Mary Little Deere - Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR
Moline, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
On June 5, 1999, the Mary Little Deere Chapter, NSDAR, of Moline, Illinois and the Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR, of Rock Island, Illinois, received approval from the National Society to merge into one chapter. The official name assigned to the newly merged chapter was the Mary Little Deere - Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR, with the location to meet given as Moline, Illinois.
Upon receipt of the merger approval, Lorraine Hathaway, Organizing Regent, began to function. New officers were elected, committee assignments were given, by-laws were written and approved, finances were combined and programs were scheduled. Through the mutual efforts of both chapters, we have continued to successfully support the NSDAR and Illinois State Organization, NSDAR, goals and objectives under the shared umbrella of common heritage. Daughters participated in Project Patriot and the State Regents Project with the District I Bench being placed in the Black Hawk Historic Site. For 93 years, our Quad Cities Illinois chapters have held and alternately hosted a joint meeting with the Hannah Caldwell Chapter, Davenport, Iowa.
In support of the NSDAR goal to secure America’s future through education, we are particularly proud of the John R. Cervantes Memorial Scholarship started in 2009, for a worthy Moline High School senior. In 2010, we formed a partnership with a local veterans’ group to provide knitted/crocheted helmet liners and scarves to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We look forward to future accomplishments, ever mindful of patriots who paved the way for all of us. A National Archives quotation summarizes it best: “The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.”
In 1914, at the twentieth annual meeting of the Moline Chapter, NSDAR, it was proposed and enacted that, "In loving remembrance and honor to her, who was our first Regent, our founder and benefactor, a petition was sent to the National Society to change the name of our Chapter from Moline Chapter to Mary Little Deere Chapter." The request was granted.
Twelve women eligible for membership met at the home of Mary LeClaire Gilmore. The Moline Chapter, NSDAR, was organized on January 6, 1894. Mary Little Deere was appointed chapter regent by the Illinois State Regent. "As long as American Ideals are cherished there will be work for the Daughters to do." This quote was taken from an article written in 1912, on the 18th anniversary of the Mary Little Deere Chapter, NSDAR, and still holds true today. Chapter history and accomplishments have been numerous over time. Through the supervision of Mrs. Deere, the Moline Chapter, NSDAR, erected a monument on Campbell’s Island, Rock Island County, Illinois, commemorating those killed in the battle with the Sac and Fox Indians, July 19, 1814. Mary Little Deere died on April 18, 1913.
In celebration of the Centennial of the Statehood of Illinois, the chapter placed a marker near the power dam on Rock Island Arsenal. Daughters celebrated a milestone in 1994: our Chapter’s Centennial Birthday. During those hundred years and hence, our focus has remained: historical preservation, promotion of education and patriotic endeavors. Minutes from our initial meeting in 1894, state it best: "As the American woman must ever be the caretaker and custodian of all that is held sacred in our busy American life, it is but natural that an organization of women descended from Revolutionary patriots should be thought the patent means of bringing to light and preserving records and relics of the authors of American freedom and of perpetuating the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence."
The Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR, was named to honor the garrison of the military post established in 1816 for the protection of the early settlers in Rock Island, Illinois.
On February 6, 1896, seventeen women eligible for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution met and organized the Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR. A gavel and block made of wood from the original Fort was presented to the chapter. A memorial box was placed in the foundation of the Fort Armstrong Monument and presented to the Rock Island Arsenal. Daughters sent writing materials and garments to soldiers of the Spanish American War and World War I. On Armistice Day, the chapter assisted the American Legion in planting forty-seven elm trees in Reservoir Park in Rock Island, Illinois.
In summary, the chapter erected numerous monuments and planted trees to commemorate historic events in our region as well as to recognize our fallen soldiers. Members also purchased many furnishings and provided monetary gifts for Constitution Hall and Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. The spirit of a healthy, involved organization and its members carried over to the merged Mary Little Deere-Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR, in 1999.
Real Daughter
Mrs. Margaret Simington Montgomery was a "Real Daughter." Her father served in the American Revolution. She was a Fort Armstrong Chapter, NSDAR, member for two years before her death. Her application papers were signed by Clara Whitman, Registrar, on November 1, 1899. Her father was Patriot Robert Simington of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, who received a $20-per-year pension.
Margaret was born in Montour County, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1809 to Robert Montgomery and Elizabeth Jacoby. She married Daniel Montgomery Sr. on February 17, 1835 in Pennsylvania. They had 4 sons. She lived in the Township of Edgington, Rock Island County, Illinois, in 1860 and in 1870. She died on April 20, 1900, in Rock Island, Rock Island County, Illinois, at the age of 90, and was buried in Reynolds Cemetery, Reynolds, Rock Island County, Illinois.
