September Newsletter

 

August 2014
National Parks Month
Happy Birthday!!

Neta Lee
Winifred Jenkins Betty Rouse
Carrie Beth Henderson

Sept. 4 Sept. 4 Sept. 5
Sept. 12

Check It Out...
Have you looked at our web site lately, please do so it has changed. Especially the page with our PATRIOTS/ANCESTOR LIST. It is wonderful to know we have so many. To see our web site go to www.ncdar.org/BattleofRockfish_files/index.html
“Lil’ Tid Bits”
Conduct and Respect for the Flag of the United States of America.....

1. Stand at attention, facing the flag. During the National Anthem, if no flag is present,
   stand facing the music
   
2. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute
   
3. If not in uniform, place your right hand, ungloved, over your heart
   
4. The left hand should be holding nothing with your arm resting at your side
   

When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.

DAR Facts...
In the late 1890s, after the Spanish-American War broke out, the NSDAR assisted the United States government by examining the applications of women nurses who applied for service, and by preparing a list of those qualified. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee, an officer of the NSDAR, undertook this task. Applications of 4,600 nurses were examined, and 1,700 were certified. Following the war, the Society, at its own expense, paid pensions to all such nurses who entered the service prior to September 6, 1898 who were either not receiving or were not eligible for government pensions. The NSDAR commemorates this contributions by awarding the Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee Award annually to the “Nurse of the Year”, selected by a board of the Army Nurse Corps, Surgeon General’s Office.
Women’s Issues...
“Tip for Flower Lovers”.... Women usually attend to yards around their homes because they usually like year-round beauty of flowers blooming. Most of us do not bother to test the soil. Testing and adjusting the soil might be needed to enhance growth of plants and promote better blooming. A household testing for soil acidity is...mix 1 cup soil with 2 cups water, then stir in 1⁄4 cup baking soda. If you have a volcano erupting in your container, your soil is very acid. If you have a little fuzz around the edges, you have a minimally acid soil. Good luck!
Selling the DAR....
In order to achieve and maintain a successful company one has to be a good salesperson. We are good salespersons for our society, the DAR. One quick sales pitch....
NSDAR – is the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution founded
In 1890. We are a service organization headquartered in Washington D.C.. We have Over 170,000 members who carry out our three objectives of historical preservation, education, patriotism. Few examples: we support 6 schools for under-privileged children, we ensure historical areas are marked, we promote patriotism, etc.
Flag Notes (from Internet)......
Mary Young Pickersgill sewed the very large (30’x42’) Star-Spangled Banner in the summer of 1813. It flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 (1812-1814) and was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key to write what would become our National Anthem. Pickersgill’s flag hangs at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Her house still stands as a museum you can visit in Baltimore, Maryland.
Francis Scott Key wrote the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the back of an envelope. The music is from an old English drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven”.

An Old Proverb (Proverbs for Daily Living by Johannes Troyer)
Gratitude takes three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words
and a giving in return.
Volunteer Services..... may include participation in activities such as Meals-on-Wheels, tutoring, monitoring tests at schools, driving neighbors to appointments, community fund raisers (example...fire dept., etc.). You may obtain more information and time sheets from Barbara Lewis or Winifred Jenkins. Turn in hours by or before December meeting.
Ancestral Tidbit......
Patriot Richard Wells, Jr., date of birth Feb. 11, 1760 in Pennsylvannia and died March 28, 1838 in Kentucky. Married to Susanna Hutcherson.
When Richard was about 12 or 13 he went to Augusta, Georgia with his uncle Dr. George Wells. Dr. Wells was associated there with the radical measures such as the Constitution of 1777 and in 1780 assumed the duties of Governor of Georgia.
In 1799 Richard was drafted into Georgia Militia for a period of six months as orderly sergeant. His unit marched to Charleston, had a brief skirmish with Tories. Participated in the battle of Stone’s landing where the army lost between 100-200 men. He received his discharge in July.
In September 1779 Richard was drafted for a period of three months. The army’s objective was to take Savannah from Tories and British. The American force gave way during a fierce battle. He was then sent with his company to Ogechy River for two weeks, returned to Augusta where he was discharged in July.
In May in Virginia he enlisted for the term of one year. He was sent as a spy to the frontier where traveled the counties of Scott, Lee and Russell in Virginia as well as the Cumberland Mountain which divides Virginia and Kentucky. He remained at the frontier until May 1781 and discharged.
Richard Wells, Jr. is Betty Burke Rouse’s patriot.

