Traveling to Tennessee the 127Th Annual National Congress
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Spring 2017 Vol. 111, No. 4 Traveling to Tennessee The 127th Annual National Congress SAR visits Knoxville Spring 2017 Vol. 111, No. 4 ON THE COVER Clockwise from top left, James White Fort, Knoxville Convention Center, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Museum of Appalachia, World’s Fair Park Sunsphere and Cherokee Country Club 6 8 6 Commemoration of the Battle 10 Yorktown Dedication 19 Georgia’s Yazoo Land Fraud of Great Bridge 11 Inducting a Young Jefferson 21 Moses Doan and Robert Gibson 6 USS Louisville Crew Visits Namesake City 12 Educational Outreach 22 The Life of Roger Sherman Southern District Meeting Books for Consideration 7 Kansas’ New Revolutionary 13 24 War Memorial 14 Spring Trustees Meeting 26 State Society & Chapter News 8 2017 Congress to Convene in Knoxville 15 PGs Wall Returns 38 In Our Memory/ New Members 10 Historian Jon Meacham to 16 Hamilton’s Advice for the SAR: Speak at Congress Take a Shot! 47 When You Are Traveling THE SAR MAGAZINE (ISSN 0161-0511) is published quarterly (February, May, August, November) and copyrighted by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 809 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Periodicals postage paid at Louisville, KY and additional mailing offices. Membership dues include The SAR Magazine. Subscription rate $10 for four consecutive issues. Single copies $3 with checks payable to “Treasurer General, NSSAR” mailed to the HQ in Louisville. Products and services advertised do not carry NSSAR endorsement. The National Society reserves the right to reject content of any copy. Send all news matter to Editor; send the following to NSSAR Headquarters: address changes, election of officers, new members, member deaths. Postmaster: Send address changes to The SAR Magazine, 809 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202. PUBLISHER: STAFF DIRECTORY President General J. Michael Tomme Sr. As indicated below, staff members have an email address and an extension number of the automated 3830 Chardonnay Drive telephone system to simplify reaching them. Rockledge, FL 32955 Ph: (321) 806-3564 Executive Director: Acting Director of The Center/ Email: [email protected] Don Shaw, ext. 6128, Director of Education: [email protected] Colleen Wilson, ext. 6129, EDITOR: Stephen M. Vest [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Patricia Ranft Administrative Assistant to P.O. Box 559 President (SAR Foundation): Librarian: Michael Christian, Frankfort, KY 40602 (502) 315-1777, ext. 1777 ext. 6131, [email protected] Ph: (502) 227-0053 Fax: (502) 227-5009 Director of Finance: Assistant Librarian/Archivist: Email: [email protected] Mary Butts, ext. 6120, Rae Ann Sauer, ext. 6132, [email protected] [email protected] HEADQUARTERS STAFF ADDRESS: Librarian Assistant/Receptionist: National Society Sons Director of Operations: Robin Christian, ext. 6138, [email protected] of the American Revolution Michael Scroggins, ext. 6125, 809 West Main Street [email protected] Registrar: Jon Toon, Louisville, KY 40202 ext. 6142, [email protected] Ph: (502) 589-1776 Special Events Coordinator: Fax: (502) 589-1671 Debbie Smalley, ext. 6123, Merchandise Director: Susan Griffin, Email: [email protected] [email protected] ext. 6141, [email protected] Website: www.sar.org 2 SAR MAGAZINE Making Strides To my fellow Compatriots, Director of Operations Mike Scroggins continues to send Winter has ended and spring is in the air. I hope each of updates on the progress of the fixes to our website and you have had a good year so far. other areas on SAR Officer Talk. I hope this has been We are making strides in recruiting new members across informative to you. We still have some work to do, and this the country. I have heard that several state societies noticed is ongoing. More non-members and compatriots are that the dropped members are not as severe as in the past— starting to use the online SAR application and reporting this is great news. I talked to Membership Chairman Randy that they like it. I have been told many non-members are Moody, and he has told me that the finding this application on their Membership Committee has own and using it without any received positive reports about the Cilla and I want you, issues. This is great news. Mentor Program from Florida to Two new staff members recently Washington State, as well as points were hired in the Genealogy in between. We need to hear from the Compatriots of the NSSAR, Department, and they are currently you on how the Mentor Program is going through training. This should going in your chapters. I would like to know that we are grateful start reducing the backlog and the you to share your feedback with approval