Dames Discovery | Spring 2021 - Vol. 31 No. 1

Dames Discovery

Contents

SPRING 2021

REGULARS

1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

2 EDITOR’S NOTE 3 CALENDAR 3 IN MEMORIAM

9 SOCIETY CIRCULAR

News and Views Across the Regions

17 NOTES FROM NATIONAL

Meet the Curator

Save the Date: National Convention

29 NSCDA TRAVEL

14 COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN

16 WOMEN IN PRESERVATION SYMPOSIUM

22 NEW CENTURY, NEW CHALLENGES AT THE NATIONAL TRUST COLUMNS

18 ANCESTOR’S ALMANAC

Coats of Arms

Nourse, Washington, Mason

27 HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

Odd Fellows, Not So Odd

28 FROM THE ARCHIVES

Wartime Dames in Patriotic Service

FEATURES

4 KANSAS SOCIETY

Prairie Suffragist:

Jane Lillie Brooks

5 LOUISIANA SOCIETY

Dames Save the Cabildo

6 MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY

Bay State Preservation

8 COLORADO SOCIETY

Time Remembrances

20 VIRGINIA SOCIETY

Cartography

24 CALIFORNIA SOCIETY

Preserving Keepsakes

26 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SOCIETY Hallowed, Historic

Mount Zion Cemetery

Front cover: collage created by Marisol Deluna

Scarves designed by Marisol Deluna

By row, L-R:

1st: Georgia Society, Maryland Society, New York Society

2nd: Connecticut Society, National, Texas Society

3rd: New York Society, Massachusetts Society, Sulgrave Manor

4th: North Carolina Society, National, Virginia Society

President’s Message

Dames: Dedicated and Determined

While we all yearn to be together again, until that time comes we understand that our work as Dames goes on in different but still important ways. In this issue you will be connected to some of the work being done now and the work accomplished many decades ago.

After years of telling the story of early American history individually through our historic house museums, we have organized our sites in a collection to show the public and ourselves, the depth and breadth of our collection countrywide through Great American Treasures (GAT). The impact of our preservation efforts through these sites extends beyond facilitating a greater understanding of our early American history and celebrating the achievements made by so many. It uplifts historic preservation and its value in teaching us about history that could not be told without these sites. Through our preservation work, we show a cultural legacy that can empower this generation and the next with the wisdom of our past.

Understanding history gives us the knowledge to give dimension to our past as well as a direction to the future. Our preservation efforts are one of the important connections to our past and the early history of our country. As President Lyndon Johnson once said, “a nation, like a person, not conscious of its own past, is adrift without purpose or protection against the contending forces of dissolution.”

The remarkable preservation efforts by the women in our country are extraordinary. We show our deep appreciation and gratitude to each woman who demonstrated her labors of love and of faith in her work for the NSCDA and our nation.

We are forever grateful.

God bless your families,

Katherine Taylor Cammack

PRESIDENT

Katherine Taylor Cammack

COMMUNICATIONS-MARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIR

Caroline Leake

EDITOR

Sonya Wolsey-Paige

COPY EDITORS

Margaret “Peggy” DeStefano

Marcy Moody

Jean Perkins

Susan Walker

ADVISORS

Ellen Boomer, Mimi Myer Hurst and Lee Scott

Email | Editorial Inquiries damesdiscovery@gmail.com

Website | nscda.org

Please follow the NSCDA on your favorite social media.

DamesDiscoveryis published in spring and fall for the benefit of members of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America.

Editorial deadlines:

February 1, spring issue; August 1, fall issue

DamesDiscoveryaccepts submissions from Corporate Societies. NSCDA assumes no responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed by contributing writers and artists. While every care is taken to ensure information is correct at time of going to press, it is subject to change, and NSCDA takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. NSCDA reserves the right to edit and place all content.

editor’s note

The Spring 2021 Dames Discovery showcases a sampling of our absolute best, geared to expanding and enriching dialogue with and about Dames. Thank you to all who submitted an array of topical articles for this issue. Without our contributors, Dames Discovery would not exist. I encourage every Society to submit content for future issues.

This issue is focused on the theme, “contemplating history: a sense of time and place.” As told here, we appreciate the tenacious women of vision whose legacies provide a foundation for us in the 21st century. Moreover, the historic honor of the NSCDA receiving the King’s Medal for Dames wartime service holds pride of place in our patriotic service archives.

Time has underscored the importance of relationships and connectivity, of empathy and kindness, and of integrity and resilience. We see this in our Society Circular, where across the regions our Corporate Societies inspire and give confidence in what we can accomplish together. The NSCDA’s Comprehensive Campaign celebrates our culture of philanthropy and generosity with purpose.

Challenges in conservation and interpretation of historic properties and collections manifest everywhere, no less for like-minded organizations such as the National Trust. This is a concern the NSCDA recognizes and addresses in part through its Attingham Scholarship program. A sense of time and place resonates as you enjoy articles on maps, historic markers and heritage. With a nod to genealogy, we hope you find meaning in continuity with our forebears, including discoveries through Victorian ephemera, cemeteries and heraldic bearings in coats of arms.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to read this spring 2021 compilation.

Sonya Wolsey-Paige

Above: The NSCDA Badge, colored pencil on film

Following, p. 3: Hydrangeas, watercolor on paper

Both by Claudia Eoline Stewart Lane, Illinois Society President

Back cover: The NSCDA Regions of the Corporate Societies, watercolor and ink illustration by Lou Wackes

2021

Subject to change

APRIL 5-7

Women in Preservation Symposium, Virtual

APRIL 28-29

Third Annual Day at Dumbarton, Virtual

SEPTEMBER 27-28

Audit & Finance Committee Meetings, Washington, DC

SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 1

Dumbarton House Board Meetings, Washington, DC

OCTOBER 1-3

Gunston Hall Meetings, Mason Neck, VA

OCTOBER 19-21

Friends of Sulgrave Manor, St. Louis, MO

OCTOBER 22-24

National Convention & National Board Meeting, St. Louis, MO

in MeMoriaM

NH-1024

Elizabeth Harllee Hays Terry (Mrs. Charles Lyman)

July 29, 1935-December 29, 2020

National Historian 1992, 1993

National Vice President 1994-1998

New Hampshire Society President 1989-1992

Roll of Honor 1994

Ancestor: Richard Buck (1623) VA

SC-417A MS-587

Virginia Alice Bookhart Patterson

November 10, 1938-February 8, 2021

Mississippi Society President 2008-2013

Ancestor: John James (c.1725) SC

MA-3603A NE-368

Anne Godfrey Thorne Weaver

May 17, 1933-November 23, 2020

Nebraska Society President 1985-1987

Roll of Honor 1989

Ancestor: John Howland (c.1592-1673) MA

Prairie Suffragist Jane Lillie Brooks

BY JOYCE ARTZ, KANSAS SOCIETY

Mrs. Charles H. Brooks (Jane Lillie Brooks), a member of the Kansas Society’s Wichita Town Committee, was born in 1867 in Marion, Iowa. She left a grand legacy for our Society through her activism in the women’s suffrage movement in Wichita.

