Drum Hill DAR begins 125th year

The Drum Hill chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will have its first meeting of the year on Thursday, Sept. 17. The business meeting will begin at 11, and luncheon will follow. Guest speaker Autier Allen Craft, the first African-American member of the Connecticut DAR, who will be speak about her patriot and the Southern Campaign — a major turning point in the American Revolution.Drum Hill DAR is conducting a membership drive as part of a nationwide celebration to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. All women who can document descent from a Revolutionary War patriot are encouraged to consider the many benefits of joining the service organization, which has promoted historic preservation, education and patriotism since its formation in 1890.“Our chapter, which has members from Danbury, Ridgefield, Redding, Westport, Weston and Wilton, carries out the important mission of the national society here on the local level,” said Chapter Regent Mary Bendix. “We are eager to welcome new members to our chapter, and we have volunteers available to help them research and complete their genealogy in order to apply for membership.”Due to the ability to exchange and obtain genealogical information over the Internet, interest in joining the DAR is at an all-time high, with six of the highest years of application submittals occurring in the last decade. The Genealogical Research System (GRS), which is a free online resource provided by the DAR to aid general genealogical research and to assist with the DAR membership process, has made joining the DAR more accessible to many women. These resources may be explored at dar.org/grs.There are nearly 180,000 members of the DAR, serving in nearly 3,000 chapters across the nation and in several foreign countries. Coinciding with its 125th anniversary celebration, the organization has issued a challenge to complete 10 million hours of service to America. DAR members visit and prepare packages for veteran patients, award more than $150,000 in scholarships and financial aid each year to students, and support schools for the underprivileged with annual donations exceeding $1 million.Bendix invited women who are interested in membership to join them at their first meeting of the year on Sept. 17. RSVP to Regent@drumhilldar.Information: DAR.org.

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