FEBRUARY 2, 2019 MERCER GIRLS CHAPTER, NSDAR 1 WHAT’S INSIDE Meeting - pg. 2 News - pgs. 3- 6 History - pg. 7 Committee Highlights - pg. 7 Minutes - pgs. 8 Birthdays - pg. 10 UPCOMING DATES February 9, 2019 Early Meeting; starts at 9:45AM March 9, 2019 Regular Meeting Regent’s Letter Dear Daughters Mrs. Robert Emery Park (Emily Hendre) Georgia State Regent, in her able report for the Smithsonian records, said, "That owing to the lapse of time and the ravages of war, the archives of Georgia are in a fragmentary and dilapidated condition, scattered and torn and crumbling to dust; but before many years are over the efforts of the Daughters will have dragged these priceless records from their mouldy [sic] hiding places, and it is hoped that they will be secured from further harm by preservation in print." Having just spend ten days at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I truly appreciate the efforts of women such as these Georgia Daughters so many years ago. Without men and women realizing the value of our historical documents, so much would be lost to us today. I remember the first time I was at the National Archives in Washington DC and held a small note from my 2X great grandfather to his fourth wife. What a find! It was in pencil on a small scrap of paper. Oh, how I wish they would have allowed camera’s in there, so I could have a picture of me holding that document. So many of the films at FHL are now online and that is wonderful for us who love to research. But, to me, there is nothing like holding the original in my hands. I never was a history buff before I started tracing my family history. Now I cherish what has been left in my care. Our February program features Pam Gassman, who is the state chair for DAR Museum Outreach. If you follow WA State DAR on Facebook, you will have seen some of her posts of unusual items and multiple-choice questions about their use. I have often thought it would be fun to have a program where we brought our family’s oldest artifact and told a short story about it. This is an old Valentine that I found in Frank’s grandmother’s scrapbook. She kept all her friends’ graduation cards, too!
Regent’s Letter Dear Daughters Mrs. Robert Emery Park (Emily Hendre) Georgia State Regent, in her able report for the Smithsonian records, said, "That owing to the lapse of time and the ravages of war, the archives of Georgia are in a fragmentary and dilapidated condition, scattered and torn and crumbling to dust; but before many years are over the efforts of the Daughters will have dragged these priceless records from their mouldy [sic] hiding places, and it is hoped that they will be secured from further harm by preservation in print."
Having just spend ten days at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I truly appreciate the efforts of women such as these Georgia Daughters so many years ago. Without men and women realizing the value of our historical documents, so much would be lost to us today. I remember the first time I was at the National Archives in Washington DC and held a small note from my 2X great grandfather to his fourth wife. What a find! It was in pencil on a small scrap of paper. Oh, how I wish they would have allowed camera’s in there, so I could have a picture of me holding that document. So many of the films at FHL are now online and that is wonderful for us who love to research. But, to me, there is nothing like holding the original in my hands. I never was a history buff before I started tracing my family history. Now I cherish what has been left in my care.
Our February program features Pam Gassman, who is the state chair for DAR Museum Outreach. If you follow WA State DAR on Facebook, you will have seen some of her posts of unusual items and multiple-choice questions about their use. I have often thought it would be fun to have a program where we brought our family’s oldest artifact and told a short story about it. This is an old Valentine that I found in Frank’s grandmother’s scrapbook. She kept all her friends’ graduation cards, too!
Roberta Tower is indexing records for DAR. Last year she indexed over 4K names for the Genealogical Records Committee and the Project Patriot Indexing. She is preserving records in today’s digital world. This is something that you can do at home and contribute to finding information about Patriots. Ask her about the project to see if you might want to participate and see page 5.
Preserving our family records is a challenge to all of us. How are you preserving your family stories, artifacts and photos? Do you have a family Bible that could be transcribed for the Genealogical Records Committee? Last year, we submitted two Bibles. You no longer need to submit photographs of the pages--photocopies and transcriptions will do. Check with Lorri Ericson if you have something this committee could submit.
A big THANK YOU to all who brought items to make sandwiches for Peter’s Place. The left-over cheese and meats and PB & Jams were given to the church as they made sandwiches the following week. I took 160 sandwiches to Peter’s Place on Monday, January 7.
