The Minuteman Central Florida SAR Chapter Volume 57, Issue 1I February 2018 Chartered on Chapter Meeting Dates to Remember! May 8, 1961 Chapter Meeting - March 10, 2018: John February 10, 2018 Marshal: Virginian, Revolutionary Soldier, & Judicial Craftsman of the American Revo- At this meeting, our speaker lution. will be Compatriot Richard Hoffman. His presentation is titled “Flintlocks Last Naval Battle of the American Revolu- and Various Weapons of the American tion Celebration- March 10, 2018: This Revolution.” event will take place at the MI Veterans Cen- ter in Merritt Island, FL. This meeting will be held in the Duxbury Hall of the Mayflower Retire- 241st Anniversary of the Battle of Thomas ment Community Center located at Creek - April 7, 2018: This event will be Meeting Location: 1620 Mayflower Court in Winter Park, held in Jacksonville, Florida. More infor- Florida. A time of socializing will mation will be announced once the event is The Mayflower begin at 11:30 am with lunch being more finalized. served at noon. The cost of the lunch is $18.00. 1720 Mayflower Chapter Meeting: Patriot’s Luncheon - April 14, 2018. Court The entrée choices are: Beef Winter Park, FL Brisket, Herb Grilled Chicken, Fish of FLSSAR Spring Board of Management/ 32792 the Day, or Salad Plate. Note that each Annual Meeting - May 18 thru 20, 2018: This event will be held at the Embassy Suites meal comes with an assortment of veg- Orlando - Lake Buena Vista South located at etables, starch, salad or soup, and a des- 4955 Kyngs Heath Rd, Kissimmee, FL sert. Coffee and tea is also served with 34746. Note that this meeting will be a two the meal. day meeting. Please make your reservation to attend this meeting by 2/7/2018 by con- Ancestor Biographies tacting Compatriot Dan Stebbins via phone at 407-830-6946 or via e-mail at At this time, the chapter would [email protected]. Your partici- like to encourage members to consider pation is greatly appreciated in re- submitting an article about your ancestor. sponding with your RSVP before the It can include information about the unit they served in or if you have a family deadline date. Please plan to attend. story about them, it is also welcome. Your participation is greatly appreciated. Page 2 The Minuteman hibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a Membership in the wall of separation between Church & State.” Ladies Auxiliary Many would say that the church and state must be completely separated, while others would The Ladies’ Auxiliary Florida Society say that this wall of separation is a protection to the of the Sons of the American Revolution is church and does not prohibit the church’s ability to open to wives as well as female blood relatives influence the state. Indeed, many of our founding (mothers, daughters, grand-daughters, aunts, fathers were guided in their work by their own, of- nieces) of the SAR member. The Ladies’ Aux- ten unique, spiritual beliefs. iliary supports the SAR in its historical, patri- otic and educational objectives. The Ladies’ St. Paul would have had a good direction to Auxiliary raises funds to award (on a smaller give to modern Americans. In his First Epistle to scale) the same students that the Florida Socie- Timothy, Paul wrote, that all Christians should ty SAR awards. Dues for the LAFLSSAR are pray for those in authority over us, “that we may $5 per year; the application form is available lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and at: http://www.flssar.org/FLSSAR/DOCS/ reverence." LadyAuxDocs/LaAuxMemApp.pdf. Please encourage the ladies in your life to join and Good advice for us today. Prayer for presi- support us in our efforts. dents, governors and legislatures is not dependent on our being in agreement or providing political support of our elected officials. Our prayers should Color Guard Update be out of concern for our nation and community so If anyone is interested in participating in the that we may, in Paul’s words, lead a quiet and peaceful life.” Color Guard, whether it is presenting the col- ors at the meeting, or participating at various February brings, among other things, Presi- public events, please let the chapter know. dent’s Day. Originally, this day was a commemo- ration of the birth of President George Washing- ton. It is now commonly accepted as a day to hon- or all of our presidents. The Chaplain’s Message By W. Maynard Pittendreigh, Chaplain In this time of deep division in our nation, now is a good time for us to be praying for the “Separation of church and state” is a president and for all others in authority. Such phrase that is common in our culture. The prayers might best be expressed in prayers that phrase does not appear in our Constitution, but these individuals would