The
last time I wrote about this topic, I had been accepted by NS DAR (National
Society of Daughters of Revolutionary War), USD 1812 NS Daughters of War of
1812), and NS Colonial Dames XVII Century. I am now a member of DCH (Daughters
of Code of Honor), NSDAC (NS Daughters of American Colonists), ADEAW
(Association of Daughters of Early American Witches). The NSDAC website says –
“NSDAC members are descendants of a man or woman who rendered patriotic or
civil service to the American Colonies prior to 4 July 1776.” One of my Revolutionary War Soldiers – Robert
FitzRandolph is the great-grandson of Edward FitzRandolph, who was born in
England and died in Piscataway, Middlesex County, NJ. He was married to
Elizabeth Blossom. Edward “In 1636, built the thirty-eighth house in Scituate,
Massachusetts” which qualified me for NSDAC.
Then
I became a member of the NS NEW (National Society of New England Women),
through another Edward FitzRandolph (love these FitzRandolphs). This Edward is
the father of my DAR soldier, Robert
mentioned above. Edward was born in Barnstable, Barnstable County, (Cape Cod
area), MA – one of many ancestors “born in New England before 1789 or in Nassau
or Suffolk Counties, Long Island, New York before 1700.”
The
latest Society I applied for was really the easiest for me – Daughters of Union
Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW). It helped that I only had to go back four
generations to my great-great-grandfather, instead of my 8th
great-grandfather, Edward FitzRandolph mentioned above. I submitted for William
Wallace Court, my great-great grandfather. William (1842-1925) was born in
Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York, but the family spent most of their
lives in nearby Oswego County. William served in the 147th Regiment,
1st Infantry, Co. K, as a Sgt. He served for almost three years and
in many of the major battles. He missed Gettysburg and Robert E. Lee’s famous
surrender at Appomattox in Virginia with the rest of his unit because of
illness. William received a pension later in his life from what we would
probably call rheumatoid arthritis aggregated by living in the cold/wet
conditions on the battlefields. He eventually went blind and had dementia and
spent his last years in Pontiac State Hospital. Ironically, his son, William
Wallace, Jr. (1873-1929) spent most of his adult life at Pontiac State
Hospital. We will probably never know what his diagnosis was as records from
most of the State Mental Hospitals have been “destroyed.” William, Sr. married Esther Mary Corcoran
(1846-1919) in Canada. They spent their lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and had
eight children, six survived to adulthood.
At
the same time, I submitted for my great-grandfather, John A. McDougall
(1843-1920), Sgt., E Co., 17th Regiment Infantry for Michigan
(Ypsilanti). John only served about five months when he was shot in the
shoulder – apparently he could never raise that arm above his shoulder after that.
He got a pension, and it was continued by his widow, Delphine Fowler (1851-1941)
until her death. John and Delphine had 11 children, 10 living to adulthood.
There
are other Lineage Societies that I am interested in joining – mostly, just to
say I can. But this does all take time – and money. Maybe next month…..
The
only supplementals I am interested in are DAR. I am slowly trying to wade
through the process of re-proving my great-grandmother’s (Mary Ella Hazelton
Childs) DAR supplementals. Because it has been many years and the standards
have really tightened up, it is a slow process. Roswell Lane (NY) was approved
two years ago. I currently have two more awaiting approval and am in the
process of submitting another – keep you posted.
Now,
if only I could join the Royal Bastards….