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. Remember our refreshments are before the meeting starting at 9:45 am
In DAR friendship, Mary Peters, Regent
February Chapter Meeting Toni Fox The February Chapter meeting will be at 10:10 am at the church. Our speaker will be Pam Gassman. She is the DAR Museum Outreach Chairmen for Washington State, National Committee. She will be speaking on “Curious Colonial Household Objects”. She has promised to bring some of those items for members to handle and perhaps to guess what their use might be. I have enjoyed seeing her posts on Facebook. She shares many of the items from the DAR Museum. The Chapter will be donating to the DAR Museum as our service project this month.
Come to the Meeting Early Mary Peters At the January meeting, the Board decided to try something different to see if it might encourage more fellowship time and encourage some of the Prospective Members (PMs) to come to a meeting. We will have juices, coffee, tea, breads or rolls. Food will be set out by 9:45AM and the meeting will begin at 10:10AM. No refreshments after the meeting. Try it, you might like it!!! Let the Board members know what you think about refreshments before the meeting.
Delegates to Washington State Society Conference and Continental Congress
Mary Peters At February’s meeting we will be electing delegates to the State Conference which will be held May 2-5, 2019 at the SeaTac Airport Marriot. On Friday, the Board of Management meets. Only the Regent or her representative may vote at this meeting. This is the business meeting of the State Society. The State Conference begins on Saturday morning. All delegates vote at the Saturday meeting. If you can only come for one day, I would recommend coming on Saturday and attending the luncheon. This luncheon is often the education luncheon where History Teacher of the Year award is presented. Also, the scholarships and essay contest winners are presented. You can attend the conference without paying for any meals.
Individual Service Project Toni Fox If you like to sew, I found a project that many of you might find interesting. Operation Gratitude sends “Cool Ties” to our Deployed Troop Care Packages in the summer months. When dipped in water, Cool Ties will stay cool for several hours. Troops place them around their neck or tie them around their head for relief from the heat. Each Cool Tie is handmade with love by Volunteers around the country.
They have asked we use tan, brown, desert-camouflage, or other neutral-colored 100% cotton.
I plan to purchase the polymer granules. Two tablespoons are all that is required for a tie. One pound of the granules will make up to fifty ties. We can share the granules, fill ties and sew shut at an upcoming meeting. Please let me know if you are interested in this project. Please see the attached the instructions.
History of Mercer Girls Mary Peters Last month I spent several hours creating a summary of the accomplishments of our Chapter. With the help of Honorary Past Regents (HPR) Lynn Burnett (her diary as Organizing Regent), Honorary State Regent (HSR) Carol Jean Gaffney, Lynn Junell, and Dana Langworthy, we complied a very nice history. If you have ever wondered what awards we have won as a Chapter or as individuals or what State committee or National committee members have served on, then you should read our history. Has anyone from Mercer Girls Chapter ever been WA State OJ or Nation OJ? When Nancy Parks proofread the article, she reminded me that not everyone knows what BOM, OJ, or VIS stands for. Read the article and you can find out. The article can be found on the website under the Home tab, History.
DAR Administrations Leanna Birge “The NSDAR is led by the President General who is elected to the highest office of the Society by the DAR Continental Congress. The President General serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Society and holds one three-year term in office…The publication, The Wide Blue Sash, features profiles on all of the DAR Presidents General from 1890-2013.” The information can also be found here: https://www.dar.org/national-society/dar-presidents-general
The President General position has matured to be characterized by: 1. A designated by a logo 2. A mandate to move forward in commitment to DAR and our nation by managing and overseeing Society policy 3. Projects to support and promote during her tenure in line with the organization’s mission 4. A five-inch blue sash at official events (https://www.dar.org/members/committees/special-committees/insignia/official-sash)
Welcome, folks, to the Dillion Administration (2016-2019). Ann Turner Dillion of Colorado is the 44th President General. The Dillion Administration logo honors the pioneer women and men who made this country strong. It also celebrates the many paths to service for Daughters as well as challenges Daughters to prioritize service to move our organization and nation forward. The Dillion Administration three-year focus is to:
1. Restore the NSDAR complex of historical buildings 2. Promote membership and community service 3. Advance technological capabilities to promote history, education, and patriotism 4. Increase public recognition 5. Strengthen financial stability of NSDAR
More information can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/
Winter Board of Management Meeting Mary Peters The Chapter had a wonderful sales table full of an assortment of hand-made items from jewelry to pillowcases to scarves. Thank you to all who brought items to sell.
Thank you to Sharon Storbo and Roberta Tower who helped at the sales table on Friday and Saturday and to everyone who brought items to sell.