be able to set aside selfish- the principle is certainly present in the First ness in favor of selfless service, vain ambition in Amendment’s, “Congress shall make no law favor of the best interest of all citizens, and the in- respecting an establishment of religion, or pro- terests of one’s party in favor of the interests of a hibiting the free exercise thereof.” united nation. A few years after the adoption of the First Amendment, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter addressed to the Danbury Baptist Asso- Happy Birthday ciation in Connecticut, in which he said, “"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act The Central Florida SAR Chapter would like to of the whole American people which declared wish the following Compatriots a Happy Birthday. that their legislature should 'make no law re- They are as follows: specting an establishment of religion, or pro- Volume 57, Issue 1I Page 3 5 Brownell, Patricia sailor. Sears led popular resistance from the 17 Worsham, Raleigh earliest days of Anti-British agitation in New 20 Roe, Celina York and the New England Colonies. 22 Stebbins, Daniel 26 Daniel, Meredith He was the principal leader of the 26 Lane, Richard Sons of Liberty in New York & was known as 28 Little, John “King” Sears because of his control of the mob. He served on virtually every patriot committee from the mid-1760s onward. Knight Essay Contest Update In 1774, he personally headed a mob At the February meeting, the chapter will that refused to allow tea to land in New York here the essay that was submitted by Taylor Coff- harbor and destroyed part of the cargo. He man. This is a yearly contest in which students sub- also proposed in the same year that delegates meet to discuss resistance, a notion that led mit an essay on an American Revolutionary topic. directly to the first Continental Congress. He The chapter winner is then submitted to the Florida was arrested in New York by the British au- Society Sons of American Revolution to participate thorities a few days before Lexington & Con- in the State level contest. cord, but was freed by a mob before he reached jail. With the outbreak of hostilities in Massachusetts, Sears organized a force of ROTC/JROTC Contest Update 350 irregulars in New York, seized the city’s arms arsenal, closed the port to British ship- At this time, the Central Florida SAR Chap- ping & took control under virtual martial law. ter would like to thank John Lynch for serving as the Committee Chair for the ROTC/JROTC Awards He and his followers raised & trained Committee for the past several years. For the up- troops; as wells as, harassed & seized loyalist coming 2018 awards, Phil Markoe will be serving throughout the New York area. He turned over control of the city to George Washington as the committee chair and will be looking for vol- in 1776 when the Continental Army moved in unteers to present medals and certificates at the vari- to defend the city. When the Americans were ous high schools within the Counties of Orange, Os- defeated & the British occupied New York ceola, Seminole, & Volusia. City for the rest of the war, Sears moved his operations to Boston and became a privateer. Isaac Sears After the conclusion of the peace in 1783, he returned to New York, and his shipping busi- (1730-1786) ness. He died while on a trip in China in 1786. Patriot Leader & Privateer The Enduring Significance Isaac Sears was one of the most important rebel leaders during the first months of the revolu- of the American Revolution tion, when he held New York City for the patriot By Chandler Joseph Burke cause. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in Nor- wich, CT. He sailed as a privateer during the Seven The historical and enduring signifi- Year War and afterwards he moved to New York cance of the American Revolution is not City where he set up business as a shipmaster and found on the battlefield. While no one can diminish the heroism of the many patriots Page 4 The Minuteman who fought in the American Revolution, their mil- tions. This radical change in the principles, itary success over time has been overshadowed by opinions, sentiments, and affections of the peo- their philosophical victory. War without reason is ple, was the real American Revolution.” (5) little more than organized murder. It is the reason, then, that transforms war from an appalling loss of The American Revolution, thus, created human life into a justifiable defense of freedom. not only a new country, but also a new way of The particular battles of the American Revolution, life and beacon for our country’s government. while interesting and necessary, are secondary to The history books claim that the American Rev- the reasons motivating the patriots to fight.