comments were reported in a page one story, outrage erupted, and the D.C. City Council threatened to revoke the DAR's real estate tax exemption. King quickly corrected her error, saying that Ferguson should have been admitted, and that her application had been handled "inappropriately". DAR changed its bylaws to bar discrimination "on the basis of race or creed." In addition, King announced a resolution to recognize "the heroic contributions of black patriots in the American Revolution." Since the mid-1980s, the DAR has supported a project to identify African-Americans, Native Americans, and individuals of mixed race who were patriots of the American Revolution, expanding their recognition beyond soldiers. In 2008, DAR published ''Forgotten Patriots: African-American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War.'' In 2007, the DAR posthumously honored one of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
's slaves,
Mary Hemings Bell Mary Hemings Bell (1753-after 1834) was born into slavery, most likely in Charles City County, Virginia, as the oldest child of Elizabeth Hemings, a mixed-race slave held by John Wayles. After the death of Wayles in 1773, Elizabeth, Mary, and her ...
, as a "Patriot of the Revolution." Because of Hemings Bell's declaration by the DAR to be a Patriot, all of her female descendants qualify for membership in the DAR.''American Spirit Magazine,'' Daughters of the American Revolution, January–February 2009, p. 4 Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly, in 2019, became the first African-American elected to the DAR National Board of Management when she was installed as New York State Regent in June.


Notable members


Living members

* Betsy Boze, American academic, chief executive officer and dean, Kent State University Stark *
Ada E. Brown Ada Elene Brown (born November 8, 1974) is a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She is a former trial judge of the Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County ...
, first African-American woman federal judge appointed by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
and confirmed by the Senate, and first African-American woman on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas in its 140-year history. Second Native American woman to become a federal judge * Laura Bush, former First Lady of the United States * Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady of the United States,
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
,
political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...
and
social activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range ...
* Bo Derek, actress, former model, and veterans advocate * Elizabeth Dole, former
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
from
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
, former transportation secretary,
labor secretary The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving Trade union, unions, the workplace ...
, American Red Cross president, Federal Trade Commissioner,
presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...
, and presidential advisor * Tammy Duckworth, American Army veteran, former U.S. Representative, and from 2017, U.S. Senator from Illinois. Duckworth is depicted along with
Molly Pitcher Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Another possibility is Margaret Corbin, w ...
in a statue sponsored by the DAR Illinois chapter and dedicated to women veterans on the grounds of the Brehm Memorial Library in Mt. Vernon, Illinois *
Candace Whittemore Lovely Candace Whittemore Lovely (born March 15, 1953) is an American impressionist painter known for her paintings of contemporary American life, including landscapes of treasured locales and people at play in idyllic locations. She lives and works in ...
, painter * Dr. Donna J. Nelson, chemistry professor * Katie Pavlich, conservative commentator, author, blogger, and podcaster *
Margaret Rhea Seddon Margaret Rhea Seddon (born November 8, 1947) is an American surgeon and retired NASA astronaut. After being selected as part of the first group of astronauts to include women in 1978, she flew on three Space Shuttle flights: as mission sp ...
, NASA astronaut