DAR Genealogy Preservation Roberta Tower One of the modules in the New Members Course was on DAR Genealogy Preservation. We learned about the Preservation Project, and I thought, this is something that I can do that will support the goals of the DAR.
To be part of the project you send an email to [email protected]. Once you are accepted into the project, they send you an email with instructions and the instructions are also listed on the webpage. The project is accessed through eMembership.
For the Supporting Documents project, you look at documents submitted for application packets and choose their classification from drop-down menus.. From October to December, I indexed 2006 documents. They are usually easy to figure out what category they belong in.
For the Patriot Records Project, being able to read cursive is one of the criteria. But the cursive that you are reading is from the late 1700 and early 1800’s. This project is a little more difficult, because you have to record all of the names that are in the document. From October to December, I entered 2001 names.
Both projects give the same documents to two people, and then if there are any discrepancies, they have a third person review it. It is easy to do, and does not require any traveling. And there is a pin (https://www.hamiltoninsignia.com/products/DAR-Genealogy-Preservation.html)! Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4CK1GVP3po&feature=youtu.be
Chapter Master Report Mary Peters The CMR is a measure of the health of a chapter. It looks at all offices and committees in DAR and summarizes what the chapter has done during the year. With input from HCR Dana Langworthy, the Executive Board, and Committee Chairs, I completed it this weekend. You have contributed to the wonderful grand total of 965 points. What an accomplishment, Daughters. If you are interested in seeing what a CMR looks like, please check our Members Only Website and looked under "Regent's Message." You might look for areas that interest you to see if we can do something this year that we have not done before or for an area you would like to participate. Remember that not everyone can do everything. It takes individuals working on something that is important to them to create this many points.
NSDAR Sustaining Supporter Lee Gentemann As our New Year begins, I would like to encourage each of you to begin a new tradition for 2019 - becoming an NSDAR Sustaining Supporter. Giving is nothing new to WSSDAR Daughters, and for years you have been incredibly generous with your time, your talents and your financial gifts. Many of you already donate when funding requests come to you. In 2019 we have a better way to make financial donations. It does not require giving more than you already do; nor does it ask for what you cannot afford. The amount is up to you. It can be as little as $5.00 a month. But it is like a pledge and it must be done on a regular basis. You become a Sustaining Supporter when you elect to have your donations to NSDAR contributed on a regular monthly basis with either an automatic Credit Card withdrawal OR an Electronic Transfer of Funds (ETF). This Sustaining Supporter Program allows NSDAR’s Chairmen of various specialized or specific programs to KNOW what funding is coming to their corner of the NSDAR organization. Your pledged choices as Sustaining Supporters allows for prior planning and better budgeting, in every area of NSDAR’s work – you choose exactly where you believe your contributions will make the greatest difference in accomplishing the NSDAR’s missions YOU value most - which means better stewardship of your generous gifts! NSDAR’s Goal for 2019: NSDAR hopes to have 5000 Sustaining Supporters by the 5th year of this program – this summer at Continental Congress. Our State is already a leader in this national effort. WSSDAR was in 3rd Place last Fall when measuring the percentages of members who are Sustaining Supporters already! But to stay at the Top we have to keep spreading the word… I believe we can easily achieve a goal of 3-5 additional Sustaining Supporters per Chapter before the June Congress. Members can sign up on line HERE and can call the Office of Development at 1-800-449-1776 with any questions.
“The Commemorative Events Committee encourages chapters to celebrate the events cited by the National Society, to identify and plan local and regional commemorative events, and to join in celebrations that support the goals of the Society. The committee's objective is to strive to include all members of the community in chapter activities as well as participate in local activities. Here are some suggestions of things to celebrate: Independence Day, the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 150th Anniversary of Memorial Day, the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles, the 100th Anniversary of American’s Creed, and the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. For more information about this committee, click here (https://www.dar.org/members/committees/special-committees/commemorative-events/commemorative-events).
