Daughters of Liberty

[1911Ron]

Ok, for all who do a Daughters of Liberty (everyone should ) i sat down and typed up three DOLs to present on Sunday. Please tell me what you think of this, is it helpful, is it to much or not enough. Now mind you these are my choices, you are more then welcome to choose who you want to represent.

Daughters of Liberty
We have heard the storys of the sons of liberty, we have heard the events of April 19th, of the sacrifices of those involved in the fighting.
We know of these events for one reason, the Founding fathers had people go through the country side and the towns and take sworn statements from those involved on what they saw and did on that day.
What we haven't heard yet are the actions of the Women that participated in the events of April 19th, there are many so I have picked three that stand out to me.
The first one is of a fifteen year old Women named Meliscent Barrett, Granddaughter of Col. Barrett, had learned from a British Officer how to roll powder cartridges. On the night of 18 April, she supervised young women of Concord in preparing these items which were most likely used against the Regulars at the North Bridge.
The second one is Prudence Cummings who lived in Pepperell. When the men left for Concord, the women met and formed a Military Co., they dressed themselves as men, armed themselves and patrolled the town. Prudence was elected the Captain of the company and during one patrol, she captured a Tory officer at gun point.
The last one is Mother Batherick. Mother Batherick was an old widow women who was very poor, to get something to eat she had to dig dandelions, to make soup with. While digging in a field, she accepted the surrender of six Grenadiers, who had run in a panic from an ambush just minutes before. Mother Batherick may have been poor in material things but was rich in the spirit. As she delivered her prisoners to a militia cpt. She told them "if you ever get back, you tell King George that an old women took six of his Grenadiers prisoner".
Throughout the day, many women would gather family valuables and children then flee to neighboring towns or into nearby woods for protection from the marauding British.
Thus from its earliest days, America's struggle for liberty and freedom was waged by and had great impact upon America's women and as well as it's men. Such should never be overlooked, ignored or taken lightly.

So what say you?  AzRon

[henschman]

She wasn't involved in the events of April 19th, 1775, but my great great great great great great great great great grandmother, Elizabeth Cummings Jackson, was a Revolutionary War Veteran (along with her husband, George Jackson, and their boys).  Before she married George, Elizabeth Cummings lived in London.  She was reputed to be beautiful but large woman -- some say she was built a bit like a man.  She was very strong-willed -- she inherited 3,000 Pounds Sterling from a well-off uncle, and used it to buy passage to the Colonies (it was rumored that she was in trouble in London for injuring an Army officer by throwing a tankard at his head).  She made the trip by herself (something almost unheard of in those days for a woman).  She landed in Maryland, where she bought her own land with some of the inheritance (also nearly unheard of for a woman to do).  It was in Maryland that she met George Jackson, a slightly-built Irishman who was also a recent immigrant.  They married (they must have looked an odd couple with the large, tall Elizabeth and the short, wiry George), but they were very much in love.  They ended up moving to modern-day West Virginia together, where they had children.  When the war broke out, George and two of his sons served in the Militia... George fought at the decisive Battle of King's Mountain.  Back home, Elizabeth organized a militia of women, and defended Fort Jackson from hostile Indians.  Elizabeth Cummings Jackson was later honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, who named a chapter after her.  However, they were not nearly as famous as their great grandson (my great great great great great great grandfather), Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who needs no introduction.