Deceased members

*
Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of s ...
, activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner * Mary Jane Aldrich (1833–1909), American temperance reformer and lecturer * Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist * Lillie Stella Acer Ballagh, national chairman of Colonial Relics * Mary Ross Banks (1846–1910), litterateur and author * Clara Barton, American Red Cross founder * Octavia Williams Bates (1846–1911), suffragist, clubwoman, author *
Frances E. Burns Frances E. Burns (May 2, 1866 – November 19, 1937) was an American social leader and business woman. She served as Great Commander for Michigan of the Ladies of the Maccabees. She was the first woman executive of an American fraternal congress ...
(1866–1937), social leader, business executive * Mary Temple Bayard (1853–1916), American writer, journalist *
Cora M. Beach Cora May Brown Beach (August 3, 1878 - March 30, 1968) was an American genealogist and historian, author of ''Women of Wyoming'' (1927). Biography Cora May Brown was born on August 3, 1878, in West Oxford, Ontario, the daughter of James Emerson B ...
, State Chairman and member of National Committee for Genealogical and Historical Research *
Clara Bancroft Beatley Clara Bancroft Beatley (, Bancroft; January 12, 1858 – October 20, 1923) was an American educator, lecturer, and author, as well as a clubwoman and suffragist. A a descendant of staunch Unitarians, for many years, she served as the principal of ...
(1858–1923), educator, lecturer, author *
Ella A. Bigelow Ella A. Bigelow (May 21, 1849 – October 23, 1917) was an American author and clubwoman. Among her publications were ''Prize Quotations'' (Marlboro, 1887), ''Venice'' (Marlboro, 1890), ''Old Masters of Art'' (Buffalo, 1888), and ''Letters upon Gre ...
(1849–1917), author and clubwoman *
Sarah Bond Hanley Sarah Bond Hanley (January 1865 – April 15, 1959) was an American politician most notable for being one of the first two Democratic women to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. Biography She was born in Leon, Iowa in 1865. She attended Monm ...
, first Democratic woman to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives. She served as the Illinois State Regent. *
Leah Belle Kepner Boyce Leah Belle Kepner Boyce (died April 5, 1960) was a journalist, civic worker and clubwoman. Early life Leah Belle Kepner was born in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Howard Douglas Kepner (1854-1922) and Emma Rebecca Chillson Vose (1 ...
, State Recording and Secretary of the California Daughters of the American Revolution *
Gene Bradford Gene L. Bradford (1909 – August 17, 1937) was an American politician who served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives in 1937. She represented Washington's Washington's 39th legislative district as a Democrat. Bradford was ...
(1909–1937), member of the Washington State House of Representatives * Alice Willson Broughton (1889–1980), First Lady of North Carolina * Olivia Dudley Bucknam, Hollywood chapter *
Eleanor Kearny Carr William Eleanor Kearny Carr (March 1, 1840 – March 29, 1912) was an American planter and political hostess who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1893 to 1897 as the wife of Governor Elias Carr. She was a charter member and librari ...
(1840–1912), First Lady of North Carolina * Luella J. B. Case (1807–1857), author *
Marietta Stanley Case Marietta Stanley Case (, Stanley; August 22, 1845 – 21 July 1900) was a 19th-century American poet and temperance advocate. Her very best poems were entitled, "The Waning Century" and "Amorpatioe", the latter being written for the Daughters of t ...
(1845–1900), poet and temperance advocate * Annetta R. Chipp (1866-1961), temperance leader and prison evangelist * Florence Anderson Clark (1835–1918), author, newspaper editor, librarian, university dean *
Vinnie B. Clark Vinnie B. Clark (1878–1971) was an educator and author who established and developed the Geography Department at the San Diego State University. Early life Vinnie B. Clark was born in 1878 in Mayville, Wisconsin, the daughter of Dr. Gilbert J. C ...
, established and developed the Geography Department at the San Diego State Teachers College * Clara Rankin Coblentz (1863-1933), social reformer * Sarah Johnson Cocke (1865–1944), writer and civic leader * Emily Parmely Collins (1814–1909) – suffragist, activist, writer * Harriet L. Cramer (1847–1922) – newspaper publisher * Inez Mabel Crawford, first registrar of the General Edward Hand Chapter * Belle Caldwell Culbertson (1857–1934), author and philanthropist * Carrie Chase Davis (1863–1953), American physician, suffragist *
Allie Luse Dick Allie Luse Dick (, Luse; June 2, 1859 - June 10, 1933) was an American music educator who identified with various religious, social, philanthropic and educational activities. Among the positions she held, Dick served as director of music at Heddi ...
(1859–1933), music teacher * Estelle Skidmore Doremus, supporter of the New York Philharmonic * Ella Loraine Dorsey (1853–1935), author, journalist, translator * Fanny Murdaugh Downing (1831–1894), author and poet *
Saidie Orr Dunbar Saidie Orr Dunbar (June 23, 1880 – May 13, 1960) was a leading figure in the improvement of public health in Oregon in the early twentieth century. She was very active in social service work and is considered the "founder of public nursing i ...
