The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/153219
MAINE SOCIETY Charlene Knox Farris, town historian for Searsport, Maine, was the guest speaker at the June meeting and discussed the life of Capt. Samuel Houston Jr., a bodyguard to Gen. George Washington during the American Revolution. Farris has written a biography of Houston from documents she found in a trunk and original letters from other Searsport soldiers. the pros and cons of the New Deal. This was a current topic at the time, given that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had just been elected at the height of the Great Depression that saw more than 25 percent of the country's workforce out of work. As this centennial year progresses, the Detroit Chapter's history will be further reviewed and highlighted in the PowerPoint presentation that summarizes its activities and reflects on some of the century's more poignant moments. The presentation shows copies of actual documents, such as meeting minutes, and uses pictures that relate to the decade under discussion. The presentation will be available to the MISSAR and its chapters and will be placed on the MISSAR website. MISSISSIPPI SOCIETY From left, John Crissman, MISSAR historian, Oaks Chapter; Detroit Metro Chapter President Stuart Shuster; and Gene Tomlinson, Detroit Metro Chapter, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Detroit Chapter. MICHIGAN SOCIETY One hundred years ago this year, the Detroit Chapter of the MISSAR was established. The Michigan Society was formed in 1890. Until 1913 only a Western Michigan Chapter in Grand Rapids had been established. Most MISSAR meetings and the 1899 National Congress were held in Detroit. As state membership grew from fewer than 100 to more than 360 in 1901, many residing in and around Detroit, it was time for a Detroit Chapter to be organized. During these early years, more than 100 members would come to Detroit for the state's Board of Manager (BOM) meetings. Most were held in hotels in the city with orchestras playing, patriotic songs sung and banquets following the meetings. On Nov. 1, 1913, the Detroit Chapter meeting followed the BOM meeting, both held at the home of Albert Henry in Grosse Pointe Farms, and 100 members attended from all over the state, even the Upper Peninsula. Members were transported between the downtown train stations and Grosse Pointe by electric car. The chapter was active, with meetings and speakers discussing the Revolutionary War. Some of the meetings had speakers who represented all branches of military service, and this was particularly true in the years leading up to World War I. In one such meeting, the fathers of sons "over there" in France talked about their sons' letters home and news reporters discussed their trips to the front. The 1938 minutes of the BOM meeting, held in Detroit with the Detroit Chapter, featured the participation of industry in preparation for the next war. It seems that lendlease and other world events were moving the country toward the inevitable, long before Dec. 7, 1941. As we look back on the century, it is interesting and educational to see how the MISSAR and the Detroit Chapter reflected the times and how current they were in their programs as well as their discussions on the Revolutionary War and the patriots who fought in it. For example, in 1935, they sponsored a debate by Wayne University Students on 38 On Saturday, May 4, the Birmingham Chapter (ALSSAR) joined with the Mississippi SAR to mark the grave of Lazarus Reeves, a Revolutionary War soldier buried in Summit, Miss. George Brown, a descendant of Reeves, is a member of the Birmingham Chapter, and his cousin, Kay Brown Allred, is a past regent of the Judith Robinson DAR Chapter in McComb, Miss. This was a Southern District event, and the color guard was provided by the LASSAR. Reeves and his wife are buried on land he owned, which is still owned by some of his descendents. John Taylor, vice president general of the Southern District, presented a district wreath; Gerry Brent, president of the MSSSAR, presented a wreath; John Wallace presented a wreath from the ALSSAR; Steve Ray of the LASSAR presented the Louisiana wreath; and a wreath from the James Hugey Chapter also was presented. Bill Clement of the Birmingham Chapter gave the remarks dedicating the marker. The event was attended by 49 people, many of whom are descendents of Reeves, DAR and SAR members. NEBRASKA SOCIETY Compatriot Robert Knott, past Nebraska state president, participated as a member of the SAR and the Society of the War of 1812 in the June rededication of a bronze plaque, below, commemorating a hero of the War of 1812. The rededication was the result of remodeling work at Central High School in Omaha, Neb., where the plaque was placed in 1912. Current NESSAR President Fred Walden and Omaha Chapter President William Webb, who are members of the War of 1812 Nebraska Society, also participated in the ceremony. The plaque commemorates Capt. James Lawrence, whose naval tactics were successful against the British Navy SAR MAGAZINE