I am a Daughter of the American Revolution
MENIFEE, CA—On October 21, 2013 I was pleased to learn that my application was approved by Genealogists of The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and that my status as a member of this organization will become official on December 7, 2013 at the DAR National Board Meeting. Subsequently I will be sworn in at my local DAR Chapter shortly after that.
This acceptance validates our years of research and gives added value to our family’s history. Historically, African Americans have often not been credited with playing a major role in building our country. I feel as though this acceptance recognizes and validates our significant contribution to our country’s development, historically, culturally and personally. Also, I feel as though this acknowledgement helps to clarify that our 19th century ancestors were more than “just slaves” that they were part of a broader Cornutt legacy with roots. Given that, we are now able to undisputedly claim the accomplishments of our ancestors dating back to The Revolutionary War.
Our research and family history will now be kept at the Library of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, in Washington D.C. This is something that I am proud to have accomplished and I consider this to be my gift to the family. Future Cornute women who desire to join this organization will find the path much easier because of the ground work that I have laid in this process.
Our family history is unique among African American families. I have been told this by several genealogists. As a child I asked many question of my great grandmother Maria Calloway, about our culture and family history. I loved to hear her speak about her sisters and brothers. I could spend hours looking at the photos and mementos she had spread throughout her home. My love for American history flourished in High School, in classes such as African American and Early American history. I became fascinated with the lives of people that played pivotal roles in American history, more to the point, my ancestors and their place in history. Where did they live? What did they think of local and world events as they were happening? What were their day to day lives like? What drew them into the wars, or alternatively, why did they sit them out? I believe in a hundred years there will be descendants wondering the same things about us.
As an adult, I wanted to extract the facts from family lore. Armed with this passion for American history, a new computer and a membership with ancestry.com I began my research. Over the following years, George and I have discovered some amazing facts and I have met many new relatives. We have a compiled library of over eight hundred and fifty individuals, three hundred fifteen marriages or unions, with a time spanning from 1727 to present day.
Recently, I have focused my research on the Civil and Revolutionary wars. I can only imagine what went on in the hearts and minds of these Cornute soldiers. The love of their country, their families and wanting desperately to see a positive change in America inspired them to risk their own lives. This is powerful stuff! Discovering that we have family members that participated in these important building blocks of our America has given me a sense of pride and inclusion in the American experience. With the discovery of the Civil War monument in Washington D. C. that honors the African American soldiers, including, our ancestors Tate and Clark Cornute, my interest in our family’s involvement in other American wars was piqued.
Delving into the Revolutionary War research, I discovered that my 5th great grandfather James Cornutt (ca 1750-1824) was a soldier in this cardinal war that birthed an independent America. A total of 497 men were found to have been listed in Montgomery County, Virginia’s Revolutionary War militia rosters, for the territory which became Grayson and Carroll Counties, Virginia. A total of 54 men were found on the September 6, 1782 Militia List for Elk Creek, Grayson County (then Montgomery County), Virginia including our own James Cornutt and his brother David Cornutt, my 5th great granduncle.
Looking for a way to connect on a deeper level with the experience of the American Revolutionary War, we reached out to several organizations for research information. This is what led us to The Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a patriotic society organized October 11, 1890, and chartered by Congress December 2, 1896. Membership is limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the Revolutionary period who aided the cause of independence.
The DAR, headquartered in Washington, D.C., 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 members volunteer more than 250,000 hours annually to veteran patients, award thousands of dollars in scholarships and financial aid each year to students, and support schools for underserved children with annual donations exceeding one million dollars.
As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 175,001, the 1 represents me, members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally.
Encompassing an entire downtown city block, DAR National Headquarters houses one of the nation’s premier genealogical libraries, one of the foremost collections of pre-industrial American decorative arts, Washington’s largest concert hall, and an extensive collection of early American manuscripts and imprints.
I am looking forward to working with the women of the DAR, and continuing research of our family lineage.
