Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-26
DOZEN WOMEN
I FORM CHAPTER
LOCAL D. A. r.. ORGANIZED TWEEN.
TY-TWO YEARS AGO-HAS
BEEN ACTIVE
(Frorn Fridays Daily

=. =
Twelve women formed the first
organization of the Daughters of the
American Revolution in OttumWa and
named the chapter for the maker OF
the flag, Elizabeth Ross. Miss Flora
Ross one of the original twelve has
written the history Of the local chap
ter and reviews it's activities since
organization in the following:
Zone, pleasant evening In the late
summer Of 1896, we, in glancing over
the pages of our evening paper read
that the state regent OF Iowa. MRS.
Clara Cooley of Dubuque, had appoint.
ed Mrs. Alice B. Mitchell as organ
izing regent of the D. A. r. for
Ottumwa., This announcement OF
course interested those of us who were
eligible. A number of us at once
called upon Mrs. Mitchell enquiring
what we should do to prove our
claims.
THE ORIGINAL TWELVE
VERY soon the state regent visited
Mrs. Mitchell, and large number
were invited to meet her. After the
meeting it seemed no time until OF
tumwa had. the required number,
twelve. to organize. Mrs. Mitchell
was No. !, her daughter, Miss Lyn,
now Mrs. Williams, was No. 2; Miss
Dorothy Bell Burton. now. Mrs. Mark
Price, was No. 8; Miss Flora Ross,
4: Miss Laura Ross, s; Mrs. w. r..
Daum, 6; Miss Emma J. Holt, Z; Mrs.
Catherine Taylor, g.; Mrs. A. G. Har-
row, 9; Mrs, Ida Moore Pope, 10;
Mrs. A. E. McCue. II, and Mrs. Rose.
Dutton Gephart, -,
These twelve women were the
organizing members and met at the
home Of Mrs. Mitchell, November 12,
1896. There the organization was ef-
fected. The regent appointed her
officers: Mrs. Daum, vice regent;
Mrs. Pope, secretary; Miss Laura
Ross, treasurer; Mrs. McCue, reg
istrar, and Mrs. Taylor, historian. Miss
Holt, Mrs. Gephart and Miss Flora
Ross were. the conmitte on bylaws.
CHAPTER is CHRISTENED
cat called meeting at the Daum
home the chapter was named the
Elizabeth Ross chapter. Betsey was
a precbcious and energetic child and
fully fulfilled the fondest hopes of her
godmother and of her seven sponsors.
She at once won many friends and by
the time she was ten years old she
was the, proud possessor Of colonial
dishes, six dozen silver spoons and
forks, some cut glass, embroidered
lunch cloths and very handsome
flag. Today there hangs in the public
library her charter, a nicely framed
fac-simile of the Declaration of hide
pendence, and her lineage books are
on the shelves of the library. Betsey
did not apply for her charter until the
names of seven more members should
be approved by the national board.
"This being done the application
was filed and granted February IS,
1897. The charter mem bers were the
twelve organizing members with Mrs.
Caroline Merwin Haven, Mrs. Harriet
Mervin Briggs. Mrs. Julia Merwin
Ennis, Mrs Eva Philpot. Mrs. Mary
Aveilhe and Mrs. Sarah Harrison
Devin. making a total of eighteen
charter members.
DELEGATES AT CONGRESS
THE first year after her organiza-
ton Betsey was represented at the
continental congress by the regent. On
her eighteenth birthday we gathered
in her honor. Mrs. Daum was the sec
ond regent and served two years. Dur
ing her first year she attended the
continental congress and the state