Patriot Ancestors...
You may give your written patriot ancestor reports to Winifred Jenkins. We need to keep these on file. A possible use may be to include them in an anniversary celebration. Some of us only have a sentence or two and others may have much more.
V isions of accomplishments I n our
S ociety
I nvolves us all doing
O ur part to achieve. Let’s N urture our visions and S hine
Dues......... In September 2013/2014 membership dues increased from $55.00 to
$75.00. Hopefully there will be no increases this next year. We have done well this year without asking for donations although we’ve had some personal donations all along. Your treasurer, Cindy Ezzell, thanks all of you for your help in making this a financially sound year. Any time anyone would like to contribute a few dollars in donations to the chapter it is very welcome.
Please send your dues to Cindy Ezzell during our summer months prior to September meeting. Also, it is about time to renew or subscribe to the DAR magazine, “The American Spirit” ($18.00). Please renew/subscribe at the September or October meeting. This is highly recommended by our higher officials so reporting can all be done early in the year. The magazine has very interesting articles in it plus there is information that can help with your committee.
Indian Minutes....
One of the proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans” and for three years they adopted such a day.

Legend of the Cherokee Rose
When the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.
(Source: The Cherokee 1994 Heritage Calendar by Dorothy Sullivan, Memory Circle Studio, Norman, Ok.)
Parable of the Lightwood Knot
By Bob Herring
(Husband to Ann Herring, deceased member)
Now learn a parable of the lightwood knot. When the stately pine tree lifts its limbs to the sky, it is a wonder to behold; the warmth of bark, strength of fiber, and beauty of needle and cone. In its primal place over the forest it is most abused by powers of wind and storm. Limbs are whipped, and lashed, and pulled, and tossed, so much that it would seem that they would be extracted from their sockets by the fury of the elements. In His wisdom, God provides strength sufficient for the tests of stress and time. As roots reach deep into the soil of life and branches are lifted heavenward, the tree receives the power of enduring life.
But, alas, there is a time for everything, and pine trees, too, must pass their way. With timber consumed by worldly needs, the limb is left alone on forest floor to pass into the oblivion of decay. Years go by and all that can be seen is a faint trace of a mighty pine tree limb; once lifted as though in heavenly praise, but now consumed by lichen, moss and insect feasts.
Behold! What is this? Almost concealed, a lightwood knot – the place in that tree’s life that bore the greatest strain and stress, the place to which the Giver of life sent resources of power and strength in the form of a spirit, at a time when its needs were great – only this remains. On the outside, the texture, lines and hue of humble victory over decay, and on the inside, a richness of character that is a true image of the spirit that gave it life.
So likewise ye, when you trust in God.

