Local Chapter History Overview: Virginia Society Sons of the American Revolution 1890-World War II By Larry G. Aaron, VASSAR State Historian 2011 This memorandum will discuss the efforts to establish the Virginia Society as well as the local chapters across the state from 1890 to right after the close of World War II. Also included are references to growth in membership. In the beginning a printed letter dated 20 June 1890 inviting those interested in becoming charter members of the Virginia Society states the following: At a meeting in Washington City on the 28 th of February last, a temporary organization of the Virginia Branch of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was effected by a number of the Virginia Delegation in Congress, among whom were General W. H. F. Lee, Messrs. Barbour, Venable, Tucker, and others. This document announced a meeting scheduled for July 7, 1890. About 24 persons met at the Richmond Bar Association at which the Society was organized. William Wirt Henry, the grandson of Patrick Henry was elected President and General W. H. F. Lee, the second son of Confederate legend Robert E. Lee, was elected Vice- President. A Board of Managers was also elected. On 18 March 1891 a meeting was held at which the Secretary stated that Many gentlemen had signed the constitution but had as yet failed to fill in their applications for membership. The Society continued to receive members and by 24 February 1896 the Secretary reported that he had sent a number of applications to Portsmouth and Newport News. However, the minutes for the next month s meeting dated 20 March 1896 state Three of the leading officers of the Society were not yet members and some of those he [the Secretary] wished to treat as Charter Members an placed at the head of the list were not. Also, of the seven who signed and issued the Circular for the formation of the Society five were not yet among its members. Of the twenty -two persons who signed the Constitution and By-laws, upon
the organization of the Society, thirteen of them did not follow this up by completing their applications and now three of these 13 have died and three of them have seceded. In another letter sent to plan for the NSSAR Congress in April 1896 President Henry stated The duties of membership are not onerous; the demand on your time will be very slight, and the annual dues are only $2. [That appears to be State dues, since National Society dues were.25 cents] The minutes for 3 April 1896 note that the Society had 60 members of which 19 were from Portsmouth. It was approved that one of the Delegates to the NSSAR Congress should be from that area in recognition of their numbers. At the 16 May 1896 meeting President Henry brought up the subject of a local chapter which our members in Portsmouth desired to establish there. The Secretary was requested to write the Secretary General for information regarding establishing Branch Chapters. In the minutes for 29 May 1896, the Secretary indicated that he had contacted the Secretary General about starting local chapters, A resolution was passed and follows: The Constitution and By-Laws of this Society as printed in the national SAR Yearbook for 1895 shall be the Constitution and By-Laws of this Society This excerpt from Article IX contained regulations for establishing Branch Chapters: Sec 1 Whenever five or more members of this Society, residing in any county or district composed of not more than three counties lying adjacent to each other, shall make application for a warrant to organize a local Chapter in such district, the President and Secretary may issue such a warrant, authorizing the formation of each Chapter by such name as is requested in the application. Membership continued to increase and by 1897 the Society had 95 members although on 22 February 1897 only 13 were present at the Annual Meeting. Two years later on 22 February 1899 there was no quorum for the Annual Meeting so no business was conducted and the meeting was adjourned. No meetings were held in May and September, but the meeting held 20 October 1899 had seven members present.
No quorum were the words inscribed by Secretary B. B. Minor for meetings called for the 3 rd Fridays of November and December 1899, and for the 3 rd Fridays in January and February 1900, also for the Annual Meeting 22 February 1900. By April the Society had decided to make seven members instead of ten enough for a quorum. From October and November 1900 when only three were present, no quorum was inscribed in the minute book. There were no meetings from May to September that year. By January 1901 the Society voted to make the quorum five members rather than seven. On 21 April 1899 the Committee appointed to recommend a plan to increase interest in the monthly meetings of the Society presented an elaborate report which was slightly amended and adopted: 1- That every act of the Society be with the idea of furthering the principles underlying the organization of the Society; 2- Every member should take some active part in the meetings, whether literary or musical with at least one paper on genealogy or revolutionary historical data ; 3- Have a banquet and appropriate ceremonies on the anniversary of some suitable historical event; 4- Once each year the Society should have a reception with entertainment and invite the DAR and other patriotic organizations. The Committee felt that these social functions would increase the fraternal spirit which is essential to the success of organizations of this nature. Further, they offered suggestions for increasing membership: 1- Appoint a Committee of Organizations to communicate with parties in every city and county in the state to make every possible effort to establish local chapters. In addition, the Society should enlist a skilled genealogist to prepare a list of Virginia patriots whose descendants are eligible for membership; 2- To keep the proceedings of this Society, its Chapters, its aims and objects before the people of the State through the medium of the press; 3-To set aside a day each year to bring school children together under the auspices of the Society and its Chapters ( with the cooperation of the school system) and through music and addresses teach the true spirit of patriotism which activated the revolution and gave freedom to the people of our Country. ; 4- That a committee be appointed to cooperate with the A.P.V.A. in their efforts to carry out their goals.
