Daughters of this and that

SWTXBelle · #1 03-05-2008, 12:59 PM

Honeychile's genealogy bad baby name thread made me think of genealogical groups. Who here belongs to any "Daughters" or the like (i.e. Colonial Dames)?

I am in Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of Norway, and First Families of Tennessee and Texas. I'm eligible for Daughters of the Republic of Texas but have to get the Mexican land grant translated and a few other proofs.

Anyone else?

honeychile · #2 03-05-2008, 01:22 PM

There's been a lot of talk about this in the past, the longest thread here.

I'm a member of the DAR, UDC, and First Families of Pennsylvania, and am readying applications for the First Families of Virginia, Colonial Dames, and the Mayflower Society.

I'm not familiar with the Daughters of Norway. What's that about?

SWTXBelle · #3 03-05-2008, 02:04 PM

www.daughtersofnorway.org - it's for descendents of Scandinavian countries (not just Norway) I'm trying to get icelandelf to join . . .

catiebug · #4 03-05-2008, 02:30 PM

Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the Republic of Texas (all through the same line, no less!).

icelandelf · #5 03-11-2008, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

www.daughtersofnorway.org - it's for descendents of Scandinavian countries (not just Norway) I'm trying to get icelandelf to join . . .

I haven't forgotten

I'm making it my summer project!

nittanyalum · #6 03-05-2008, 03:21 PM

No Daughters of the Middle Class I can join anywhere? Or Daughters of Descendants of Immigrants Who Were Just Glad to Get Off the Boat Alive? No? Dang.

honeychile · #7 03-05-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

No Daughters of the Middle Class I can join anywhere? Or Daughters of Descendants of Immigrants Who Were Just Glad to Get Off the Boat Alive? No? Dang.

You'd be surprised! Honestly, there seems to be a lineage group for anyone you can imagine! I've seen lists that are up to 100 pages long, including Ellis Island immigrants, potato famine immigrants, every ethnic group, etc. It's truly amazing, and the snob factor just isn't there anymore.

nittanyalum · #8 03-05-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

the snob factor just isn't there anymore.

I have a sister-in-law whose family is big in the DAR and they are some of my favorite people in the world so I wouldn't assign any "snobbiness" to any of the groups, I just don't quickly identify with any of them (but I'll look into that Potato Famine one

), so I was really just joshing about. Back to your muskets!

Leslie Anne · #9 03-05-2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

No Daughters of the Middle Class I can join anywhere? Or Daughters of Descendants of Immigrants Who Were Just Glad to Get Off the Boat Alive? No? Dang.

LOL!!

Yep!

But my grandmother's name is on The American Immigrant Wall of Honor at Ellis Island! Count for anything???

Actually, I just found out by taking a look at the link aopirose posted that on the other side of my family I'm eligible for membership in the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865 and Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. I wonder what the difference is.

LucyKKG · #10 03-05-2008, 04:04 PM

You know I had to jump in here...hooray for Norwegians!

I sang at a Daughters of Norway Christmas party when I was 11 or 12. :-)

Army Wife'79 · #11 03-05-2008, 04:31 PM

We are DAR members. D can be in the UDC but since she's still in college, just hasn't gotten around to it. I looked at the Norway website and am wondering why they're mostly out West. I think 99% of the population of Minnesota would qualify for membership. That's where all my Norweigan relatives are. (and yes, you betcha, they all talk like the movie "Fargo" dontcha know?)

Munchkin03 · #12 03-05-2008, 04:36 PM

[QUOTE=Army Wife'79;1612866]We are DAR members. D can be in the UDC but since she's still in college, just hasn't gotten around to it. I looked at the Norway website and am wondering why they're mostly out West. QUOTE]

There's also a huge Norweigan population in the San Francisco area...I know that there are a few of them here on GC!

aopirose · #13 03-05-2008, 04:58 PM

Here ya go. Something for just about everyone.

http://www.hereditary.us/

I just completed my son's paperwork for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Still working on mine for the National Society Daughters of the Union 1861-1865, the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865 and the National Society United States Daughters of 1812. I had the applications for the Order of the First World War and the First Families of Louisiana around here somewhere but they seem to have dissappeared.

texas*princess · #14 03-08-2008, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Army Wife'79

I think 99% of the population of Minnesota would qualify for membership. That's where all my Norweigan relatives are. (and yes, you betcha, they all talk like the movie "Fargo" dontcha know?)

One of my faaaaavorite colleagues works in our Minnesota office and she is just a sweetheart! And yes, she talks like the movie "Fargo"... dontcha know... hehehe

GeekyPenguin · #15 03-09-2008, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas*princess

One of my faaaaavorite colleagues works in our Minnesota office and she is just a sweetheart! And yes, she talks like the movie "Fargo"... dontcha know... hehehe

Oh, there's a difference between Minnesota and Fargo accents. I know this because I have a Minnesota accent and I can still hear a Fargo accent in others.

As for why there aren't more Daughters of Norway chapters in MN, I have a couple guesses:

1) Anyone who was born here is probably Norwegian unless they're from St. Paul - then they're Irish.
2) Since everybody here is Norwegian, they don't care as much about associating with other Norwegian people.
3) People in MN tend to care less about what ethnic background you have and more about whether you went to the right pre-school/grade school/hockey league/church/etc. and how long you have BEEN HERE.
3a) If you haven't been here 50 years, you're not really Minnesotan - sorry!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

Far from being more selective than NPC sororities, the fact is that just about anyone can find a historical group for which they qualify for membership if they but try. Open the Society of the Great Unwashed, and see if you don't find dozens of like-minded possible members!

Not true. I checked out that list posted upthread (which seemed awfully comprehensive) and I am eligible for exactly zero of those organizations. I think that part of the reason for the original founding of those organizations was so that the people from "good stock" could have a way to associate together and not have to mix with the ____ (insert random later-influx of immigrants country) immigrants that were sullying their colony/state/commonwealth/whatever. While they don't really serve that function anymore, especially with all of the intermarriage that's gone on, the "Daughters of the Irish Potato Famine" or "Daughters of Nazi Germany Gave My Country to Poland" were a little busy with other things to start a society, like trying to earn a wage so they didn't have to live in a tenement anymore or maybe learn English.

I think that in certain parts of the country (and KappaKittyCat and I are from roughly the same place) these groups just come off as elitist because the few that do exist are WASPy old biddies who "lunch" and whine about how today's youth don't respect their elders blah blah blah wah wah can I have another drink please? I'm sure in other parts of the country they aren't like that, just like how being in a sorority is different depending on where you live.