National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1895-2016
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University
Title: National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1895-2016
Collection No.: SC 0076
Creator: Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter
Extent: 10 boxes; 3.56 cubic feet
Language: English
Abstract: The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1895-2016, consist of ten boxes. It consists of the official papers of the chapter and has been arranged into five series: Minutes, Yearbooks, Subject files, Scrapbooks and Ephemera, and Oversize.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions: Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions: The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Preferred Citation: [Identification of Item], [box #, folder #], National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1895-2016, SC 0076, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Acquisition Information: The collection was placed on deposit by contract signed by Mrs. Mildred Onsgard, Regent,
on November 6, 1985; additions through 2016. The collection was officially donated
to Special Collections in April 2017.
Processing Information: Acid-free interleaving paper was used extensively in minute books to buffer text from
newspaper clippings; archival tape was used to mount loose clippings on bond paper;
and the most brittle single sheets were placed into Mylar sleeves. In order to streamline
the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a
large-scale renumbering campaign in the spring of 2017. This collection was previously
cataloged as SC 2001.
Bio/Historical Note:
In the summer of 1895, a group of prominent Harrisonburg and Rockingham County women met to form a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The group was organized and chartered as the Massanutton Chapter in 1897, with Mrs. John Paul as Regent. The name "Massanutton" and its spelling have been a topic of interest on several occasions through the years.
It has been an active chapter, participating and often initiation public celebrations of such annual patriotic remembrances as Flag Day, George Washington's Birthday, and Constitution Week. The chapter contributed to several national war efforts over the decades, as well as to local endeavors such as equipping a room in the Hospital. It has placed several historical markers in the area, and sponsors programs and essay contests in local schools to stimulate an appreciation for American history. In the 1960s and 70s, members compiled several lists of otherwise unnoted county graveyards (A Record of Burial Places in Rockingham County, Va.; Church and Family Cemeteries, Eastern Section, Rockingham County, Va.); produced a unique list of inns titled Ordinaries of Rockingham County and Harrisonburg, Va. 1778-1855; and compiled Revolutionary Soldiers, Rockingham County, Va. These works were sent to the Virginia State Library. Also in recent years, the chapter has held a ceremony after naturalization proceedings to welcome new citizens.
Scope and Content:
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Massanutton Chapter Records, 1897-2016, consist of ten boxes, approximately 3.56 cubic feet. It consists of the official papers of the chapter and has been arranged into five series: Minutes, Yearbooks, Subject Files, Scrapbooks and Ephemera, and Oversize.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in five series. Series 1, Series 2, and Series 4 are arranged
chronologically. Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by subject. Series 5 is arranged
by size.
Contents:
Series 1: Minutes, 1895-2011
Series 1: Minutes, 1895-2011 consists of minute books and loose minutes spanning 1895-2011. The minutes are notations of regular meetings of the Massanutton chapter of the NSDAR. The minutes initially are stored in specific bound notebooks through the 1967-1981 book. Beginning with the 1979-1983, the minutes are written or printed on loose forms of paper rather than being bound. This continues until the end of the series.
| Folder Title |
Box : Folder
|
| Minute Book, 1895-1903 |
1:1
|
| Minute Book, 1904-1907 |
1:2
|
| Minute Book, 1907-1911 |
1:3
|
| Minute Book, 1915-1921 |
1:4
|
| Minute Book, 1922-1927 |
1:5
|
| Minute Book, 1927-1929 |
1:6
|
| Minute Book, 1930-1932 |
1:7
|
| Minute Book, 1933-1935 |
1:8
|
| Minute Book, 1935-1938 |
1:9
|
| Minute Book, 1938-1942 |
2:1
|
| Minute Book, 1942-1953 |
2:2
|
| Minute Book, 1953-1961 |
2:3
|
| Minute Book, 1961-1962 |
2:4
|
| Minute Book, 1962-1963 |
2:5
|
| Minute Book, 1963-1964 |
2:6
|
| Minute Book, 1965-1967 |
2:7
|
| Minute Book, 1967-1981 |
3:1
|
| Minutes, 1979-1983 |
3:2
|
| Minutes, 1983-1986, undated |
3:3
|
| Minutes, 1986-1989 |
3:4
|
| Minutes, 1990-1992 |
3:5
|
| Minutes, 1993-1995 |
3:6
|
| Minutes, 1996-1998 |
3:7
|
| Minutes, 1999-2011 |
4:1
|
Series 2: Yearbooks, 1912-2015
Series 2: Yearbooks, 1912-2015 contains yearbooks of the Massanutton NSDAR from 1912-2015 (with gaps). The yearbooks contains names, information, and occasionally portraits of members of the Massanutton chapter. Current chapter, state, and national administrator information is included preceding standard chapter members. The yearbooks also contain up-to-date bylaws and general information on the chapter. Also included are songs important to the organizations, creeds, and pledges that are important for members to know. Historical information on charter members as well as former chapter regents are also included.
| Folder Title |
Box : Folder
|
| Yearbooks, 1912-1985 |
4:2
|
| Yearbooks, 1986-2000 |
4:3
|
| Yearbooks, 2000-2015 |
4:4
|
Series 3: Subject Files, 1897-2016
Series 3, Subject files, 1897-2016, contains a wide variety of materials, documenting the activities of the chapter.