By 25 January 1901 the Society started having smokers first at Kirkwood s on Main near 8 th [in Richmond] at the rate of.50 cents each. The price that day included ham sandwiches, cheese and crackers, beer, whiskey and cigars above the price of nickel ones. By February 1901 the President ( Mr. Henry was deceased by then) suggested obtaining a charter from the court related to the legal question of investment of initiation fees, an amount assessed new members. In March 1901 as a means to collect dues which were in arrears, the Treasurer was authorized to use legal measures to collect. When a new Treasurer took over in April 1901 he noted that I find the affairs of the Society in a chaotic and confused condition. Many members were in arrears in dues, some 5-6 years. Others as much as ten years. The Society continued to struggle in the early years but continued to make progress. In one instance the 8 October 1901 minutes note (which included an article from the Richmond Times Dispatch ) that a banquet was given in honor of the surrender at Yorktown. The price was $1 and it was held on the 18 th but continued until about 1 a.m. on the 19 th so they could have met on the exact date. The newspaper article read in part And excellent menu was served. And these gentlemen of patriotic ancestry did it justice. Perhaps the love of feasting so conspicuous in the days of their fathers has come down to them. At least they did justice to the choice viands and tempting soul-awakening beverages set before them. On 22 February 1904 the Society kept their usual Annual Meeting on George Washington s birthday and made a pilgrimage to St John s Church in Richmond where Patrick Henry s speech was recited and a rendition of My Country Tis of Thee was sung by a chorus. In a letter of regret from the Honorable John Goode ( a member of both the Confederate and then the U. S. Congress and later acting Solicitor General of the United States) wrote As Virginia took the lead in inaugurating the Revolution, her sons should ever be among the foremost in perpetuating its glorious and precious memories. Let us resolve that they shall never be allowed to perish from the earth.
The topic of local chapters was discussed again at this meeting and also at a meeting on 4 July 1904. Those minutes read: The chairman having brought up the subject of chapters, Mr. J. G. Miller suggested that it might be well to send out a representative of the Society for the purpose of establishing chapters in the most suitable places. The Secretary stated that for sometime, the Constitution made no provision for Chapters. During this period, through the efforts of Col. Wm H. Stewart, Portsmouth got ready for a chapter and asked for it. But owing to the delay in amending the Constitution, the members in Portsmouth dropped out, so that when a chapter was offered them it was not accepted. Even Col. Stewart is no longer a member. The Secretary has repeatedly proposed to some members in Norfolk to form a chapter, even if they had to unite with Portsmouth. Some prospect of getting a Chapter in Danville has been held out, but nothing accomplished. Mr. J. Green Miller s suggestion was not concurred in. It was proposed that a Committee be appointed to take up this matter and endeavor to enlist Virginians entitled to become members of the Society to form Chapters wherever desirable. On 16 March 1906 the Board of Managers met and received an application for a charter for the formation of the Norfolk Chapter, which was granted and the subject of a newspaper article dated 21 March 1906. The article stated that the meeting and charter approval occurred the previous night of the 20 th. The April minutes mentioned that the National Secretary had been informed of the efforts to start Norfolk and Danville Chapters. He was requested to send blank applications as well as two blank charters. The 18 May 1906 minutes state that the President was requested to write Tidewater Chapter No. 1 to ask what amount might be raised in Norfolk for the Jamestown 300 th anniversary. A note also stated in those minutes that Tidewater Chapter No. 1 S.A.R. was organized at Norfolk, Virginia June 1, 1906. A 21 December 1907 Board of Managers meeting approved seven new applications for Tidewater Chapter No. 1. By February 1907 the Society had elected to have quarterly instead of monthly meetings. The Norfolk Chapter is again mentioned in the minutes for 22 February 1908 at the Annual