Jane Lillie Brooks was the President of the Kansas Equal Suffrage Association of Women Voters (KESA). She was elected the first chairman of the National League of Women Voters when it was formed at the 50th convention of the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1919.

of the league, a contemporary stated, “She was attractive, able and not tarred up as an old suffrage warhorse.” She returned to Kansas from the 50th convention, dissolved the KESA and established the first local League of Women Voters in the country in Wichita. Jane Lillie attended the 1920 celebration in Washington, DC of the Proclamation of the 19th Amendment. Returning, she went on a mission and helped organize leagues all over Kansas and Nebraska at colleges.

CT 392, KS 25

Joined on June 14, 1910

Ancestor: Honorable Henry Wolcott (1578-1655) CT

NAWSA President Carrie Chapman Catt proposed the creation of “a league of women voters, to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation,” in her address. The league, which began operations within NAWSA, was made up of organizations in states where suffrage had already been attained. In 1912 Kansas had been the 9th state to approve the vote for women. After Jane Lillie was elected chairman

Through Jane Lillie’s legacy, she brings numerous family members to Dames membership. Her family line includes daughter-in-law Mrs. Hazel Carson Brooks; granddaughter Mrs. James Augustine; great granddaughter Mrs. Jane Augustine Swift - with Jane Swift a present member of the Georgia Society’s Marietta Town Committee; Mrs. James Luther Garver, her niece and the oldest member of the Wichita Town committee at 101 years of age; and great-niece Mrs. William Copeland.

Above: Jane Lillie Brooks (Wichita State University archives)

Jane Lillie Brooks (Mrs. C. H. Brooks) 1867-1945

Dames Save the Cabildo

BY CINDY FROMHERZ BUSH, LOUISIANA SOCIETY

The Cabildo, located on Jackson Square in New Orleans, is Louisiana’s most important historical building. Its history and that of the early Louisiana Dames are intertwined.

The existing structure, completed in 1799, replaced the original building destroyed in the Great Fire of 1788. It housed the Spanish municipal government; cabildo is the Spanish word for city council. In 1803, it was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies, through which the United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France. It was next home to New Orleans City Hall, or Hotel de Ville, in the predominantly French city. Various courts utilized its Sala Capitular (Main Hall) over the years, including the Louisiana Supreme Court. Plessy v. Ferguson and other landmark cases were argued there. Transferred to the State of Louisiana in 1908, it now showcases local history and culture.

By 1895, the Cabildo was in decay and proposed for demolition. Early Louisiana Dames were staunch preservationists. On May 15, 1899, the Board passed a resolution protesting “any such act” and advocating that the building be preserved as a museum for Colonial artifacts. These indomitable ladies did not stop there! Drawing on personal contacts, they launched a campaign of letters and visits to persuade civic leaders of the merits of its preservation. Their efforts are recognized as instrumental in saving the building.

In 1903 the Society donated a plaque marking the anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. In typical New Orleans fashion, the dedication was occasion for a party. The Dames connection to the Cabildo strengthened when in 1914 the Society leased space on its third floor as its first headquarters. The Historian’s Report states: “It has been the pride of the Society to furnish these rooms, to decorate them in the buff and blue of Colonial days, and to adorn the walls with relics of the past.”

Dames in the headlines, 1903 (Louisiana Society archives)

The Cabildo (1904 postcard)

Dames headquarters, c.1914 (Louisiana Society archives)

Bay State Preservation

COMPILED BY KATHERINE BERGHOLTZ, MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY

The “herstories” of three Dames who inspired the Massachusetts Society through their generous spirit, foresight and an appreciation of historic preservation. By doing so, they inspired future generations to share our treasures and house museums.

Webster Membership Certificate (Massachusetts Society archives)

Jane Hovey Webster (1870-1969)

by Elizabeth B. Eaton

Jane Webster spearheaded the acquisition, renovation and restoration of 55 Beacon Street, Boston in 1944 to serve as the Massachusetts Society’s headquarters. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964, the William Hickling Prescott House museum is open to members and the public for meetings, tours, lectures and events enabling people to congregate while enjoying an historic Beacon Hill town house. It houses the 7,000-piece Costume Collection and Society archives. Prescott House is named for the noted historian of late Renaissance Spain and the early Spanish Empire who lived there from 1845 to 1859. Eminent American architect Asher Benjamin designed the double bow-front, Boston Federal-style town house in 1808.

Jane served as Massachusetts Society President, Headquarters House Chairman and Sulgrave Manor Board Representative. During WWII the music room of her Dartmouth Street home was used for the Dames war efforts. With her husband Edwin, Jane benefited her community and their Edwin S. Webster Foundation continues to inspire through five generations.

Susan Martin Allien

(1862-1930)

by Katherine Bergholtz

Bequeathed to the Massachusetts Society in 1930 by Susan Allien, Martin House Farm is a 53-acre homestead in Swansea, Massachusetts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1728, it was lived in by members of the Martin family for over 200 years. Susan was a member of the New York Society and a pillar of the Riverdale, New York community. She and her husband summered at Martin House. During World War I, she was active in various relief organizations. Her patriotism was praised in 1917 after she made a donation for desperately needed hospital supplies. Visiting, one can see the compound including the fields that have been continuously cultivated for over 300 years along with her antiques collection. Her inspiration continues beyond the Dames to the local high school students who participate in our Living History Program as docents welcoming members of the public and local fifth graders yearly who quite often become our docents. This incredible gift inspires us to continually give back to the community as Susan Allien did.

Edith Greenough Wendell (1859-1938)

by Martha O’Connell and Barbara Armenta

Apassionate preservationist, Edith Greenough Wendell was a member of the Massachusetts Society and its President (1903-1923). In 1904, when urban development threatened the Dorothy Quincy Homestead, Edith saw value in the history and architecture of the Homestead. She encouraged the Massachusetts Society to purchase the property with the help of Quincy residents. Immediately, the Society transferred the ownership to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and entered into an agreement for this Society to retain management of the interior. A public-private partnership continues today, thus ensuring sustainable preservation of the site. Edith inspired Dames to restore the Homestead to reflect the lives of five generations of Quincys (including 1635 Puritan Edmund Quincy, Colonel John Quincy for whom the town of Quincy was named and Dorothy Quincy-Hancock, the first First Lady of Massachusetts). Her vision lit the torch that resulted in the Homestead receiving numerous awards including the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and the National Historic Landmark in 2005.