The Lumbee Indians
(Information from the Internet)
“Lumbee” is pronounced LUM-bee (“lum” rhymes with “gum”). This is the name of a river that runs through their homeland. The Lumbees are also sometimes known as the Croatan (CROW-uh-tan) or Cheraw (CHAIR-aw) Indians, after two bands they trace their ancestry to.
The Lumbees are original residents of North Carolina, primarily Robeson County, where they still live today. Unlike most Indian tribes in the United States, the Lumbee Indians do not have a reservation or a recognized tribal leadership. The Lumbees own their own land and have a strong community, but they are considered regular US and North Carolina citizens and do not have sovereignty rights. Some Lumbee people are dissatisfied with this situation and are working to change it.
The tribe’s origins are not clear. The Indian tribes of the east coast suffered terrible losses from smallpox and other European diseases after the colonists first arrived, with many bands suffering 50%-90% casualties. The survivors merged together as best they could, and many original tribal distinctions have been lost. North Carolina was originally inhabited by Algonquian bands (Pamlico, Hatteras, or Croatan) and Siouan bands (Cheraw and Catawba), but these groups seem to have merged after multiple epidemics. The Lumbees trace their origins to these people. The Lumbee ancestors also intermarried a lot with white, black, and Cherokee people – including, possibly, the ‘lost’ colony of Roanoke, who were taken in by the Croatan Indians according to the tribe’s oral history.
Nobody knows for sure, but many Indians believe the Lost Colony of Roanoke joined the Croatan Indians. AS you probably know from your studies, the Roanoke colony disappeared during a difficult winter, leaving the note “Croatan” carved into a tree. This was recognized by other Englishmen who came looking for them as the homeland of some friendly Indians, and the colonists hadn’t carved the agreed-upon distress signal, so the relieved searchers assumed they were all right and had simply gone to live with the Croatans. After that, English historians never mention them again. However, English historians do mention a group of North Carolina Indians, fifty years later, who spoke English fluently, practiced Christianity, and called themselves the Croatan Indians. There were also twenty or thirty English surnames in this tribe which had all belonged to Roanoke colonists, and many Indians have preserved in their oral history the story of the Croatans adopting the Roanoke survivors. It’s not clear why they didn’t mention it if they did. Perhaps there was an unusual political situation, or perhaps the stigma against mixed-race families was too high at the time. Or possible once the colonists settled down with their Indian families, they simply stopped doing anything English historians at the time cared about.
Lumbee Indians all speak English and have spoken English for a very long time. In the past, their ancestors spoke Pamlico or Carolina Algonquian (the language that is usually referred to today as Lumbee) and Cheraw or Carolina Siouan. These two languages are completely

different, so if the two tribes banded together after an epidemic, they would have had a hard time understanding each other. English was a good alternative, especially if English colonists married in the tribe early on.
It is not known exactly what the original Lumbee Indians wore, because they switched to European-influenced clothing so early in their history. The certainly didn’t wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Some Lumbee oral traditions suggest they used to wear a beaded headband with a feather or two in it, as the Powhatans did. Clothing styles were probably slightly different in the different bands in the area, but Lumbee women probably all wore knee-length skirts and the men breechcloths. Neither women nor men usually had to war shirts in the southern Algonquian and Siouan cultures, but they did wear mantles when the weather was cool. Both genders certainly wore moccasins on their feet, a custom which survived past mixing with white colonists. Today, Lumbee people wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths...and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
The Lumbees were farming people, harvesting corn, squash, beans, and tobacco. They also hunted for deer, wild turkeys and other animals. Originally Lumbee women probably did most of the farming while the men went hunting, like other Algonquian and Siouan tribes in the region. However, after their contact with Europeans, farming and hunting both became primarily male jobs. Lumbee recipes included soup, cornbread, and stews.
The Lumbee tribes are known for their woodcarving, basketry, and patchwork designs.
There are lots of traditional Lumbee legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to Lumbee Indian culture.
***********

Brief History.....
*The Lumbees are the ninth largest tribe in the U.S. and the second largest east of the Mississippi River.
*Archeological evidence shows that Lumbees have been in Robeson County for 14,000 years. *The Lumbees are not federally recognized, however they are a state recognized tribe. In trying
to establish federal recognition, the Lumbees researched their origin.
Theories of Origin....
*Descendants of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony Based on Hamilton McMillian’s Theory
-Oral Tradition
-Surnames-Many of the names of the Colonists are the same as
Lumbees names -Dialect-Lumbees speak unique English
-Manners/Lifestyle-English influenced *Descendants of the Cheraw Indians
They came into the swamps of Robeson County for a safe haven
Name Associations of the Lumbees
*1885- Croatan (Because of mcMillian’s Theory)
*1911- Indians of Robeson County
*1913- Cherokee Indians of Robeson County
*1953- Lumbee (First name actually chosen by the people)
Major Events for the Lumbees
*The Lowrie War (1864-1874)
*Creation of the Indian Normal School, which later became the University of
North Carolina at Pembroke.
Becoming a State Recognized Tribe
*Henry Berry Lowrie – A Hero for the Lumbee People
*Current Events for the Lumbees
*The Lumbees are still fighting for Federal Recognition
*The Lumbees have powwows many times a year to celebrate their culture