The majority of the files represent events and efforts of the Massanutton chapter. Such files include the Cenennial Postage Stamp project in which the Massanutton chapter developed an official postage stamp with the United States Postal Service to commemorate its 100th anniversary. Another example of such public efforts is the restoration of the Lincoln Cemetery in 2010-2016. Some files included are administrative in nature, such as awards given by and received by the Massanutton chapter, chapter history, event programs, and regent reports and letters on chapter goals and achievements.
Another portion of the series is composed of miscellaneous general files originating from the national administration of the NSDAR that were in the possession of the Massanutton chapter. These files include pamphlets and informational mailings spanning 1950-2015.
| Folder Title |
Box : Folder
|
| American Medal, 1992 |
5:1
|
| Awards – Given, 1971-2013 |
5:2
|
| Awards – Received (folder 1 of 2), 1986-2016 |
5:3
|
| Awards – Received (folder 2 of 2), 1986-2016 |
5:4
|
| Biographies, 1962 |
5:5
|
| Bylaws, 1989 |
5:6
|
| Centennial Postage Stamp Project, 1983-1990 |
5:7
|
| Cemetery Records, Historical Markers, 1927-1980 |
5:8
|
| Constitution Week, 1962-1980 |
5:9
|
| Correspondence, 1908-2014 |
5:10
|
| Diamond Jubilee, 1971 |
6:1
|
| Donations, 1993 |
6:2
|
| Flag, 1962-1977 |
6:3
|
| Flag Essay Contest, 1999 |
6:4
|
| History of Chapter, 1897-1987 |
6:5
|
| Lincoln Cemetery Restoration, 2010-2016 |
6:6
|
| Membership, 1981 |
6:7
|
| Member Cemetery Markers, 1985 |
6:8
|
| Memorial Plaque, 1921 |
6:9
|
| Miscellaneous National Files (folder 1 of 4), 1950-2015 |
6:10
|
| Miscellaneous National Files (folder 2 of 4), 1950-2015 |
6:11
|
| Miscellaneous National Files (folder 3 of 4), 1950-2015 |
6:12
|
| Miscellaneous National Files (folder 4 of 4), 1950-2015 |
6:13
|
| Name – Massanutton, 1897-1965 |
7:1
|
| Naturalization (folder 1 of 2), 1965-2015 |
7:2
|
| Naturalization (folder 2 of 2), 1965-2015 |
7:3
|
| Newsletters, 1954-2004 |
7:4
|
| Newspaper Clippings (folder 1 of 2), 1962-2015 |
7:5
|
| Newspaper Clippings (folder 2 of 2), 1962-2015 |
7:6
|
| Photographs, 2000-2007 |
7:7
|
| Programs, 1984-1996 |
7:8
|
| Publications and Compilations, 1976 |
8:1
|
| Regent Letters, 1985-1994 |
8:2
|
| Reports, 1919, undated |
8:3
|
| Reports, 1920-1970 |
8:4
|
| Reports, 1971-1983 |
8:5
|
| Reports, 1990-2000 |
8:6
|
| ROTC Medal, 1977-1979 |
8:7
|
| Songbooks, undated |
8:8
|
| Treasurer Record Book, 1906-1922 |
8:9
|
| Thomas Harrison Memorial, 1943-2000 |
8:10
|
| VADAR Cookie Book, 2014 |
8:11
|
Series 4: Scrapbooks and Ephemera, 1897-1981
Series 4: Scrapbooks and Ephemera, 1897-1981 contains four scrapbooks of clippings and notes related to the Massanutton chapter. Also included in the series is a commemorative ceramic plate honoring the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NSDAR. The plate bears the logo of the organization and was created by J. E. Caldwell Co. in Philadelphia, PA. The official NSDAR Massanutton Chapter charter is also included in the series, dating back to the chapter's founding in 1897. Also in the series is an undated portrait of a NSDAR member Katherine Seymore Green (Mrs. K. Paul).
| Folder Title |
Box : Folder
|
| K. Paul Photograph, 1897 |
OV 1:1
|
| Massanutton Chapter Charter, 1897 |
OV 1:2
|
| Commemorative Plate, 1965 |
Media Cabinet
|
| Scrapbook 1, undated |
9:1
|
| Scrapbook 2, undated |
9:2
|
| Scrapbook 3, undated |
9:3
|
| Scrapbook 4, undated |
9:4
|
Series 5: Oversize, 1897
Series 5: Oversize contains two items from Series 4 that have been removed and stored separately due to size. The Oversize series consists of materials that have been physically removed from their intellectual arrangement within the existing series due to their size and as such, the Oversize series functions only as a container list.
| Folder Title |
Box : Folder
|
| K. Paul Photograph, 1897 |
OV 1:1
|
| Massanutton Chapter Charter, 1897 |
OV 1:2
|
Compiled by: Christina Bolgiano, March 1986; Dillon Thomas, August 2017