, Executive Secretary of the Oregon Tuberculosis Association * Caroline B. Eager, American philanthropist who worked mainly with the Igorot people of the Philippine Islands * Ida Horton East (1842-1915), philanthropist * Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science church * Isabel H. Ellis, Rubidoux Chapter * Margaret Dye Ellis (1845-1925), social reformer and lobbyist *
Infanta Eulalia of Spain Infanta Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera (María Eulalia Francisca de Asís Margarita Roberta Isabel Francisca de Paula Cristina María de la Piedad; 12 February 1864 – 8 March 1958), was the youngest and last surviving child of Queen Isabella II o ...
, Spanish princess and author *
Laura Dayton Fessenden Laura Dayton Fessenden (, Dayton; December 29, 1852 – May 11, 1924) was an American author of romances and other books between 1878 and 1923. She was a contributor to magazines and a writer of songs. She was the founder of the Highland Park Woma ...
(1852–1924), author *
Inglis Fletcher Inglis Fletcher (October 20, 1879 – May 30, 1969) was an American writer. Early life Inglis Clark was born October 20, 1879, in Alton, Illinois, the daughter of Maurice W. Clark and Flora Chapman. Career Inglis Fletcher is known for numerous ...
, American writer * Mary Alice Fonda (1837–1897), American musician, linguist, author, critic * Abigail Keasey Frankel, prominent club and civic worker of Portland. She was the first president of the Oregon Federation of Business and Professional Women * Agnes Moore Fryberger (1868–1939), music educator * Dale Pickett Gay, Wyoming clubwoman and one of the best known women of her time in the oil business * Wilma Anderson Gilman (1881–1971), concert pianist, music teacher, clubwoman * Lillian Gish, actress *
Fannie Smith Goble Fannie Smith Goble (October 13, 1861 - June 17, 1940) was a member of the Spokane Board of Education and one of the owners of The Excelsior Rock Springs Coal company, Wyoming. Early life Fannie Smith was born in Chesaning, Michigan, on October 13 ...
, held several high offices in Daughters of the American Revolution organization * Isophene Goodin Bailhache, national vice chairman of Historic Spots, State Officer, Chapter Regent * Gene Grabeel, mathematician and cryptanalyst who founded the
Venona project The Venona project was a United States counterintelligence program initiated during World War II by the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service (later absorbed by the National Security Agency), which ran from February 1, 1943, until Oc ...
*
Harriet A. Haas Harriet T. Averill Haas (born October 17, 1874, died after 1951) was an American attorney and member of Piedmont Board of Education in the city of Piedmont, California. She was one of the most highly regarded members of the Alameda County, Califor ...
, attorney and member of Piedmont Board of Education *
Inez M. Haring Inez Maria Haring (née Inez Maria Eccleston) (October 12, 1875 - June 5, 1968) was an American botanist and plant collector, best known for her work in bryology as the Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses at the New York Botanical Garden beginnin ...
, American botanist *
Sallie Foster Harshbarger Sallie Foster Harshbarger (February 23, 1874 – April 17, 1958) was California State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Early life Sallie Foster was born in Reno, Nevada, on February 23, 1874, the daughter of Asa Eastman Foster ...
, from 1920 to 1922, State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution * Caroline Harrison, former First Lady of the United States *
Mary Hilliard Hinton Mary Hilliard Hinton (June 7, 1869 – January 6, 1961) was an American painter, historian, clubwoman, and anti-suffragist. She was a leader in North Carolina's Anti-suffragism, anti-suffragist movement and an outspoken white supremacist, co-fou ...
, historian, painter, anti-suffragist, pro-
racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...
*
Emily Caroline Chandler Hodgin Emily Caroline Chandler Hodgin (April 12, 1838 – November 13, 1907) was an American temperance reformer. She was one of the leaders in the temperance crusade of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1872, and was a delegate to the convention in Cleveland, Oh ...
, temperance reformer *
Margaret Gardner Hoey Margaret Elizabeth "Bess" Hoey ( Gardner; January 21, 1875 – February 13, 1942) was an American civic leader and political hostess who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1937 to 1941. She was part of the "Shelby Dynasty" and is the ...
, First Lady of North Carolina * Grace Hopper, Rear Admiral, USNR * Anna Morris Holstein (1825–1900), Founder First Regent D.A.R. Valley Forge Chapter, Hosted 1891 DAR National Leadership visit to Valley Forge, Prayer Desk Dedicated at VF Memorial Chapel in her honor, Founder, Regent Centennial and Memorial Association, Civil War Nurse, Author. * Harriet Lane Huntress (1860–1922), Deputy Superintendent Public Instruction in New Hampshire * Electa Amanda Wright Johnson (1938–1929), philanthropist, writer *
Rebecca Richardson Joslin Rebecca Richardson Joslin (March 20, 1846 – August 30, 1934) was an American writer, lecturer, benefactor, and clubwoman. Joslin's education and affiliations were centered in Boston, Massachusetts. She published one book and many essays, lectu ...
(1846–1934), writer, lecturer, benefactor, clubwoman * Sara Beaumont Kennedy (1859–1920), writer and newspaper editor * Mary Lewis Langworthy (1872-1949), teacher, writer, lecturer, and executive * Nancy A. Leatherwood, national chairman of Historical and Literary Reciprocity Committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution * Colonel Westray Battle Long, Director of the Women's Army Corps *
Edith Bolte MacCracken Edith Maude Marie Bolte MacCracken (February 16, 1869 – April 1946) was an American club woman and civic leader. Early life Edith Maude Marie Bolte was born on February 16, 1869, in Chicago, the daughter of William Henry Bolte and Jane Usher Bak ...
, State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution *
Mary Stuart James MacMurphy Mary Stuart James MacMurphy (, James; after marriage, MacMurphy or McMurphy; September 1, 1846 – 1934) was an American teacher, lecturer, clubwoman, and author. She was the author of ''Only Glimpses'' (1887) and ''Ferns of Wisconsin''. She held p ...
(1846–1934), teacher, lecturer, clubwoman, and author * Virginia Donaghe McClurg, member * Ruth Karr McKee, member * Moina Michael, educator and originator of Memorial Day Poppies *
Anne Hazen McFarland Anne Hazen McFarland, M.D. (, McFarland; after first marriage, Cromwell; after second marriage, Sharpe; October 10, 1868 – December 13, 1930) was an American physician and medical journal editor. Early life and education Anne Hazen McFarland wa ...
, M.D., physician and medical journal editor * Anita Newcomb McGee, founder of the Army Nurse Corps * Anne Rogers Minor, artist and DAR President General, 1920–1923 * Fanny E. Minot (1847–1919), national president Woman's Relief Corps *
Bessie Morse Elizabeth "Bessie" Morse (1869 - January 10, 1948) founded the Morse School of Expression in 1907. Biography Bessie Morse grew up in a farm in Jefferson County, Missouri, and later moved to De Soto, Missouri. She attended a country school until ...
, founder of The Morse School of Expression, St. Louis *
Sara E. Morse Sara Evans Morse (October 22, 1871 – January 10, 1933) was an American public official in Montana. Morse was the executive secretary of the Montana Tuberculosis Association for three terms. Early life Morse was born on October 22, 1871, in West ...
, held positions in several organizations * Grandma Moses, folk artist *
Alice Curtice Moyer Alice Curtice Moyer Wing (1866 - August 16, 1937) was an American writer and suffragist. Her book ''A Romance of the Road'' is a manifesto of the Women's suffrage, suffragist argument. Biography Alice Curtice Moyer Wing was born in 1866 in Du Qu ...
* Emma Huntington Nason (1845–1921), poet, author, and musical composer * Jacqueline Noel, leader in promoting the colonial history of the United States * Florence Sillers Ogden, columnist, conservative activist, and segregationist *
Elizabeth Fry Page Elizabeth Fry Page (, Fry; 1865 – September 3, 1943) was an American author and editor associated with the Southern United States, South. A co-founder of the Tennessee Woman's Press and Authors' Club, she served as the Poet Laureate of the Tennes ...
(?–1943), author, editor *
Jane Marsh Parker Jane Marsh Parker (, Marsh; pen name, Jenny Marsh Parker; June 16, 1836 – March 13, 1913) was an American author and historian of the long nineteenth century. She was a frequent contributor to ''The Churchman'' and other publications of the Pro ...
(1836–1913), author, historian, clubwoman * Fannie Brown Patrick, musician and leader in civic and social affairs *
Alice Paul Alice Stokes Paul (January 11, 1885 – July 9, 1977) was an American Quaker, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the main leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, w ...
, American suffragist * Edith Allen Phelps, twice president of the Oklahoma Library Association, the first professional in the Library Science field in the Oklahoma City system * Sarah Childress Polk, First Lady of the United States * Frances Porcher, officer of the Jefferson Chapter * Delia Lyman Porter (1858–1933), author, social reformer, clubwoman * Adele Poston, pioneer in the field of psychiatric nursing * Ada E. Purpus, member * Emily Lee Sherwood Ragan, author, journalist * Emma May Alexander Reinertsen (1853–1920), writer * Janet Reno, former Attorney General of the United States * Hester Dorsey Richardson (1862–1933), author * Alice Mary Robertson, educator and public servant from Oklahoma, second woman to serve in the United States Congress * Lelia P. Roby, regent, DAR; founder, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic * Emily Warren Roebling, engineer, known for her contribution to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge * Ginger Rogers, actress and dancer * Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States. She resigned her membership in protest of racism. * Fannie Forbis Russel, one of the pioneer women of the state of Montana * Susan Augusta Pike Sanders, national president of the Woman's Relief Corps * Phyllis Schlafly, conservative political activist and writer * Julia Green Scott, DAR President Genera