Above: Martin House

Top: Quincy Homestead gazebo, Edith Wendell on left, c.1904 (Massachusetts Society archives)

TIME Remembrances

BY CONSTANCE “STANZI” LUCY, COLORADO SOCIETY

The Colorado Society was incorporated in 1896 with twelve founding members. In its first decade, membership grew to 86 members and dues increased from $1 to $3. “The inflationary spiral had begun!” was the wry observation in a commemorative summation of the Society’s first hundred years. With these additional funds and the fervor of new members, the Society decided to present a memorial to the State of Colorado. Under the guidance of founding Society President Mrs. Francis Goddard, a sundial was built and installed on the West Lawn of the State Capitol in Denver to celebrate the Society’s 10th anniversary in 1906. It fulfilled a need for tangible witness of the Dames in Colorado.

Thanks to coordinates on an aerial map, a recent winter expedition of intrepid Dames successfully located this long-lost sundial, which had since been relocated and seen better years. Colorado Dames plan to employ the latest in technology by utilizing a 3-D printer to create the emblem replacement, and a foundry will produce a similar sundial to replace the one missing from the top of the pedestal.

As the Colorado Society celebrates its quasquicentennial in 2021, plans are underway to restore the sundial to its previous glory and have a commemorative celebration to honor its illustrious, 125-year history.



Colorado Society emblem (the State Society seal) as it appears on the rediscovered sundial; only metal casting remnants remain affixed, perhaps due to aging and the elements

Pedestal bears inscription “Presented to State of Colorado by the Colonial Dames to Commemorate their 10th Anniversary 1906”

Tableau where original 1906 sundial had been placed, with drill holes and Latin inscription still evident

Photos by Stanzi Lucy

Society Circular

NEWS & VIEWS ACROSS THE REGIONS

Caro Williams

VICE PRESIDENT RESIDING IN REGION I

arizona, california, colorado, hawaii, KanSaS, nebraSKa, nevada, oregon, waShington, wyoming

The ten Region I Corporate Societies have passed many milestones since COVID-19 overran the US in 2020, and they have done so with terrific grace under pressure! Some Societies picked up virtual meetings quickly, and others took one step at a time to suit their membership. All those technological moves were herculean in terms of progress for the organization in this region. The new way of connecting virtually yielded the greatest attendance for any Biennial meeting, and the highest percentage of attendees came from Region I. The distance factor vaporized when we could all be “in the room.” What a dynamic point of activation for these Societies! A milestone, indeed.

Important anniversaries also took place, including some that just happened to fall in a tough year. California persevered and celebrated its 125th, via Zoom with 80 in attendance, on September 17, 2020. Kansas celebrated an anniversary on May 4th with its 115th, as did Washington with its 110th and Nevada with its 10th. Some Societies were lucky to slip through to 2021 to hit their “round” anniversaries. Colorado will fête its 125th as will Arizona its 60th on Founders’ Day, and Hawaii turns 35! So much to celebrate, and fingers are crossed in the hope that some of it will be in-person. Stay tuned, since Nebraska, Wyoming and Oregon will all hit milestone anniversaries in 2023.

Amid all the uncertainty, many Societies started drumming up new prospective members while they stayed home. Five of this region’s ten Societies have gone from new member droughts to multiple new candidates in one year. Two Societies are almost at double digits for candidates! And, to keep members engaged, Washington playfully used Daisy Dame (based on Flat Stanley), and Washington Dames enjoyed seeing where Daisy Dame would show up next in photos around the state. Fabulous ingenuity.

The Dames in Region I have maintained their focus, and they look forward to increased connectivity and success in 2021. 

Mona-Tate Powell

VICE PRESIDENT RESIDING IN REGION II

illinoiS, indiana, iowa, KentucKy, michigan, minneSota, miSSouri, ohio, wiSconSin

Region II presidents are enthusiastic about their Societies’ current activities and future plans. They look forward to a happier year as they move into a positive and productive period. These presidents are determined to find ways to seek out younger members and revitalize local leadership through innovative program choices and alignment with the interests of younger members. They also seek to join with other organizations, such as the Colonial Warriors, for both planned and spontaneous events.

Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin Dames eagerly anticipate celebrating their 125th anniversaries with varied events being planned. The Illinois Society is collaborating with other local organizations on programs and joint events, with a special emphasis on program diversity. The Indiana Society is attempting to have “meatier” programs and partnership involvement. Indiana Dames have partnered with a homeless veterans group, Helping Veterans And Families (HVAF). This volunteer effort greatly appeals to younger members. Dames are encouraged to bring friends to events in order to add youthful participation.

The Michigan Society enjoyed healthy attendance at Game Night presentations and other activities. Registrar forms are being used as a source for approaching members for service on committees, as well as a survey on membership. Minnesota Dames continue to support museum houses throughout the state, while Wisconsin Dames are planning for springtime events. A video presentation on YouTube was created telling the Wisconsin Society’s history and its many accomplishments over the years. It is an excellent model for all Societies’ future consideration. The Missouri Society is busy planning for the October National Convention in St. Louis.

Kentucky Dames have remained engaged through book club meetings. Essential renovations to the porch at Liberty Hall are also well under way. This Society has merged the boards of its two museums, Liberty Hall Historic Site and The Orlando Brown House. Through Liberty Hall Historic Site, the Society is now seeking accreditation for both The Orlando Brown House and Liberty Hall from the American Alliance of Museums. This move has invigorated its membership. The Bourbon and Browns, a cocktail supper and auction that is a primary fundraiser for the Kentucky Society, has been a resounding success. In the words of the Kentucky President, “Our greatest resources are our own people and for us to be together!”

Mimi Myer Hurst

VICE PRESIDENT RESIDING IN REGION III

alabama, arKanSaS, florida, georgia, louiSiana, miSSiSSippi, north carolina, oKlahoma, South carolina, tenneSSee, texaS

The year 2020 was one that none of us had experienced, due to a pandemic! It was also a year of learning. The 11 Region III Societies’ Dames and their presidents used the “Dame” three Rs Resolve, Reinvention and Resilience to learn and adapt greatly during 2020 and beyond!

By fall as the typical schedule of meetings and activities began, most Societies were using new meeting platforms to connect. Dames continued their work and camaraderie with virtual connections for everything old and new. Presidents saw a silver lining with virtual meetings, especially statewide, because these yielded higher attendance thanks to less travel time. The South Carolina Society utilized Zoom for various meetings including its new member orientation and adapted host Columbia Town Committee’s Midland program for its spring virtual Annual Meeting. New, innovative ideas are occurring in Societies like virtual trivia history contests among Dame groups and virtual open meetings with guest speakers. The North Carolina Society shared information and items to sell that were virus related. They had cotton masks made in the same print as the silk state scarf. Masks were sold and proceeds will benefit the Society. A North Carolina Dame, who is a retired physician, gave a Zoom presentation on COVID-19 and answered questions. While these adaptations were and are successful, the return to face-to-face gatherings is eagerly anticipated!