Meeting at 8 p.m. at the Westmoreland Club on Washington s birthday. At some point it was proposed to drink a toast to George Washington at 10 o clock, which was duly carried out. Later the minutes read: Tidewater Chapter sent telephone greetings to the Va. Society stating that they drank to our health. Inside the back cover of Volume I of the minutes 1890-1911, notes related to April 1908 mention the number of members 1 Jan. 1907 stating that the state society membership was 58, Tidewater Ch. No. 1 with 14 members for a total of 72. This did not include several new members and those dropped or died, which totaled 74 for the Virginia Society overall. Volume Two continues with Annual Meetings of the Society usually on 22 February each year. The minutes for the Annual Meeting in 1914 showed 14 members attending out of 81. Six new members were added during the year and 1 dropped which left a total of 81 at that time. At the Annual Meeting in 1917, 34 members of the Society were present but the Secretary read two letters from members of the Tidewater Chapter in Norfolk stating that the chapter was about to disband and wanted the President to go to Norfolk to arouse interest. On 22 February 1923 the President presented an application for a charter for the Society, which was signed by all present as incorporators and to be presented to the Corporation Commission. On 6 March 1923 a special Board of Managers (BOM) was called for the purpose of organizing under the Charter which was authorized at the Annual Meeting, but that the Charter had not yet been granted by the Corporation Commission. On 6 March 1923 at a Board of Managers meeting the President read a recommendation to the Annual Meeting that local chapters be organized in different localities in the state and suggested that one should be organized in Richmond. The motion was approved and the President was authorized to appoint a committee to proceed with the organization of the Richmond Chapter.
At the Annual Meeting on 22 February 1924 the minutes note that 120 members were present. Included in the minutes was the following statement: Reports were then received from Col. R. McC. Bullington, President of the Richmond Chapter, and Judge Wm. H. Sargeant, President of the Norfolk Chapter, who reported respectively that Richmond has enrolled 90 members, and Norfolk has started with fifteen, but expects to increase its membership rapidly. However promising the numbers looked, at a Board of Managers meeting in Richmond on 6 October 1924, the inactivity of the Richmond Chapter was noted and the fact that they had failed to hold their Annual Meeting for the election of officers. Major E. D. Hotchkiss was the 1 st Vice President of that Chapter and was in attendance. He promised to see that action was taken on the question. In Volume Three the minutes mention the organization date of the Society as 7 July 1890 with it being incorporated on 10 March 1923. A copy of the Society s Constitution appeared in early pages of Volume Three where suggested changes were penciled in: the Semi Annual Meeting date was changed from Yorktown Day 19 October to 17 September Constitution Day. A By-Laws change also indicated that 10 people instead of fifteen were needed for a local chapter. At a Board of Managers meeting 22 March 1927 a motion was made to plans to be formulated for the increase of membership in the Society and for the development of local chapters. The motion was approved and referred to the Committee on Membership and Chapters. In a similar meeting 11 August 1927 appreciation was offered to the Norfolk, Thomas Nelson and Richmond Chapters for their aid and interest in the entertainment of the late Annual Congress. This may be the first mention of the Thomas Nelson Chapter, which was again mentioned at the Semi-Annual Meeting where planning for the Sesquicentennial of Cornwallis s surrender occurred. Each chapter--- Norfolk, Richmond and Thomas Nelson, Jr--- were to have two members on the committee.
