Daughters of the American Revolution. Alleghany Chapter (Blacksburg, Va.)
Historical Note
The Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) was formed in 1890 as an organization to "perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence, by the acquisition and protection of historical spots, and the erection of monuments; by the encouragement of historical research in relation to the Revolution and the publication of its results; by the preservation of documents and relics, and of the records of the individual services of the Revolutionary soldiers and patriots, and by the promotion of celebrations of all patriotic anniversaries." The motto is "God, Home, and Country." Membership in the D.A.R. is eligible to "any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution." "Patriot" includes several types of military, civil, or other service in the course of the Revolution.
The Alleghany Chapter was organized in Blacksburg, Virginia, in January 1911. The first officers of the chapter were Mrs. Paul Barringer, Regent; Miss Ellen McDonald, Vice–Regent; Mrs. Alexander Black, Treasurer; Mrs. J.S.A. Johnson, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Nelson Mayo, Corresponding Secretary; and Mrs. James Otey, Registrar and Chair of the History Committee. Many of the charter members were descended from pioneers who held land in the New River section of the Alleghany Mountains, now known as "Trans–Alleghany Pioneers." The original members chose the name "Alleghany" over an individual hero of the Revolutionary War as their name, to preserve the colonial history and traditions of the region.
The chapter members erected several markers in Blacksburg and the region memorializing people and events of its colonial history. Most noteworthy is the marker at Barger Fort on Ribbles Spring in Christiansburg, on the grave of Revolutionary soldier and early settler Giles Thomas in the Blacksburg Cemetery, and in memory of Col. William Patton and the pioneers who lost their lives in the Drapers Meadow Massacre in 1755, placed near Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg.