Muskingum Co. Daughters of the American Revolution have been serving the community for over a hundred years
The Daughters of the American Revolution, frustrated they were barred from the Sons of the American Revolution, decided to take matters into their own hands and established their first chapter on Oct. 11, 1890.
The original founders – Mary S. Lockwood, Ellen Walworth, Mary Desha, and Eugenia Washington – originally wanted Oct. 12 to be their founding date, as that was the day Christopher Columbus first landed in the new world. However, in the year 1890, Oct. 12 happened to fall on a Sunday. Thinking it bad to found a chapter on a Sunday, the women decided Saturday Oct. 11 would be a better day.
Inspired by their bravery and patriotism, Zanesvillian Fanny Russell Brush gathered a group of 12 women at her home and pitched them the idea of starting their own local chapter of the DAR. Following this meeting, the Muskingum County Chapter was established in October of 1893.
The Muskingum County chapter was the fourth DAR chapter in Ohio. Originally, the chapter had limits on how many women could join, with 30 being the limit at Brush’s time. Today, around 110 women are members of Muskingum County’s chapter of the DAR.
Presidents of DAR chapters are referred to as regents, and Brush was the regent of the Muskingum County chapter from 1893 to 1900, and again from 1916 to 1918. She was Honorary Regent until her death in 1927 at the age of 70.
In 1945 a DAR member known as Miss Bogman described Brush as “a slightly built woman with personality plus – always with a cheery handshake and warm greetings for all.”
Brush was well known in the Zanesville area not only for the DAR. She was also a founding member of the Zanesville All Around Club and a member of the Pioneer & Historical Society of Muskingum County.
The first DAR State Conference was held in Zanesville on June 8 and June 9 1899. Daughters traveled from all over the state by train and stayed in the homes of local DAR members, as it was not appropriate at the time for women traveling alone to stay in hotels.
The conference was held in the home of Mary Hoyt Granger, who was the fourth Ohio State Regent in 1899 and was responsible for bringing the conference to Zanesville. She held the position until 1901.
The celebration was a lively affair that included live music and fresh cut flowers. Funds to cover the cost of the conference were offered to Brush, who declined.
The DAR is not just for show. The organization focuses on three core values: historical, educational, and patriotic.
The DAR focuses on historical preservation and does everything from giving donations to uphold historical sites to marking gravestones from the Revolutionary War. The DAR boasts a large collection of genealogy records that can be accessed at the DAR Headquarters whether someone is a member of the DAR or not.
Locally, the Muskingum Chapter of the DAR has put effort into the community from the day they were founded.
Members of the Muskingum Chapter made donations to the Francis Scott Key Memorial, the Mary Washington Monument, and Continental Hall. The chapter raised supplies to be sent to soldiers during the Spanish-American War and during World War I.
To the Francis Scott Key Memorial, the Muskingum Chapter donated $5 in 1894, which is equivalent to almost $165 today.
In 1918, the local chapter sent so much jelly to Camp Sherman, an army base hospital near Chillicothe, that a truck had to be rented to fit it all.
Today, the DAR continues to be present in the community. Contributions from the Muskingum Chapter helped get the Helen Purcell Home off the ground, and an award of $100 will be given to Forever Dads and Muskingum County History for their work in preserving the James Madison School. The chapter donates books to school libraries and offers several scholarship opportunities to local students at the state level.
