Society Snippets #1

If you read the Chapter Clips, you saw that our first chapter, Columbia Chapter, was organized on May 10, 1893.  You may be asking yourself, “When did the SCDAR organize?”   As it turns out, the organizational date for a state society is when the first chapter was organized.  In addition, the designated centennial date for each state is date of the first chapter organized.  Our state society was organized on May 10, 1893.

Even though Rebecca Calhoun Bacon was the state regent at the time of the state’s organization, she was not the first state regent.  In the beginning, the State Regent appointments were made through the Vice President in Charge of Chapter Organization, Mrs. Flora Adams Darling.  Georgia Moore de Fontaine was the first state regent appointed for South Carolina.  Her national number is 278, and she was appointed on May 25, 1891; however, she had to resign in 1892 due to a ruling passed by the National Board of Management that the State Regent must reside within the same state.  Mrs. De Fontaine resigned as she lived in New York.

The next State Regent appointed was Julia M. Richardson.  She was appointed on January 15, 1892 and served until February 1893.  Her national number was 1031, but she was dropped in 1897.  At this point, I have been unable to determine why her appointment was such a short term and have been unable to locate any additional information on her.

The next State Regent appointed was Rebecca Calhoun Bacon.  She was appointed on February 24, 1893 and served until 1898.  Her national number was 1390, but she was dropped in 1905.  It was under her that our first chapter was organized.

Because the first chapter was organized while she was state regent and thus our state society was organized as well, she is often given credit as being the first state regent for South Carolina.