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Connie on far left with other models of 400 years of American fashion show |
“I’m gathering proof of my family lineage
to apply to the Daughters of the American Revolution,” my friend Connie said a
year ago.
I
wasn’t surprised. Throughout our long, intermittent friendship, I’ve observed
her zeal for family history and community service. What little I knew of the
DAR, the organization seemed a good fit for her.
Women
of like minds, I recalled my McCoy family history, the infamous Hatfield-McCoy
Feud—not as honorable as the George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson legacies.
With these national
leaders and literature like Andrea Wulf’s “Founding Gardeners,” my interest in
the history of the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress, and Constitutional
Convention grew.
However, without my
forerunners’ birth and marriage certificates, how could I obtain proof of an “ancestor who aided in achieving American independence”?
I
had little time to pursue such documentation. Sustaining my household, writing
life, gardens, a few memberships in those categories, and friendships, consumed
my personal resources.
What
would I choose to exchange for achieving proof of my lineage for service in the
DAR?
None
of the above.
I
forgot the Daughters. Months later, opportunity knocked again when Connie
emailed.
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Second half of Daughters of American Revolution fashion show |
“My Nipissing DAR
chapter is hosting a fashion show in Metamora’s Historic Town Hall this
Saturday. I’ll be modeling my wedding gown. Would you like to join us? The
theme is 400 Years of Fashion.”
Well, Connie may not enjoy catching and
cleaning fish as her husband and boys do, but she delights in baiting me. My Saturday
afternoon was free. I’d complete my household chores before I left.
“I’ll
save you a front row seat. Gail’s coming, too,” Connie added.
Gail,
Connie, and I go way back to the Sixties at Redeemer Baptist Church in Warren.
Within three years in the early Seventies, we married the man of our life and
promptly went our separate ways.
Until
Connie reconnected us last summer.
Gail sat next to
the chair reserved for me. Daughters, Sons, and Children of the American
Revolution milled around the room dressed in fashions spanning four centuries.
They chatted, laughed.
Gordie Yax wore a Vietnam
War military flight suit. His twin, Ethan, represented the Revolutionary period.
Meanwhile, Connie
strolled in her bridal attire, held a bouquet of silk flowers, and smiled as
wide as the Mackinac Bridge. She posed by her mother’s wedding dress and veil displayed
on a form. I remembered her mother’s beautiful red hair.
Berlin Mattila, granddaughter
of chapter’s Registrar, Judy Mattila, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the
flag of our United States. Veneita Chapin, the chapter’s Regent, offered a
prayer of safekeeping for all present.
Judy, also the
show’s articulate narrator, began with a women’s garment representing the
1600-1650 Jamestown Settlement. My favorite fashions included the gorgeous Civil
War ball gown, the hilarious 1950’s Ladies’ Housedress, and Connie’s 1973 lacy
gown.
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Marsha Jewett loses her wig and hat |
Dear Reader, as if
planned to conclude the show, Marsha Jewett tripped and lost her Revolutionary
War wig and hat. She plopped both back on her head and brought the house down.
Today, I contacted
Judy Mattila.