Our American Eagle: Symbol of Liberty

By Phil Elam
Member, Masonic Brotherhood of the Blue Forget-Me-Not
What does the American Eagle have to do with Freemasonry? Absolutely nothing.
However, as Freemasons are among the most patriotic citizens of this great republic and the principles for which it stands, the principles for which it stands, the sight of the American Eagle is near and dear to each one of us as an eternal symbol of freedom. But what do most of us know about the American Eagle? Let us consider the matter.....
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) is truly
an all-American bird. It is the only eagle unique to North
America, and ranges over most of the continent, from the
northern reaches of Alaska and Canada down to northern Mexico. The bald eagle, our national symbol, is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. There are presently about 50,000 bald eagles in the United States with 40,000 in Alaska and none in Hawaii.
When Europeans first arrived on this continent, bald eagles were fairly common. As the human population grew, the eagle population declined. The food supplies for eagles decreased because the people hunted and fished over a broad area. Essentially, eagles and humans competed for the same food, and humans, with weapons at their disposal, had the advantage.

As the human population expanded westward, the natural habitat of the eagles was destroyed, leaving them fewer places to nest and hunt, which caused the population of bald eagles to decline sharply by the late 1800s. More than 100,000 bald eagles were killed in Alaska from 1917 to 1953 when Alaskan salmon fisherman feared they were a threat to the salmon population.
Male bald eagles generally measure 3 feet from head to tail, weigh 7 to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan of about 6 1⁄2 feet. Females are larger, some reaching 14 pounds and having a wingspan of up to 8 feet. This striking raptor has large, pale eyes, a powerful yellow beak, and great, black talons. The distinctive white head and tail feathers appear only after the bird is 4 to 5 years old. In flight, eagles can average speeds of 30 mph (50 kilometers). Wild bald eagles may live as long as thirty years, but the average lifespan is about fifteen to twenty years. Bald eagles generally have 7,000 feathers. By the way, the word “bald” does not mean the same thing
today as it did some 200 years ago. At that time, “bald” meant “white-headed” – hence, the bald eagle.
They mate for life and build huge nests in the tops of large trees and on cliffs near rivers, lakes, marshes, or other wetland areas. Nests are often reused year after year. With additions to the nests made annually, some may reach 10 feet across and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Although bald eagles may range over great distances, they usually return to nest within 100 miles of where they were raised.
Bald eagles normally lay two to three eggs once a year and the eggs hatch after about 35 days. Young eagles are flying within 3 months and are on their own about a month later. However, disease, lack of food, bad weather or human interference can kill many eaglets and only about half will survive their first year.
Bald eagles have few natural enemies. The staple of the bald eagle diet is fish, but they will also feed on almost anything they can catch, including ducks, rodents, snakes, and carrion. In winter, northern birds migrate south and gather in large numbers near open water areas where fish or other prey are plentiful. Wildlife experts believe there may have been as many as 75,000 nesting bald eagles in the lower 48 states when the bird was adopted as our national symbol in 1782.
However, by the early 1960s, there were fewer than 450 bald eagle nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. History notes many wilderness areas were cleared for farms and towns, and virgin forests were cut for timber and fuel. And, today, an increasing number of people flock to the nation’s waterways for recreation, with growing impacts on bald eagle habitat.

