Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-02
AMERICAN GENEAL0GY.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Within the next few months thousands
Of letter will go out from the ONCE OF inc
Patriots Memorial Chc ter OF the Daush-
tiers Of the American Revolution, located
in Washington. to other chapteus of that
organization, to universities. colleges ana
schools and to many private persons
asking cooperation In q movement Tor
the conservation OF original sources or
history Of the United States by the pres
ervation Of local records. The editors
Of all the small town and county news
papers in the United States will be asked
to devote half q column Of space weekly
to the publication of local genealogical
material which will be Of historic value
in the future. Much Of this material now
existing in the form Of old letters ana
records is carelessly stored in some
farmhouse or village attic liable to be
destroyed at any time. The members OF
the d. A. r. and their friends Will en-
deavor to collect this material and place
It at the disposal Of tho editors.
Last summer a woman prominent in
D. A. r. circles, devoted considerable
part Of her vacation to Sc
History of curing data regarding the
history Of one Of the patriot
0o1V' soldiers who rowed Benedict
Arnold to the British ship The vulture
after his act Of treason This man de-
clined the strongest inducement to enter
the British army as a commissioned onl'
Ger and was confined in a British ship
in New York harbor for six months be-
fore he was returned to the American
, AN,;e ~ ro1 q
hardships. at times being SO hungry that
he was glad to eat raw fish. caught 10y
a bent pin attached to wooden yarn
raveled from his clothing.
Tho Investigator knew the village il
which this patriot was buried, but coult
not locate his grave until an old woman
produced from an attic a record of hi:
death, giving the location Of his grave
which was on an old farm. Through thl:
she was led to an old man who. in hi.
youth, had helped to bury the soldier. A
little further quest brought her to tn
| aged granddaughter of the patriot, wht
was able to tell interesting stories OF he
grandfatherS experience with Benedic
Arnold, who sold him to the British
But for the faded, indistinct, old record
| thrust out of sight In an attic. this his
toric information would not have beel
secured, and the grave of one OF tn
| bravest heroes of the revolution Woult
SILL nave IcIudl1eO uuhllOWh.
This incident is one Of many encoun
| tered by the Daughters in their quest TO
genealogical information. 1t has led to I
| movement for the multiplication OF ever!
historic record by the modern printing
press. What is trash today may be valued
| history tomorrow, so with the co-opera
ton of the editors Of the country the Pa
| triots' Memorial Chapter hopes to in
augurate a crusade for the preservation
of historic records that will prevent tn
possibility Of their becoming extinct.
The fire at the state capitol In A1ban.
destroyed a wealth Of genealogical an
! historical material that can never be re
| placed. Had this material al been duplt
Gated by the printing press there ar
many families who would not now b
mourning the loss of authentic informa
| ton about their ancestry. This ne1
movement of the D. A. R. will go ia
toward preventing a repetition of such
loss. While all original manuscript
should be preserved with care because Q
| their association, the reproduction OF thei
| contents in the newspapers Will preserv
| their material for future use.