Their activities evolved, too! Young Dames of the Arkansas Society saw record collections in their annual drive for veterans, with socks, masks, on-line orders and checks dropped off at designated houses. The Tennessee Society changed the collection method for veterans to become the choice of the Town Committee. All were successful helping veterans in different ways. The Mississippi Society held its annual holiday celebration as an event on the front porch rather than inside The Oaks House Museum and the public attended. The Alabama Society is continuing with the final stage of completion

of the Memorial Park installation of a statue honoring a WWI veteran. The Louisiana Society took advantage of fewer activities and used this time for Dames to work, socially distanced, on restoring the Louisiana House gardens after Hurricane Laura.

Looking to 2021, undeterred, the Societies’ previously planned activities have, with perseverance, been reshaped for pandemic protocols. The Oklahoma Society sponsors a one-day event, Colonial Day at the Capitol, for fifth graders in Oklahoma City. In 2021 the event will be virtual from February 5 to March 12. This year it is expected that 5,000 students and 165 teachers throughout Oklahoma can view a series of webinars, lesson plans and activities that have been organized by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in cooperation with several other entities. The Texas Society will honor J.P. Bryan with its Award for Distinction in Historic Preservation at a virtual gala event, A Texas Tribute on April 7. The Georgia Society will continue the Georgia Dames Day celebration on February 26, but this year it will be broadcast live from Abercorn House, Georgia headquarters, via Zoom with a guest of honor, National President Katherine Cammack, and special programming. The Georgia governor, in 2018, proclaimed every subsequent February 26th as Georgia Dames Day. The Florida Society planned an antique/vintage auction for March and shifted it to an on-line auction event called Auction for Action, on March 17 through 22. They secured an event sponsor that allowed the cost of the on-line auction service to be underwritten. The Tennessee Society will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2021 and is keeping the date fluid for a time when an in-person event can occur!

We will all celebrate when in-person meetings, gatherings and activities can occur! Until that time, Dames in Region III will continue to learn and practice the “Dame” three Rs Resolve, Reinvention and Resilience.

Editor’s note: article submitted February 2021 

Ellen Boomer

VICE PRESIDENT RESIDING IN REGION IV

connecticut, delaware, diStrict of columbia, maine, maryland, maSSachuSettS, new hampShire, new jerSey, new yorK, pennSylvania, rhode iSland, vermont, virginia, weSt virginia

The 14 Corporate Societies in Region IV are making the best of the pandemic. Many presidents used the forced hibernation this past year to work on strategic planning, mission statements and governance, sharpening their virtual meeting skills in the process. Technology has allowed Corporate Societies to stay connected to their members and to offer virtual programs to a wider audience.

This spring the DC Society will host two virtual lectures: one is focused on “Women in America Since Suffrage,” with author Elisabeth “Betsy” Griffith; and the second is about the Mount Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Memorial Park, which abuts Dumbarton House and serves as the burial grounds for thousands of enslaved and free African Americans. The Maine Society and its Tate House Museum sponsored a program about the restoration of the Mayflower reproduction. The Pennsylvania Society oversaw the hiring and administrative supervision of a National History Day (NHD) Fellow, a talented Smith College senior and former NHD Philly award winner, who provided logistical and administrative support.

The New York Society’s Van Cortlandt House, which is open to self-guided tours, undertook a project to interpret the house’s attic as slave quarters. Based on academic research and historical data, the attic is sparse: bunks and a few personal items but no heat or light source. The Vermont Dames held their inaugural book group where they discussed The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd, which is based on the true story of Eliza Lucas, a young girl who ran her family’s South Carolina plantation in the mid-18th century. The Virginia Society’s Blue Ridge Committee helped the Ivy Creek Natural Area, once the home of former slave, Hugh Carr and his family, in the building of and the redoing of the interpretive panels placed inside a new kiosk. The West Virginia Society held a live performance of a reenactor portraying a female Revolutionary War officer. The staff at West Virginia’s Craik-Patton House created a YouTube video highlighting the Civil War era black powder shotgun from their museum collection, the first in a larger video series that features individual objects from the museum.

The Region IV members are counting the days until we see each other in St. Louis this fall! 

Membership Committee: Bags & Bows

Monogrammed quilted bags containing polka-dot bows are available, at no cost, to Corporate Societies and their Town or County Committees, as a gentle way of welcoming Young Dames and new members at gatherings. If your Society would like to offer this charming embellishment to name tags at meetings, contact Margo Barry at damesdiscovery@gmail.com.

PUSHED APART, PULLING TOGETHER

As the pandemic bore down, Corporate Societies responded to ever-changing circumstances pitted against an enigmatic timeline. With spirit and determination, we applied to this period of improvisation the full range of our imagination. Across regions, challenges were met with a great deal of empathy, pragmatism and collegiality - a heartening reminder of the core values we share. The commitment and creativity from Corporate Societies has left us with nothing short of total admiration for the NSCDA.

Center: Our elusive Daisy Dame with Santa (Washington Society)

Clockwise, from top left: Building and restoration at Ivy Creek Natural Area, Blue Ridge Committee (Virginia Society); two views of ongoing restoration at Liberty Hall Historic Site (Kentucky Society); Alabama Dame Julie Goyer with donations for veterans; Texas Society invitation for virtual tribute; Illinois Dames Chris Gretchko, Mary Carter, Priscilla Barlow and Jean Perkins; Florida Society on-line auction invitation; and Arkansas Young Dames Mary Katherine Hastings and Elizabeth Ivory with donations for veterans

Compiled by Susan Walker Messaging Chair, NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign & National Corresponding Secretary

The “hope that springs eternal” has arrived, and we are completing the Comprehensive Campaign in typical Dames style with enthusiasm and generosity that has surpassed our dreams. As Saint Francis of Assisi famously stated, “For it is in giving that we receive.” That is true for us, personally, and for our Society as one of the first and finest preservation organizations in our country. We are so grateful for all our donors and volunteers who have ensured that our mission is supported and can remain strong. We salute you!

Campaign Exceeds $10 Million Goal

At the completion of our NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign, it is with great pleasure that I celebrate you, our donors and volunteers, and what we have accomplished together for our National Society!