Meanwhile, these magnificent birds of prey became prey themselves. Although primarily fish and carrion eaters, bald eagles and other raptors were seen as marauders that killed chickens, lambs, and other domestic livestock. As a consequence, large numbers were shot by farmers and ranchers and others. In 1940, noting that the national bird was “threatened with extinction,” Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act which made it illegal to kill, harass, possess or sell bald eagles.
The Bald Eagle Protection Act prohibits the taking, transport,
sale, barter, trade, import and export, and possession of eagles,
making it illegal for anyone to collect eagles and eagle parts, nests or eggs without a Federal permit. Possession of a feather or other body part is a felony with a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment, although federally recognized Native Americans are able to possess these emblems which are traditional in their culture. A lone eagle feather is believed to convey great spiritual power. North American Indians incorporated the eagle’s primaries and tail feathers into their ceremonies and legends.
In 1967, bald eagles were officially declared an endangered species (under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973) in all areas of the United States south of the 40th parallel. Federal and state government agencies, along with private organizations, successfully sought to alert the public about the bald eagle’s plight and to protect its habitat from further destruction. The greatest threat to the bald eagle’s existence arose from the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides after World War II. DDT was sprayed on croplands throughout the country and its residues washed into lakes and streams. There, they were absorbed by aquatic plants and small animals that were then eaten by fish. The contaminated fish, in turn, were consumed by bald eagles.
The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of American, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. “They are shrieking for Freedom,” said the patriots. Thus, the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future.
The Eagle became the National emblem in 1782 when the Great Seal of the United States was adopted. The Great Seal shows a wide-spread eagle, facing front, having on his breast a shield with thirteen perpendicular red and white stripes, surmounted by a blue field with the same number of stars. In his right talon, the eagle holds an olive branch, in his left a bundle of thirteen arrows, and in his beak he carries a scroll inscribed with the motto: “E Pluribus Unum.”

The Eagle appears in the Seals of many of our States, on most of our gold and silver coinage, and is used a great deal for decorative and patriotic purposes.
At the Second Continental Congress, after the thirteen colonies voted to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776, the Colonies determined they needed an official seal. So Brothers Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, as a committee, prepared a device for a Seal of the United States of America. However, the only portion of the design accepted by Congress was the statement “E pluribus unum” (supposedly attributed to Bro. Thomas Jefferson). Congress liked the drawing, so before the end of 1782, an eagle holding a bundle of arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other was accepted as the seal. The image was completed with a shield of red and white stripes covering the breast of the bird; a crest above the eagle’s head, with a cluster of thirteen stars surrounded by bright rays going out to a ring of clouds; and a banner, held by the eagle in its bill, bearing the words: E pluribus unum.
Yet, it was not until 1787 that the American bald eagle was officially adopted as the emblem of the United States. While the eagle has been officially recognized as America’s national bird, there have been dissenters who feel that the bird was wrong choice.
Perhaps, the most notable was Most Worshipful Brother Benjamin Franklin when he wrote: “I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country, he is a bird of bad moral character, he does not get his living honestly, you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to its nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him. Besides, he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is, therefore, by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest of America. For a truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America – a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on.”
Franklin was clearly against the eagle and let everyone that would listen know it. Likewise, the artist John James Audubon agreed with this opinion of the bald or white-headed eagle. Because of their size, bald eagles are not concerned about threats from other birds. However, eagles are often chased by smaller birds who are trying to protect their young. Bald eagles are unlikely to bother smaller birds or their young, which makes these efforts unnecessary. Eagles often ignore mobbing behavior by smaller birds. It was Benjamin Franklin’s observations of a bald eagle, either ignoring or retreating from such mobbing, that led to his claim of the bald eagle’s apparent lack of courage.
MWB Franklin may have been one of the most intelligent men of his time, but he was not always right. Oh, just in case you did not know, Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird. Imagine that!

Regardless, selected as our national bird, the bald eagle has appeared on all official seals of the United States, as well as on most coinage, paper money, and on many U.S. stamps. The eagle represents freedom. Living as he does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of Nature, he has unlimited freedom, and, with strong opinions, he sweeps into the valleys below or upward into the boundless spaces beyond. The American Bald Eagle is a most noble and appropriate symbol of our beloved country.
Freemasons, as well as every other American citizen, should feel justly proud whenever we see this most noble bird.
Septembe

September 11, 2001