* M. Elizabeth Shellabarger, Registered Nurse, army nurse overseas during World War I and director of American Red Cross Nursing Service in Albania and Montenegro * Jessamine Shumate, noted artist and cartographer * Eva Munson Smith (1843–1915), composer, poet, author * Lura Eugenie Brown Smith (1864–?), journalist, newspaper editor, author * Margaret Chase Smith, US Congresswoman and US Senator * Helen Norton Stevens, Lady Stirling Chapter * Mary Ingram Stille (1854-1935), historian, journalist, and temperance reformer * Lillian Carpenter Streeter (1854–1935), social reformer, clubwoman, author * Vera Blanche Thomas, president of the Arizona State Nurses' Association from 1927 to 1928 * Adaline Emerson Thompson (1859–1951), benefactor and educational leader * Martha L. Poland Thurston (1849–1898), vice-president of the national body; also social leader, philanthropist, writer * Lydia H. Tilton (1839–1915), lyricist of "Old Glory", the D.A.R. national song * Lizabeth A. Turner (1829–1907), National President, Woman's Relief Corps * Gertrude Vaile (1878–1954), social worker * Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art * Maryly Van Leer Peck, Founder of Guam Community College, first female president of a Florida Community College, first woman chemical engineer graduate from Vanderbilt University. Received the National Community Service Award from DAR. * Florence Warfield Sillers, historian and socialite, founding member of the Mississippi Delta Chapter * Jennie O. Starkey (ca. 1856 – 1918) was an American journalist * Elizabeth Willisson Stephen (1856–1925), author * Fay Webb-Gardner, First Lady of North Carolina * Agnes Wright Spring, member * Adelaide Cilley Waldron (1843–1909), author, editor, clubwoman * Margaret Ray Wickens (1843–1918), national president of the Woman's Relief Corps


