A college professor told Deborah Wood, when she was working on her senior thesis, something that she has carried throughout her career: "It only takes one person at a time to get the stories told and the will to do so."

As the special collections librarian, helping people tell their stories has been a big part of her job, and that's one reason the Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution honored her as A Woman in American History on Monday.

Press Release:

Robin Laney Ettinger, member of the Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter, NSDAR, received First Place in the DAR New York State Fiber Arts: crochet category. 

Robin approached the contest with the concept of teaching the "Pony Express" to preschool-aged children.  The crocheted pony named "Delivery" has arms that can be manipulated to hug or carry around while the rider and pony deliver letters.  

Delivery has a little cowboy tie and a nice satchel to carry the mail over the rugged trail from stop to stop. The satchel contains a map of the route, the Pony Express Oath, and laminated letters with Pony Express era stamp.  The letters can be written or drawn on with crayons or dry erase markers.  

Delivery can be used with mail delivery play and also as a prop when reading age-appropriate books such as "Ride Cody Ride" or "Dora the Explorer's - Pony Express".

Robin’s Delivery was then selected to represent New York State 121 chapters in the National Society (NSDAR) Heritage Committee Contest. The 2023 theme was "Educating the Next Generation on Our Historic American Trails."

Robin, who learned how to crochet from her mother, started creating animals 6 years ago. As a multimedia artist, she is planning her project for the 2024 contest, "Stars and Stripes forever in Our Hearts through the Arts."

If you would like more information on the NSDAR please visit the website www.dar.org.

The  2022-2023  Richmond Memorial Library "History by the Hearth" Lecture series continues on Thursday, February 16th at 7:00 pm in the Reading Room with a presentation on "The President's Lady, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington."

This lecture in the series is a Presidents Day collaboration between the Richmond Memorial Library and the Anna Ingasbe Lovell Chapter NSDAR.   Special Collections Librarian, Deborah Wood will be presenting on the life of this fascinating first "First Lady" of the United States of America.  Chapter Constitution Committee Chair, Robin Laney Ettinger, will discuss Mrs. Washington's activities to support General Washington during the American Revolution.  Librarian Wood has planned several lectures for the year 2023 as well as special events in which the local DAR will collaborate and support the library's efforts to bring unique history programs to the area.  The library will have a presidential book display and has a large collection of books about the U.S. presidency for check out. For more information on the lecture series, please call Deborah Wood at (585) 343-9550.

Local educator Greg Kinal was a featured speaker about immigration for a gathering of the Daughters of the American Revolution Saturday at Red Osier Landmark Restaurant in Stafford.

Kinal, who taught social studies at Pembroke High School for 52 years as well as teaching at GCC, shared how immigration shaped the nation. He drew from his own family history to illustrate the hardships, the foods, and the customs of immigrants.

Saturday's meeting brought together members and leaders from DAR's 13 chapters in the State of New York and celebrated “Hearth and Home,” the role of Deputy Husbands during the  American Revolution.

The meeting was hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter #1197 of Genesee County. More than 60 members attended.

DAR officials in attendance were Vice President General Patrice Briner, State Chaplain Penny Nice, and Kay Green, state librarian.  Also honored were state chairs Deborah Lee Ayers, NYS National Defense, Tammy Lachner, C.A.R. senior, and Joan Sinclair, District VIII director. Daughters with national appointments included Melody Joy Burow, representative VAVS at Buffalo, Margaret Z. Haney, deputy representative VAVS Buffalo, and Pamela J. Ware, representative VAVS Batavia.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley was the keynote speaker and presented a proclamation honoring “Deputy Husbands.”

During the revolution, deputy husbands were the women who stayed at home while the men joined the battle. The term comes from a book by Thomas Fuller, "The Holy and the Profane State" (1642), a woman “in her husband’s absence, is a wife and deputy-husband, which makes her double the files of her diligence.”

Local President Pam Ware said, "Colonial records yield evidence of female blacksmiths, silversmiths, shoemakers, shipwrights, tanners, gunsmiths, barbers, butchers, teachers, and shopkeepers.  Wives were responsible for operating the family farms and businesses, raising and educating their children, supervising the workers, harvesting, and purchasing and selling of crops and livestock. Wives would transact business, settle accounts, and even initiate court proceedings."

Printers, of considerable importance, Ware said, included Mary Katherine Goddard (1738–1816). Upon receiving word from the Second Continental Congress to print and widely distribute the Declaration of Independence, Goddard set to work in 1777, printing her copy with the added typeset names of the signatories, including John Hancock. Hers was the first copy to bear all of the signers’ names. This Goddard Broadside was proudly labeled: Printed by Mary Katherine Goddard.

Two members of the Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club, Lilly Senko, who read the Proclamation from State Senator Ed Rath, and Amelia Geck, who read the Proclamation from the Genesee County Legislature, courtesy of Gordon L. Dibble.

Matt Moscato, Advisor to the PVOC, presented a slide show of the origin and success stories of how the PVOC students honor and support the Pembroke school’s military service personnel with the Wall of Honor, the C. Jay Hall Memorial Highway, the annual Wreaths across America at the National Cemetery in Indian Falls, numerous outreach programs, and fundraising events.

Membership in DAR is open to (from the DAR website) "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."

Ware said it's a rigorous process and prospective members must provide documentation for each member of the family tree dating back to the person, or persons, who fought in the Revolutionary War.  The process can take more than a year.

Press release material contributed to this story. Photos by Howard Owens.