February in History
“February 1, 1878 - Hattie Caraway (1878-1950) the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was born in Bakersville, Tennessee. Her husband became the U.S. Senator from Arkansas. Following his death in 1931, she filled the remainder of his term, then was elected herself, serving a total of 14 years. February 3, 1870 - The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing the right of citizens to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude February 6, 1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution, by a vote of 187 to 168 February 6, 1756 - Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was born in Newark, New Jersey. In 1804, Vice President Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel over Hamilton's negative remarks and mortally wounded him. Burr was later tried for treason over allegations he was planning to invade Mexico as part of a scheme to establish his own empire in the Southwest, but was acquitted. February 22, 1732 - George Washington (1732-1799) was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He served as commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and became the first U.S. President”
Constitution Minutes Larry EamesOn February 21, 1787, the Continental Congress resolved that…“on the second Monday in May a Convention of delegates who shall have been appointed by the several States be held at Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation….” The original states, except Rhode Island, collectively appointed 70 delegates, but only 55 could attend and only 39 actually signed. Check out the document they revised (the articles of confederation) here: https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=001/llsl001.db&recNum=127
American Indian Minutes Toni Luchessa Two remarkable soldiers of WWI, Charles Lola and Moses Neptune, both of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, served with distinction. Mr. Lola was killed in battle and received the Croix de Guerre of France for remarkable courage. Mr. Neptune was killed in the Argonne in 1918 and is considered by some as the last U.S. servicemen killed in WWI before the armistice was signed.
Conservation Minutes Leanna Birge“Samantha Larson’s personal account in High Country News of her lifelong relationship with the San Juan Islands moved many readers. One was fellow Northwest Science Writers Association (NSWA) member and current NSWA Secretary Ashley Braun, who visited the San Juans with Samantha and other friends. Ashley captured their magical encounter with the region’s resident orcas in DeSmogBlog. Samantha and Ashley posted videos and photos, too. @samantson and @ashleybraun" From: http://nwscience.org/sciencewire/larson-braun-tag-team-orca-report/
Volunteer Hours Mary Peters Have you recorded your volunteer hours for November? We logged 4,442 total hours in 2018. You can send the following information to Mary Peters ([email protected]): Date of activity, description of activity, how many DAR Members were involved, and the total hours spent on activity or record them yourself on the member's section of the DAR National’s Website at https://www.dar.org/members/committees/special-committees/service-america/purpose-committee.
Correction Leanna Birge Kristine Ekman's name was spelled incorrectly in the January newsletter.
Trivia Americanism Committee 1. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 2. There were 13 original states. Name three. 3. When was the Constitution written? Answers will be in next month’s newsletter.
In the summer months, we send “Cool Ties” in our Deployed Troop Care Packages. When dipped in water, Cool Ties will stay cool for several hours.
Troops place them around their neck or tie them around their head for relief from the heat. Each Cool Tie is handmade with love by Volunteers around the country.
Basic Instructions: Use tan, brown, desert-camouflage, or other neutral-colored
100% cotton.
We help service members beat the heat with a simple craft project: a Cool Tie!
Soaked in water, a Cool Tie's polymer granules absorb more than 200% of their
weight in water. Tied around the neck or worn as a headband on a hot summer
day, a Cool Tie provides all-day relief for our Care Package recipients. A Cool Tie is
simple to sew, requiring only a straight-stitch sewing machine.
into center of the tie through the opening in the seam. The polymer granules
swell nearly 200 times their size and will completely fill the tie when wet. One
pound of polymer granules will make more than 55 Cool Ties!)
7. Stitching close to the folded edges, sew the opening closed.
Greater Seattle DAR Regents Council Presents The 110th George Washington Statue Memorial Celebration
February 18, 2019
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Keynote Speaker Alan J. Stein “The Sound and the Ferry: The Birth of Washington State Ferries”
Alan J. Stein is the author of several Washington State historical books on subjects such as the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The author of “Safe Passage: The Birth of Washington State Ferries,” Stein will tell the story of our ferry system. Stein is a staff historian for HistoryLink.org.
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Part I – 225 Kane Hall, Walker-Ames Room University of Washington Chelan Lane and Spokane Lane UW Campus 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Part II - George Washington Statue Wreath Laying Ceremony* UW Campus ~ 11:30 am
********************************************** Family and friends are invited to this public event.
Free underground parking is located at the University of Washington off 15th Ave NE by the pedestrian overpass and signal at NE 41st Ave.
Questions: Lanabeth Horgen, GSDARRC President [email protected], (425) 974-9117
*Wreaths are not provided; please bring your own to place and remove at the ceremony. A $20 donation to defray meeting room cost is recommended.
Person laying wreath: Donation ($20 Recommended) $
Name Title
Chapter & Organization/Other
Phone Email
RSVP by February 8, 2019. Checks payable to: Greater Seattle Regents Council. Send to Katey Purgatorio, 3431 S. 257th Street, Kent, WA 98032. Email: [email protected].