List of DAR presidents general

The presidents general of the society have been: File:Caroline_Harrison.jpg, Caroline Scott Harrison, First DAR President General File:Southern Woman Named DAR President General.png, Southern Woman Named DAR President General File:Dillon Silver Arrow.jpg, Silver Arrow, the symbol of the Dillon administration in the form of a pin. *Note: During the Watkins administration, the President General and other National Officers began to be referred to by their own first names, rather than their husbands'.


Honors

A memorial to the Daughters of the American Revolution's four founders, at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated on April 17, 1929. It was sculpted by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a DAR member.


See also

*Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America, The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America *Children of the American Revolution * Colonial Dames of America *The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America *Society of the Cincinnati * Sons of the American Revolution *Sons of the Revolution *Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War *United Empire Loyalist, The United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada *United States Daughters of 1812


References


Further reading

; Independent accounts *Peggy Anderson (author), Anderson, Peggy. ''The Daughters'' (1972) *Bailey, Diana L. ''American Treasure: The Enduring Spirit of the DAR'', Walsworth Publishing Company (2007)
Julie Des Jardins, ''Women and the Historical Enterprise in America: Gender, Race, and the Politics of Memory, 1880–1945''
University of North Carolina Press (2003) *Strayer, Martha. ''The D.A.R.: An Informal History'', Washington, DC. Public Affairs Press (1958) (critically reviewed by Gilbert Steiner as covering personalities but not politics, Review, ''The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', v.320, "Highway Safety and Traffic Control" (Nov. 1958), pp. 148–49.) * Wendt, Simon. ''The Daughters of the American Revolution and Patriotic Memory in the Twentieth Century'' (U Press of Florida, 2020
online review
*Sara Wallace Goodman (2020) "doi:10.1080/1369183X.2020.1785852, 'Good American citizens': a text-as-data analysis of citizenship manuals for immigrants, 1921–1996." ''Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies'' ; DAR-related *Hunter, Ann Arnold. ''A Century of Service: The Story of the DAR.'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (1991). *Simkovich, Patricia Joy. ''Indomitable Spirit: The Life of Ellen Hardin Walworth,'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (2001). (The life story of
Ellen Hardin Walworth Ellen Hardin Walworth (October 20, 1832 – June 23, 1915) was an American author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daug ...
, one of the NSDAR founders.) *''125 Years of Devotion to America,'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. DAR publication that includes reflections, prayers and ceremonial excerpts to capture material about the DAR and its members' service.


External links


American Patriotic Societies Directory list by US War Period(s) (AVSOPS.com)National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Official website

includes national map *
Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War
'' DAR, information about minority patriots *
Daughters of the American Revolution (David Reese Chapter) Collection (MUM00098)
University of Mississippi
"Daughters of the American Revolution Library"
FamilySearch Research Wiki, for genealogists

image by Grant Wood
"A Guide to the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1885–2005"
James Madison University's ''Massanutten Chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution Collection, 1885–2005'' * * *
Second Oldest D.A.R. Chapter
historical marker in Atlanta, Georgia
Toaping Castle Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution records
at the University of Maryland Libraries
The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daughters Of The American Revolution Daughters of the American Revolution, American Revolution veterans and lineage organizations Charities based in Washington, D.C. History of women in the United States Magazine publishing companies of the United States Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1890 Patriotic and national organizations chartered by the United States Congress Women's organizations based in the United States 1890 establishments in Washington, D.C. Lineage societies