National Nuggets: What Are Real Daughters? - Part 2

Now that you know what a Real Daughter is, I want to share with you some stories concerning some of our Real Daughters.

Mary Hammond Washington #81

Mary Washington was not only the first Real Daughter to join the Society but also the first member from the state of Georgia. She organized the Macon Chapter in Macon, Ga., and gathered the necessary twelve members by “making out the papers of ladies whose Revolutionary ancestry [she] knew.” Mary acted as regent of the Macon Chapter from its organization in 1893 until her death in 1901. At Congress in 1899, Mary was named an honorary state regent of Georgia for life.

Angelina Loring Avery – 42 year member

Angelina Loring Avery was one of the last surviving Real Daughters.  Angelina’s father, Solomon Loring, was in his 70s when she was born. The combined life spans of father and daughter totaled more than 171 years.

Louisa Capron Thiers – 111 years old

Louisa Capron Thiers passed away at age 111, making her the oldest Real Daughter of the American Revolution.  She was born in 1814 and died in 1926.

Sophronia Fletcher, M.D. – almost 100 years old

Sophronia Fletcher, M.D. was “one of the first female physicians in the country and one of the oldest living members of the medical profession in the country.”

Julia A. Demary and her twin sister, Elizabeth Russell – 

the only set of twins among the Real Daughters

Julia A. Demary and her twin sister, Elizabeth Russell, were born when their father, John Frank, was 81 years old. Julia and Elizabeth are the only set of twins among the Real Daughters. So great was their father’s delight when they were born that he is said to have rushed out into the street to call the neighbors to come in and see his daughters. He lived to be 95 years old, and died of sunstroke after attempting to shingle the roof of his house on a hot day. 

Julia Stone Towe

Almost 100 years after the death of Real Daughter Julia Stone Towne, her great-great-granddaughter discovered a continuous series of correspondence between Julia and her daughter, Mary Julia Towne, which revealed a rare insight into the lives of American women in the mid-19th century. Their correspondence unveils the challenges and struggles many women must have faced, along with their successes and deepest hopes making  it possible to recreate women’s lives and demonstrate their  importance in spite of the neglect by genealogists and historians.

This is just some of what you can learn about the Real Daughters.  In the next blog post, I will share some information about the Real Daughters from South Carolina.