We funded Great American Treasures; we increased programs and support for Patriotic Service and Historical Activities; and we expanded training and support of our Corporate Societies and National leaders. We have funded our National Headquarters and Museum Home, Dumbarton House, which serves as an example and resource for best practices in preservation, education and collections management. It ensured that our future will remain every bit as vital to America’s tomorrow as it is today by funding our Museum Grant Fund and increasing our National Headquarters/Dumbarton House Fund for the Future to over $2 million!

Together, we have accomplished all this and more because of our culture of philanthropy and your connection of generosity with purpose. Thank you, wonderful Dames across our wonderful country!

Stuart Cobb Honorary Chair, NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign & NSCDA President 2004-2008

Edith Stickney Chair, NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign

Ann Thompson and Ellen Boomer with Washington Workshop participants

Stuart Cobb and Edith Stickney

Lynn Goldsmith

Major Gifts Chair for West Virginia, NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign & President, NSCDA-WV

I have met so many strong women at Biennial and National Board meetings who believe in and support the mission of the NSCDA, both as volunteers and with their financial resources. So, when I was asked to serve as West Virginia’s Major Gifts Chair, what could I say, but “yes” to these women who were already committed to the goals of the Comprehensive Campaign.

Laura Roberts President, NSCDA-TN

As a Corporate Society President, I am acutely aware of how a stronger National Society strengthens all of us. The Tennessee Society was honored to contribute to the Comprehensive Campaign and join a golden thread of Dames who have supported this organization for generations. Just as those earlier Dames left us a wonderful legacy, we will be a part of providing a lasting legacy for future generations through the work of our State Societies and our National Society.

Avery Jenkins NSCDA-ME and

Winston Jenkins NSCDA-MS

As our American history is being reexamined, we felt it was imperative that we support the Comprehensive Campaign in a significant and meaningful way. For if each of us does not take responsibility for preserving accurate American history through historic preservation, patriotic service and education, then who will? After all, we are the NSCDA!

Isabel Wallop

Chair, NSCDA Development Committee & President, NSCDA-WY

The NSCDA is now recognized by our members and the public as a visible and effective NATIONAL organization, and we have laid the foundation for continued success in raising funds for our projects and programming.

Young Dames Francie Logan with Caro Williams

American Indian Nurse Scholarship recipient, Kyle Durant

2019-2020 NatioNal Board

A Comprehensive Campaign-funded Initiative

BY CATHERINE NUZUM, DUMBARTON HOUSE CURATOR SAMANTHA HATTON, DUMBARTON HOUSE COLLECTIONS MANAGER SAMANTHA DORSEY, NSCDA PROGRAMS MANAGER

In 1853, Louisa Bird Cunningham saw the deteriorated state of George Washington’s Mount Vernon and wrote to her daughter, Ann Pamela Cunningham, “If the men of America have seen fit to allow the home of its most respected hero to go to ruin, why can’t the women of America band together to save it?”

Ann took her mother’s words to heart and before the year was out, she established the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the nation’s first private preservation organization.

While first, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association by no means stands as the only preservationminded women’s organization. Our own NSCDA constitution states that “The objects of this Society shall be to preserve and restore buildings connected with the early history of our country.” And that is exactly what the NSCDA has done for 130 years.

From April 5 to April 7, the virtual Women in Preservation Symposium celebrated a legacy forged by women. From 1853 to present day, women have stepped forward as volunteers, contractors, specialists,

researchers and activists in the name of preservation. The Symposium which was held in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and with generous support from the NSCDA Comprehensive Campaign put the work of those women preservationists on display to a nationwide audience.

Over 30 speakers from across the country discussed the history of the preservation movement, conservation, preservation as a field for everyone, advocacy and activism in preservation, future preservationists, legal issues and language preservation. In addition to a phenomenal lineup of panelists, the program benefited from three compelling keynote speakers: Lonnie G. Bunch, III, 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Carol B. Cadou, Charles F. Montgomery Director and CEO of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library; and Leslie Green Bowman, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. The festivities were complemented by a series of videos which highlighted important and relevant objects in the Smithsonian’s vast collections.

B.

LesLie green BowMan preSident, thomaS jefferSon foundation (courteSy monticello)

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Cadou director and ceo, winterthur muSeum, garden & library (photo by bob leitch)

Lonnie g. BunCh, iii Secretary, SmithSonian inStitution (courteSy the SmithSonian)

Notes from National Meet the Curator

BY CATHERINE NUZUM

Six years (and counting) with the NSCDA: On October 22, 2014, I began unbeknownst to me at the time a six-year professional odyssey with the NSCDA. If you have followed my NSCDA – Dumbarton House journey over the years, you will not be surprised to hear that I have entered into a fifth position within the organization. That is what happens when you find a place that you love.

My first role was that of NSCDA Membership Assistant, which eventually became NSCDA Membership Coordinator. I was often the first voice you heard when you called Dumbarton House. My shortest role Museums & Archives Assistant came next. Though it only lasted for six months, that position gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the Dumbarton House collection and the NSCDA archives, while simultaneously allowing me to be a “help desk” to NSCDA museum colleagues across the country. The experience of working with NSCDA affiliated museums led naturally to my next

role as Curator of Special Projects for the NSCDA. I enjoyed that position for three years and had the chance to travel to a number of Corporate Societies and NSCDA properties to promote the Great American Treasures program.

This fifth role is perhaps the most exciting and fulfilling yet as I find myself back at my professional and academic roots. And, for the first time, my job focuses squarely on Dumbarton House. I am the new Curator for the museum.

As my gaze shifts from the NSCDA to focus on the museum, I am able to see and appreciate Dumbarton House with almost fresh eyes. Now, when I cast my eyes around the gloriously green dining room or take a spin through the temporary exhibition galleries, I realize that I have the responsibility of continuing a legacy of scholarship and understanding of our past that has existed at Dumbarton House since the NSCDA opened it as a museum in 1932. It is a legacy that I am thrilled to be a part of.

ANCESTOR’S ALMANAC

Coats of Arms

Nourse, Washington, Mason

DuMbarton houSe

BY CATHERINE NUZUM, DUMBARTON HOUSE CURATOR

Prominently displayed in the visitor center at Dumbarton House is a large silver ladle from c.1781-83. Why is this ladle, which is one of the first objects that visitors see when they enter the museum, so important? It did not belong to just anyone. This ladle likely belonged to the Nourse family, which is the family that is interpreted at Dumbarton House. We believe this for three reasons: the ladle was manufactured just prior to

the marriage of Joseph and Maria Nourse and then passed through the family for generations before coming into the possession of a living Nourse descendant; an “N” is imprinted on the back of the handle; and, crucially, the front of the ladle bears a portion of the Nourse coat of arms.