These chapters were still the only ones noted in the Board of Managers meeting for 12 April 1928. Nineteen new members were approved from the three chapters in the Virginia Society. However, also mentioned in that meeting were the possibility of chapters being organized in Smithfield, Farmville, Warsaw, Roanoke, and Fredericksburg. The minutes for 22 February 1930 mentions reports given for the Richmond, Norfolk, and Thomas Nelson, Jr Chapter and from representatives of the new chapter in Nasemond and the chapter just formed in Prince Edward. At the meeting 21 February 1930 in the aftermath of the Great Depression the Membership Committee again encouraged the formation of new chapters. Chairman Jones noted that the Society had received 27 new members but had suffered a heavy loss in deaths and resignations, such that if members behind in their dues did not pay the Society would should a net loss. Chapter reports came from Richmond, Norfolk, Thomas Nelson, Jr. The Secretary reported on the fine progress made by the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter and the difficulties attending the formation of the proposed Chapter with headquarters at Farmville. At the Annual Meeting on 22 February 1932 President Don Halsey in his Report of the President stated: It is a shame that Virginia, which was in the vanguard of the Revolutionary fighting forces, should have a Society of only some 450 members, while some of the Northern and Mid-Western States have thousands on their rosters. He then encouraged all members to join a local chapter or to form one in their locality, to hold regular meetings and keep up the interest off members. If his only connection with the Society is the payment of dues, it is only a question of time before you will lose him. He also mentioned the effort to build up membership in the last year and that a local chapter in Lynchburg was in the process of forming. In the Annual Report of the Secretary and Registrar, William Macfarlane Jones lists four chapters: Richmond Chapter with 148 members, formed 17 April 1923; Norfolk Chapter (the first formed) with 43 members formed 7 March 1924; Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter with 69 members, formed May 1926; and Nathaniel Bacon Chapter
with 21 members formed 20 February 1930. The total Society membership came to 442 with 161 unaffiliated with any Chapter. Secretary Jones further notes: The success of the few chapters we have formed already makes us feel that these Chapters should be formed in every city and county in the State... Your headquarters has been in continuous correspondence with various members endeavoring to form such chapters. He has visited Fredericksburg, Roanoke and Lynchburg, and at that latter place, with the efficient aid of President Halsey, and the Regents of the five chapters of the D.A.R. at that place, a tentative organization was recently perfected, and we hope soon to have a meeting for its formal installation. In a printed document dated 1932-1933 listing Wm. MacFarlane Jones as the new State Society President, the Chapters of Richmond, Norfolk, Thomas Nelson Jr. and Nathaniel Bacon are listed with President and Secretary-Treasurer in each case. Also the Lynchburg and Farmville Chapters are listed with their officers. However, a note indicates these two chapters were in the In process of formation. These chapters are mentioned again in the September 1932 Semi-Annual Meeting with the reference to the near formation of the Lynchburg Chapter. At the Annual Meeting in Richmond 22 February 1933 President Jones in his report to the Society complimented The Richmond, Norfolk and Thomas Nelson, Jr Chapters on their regular meetings and activities. However, he mentioned that the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter to his knowledge has never held but one meeting since its organization. He stressed that he had by letter and personal visits urged greater activity. He also noted: The two Chapters reported a year ago as in process of organization, the one in the Farmville sector, and the other in the territory surrounding Lynchburg, have not yet been fully organized. Your President has made two trips to Lynchburg and written many letters but without obtaining the desired results. It is urged that the matter of increasing the activities of your Chapters and the formation of new Chapters in every city and county of the Commonwealth be given especial attention at this meeting.
He then pointed out a main reason for the establishment of chapters: Your State Society holds but two meetings a year, and it is difficult to get members living at a distance to attend those sessions; but, if Chapters were formed, monthly meetings could be held at points accessible to members living in that section, that would enable all of our members to participate in our work. At the meeting 7 March 1933 the Board of Managers agreed to encourage greater activity in the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter by holding the Semi-Annual Meeting in Smithfield. The luncheon at the Smithfield Women s Club was.75 cents a plate. A printed notice from President Sargeant noted that the National Society viewed with alarm the large number of resignations, and the increasing number of members being dropped for non-payment of dues. This was occurring everywhere not just with the Virginia Society, so the National Society suggested that State Societies on account of the great financial depression wipe off all charges prior to the coming year and allow members to reinstate themselves by just paying current dues. President Sargeant wrote that the State Society has been sorely pressed for funds with which to carry on the work, owing to bank failure He stressed This is an SOS call for your loyalty. However, the Society s woes continued during the Depression. At the Semi-Annual Meeting 16 October 1933 Tom Moore of the Norfolk Chapter in his letter reported that they stopped having monthly meetings due to the existing financial depression and held meetings as guests of members. However, they had enrolled 12 new members since January of that year with others pending. In a separate letter to all Society members on 28 October 1933 from the again Secretary MacFarlane Jones, the distress of the Great Depression on the Society is mentioned: The past two years have been the most disastrous times ever experienced in our Nation s Life. Here he mentions the 399 members on roll but those delinquent in dues was staggering. An excerpt from his letter includes the following: The largest group of members in the state society is listed in the Headquarters Chapter (in which is listed also the membership in