time for applications Chairman Moody. This long-range received at Headquarters. initiative will continue for many to this society for the wonderful Cilla and I attended the Battle of years down the road. Our goal is to Cowpens and the South Atlantic grow the membership and retain times and experience that District meeting in January. At this our most valuable asset: our event, we met Landon, a young members. I would like to see our future compatriot. The North society grow to 50,000, 75,000 and you have shown us. Carolina SAR Society is working on 100,000 members. We can achieve his papers as well as his father’s. this with teamwork. His mother’s grandmother was a member of the DAR. Since The Educational Outreach initiative is going very well I met Landon, he has attended various events that I have now. I have heard that more and more compatriots are attended, and he has served as my aide-de-camp. taking the online Youth Protection Training offered by the Cilla and I attended the following meetings in January Boy Scouts. I took the YPT at the Texas SAR Annual and February: Georgia SAR Annual Meeting and inducted Meeting as part of a group, along with Treasurer General the new state officers; Caloosa Chapter, Palm Beach Warren Alter. It took about 30 minutes, and it was well Chapter and Naples Chapter (FL); Virginia SAR Annual worth taking. I will be taking the test again as an individual Meeting and inducted the new state officers; Miami to get my individual certificate. I am encouraging all of you Chapter (FL) and inducted the new chapter officers; and who have contact with our youth to take this training. If Palm Beach Chapter (FL). We attended the Mecklenburg you go to a C.A.R., Scout or other youth meeting, or SAR Chapter (NC), where we met President Abraham present a program to a school, I would encourage you to Lincoln. We traveled from there to Moore’s Creek, where I take this training. Once you complete the training, let your presented the national wreath and honored two of my State Educational Outreach chairman know, and he will Patriot ancestors who fought there. forward the information on to Brooks Lyles, national We attended the Georgia DAR State Conference March chairman of the National Education Committee, and 10-11. I brought greetings and attended seminars on DNA Colleen Wilson. Please let Brooks know how the YPT is testing. We traveled to Guilford Courthouse, where I spoke going within your chapter and state. and presented a wreath on behalf of the NSSAR. We My other initiative, $1,000 donations to the Council of attended the Texas SAR Annual Meeting, and I swore in the Youth Awards, is going great. More and more states, new state officers. We traveled to California for their SAR chapters and individuals are making their donations. My Annual Meeting April 7-8, where I swore in the new state hope is that we raise $50,000 from the states, chapters and officers. individuals. The youth who enter our contests deserve to Other April travels included Boston to attend the be rewarded for their hard work. I know a lot of us have Patriot’s Day celebration and New Hampshire. From there, pulled money out of our back pocket to help in this we went to the NSC.A.R. national convention in endeavor. Thank you to all who have donated so far; I look Washington, D.C., April 21-23 and the GASSAR BOM on forward to more donations coming in at Congress. April 29. April 30 saw us taking part in the dedication of a At the Spring Leadership and Trustees meeting, we Revolutionary War Veterans Wall in Georgia. handled the society’s business. The draft budget for 2018 May 2 kicked off our journey to Quebec, Canada, for the was presented to the Trustees. It will be presented again at SAR 1777 Road to Saratoga trip. It was a great time, Congress. We will vote on the budget at the Fall Leadership following the road that Gen. John Burgoyne took from and Trustees meeting. We also took up some issues that Quebec City to meet his defeat at Saratoga at the hands of needed to be addressed, and the Trustees approved them. Patriots under the command of Gen. Horatio Gates. We will Continued on page 5 SPRING 2017 3 General Officers, National Society Sons of the American Revolution President General J. Michael Tomme Sr., Rocky Mountain District, Walter Guy Seaton, 499 East Las 3830 Chardonnay Drive, Rockledge, FL 32955, Colinas Place, Chandler, AZ 85249-6984, (480) 820-7403, (321) 806-3564, [email protected] [email protected] Secretary General Larry T. Guzy, 4531 Paper Mill Road, SE, Intermountain District, Regan Glen Grandy, 383 South 100 Marietta GA 30067-4025, [email protected] West, Hyde Park, UT 84318, (435) 563-6328, Treasurer General Warren M. Alter, 6743 East Rosewood [email protected] Place, Tucson, AZ 85710-1217, (520) 886-1980, Western District, Jim L.W.