We do not know a great deal about the Nourse coat of arms, but we do know what it looks like, along with a few other key details. The formal heraldic description of the coat of arms is “Gules a Fess between two Chevrons Argent with a Crest of an Arm embowed vested Azure cuffed Argent grasping in the hand a snake vert environed around the Arm.”

For those needing to brush up on heraldry, a simpler description is that the coat of arms shows an upraised arm grasping an entwined serpent set over an armored head from which flows lush acanthus leaves, all of which frames a shield featuring two chevrons separated by a belt of honor. Some versions of the coat of arms are accompanied by the family motto, Virtu non Artificio (By Courage, not by Cunning). It is a grand symbol that was officially granted on May 27, 1629 to John Nourse of Chilling Place, Joseph Nourse’s 5thgreat-grandfather.

The next time you visit Dumbarton House, be sure to take a peek at the ladle, which bears this symbol that has carried almost 400 years’ worth of Nourse family history.

This page

Above: John Nourse’s coat of arms

Left: Silver ladle, c.1781-83, Dumbarton House

Following, p. 19

Above: Washington crest at Sulgrave Manor

Below: George Mason book plate, Gunston Hall

Sulgrave Manor

BY CAROLINE HAZARD GOEDHART, JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SULGRAVE MANOR TRUST

In 1592, Lawrence Washington of Sulgrave Manor had conferred upon him by Robert Cook, Clarenceux King of Arms, the coat of arms that we know today. It consisted of a silver background with two red bars and three red mullets (the heraldic term for stars). Lawrence Washington is an ancestor of George Washington. A slightly different version with the two bars and three mullets was seen as early as 1346, although in a different color.

These details were confirmed to George Washington in a letter dated December 7, 1791 from Sir Isaac Heard,

Garter Principal King of Arms of the College of Arms in London in which he also enclosed a copy of the heraldic coat of arms design.

Lasting tributes to George Washington in the form of the continued design influence of the family coat of arms can be found in both the District of Columbia and in Virginia. The flag of the District of Columbia employs the design from the coat of arms. The Purple Heart Medal contains the shield of the Washington coat of arms at the top of the pendant.

gunSton hall

BY NANCY MCATEER, FIRST REGENT OF THE BOARD OF GUNSTON HALL, INC.

In 1784 George Mason IV sent a drawing of his coat of arms with instructions to Joshua Johnson, a business associate residing in London. Directing Johnson, Mason wrote, “The Mason arms of the Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, and the Thompson arms of Yorkshire quartered together, with the motto, Pro Republica Semper (The Republic Forever), are to be engraved on such pieces of silver as will properly admit of it, and the crest of the said arms upon the other pieces.” This memorandum was to be conveyed to a London

silversmith engaged to make four tea sets for Mason’s daughters. Mason had changed his coat of arms motto after the Revolutionary War from Pro Patria Semper (Always for Country) to the above. For this reason an update for the new plate was necessary. Several pieces of the tea sets survive and can be seen at Gunston Hall.

Little is known about the elements chosen for the Mason coat of arms. It is understood that it was a combination of heraldry from two ancestral lines.

The USS Gunston Hall is a Navy dock landing ship. It earned eighteen battle stars in WWII and the Korean War. The ship participated in the 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll and played a part in the 1955 evacuation of 800,000 refugees from North Vietnam. The USS Gunston Hall’s shield integrates elements chosen from George Mason’s coat of arms and Mason family history. Defending the Constitution is the shield’s motto, recalling Mason’s seminal Virginia Declaration of Rights and the United States Constitution Bill of Rights.

CARTOGRAPHY

BY MOLLY JORDAN CAREY AND ELIZABETH STEELE FORMAN, VIRGINIA SOCIETY

Cartography is more than just the science or practice of drawing maps. It is also an exquisite art of ever-changing skills that utilize the latest technology. The earliest known maps of the world, dating from 600 BCE, were drawn on clay tablets in ancient Babylon. Every civilization since has produced its version of maps on a variety of media, documenting its own spaces and territories as well as those of its allies and enemies. These maps are important historical documents, for they record the political, economic and cultural realities of those periods.

One of these historic cultural

realities is that women traditionally have been subordinate to men. This position of subservience consequently limited their available vocations, including work in the field of cartography. However, records of the last millennium show positive changes that unfolded through the years. They clearly indicate that women gradually became involved in all aspects of cartography, albeit through the back door and not the front. Their work was done in the background without much recognition or celebration.

The earliest known map by a female cartographer is the Ebstorf Map

(c.1234), which recorded religious and ethnographic information of the European ages (rather than navigational diagrams) and is attributed to the nuns of Ebstorf, a town in northern Germany. With the golden age of cartography in the 16th and 17th centuries, women came to the profession through family-owned cartography businesses. They were engravers, cartouche artists, colorists and book binders who signed their works with initials instead of names to hide their gender from the buying public.

Since the 20th century, women have greatly advanced the field of

cartography. A woman was the first to successfully map the dark side of the moon. Other female-led efforts include London’s iconic A to Z maps, CIA/US strategy-intelligence cartography planning and the first scientific map of the ocean floor.

When the Virginia Society decided to create a scarf and shawl, its Dames wanted to think “outside the box.” How could one tell the story of being the first permanent settlement in the New World and the first English colony? Maps! Nothing could tell this story more accurately or more attractively. Traditionally framed and used in home décor for decades, map designs have been found most recently in the worlds of fashion and interior design. As a matter of fact, maps were on the fashion runways of Europe when this scarf was designed!

For its scarf, the Society highlighted the first documented map of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries

created by John Smith in 1612. Smith recorded findings from his extensive explorations of the Bay as well as knowledge given to him by local Powhatan Indians, who had been producing their own maps for generations.

Smith’s A Map of Virginia became the prototype for multiple iterations produced throughout Europe over the next century. These maps became early marketing tools for the colony, as they told the story of a precious new place, expressing geographic information, English place names, Algonkian village names, rivers and tribe locations. The story lives on through The Virginia Scarf, a fall/ winter wardrobe staple featuring the map creatively accented with a neutral, leopard-motif border.

The concept for the Celebration Shawl was to offer a fun fashion design on a larger scale for spring and summer, while highlighting

additional early Virginia maps. Five maps important to Virginia settlers were strategically placed to create a map collage. The Society specifically chose the 1650 John Ferrar map of Virginia as the base map because his daughter Virginia was heavily involved in its creation. She revised the map derivatives five times, eventually gaining full authorship. The four remaining maps were chosen for their historical and artistic values. The Virginia and Maryland title cartouche is from the Fry-Jefferson map of 1753, and since the Virginia Society’s Wilton House Museum owns a copy of this map, we were especially proud to include it!

Further details, including the names of the Virginia Dames who designed the scarf and shawl, may be found on the Virginia Society website, www.nscdava.org/shop/.

