On October 11, 1890, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded. They had three simple objectives: to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American independence; to promote institutions for the dispersal of knowledge to the public; and to cherish, maintain, and extend intuitions of American freedom.

According to History and Register, Idaho State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, the first Idaho residential member was Mary Gridley Tarr. She had moved to Teton Basin, Idaho in 1902, and was elected as the Idaho’s DAR Organizing Regent at the 1904 Continental Congress.

From its establishment in Idaho, membership and participation grew. Many members came from well-known families who most often traced their ancestry back to the colonial period. One such member was Jennie O. Lawwill, leader of the Caldwell chapter and supposed descendent of Amonute (commonly known by her nickname, Pocahontas).

This publication contains various, albeit small, member histories between the years 1904 to 1934. It also includes images of individual members as well as convention and chapter photographs. Learn more about Idaho’s Daughter of the American Revolution members and branches by using resources from U of I Library’s Special Collections and Archives Department.

Sources

Wood, C. L. (1936). History and Register, Idaho State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (File copy.). Caxton Printers.

DAR History. https://www.dar.org/national-society/about-dar/dar-history.