Chasing Our Tales - Daughters of the American Revolution

I implied last month that I was going to write about the Warren family in Texas this month, but I am going to put that off until February because something is happening in Palo Pinto County, and I would like to bring it to your attention.

Mineral Well’s Ralph Ripley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR )is honoring Scouting in Palo Pinto County, on February 7, at 10 am at the First Christian Church of Mineral Wells. This includes all Scouts...Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Explorers, Camp Fire...all the people who have been involved in Scouting in Palo Pinto County since Scouting was first brought into the area! So, if you were a Scout or you worked with Scouts, you are invited to attend and be honored, and if you have photos of your Scouting experiences, please bring them along to share or sent them to me! So far we have heard from a few of the folks, and I am going to share some of the photos that were provided to me.

Now, you may ask, why are the Daughters of the American Revolution honoring Scouting. And, if you have asked, then perhaps you should know a little about the DAR because, as you may or may not know, the DAR is about many things, including patriotism, family, God, and service to country, but it begins with genealogy...or chasing ones tale!

Therefore I thought I would provide a short history of the local chapter of DAR.

On June 23, 1920, Mrs. Frances Mullman was appointed by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution as the Organizing Regent to organize a chapter in Mineral Wells, Texas. The chapter was founded on June 18, 1921. It was named after Ralph Ripley, a soldier in the American Revolution, who was a grandson of Governor William Bradford and an ancestor of Mrs. Mullman.

And since genealogy is about naming names, I’ll tell you the other people who helped form the chapter: Mrs. Ernest Eslick, Mrs. J. H. Campbell, Mrs. J. W. Crutcher, Mrs. W. F. Wright, Mrs. M. A. Reese, Mrs. Paul P. Scott, Miss Cornelia Crocker, Mrs. J. H. Angew, Mrs. W. W. Fleming, Mrs. J. W., Henderson, Mrs. W. E. Huster, and Mrs. Robert Williams. Are any of these women your ancestor? If so, you are a shoe-in as a DAR member!

In 1933, the 34th Texas State Conference was held in Mineral Wells, at the Baker Hotel, with the Ralph Ripley Chapter hosting. The Baker Hotel Orchestra played the processional for the State Regent, officers, and guests as they entered. Chapters from all over the state attended. Did you know the Baker has its own orchestra?

In 1939, Mrs. E. N. Jerry was the chapter's first delegate to the Continental Congress in Washington, D.C.

In 1961, the Ralph Ripley Chapter presented new silk flags with 50 stars to all of the local schools.

In 1992, the Ralph Ripley DAR Scholarship was established to present a Mineral Wells high school senior girl with a scholarship. She is chosen by her peers and a faculty member. This project was established by Shirley Marcotte. In 2003, the scholarship was changed to the Shirley Marcotte DAR Scholarship to honor Shirley Marcotte for all her hard work in establishing this worthy project.

The Ralph Ripley Chapter has honored its three oldest members, Mrs. Mae Dee Cladborn, Mrs. Rose Sparks (my mother), and Mrs. Ruth Stoker. They were presented with corsages and a certificate for their individual accomplishments. They were honored in the local newspaper with a write-up and their picture. Their ages range from 91 through 98. Since then these three members have gone to their reward.

Our records also show that we have marked the following graves with the DAR Insignia since 1988: Mrs. Julia Warren (hey, I got a Warren in after all!), Mrs. Winnie Feidler, Mrs. Bonnie Hay, Mrs. Ruth Stoker, Mrs. Louise Smith, Mrs. Lorene Sikes, Mrs. Virginia Abernathy, Mrs. Shirley Marcotte, and Mrs. Mattie Buchanan.

Our Chapter honors our the patriots of our local members. These are men and women who either fought in the American Revolution (on the American side, of course), or performed some patriotic duties during the time between 1775 and 1783. They include John Brown, Darius Larned, Sanford Kingsbury, John Bird (Byrd) Sr., Nathaniel French, John Boone, Andrew Swallows, Christopher Taylor, John Walker, Lafford French, Bazil Prather, Joshua Teague, John Lesher, Jacob Blessing, Hugh Bodkin, John Compton, Rober Crow Jr., William Dishman, Sr., Sarah Dishman, Robert Harris, Michael Hoffecker, Charles McAnally, Brian Ward Nowlin, James Mitchell, and James Withers. Perhaps you will find your ancestor in our list. If not, and you are interested in joining DAR, you can contact our chapter, which meets every first Saturday of the month from September to May, or you may go online and contact the national DAR at http://www.dar.org.

One other thing, a few days ago, some other members and I were presenting a program on the DAR (which we will gladly do for your club), and I was asked how you could tell what your ancestor did in the Revolution. For some reason I was not able to answer, so I will now. If you find your ancestor is on a census roll, it will list his or her occupation. If, perhaps, he was a farmer than in all likelihood he provided food for the troops if he was not, in fact, a soldier. If he was a soldier you will be able to discover his rank and the state from which he fought on his pension papers. And as I said to someone, if your family is still here, and was here then, it is quite probable that they fought on the American side!

The Ralph Ripley Chapter stays active in the community helping Scout programs, participating in the Veterans Day celebration, presenting flags to the Mineral Wells schools, and honoring the oldest veterans that live in Mineral Wells. And that is exactly why we are honoring the Scout of Palo Pinto County in February. And, again, you are invited to attend!

Now on to a few queries.

“I am researching a Davis family from Parker County, Texas, and I came across your internet pages about Judge James Alvis Lynch. His son, Charles C. Lynch (1864-1956), married Clara Lenora Davis (1874-1967), the daughter of Benjamin F. Davis and Amanda Caroline Rimmer. Charles and Nora had one daughter, Mary Lottie Lynch Kimbrough. Do you have any information about Charles C. and Nora Lynch? Susan Denney, Canyon, Texas.”

“I am looking for descendents of George Webb Slaughter. My great-great-grandmother was Sarah Jane Slaughter Harris who was a daughter of George Webb Slaughter. That would make George Webb my great-great-great-grandfather. I would really like to have contact with any of George Webb's descendents. S. Connelly”

Finally, I have a query from one of our DAR members...one who is a descendant of Daniel Boone! She is interested in discovering if there is a cemetery out on Fort Wolters, and if so, who is buried there and how we might be able to view it.

Thanks to all of my faithful readers. I hope you found something today that will either answer a question or spark a question. I also hope you’ll help the DAR to honor Scouting on February 1!

If you have something to share, or would like to contact me, please do so at P O Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061. Until next time, stay warm, and get ready for the Warrens in February!