Above: Celebration Shawl

Right: The Virginia Scarf

NEW CENTURY, NEW CHALLENGES at the NATIONAL TRUST

BY PAULA HENDERSON, ILLINOIS SOCIETY

The United Kingdom, especially England, is well known for its magnificent country houses. Because of primogeniture (the ancient rule by which the whole estate is passed to the eldest son), a remarkable number of these houses have remained in the hands of the families who built them, some over 500 years ago. Neither land nor the valuable contents of houses were sold off. Over time, however, some families could not afford the enormous expense of maintaining their houses, particularly after the Second World War, when death duties were exceptionally high.

During this period, many houses (some of great historical and architectural importance) were simply demolished. One solution for an owner was to continue living in the house but open it occasionally to the fee-paying public. (Or to people “of the right sort” – there were aristocratic ‘tourists’ visiting great houses in the 16th century and we all know about Elizabeth

Bennet visiting Pemberley with the Gardiners.) Some houses just opened when they needed to pay for repairs.

A more drastic solution was to hand the house and land over to the National Trust, which had been founded in 1895 to “promote the permanent preservation for the benefit of the Nation of lands and tenements [buildings] of beauty or historic interest.” Although perhaps best known for its great aristocratic houses, the Trust is also one of the largest landowners in the UK and has an enormous budget. Pre-pandemic, its annual income was over £600 million from entrance fees, membership subscriptions (members get free entry into all properties), donations and support from a number of other organizations, including the government. But just like the original owners of the houses, the National Trust has enormous expenses maintaining these large houses, their gardens and also the great expanses of countryside that they own.

t he ns C da a ttingha M s C ho L arshi P and the n ationa L t rust : Many National Trust properties participate in the British-based Attingham Summer School, which is an intensive 18-day residential program that provides students unprecedented access to the collections and landscapes of countless English country houses. In 2013 the NSCDA established the NSCDA Attingham Scholarship to support staff participation in the program, thereby also supporting NSCDA-affiliated museums in their collections and interpretive work. The professionals that benefit from the NSCDA scholarship bring invaluable knowledge and contacts back to their respective museums.

For many years, visiting a country house was a favorite activity for English families, who could spend an entire day enjoying the gardens, the park and walking through the house itself to admire the beautiful furnishings and magnificent works of art. Eventually owners of houses added “attractions” to make their houses more appealing (and hopefully more sustainable).

In 1966, the owner of Longleat House in Wiltshire (the Marquess of Bath, direct descendant of Sir John Thynne, who built Longleat in the second half of the 16th century) created the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa to add to the experience of visiting one of the finest Elizabethan houses in the country and its gardens and park, which had been re-landscaped in the 18th century by “Capability” Brown. Needless to say, others including the National Trust had to up their game: picnicking areas, coffee shops and restaurants, gift shops, playgrounds, fairs, musical performances and many other entertainments proliferated.

Despite these added attractions, in the early years of the 21st century visitor numbers began to decline. For

non-members, the day became increasingly expensive. Younger couples had less interest in “brown furniture” and might be happy to visit the gardens or exercise in the park, but not to pay the full entrance fee that included the house. Attempts to make the houses more relevant included opening the service areas to show how and by whom the house was run: kitchens, laundries, stables and other “out buildings” provided a diversion from what was increasingly seen as the “elitist” and exclusionary main rooms of the house. This “upstairs, downstairs” approach was a successful addition to the visitor’s experience.

Far more controversial is the fact that a number of National Trust houses were originally built from profits earned in the slave trade or from the “exploitation” of British colonies, something they will now emphasize (even Sir Winston Churchill’s Chartwell is implicated). Some applaud the Trust’s mission to be more inclusive; others see it as an unnecessary reinterpretation of history. Because of all these issues, the National Trust (and private owners of country houses) will definitely find the future challenging.

Opposite, p. 22

Blenheim Palace, oil on canvas by Sir Winston S. Churchill © Churchill Heritage Ltd

This page, clockwise from top:

Chastleton House, where the field rules of croquet were first codified by former resident, Walter Whitemore Jones

Ham House, one of the great Stuart Houses, in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames Longleat House, the Wiltshire home of the Marquess of Bath

Preserving KEEPSAKES

BY MARIAN BLISS, ANN CRICHTON AND JANIS HORNE, CALIFORNIA SOCIETY

SHARING A 150-YEAR-OLD TREASURE

One of the treasures in the California Society Octagon House Museum archives is a 150-year-old scrapbook that belonged to Emma Eliza McElroy, daughter of the original owners of the 1861 Octagon House in San Francisco. A typical Victorian woman’s scrapbook, it contains, among other things, dried flowers and leaves, sentimental illustrations and newspaper clippings of all kinds that date from 1869 to at least 1888. The scrapbook provides a fascinating glimpse into its owner and Victorian culture. Previously, the scrapbook was rarely displayed due to its extremely fragile condition. Leveraging digital technology and latest best practices for preservation, Registrar Marian Bliss beautifully photographed the entire scrapbook for viewing on the California Society website. An accompanying introduction further enhances this digital exhibit. It has been exciting for California Dames to discover how technology can be used to preserve and share a previously inaccessible treasure in its archives.

PHOTOGRAPHY PRO TIPS

Photographing antique books or other small objects is challenging. However, when done with care and respect for the object, one can produce rewarding images for posterity.

• Wear white cotton gloves when handling the pages in very old books.

• Angle and hold the camera in a way that prevents all movement and visual distortion. This requires using a copy stand, a level and a cable release.

• Use a weight carefully placed on the page to allow it to lie flat and not obstruct any significant part of the page. Some books, particularly those that are old and rarely opened, have stiff and often brittle pages. Some pages will not lie flat while you take a photo. Carefully remove the weight from the page after getting the photo.

• Load the images on a computer and use Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or other photo editing software to edit the images. This includes cropping the images to the desired size, removing from the photo any weights used to hold pages flat and doing any needed color correction.

Above: equipment used by Marian Bliss: Fujifilm X-T3 Digital Camera with a 16–55mm zoom lens mounted on copy stand, along with cable release, level and gloves

Left: Emma Eliza McElroy’s scrapbook

halloweD, hiStoriC Mount Zion Cemetery

BY SARAH DEMAREST, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SOCIETY

Next door to Dumbarton House, directly east of the parking lot, is a 220-yearold cemetery that for decades has been hidden in plain sight. The predominantly African American Mount Zion-Female Union Band Society Cemetery is the final resting place of thousands, many of whom lived, worked and were enslaved in Georgetown. An existing building on the property was likely a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the cemetery is designated as a UNESCO Slave Route Project “Site of Memory.” Active until the mid1900s, the cemetery had fallen into disrepair for many reasons, some of which relate to racial injustices that have similarly affected historic Black cemeteries around the country. Overgrown, and with toppled gravestones strewn over the site, developers attempted to purchase the land, which abuts the prestigious, predominantly white, Oak Hill Cemetery. Fortunately, after a many years-long struggle involving activists and descendants of those buried

there, the cemetery is now owned and maintained by the nonprofit Mount Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Memorial Park. Its current president is Neville Waters III, a sixth-generation Georgetown resident whose ancestors are interred at Mount Zion.

