ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

NORTH DAKOTA DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION RECORDS

COLLECTION: OGL #529

DATES: 1924-1946

SIZE: .25 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution Records were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Mary Margaret Frank, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on March 27, 1979 (Acc.#79-580).

ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS: North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: History, 1915-1976 and North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: Centennial History, 1897-1997

HISTORICAL SKETCH

The Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890 and incorporated by an act of Congress in 1896. Their objectives include historic preservation and the promotion of education and patriotism. Chapters are present in every state of the union, as well as several foreign countries. The Society holds its nationwide convention, the Continental Congress, every year during the week of April 19th, the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, the first battle of the American Revolution. Membership in the Society is limited to women who descend from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence.

The North Dakota Chapter began on October 3, 1895, with the appointment of Mrs. Francis G. Holly of Bismarck as the first State Regent. Attempts to organize statewide, however, were unsuccessful. Under the leadership of Mrs. Augusta Young, State Regent from 1915 until 1923, eight chapters were formed throughout the state, including: Valley City (1916), Bismarck (1918), Fargo (1919), Jamestown (1919), Grand Forks (1920), Mandan (1921), Devils Lake (1922), and Carrington (1923). Chapters in Minot (1925), Williston (1929) and Dickinson (1933) were added after Mrs. Young left office. Chapters at Bismarck, Mandan, Fargo and Grand Forks remain active. The Grand Forks chapter was disbanded in 1943, although it was re-established in 1991.

The North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution have been very active in the field of historic preservation throughout the state. A few of their accomplishments include: presenting a rocking chair originally owned by General George A. Custer to the Custer House at Fort Lincoln State Park in Bismarck; the placing of a marker on the Red River Valley Ox Cart Trial; and the presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Maltese Cross” cabin to the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in Medora. The group has also been active politically, lobbying on the local, state and national level regarding various subjects and individual pieces of legislation. They also continue to sponsor many patriotic events throughout North Dakota.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution Records consist of material related to both the state and national level of the organization. Materials for the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution include the constitution and by-laws from 1932 and a 1934 program for the national convention. Materials relating to the North Dakota branch include reports, agendas and minutes of meetings, by-laws, correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, awards and certificates. The material dates from 1924 to 1946.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1

Folder 1. North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: conference reports, 
          minutes, and agendas, 1924-1941

       2. North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: By-laws, revised 
          March 7, 1928

       3. North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: reports of North Dakota 
          regents, 1933-1934

       4. North Dakota Daughters of the American Revolution: Red River Valley 
          Chapter, history and organization

       5. Correspondence, Mrs. Mabel French: June 1932 - September 1939

       6. National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution: Constitution 
          and By-laws, 1932; Program of the Forty-Third Continental Congress, 1934

       7. Newspaper Clippings, 1924-1946

       8. Miscellaneous: pamphlets, awards and certificates

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