History of Fairfax County Chapter, NSDAR

The organizational meeting of the Fairfax County Chapter, NSDAR, took place on October 14, 1905, at the home of Kate J.S. Summy in the Town of Vienna. Eleanor Washington Howard, the Virginia State Regent, attended and named the new chapter after the county in which it was organized. Anna Barber King had previously been appointed chapter regent by Eleanor Washington Howard and is recognized as the chapter organizing regent. Mary Frances Gibson who was a member of a chapter in Ohio was recognized for her efforts to establish the chapter by being made an honorary member of the chapter. The new chapter included 12 founding members. That was our beginning, and we progressively developed into the active, involved chapter we are today.

The chapter’s interests quickly evolved to cover patriotism, love of country, and lineage research, with the chapter motto being: “The real value of genealogy is not social pretense, but moral obligation.” Many talented genealogists were recruited, and, working together, helped to steadily increase the membership.

The chapter is proud to claim among its earliest members, “Real Daughters” Mary McClanahan Burch and her sister, Narcissa McClanahan Gillespie. A “Real Daughter” is a DAR member who was a child of an American Revolutionary War Patriot. To honor these two special members, in 1922, the chapter marked their graves with the DAR Insignia.

Since its founding in 1890, the mission of the DAR has been to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and secure America’s future through education, and the chapter has carried out this mission with perseverance, creativity, and dedication.

Over the years the chapter has participated in the preservation of numerous historical locations, including Monticello, Kenmore, Old Customs House at Yorktown, the Washington Bell Tower at Valley Forge, and the DAR’s Constitution Hall, Library, and the Virginia Room. Most recently, the chapter has contributed to the construction of the Virginia Women’s Monument in Richmond, and the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial in Lorton, Virginia.

During every era, the chapter has been involved in the pressing community service programs of the time. During the 1910-1924 years, we contributed toward the publication of a Manual for Immigrants and donated books and materials to women at Ellis Island. In the 1950s and 60s, it was involved in service for the Red Cross, United Way, Muscular Dystrophy, Heart Disease, Polio, and blood drives.

Having now passed the century mark, and then some, the chapter continues to grow in not only numbers but in commitment to service. We enthusiastically embrace the spirit of Today’s DAR to “Rise and Shine for America!”

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Banner photo courtesy of J. Dixon.