With its nonprofit in place, the DC Society’s Board and Historical Activities Committee are thrilled to be taking concrete steps to help their Mount Zion neighbors advance their goals. For example, in the past year, the DC Society donated $6,000 for grounds maintenance and connected cemetery leadership with local schools for its Headstones and History program in which students uncovered meaningful details about many free and enslaved African Americans buried there. DC Dames are exploring hands-on, on-site

opportunities to volunteer, and on Martin Luther King Day, DC Society President Bunny Muir attended the unveiling of the cemetery’s National Register of Historic Places plaque.

While great strides have been made in recent years, there is still much to do. Vincent DeForest, a key champion of Mount Zion reiterated, “Death reflects life, it’s not separate and apart.” The DC Society hopes to play even a small role in those buried at Mount Zion being at long last properly known and honored.

Mount Zion’s dynamic Executive Director, Lisa Fager, has worked tirelessly toward meeting the organization’s goals of restoring the site and educating the public about its history. Lisa will speak at an upcoming DC Society virtual meeting.

Above, L-R: DC Dames Anne Randolph, Bunny Muir and Mia Grosjean are joined by Neville Waters III; restoration efforts, before and after

oDD FellowS, Not So ODD

HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS BY MARGARET “PEGGY” DESTEFANO, COLORADO SOCIETY

Is it “odd” to want to help other people in need? Or, was it “odd” to pursue projects for the betterment of mankind? People in 1730 in London, England perhaps thought so. Hence, when the original group was called odd they decided they were proud to be “odd” and they officially took the name: Odd Fellows.

A fellow from Maryland began the organization of Odd Fellows in America. Thomas Wildey and four members of the Order from England instituted Washington Lodge No. 1 and received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England in 1819.

My first awareness of the Odd Fellows happened when two of my sisters and I (all Dames) visited the graves of our grandparents and great-grandparents. I noticed the graveyards were “Odd Fellow” cemeteries.

We were excited to visit graves of our ancestors. We discovered the beautiful grave sculpture devoted to our long-ago cousins, three girls who died within a year of each other from cholera. We found the grave of our family’s War of 1812 soldier (whose own father fought in the American Revolution) and the grave of our Civil War soldier, who had died of starvation shortly after his release in 1865 from Andersonville prison following the Civil War. He was 28 years old. My great-grandfather (a favorite of mine), who died at the ripe old age of 92 in 1955, is there, too. So are my grandparents, who were not just Odd Fellow members but were Masons/Eastern Star members.

As a result of this excursion, I have found that cemeteries are the keepers of our history.

The Odd Fellows and their female counterparts, the Rebekahs, were

the first organizations to establish homes for widows and orphaned children. With the different diseases (now COVID, then the plague) and the wars being fought, there were many of them. Another important responsibility they took upon themselves was to bury the dead. Many cemeteries in the world have been created by the Odd Fellows.

Since 1730 the fraternity has remained religiously and politically independent. The Independent Order of the Odd Fellows (IOOF) is one of the earliest fraternal societies. Odd Fellowship is non-partisan, non-sectarian and welcoming of all people without regard to religion, race, gender, sexual orientation and national origin. They believe in improving the quality of people’s lives through friendship, care and charitable support.

The IOOF continues in the 21st century with lodges around the world and claims to be the “largest united international fraternal order in the world under one head,” with every lodge working with the Sovereign Grand Lodge located in the United States.

Left: contemporary stone adjacent to original graveside marker

Photo by Peggy DeStefano

WARTIME DAMES in PATRIOTIC SERVICE

FROM THE ARCHIVES

BY SALLY CONNELLY,

NATIONAL HISTORIAN

Gertrude Herrick Low (18821972) was the wartime President of the NSCDA. She became President of the National Society in 1941, the same year Pearl Harbor was bombed and just months after the Dames had celebrated their Golden Jubilee in the spring.

She led the Society’s vast wartime and post-war relief efforts between 1941 and 1948 and, as their representative, received the King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom on board the S.S. Queen Elizabeth on February 10, 1948. That evening the British General Consul at New York, Sir Francis Evans pinned a ribbon on her in appreciation of Colonial Dames support for the British War Relief, the Eagle Officers Club in London, U.S. Army libraries, a Fort Custer Day Room and the Ketchikan, Alaska USO.

Due to a post-war metal shortage in Great Britain, no actual medal was presented that evening. The next day S.S. Queen Elizabeth would leave port on her journey back to England, but the memory of the evening is shared in the Biennial Minutes (1948) by President Low:

During the past seven years there have been many thrilling moments when I wished I could share my experiences with all our members. One of the most important, which will always remain foremost in my mind, was the invitation last February by the British Embassy to attend the ceremony on board His Majesty’s ship, the “Queen Elizabeth” and to receive as your representative the King’s Medal for “Service in the Cause of Freedom.” The address by Sir Francis Evans, General Consul of New York, I wish I might read to you for a description of the friendship between Great Britain and the United States, brought tears to many eyes. The beauty of the flags of our two great countries, the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Save the King” was very moving to say the least. When my name was called I mounted to the platform. I thought of you and what you had done for England those difficult war years, which won the recognition...

Protocol called for her to never part with the medal in her lifetime. Upon her death, the Society received the ribbon and medal she had accepted for them four years earlier. The Medal is in the permanent collection housed at Dumbarton House.

The War brought many challenges and changes for the women of the Society. Gertrude Low was widowed early during her Presidency. Her husband Ethelberd “Bert” Ide Low, died on October 14, 1942 at the age of 66. That same year both her sons enlisted in World War II. Nonetheless she carried on with her Executive Committee by her side. Mrs. Low spoke at a ceremony that took place on March 25, 1942 when the NSCDA officially dedicated Dumbarton House to the Red Cross for the duration of World War II. She famously said, “although old houses are valuable, they are not as valuable as the boys in the Service whom we wish to help, many of them being our own sons.”

Gertrude was the daughter of a Colonial Dame. Her mother, Anne Trotter Lawrence Herrick (18531931) was an early member.

Among those awarded this medal were the actor Cary Grant and the philanthropist Muriel Seabury Howells (1910-2002) a member of the New Hampshire Society, Founder, British War Relief Society, Madison, Wis., 1941, President 1941-43.