Chapter becomes 200th in Texas, on Crosby’s 200th Anniversary
By David Taylor
Managing Editor
Crosby’s bicentennial celebration was the seed for many special events wrapped around the auspicious occasion and none more significant than the charter of the Crosby chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Named for Crosby’s founder, the “Old Three Hundred” chapter, the national organization granted the charter on September 5, 2023, and it became the 200th chapter in the State of Texas. Perfect timing for the 200th anniversary of the town.
The timing was worked out perfectly by Alicia Spear who, while living in Kingwood, joined the Lady Washington chapter after she moved to Texas from Virginia.
“I moved to Texas three years ago and have been a DAR member in Stafford, Virginia since 2015,” she said.
Her move was during the pandemic, and she was seeking connections in her new community.
“I joined the Lady Washington chapter which is the oldest and largest in Texas,” she said.
She later moved to Crosby but found it difficult to get to DAR meetings because there were no chapters nearby.
“I approached the state organization and explained they could benefit from a chapter in this area,” she said.
It took a couple of years to get final approval, but Spear received notification the application had been approved in December of last year for her to begin organizing and building an interest list.
“Our list grew to 80, and I hosted several interest meetings, and we had 25 at their first meeting in October,” Spear said.
Founded in 1890, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution have dedicated themselves to historical preservation, promotion of education, and encouragement of patriotic endeavor for more than a century.
The national organization’s work is accomplished with the grass root efforts of local chapters who encourage members to get involved in those endeavors.
“The DAR is the largest women’s service organization in the country. We’re a non-partisan service group and our motto is God, home, and country. That’s who we serve,” she said.
Spear said one of the best parts of DAR is the camaraderie and friendships created performing service in the community.
Since the group is named the Daughters of the American Revolution, members must have some connection to a patriot.
“Our eligibility requirements are a female over the age of 18, and you have to prove lineal descent to someone who served or rendered aid during the war,” she explained. “They don’t necessarily have to have been a soldier, but they could have been a shop owner who donated supplies to the troops or many other avenues,” she said.
Tracing the history is not difficult as most of the lineage work can be done online with the help of the organization’s experts who have traced many of the patriots already.
“A registrar would help you look for a line that’s already proven. And you can piggyback off the research that other people have done. We did have one person (from Crosby) who actually established a new patriot, so that was really cool. Her file was really, really thick because she had to go all the way back to the Revolution, but they established a new patriot for her, which was really exciting,” she said. “That’s a really big deal.”
The naming of the chapter as the Old 300 Chapter was a nod to Humphrey Jackson who established Crosby and was granted just in time for the 200-year anniversary of the town.
On September 24, the day following the bicentennial celebration, the organization hosted their organizing celebration.
“We’ve already performed our first service project at the Lynch Cemetery in Crosby where the Humphrey Jackson monument is placed. We did some beautification, weed pulling, and made it easier to get into the cemetery. It will be an ongoing project since there’s a lot to be done,” she said.
The fence is collapsing around the cemetery and they’re working with a fence company to help. They also discovered the monument was listing to one side and are searching for a foundation company that can help them level the marker. At their organizing meeting, they hosted the great, great grandson of Humphrey Jackson.
To learn more about the organization and their work, contact Spear at: old300chapter@gmail.com