Founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., DAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.
DAR boasts 175,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally. 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, is eligible for membership.
OUR CHAPTER HISTORY
Having moved from Portland, Maine, Mrs. Edith Pride Elliott organized a new DAR Chapter in St. Cloud, Florida. The first meeting was held December 16, 1946, with twelve members. It was decided at this time to call the new chapter “The Soldier City Chapter,” however, after learning that this name was being used by another chapter, Mrs. Elliott suggested that in keeping with the “Soldier City” theme, the name should be a Revolutionary ancestor of one of the members of the chapter. Joshua Stevens, an ancestor of Mrs. Elliott, was chosen as the new name for the chapter.
Joshua Stevens was born in 1743 at Falmouth (now Portland), Maine, and served at the siege of Boston in 1775 and also in the Bagaduce Expedition in 1779.
OUR CHAPTER TODAY
The Joshua Stevens Chapter has grown to 67 members. As members of the DAR, we work together to honor our predecessors’ actions by supporting historic preservation programs, promoting educational activities, and participating in patriotic endeavors. To fulfill our goal of patriotic endeavor, we contribute to the Paws for Patriots which provides service dogs for veterans. Historic projects include placing historic markers within Osceola County. Educational activities include awarding medals to outstanding student cadets in JROTC programs, as well as awards and medals for high school juniors and seniors. We also donate money to our DAR schools.
OUR PATRIOTS
A recent chapter theme entitled “Remembering our Patriots” provided each of our members an opportunity to research her family history and learn more about her ancestors’ roles in achieving independence for our country. Thanks to internet resources, many of us were able to find information online from ten generations ago. You can learn more about our Revolutionary War ancestors on the Our Patriots page.