Lynchburg and Farmville, since those tentative chapters have never functioned as chapters). This list contains 147 names of whom at this time 33% are delinquent. The next largest group is the Richmond Chapter with 120 members---23% delinquent. Next on the list is the Thomas Nelson Jr. Chapter with 62 members---40% delinquent. Next is the Norfolk Chapter with 52 members---27% delinquent. Then comes the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter with 19 members---26% delinquent. In the a minute book for 1934-1940, the minutes for the Annual Meeting 22 February 1934 notes that N. Charter Burruss, chairman of the Membership Committee was working to form a new chapter in Roanoke. The Annual Meeting on 22 February 1936 report cites the Secretary saying, We have made efforts direct from headquarters looking to the formation of new Chapters in various parts of the State, but so far without success.. The work along this line will be continued. And of course it did. In the Society minutes for 25 April 1936 Vice President Gilkeson reported that he and President Tom Moore made a visit to Suffolk in an unsuccessful effort to revive interest in that Chapter. President Moore reported as well that he had personally visited a number of the present members in Roanoke and some former members in an effort to form a Chapter there. At that year s 17 September meeting of the Board of Managers, President Moore remarked that in visiting former members that he had noticed they still had their certificates of membership in the National Society hanging on their walls, when in fact they were supposed to be turned in when they left the Society. He supported a resolution to encourage them to be reinstated or to turn in the certificates. Secretary Mac Jones reported at the Board of Managers meeting that he had been making efforts to revive the tentative Chapter at and around Lynchburg. At the 8 March 1938 BOM meeting he mentioned only four chapters in his notes as having passed a particular resolution: Norfolk, Richmond, Thomas Nelson, Jr, and Nathaniel Bacon. In the 21 January 1939 BOM meeting he notes that on 4 February a meeting would be held in Charlottesville for the purpose of inaugurating a new chapter. In regard to that Chapter, at the
BOM meeting 18 March 1939, Secretary Jones related that he had received 22 applications to form a Chapter to have jurisdiction in the counties of Albemarle, Orange, Fluvanna, and Nelson with headquarters in Charlottesville. A charter was authorized to be delivered. The new Thomas Jefferson Chapter was first mentioned by name in the minutes of the Board of Managers in the Williamsburg, Virginia meeting on 22 July 1939. The Secretary s report for the September 1939 Semi-Annual Meeting contained a positive but yet dismal message from Secretary Jones, who was celebrating his 43 rd year of service to the Society. The statement read: Your headquarters office has kept in touch with all local chapters and during the last six months has handled an unusually large correspondence with local and national officers, and prospective members, with good results. Also many letters have passed looking to forming new chapters in Roanoke, Staunton, Lexington and Farmville, in cooperation with Chairman W. Thomas Old. So far without tangible results. On 9 December 1939 at the BOM meeting in Richmond President Gilkeson announced that the matter of the formation of new chapters would have the aid and support of certain National officers. In the 22 February 1940 Annual Meeting minutes, Secretary Jones mentions once again the effort to revive interest in the proposed Southwest chapter in Roanoke. Also, there were efforts made to organize chapters in Augusta and Rockbridge Counties. In addition the Secretary noted that Lynchburg and Farmville had never fully functioned as chapters. In the 4 May 1940 BOM meeting is found the mention of a delegate from the George Washington Chapter. A letter on Gen. George Washington Chapter stationary indicates that that Chapter was formed on 16 February 1940 in Alexandria. President Gilkeson and Secretary MacFarlane Jones came and met with four members from the Headquarters List and three prospective members to form the new chapter. Temporary officers were elected and ten members signed an application for a charter. The chapter held meetings in historic Gadsbys Tavern. In that letter dated 17 September 1940 it
read that total membership was 15 with 8 more expected. chapter was appropriately active at that time. The However, by the 14 January 1941 BOM meeting the President called for a report on the present status of the George Washington Chapter, and the Secretary read letters from various members of that Chapter, among them the resignation of the Chaplain, who stated he would come back when the Chapter was put on a proper basis. It seems no one there thought they had the authority to call a meeting, so the VASSAR President called one in an effort to reorganize the Chapter. Things did not progress at the George Washington Chapter as the BOM report by Secretary Jones implies. I wish to say that Marcellus Wright and your Secretary went up to Alexandria and tried hard to get the members to meet with us and reorganize that Chapter, that at present the Geo. Washington Chapter is in far from a satisfactory shape. The Annual Meeting minutes for 22 February 1941 contains a report by the Secretary from the special committee to reorganize the Gen. George Washington Chapter, that arrangements were in progress for calling a meeting. In his report he wrote The new chapter, the George Washington, with headquarters in Alexandria was organized early in the year by Past President Gilkeson and your Secretary. It has gained some new members, but at the present time it sadly needs reorganization and your Board has appointed a Committee to undertake this work, which work is still in progress, but we hope to soon to straighten out the matter. Despite the difficulties with the George Washington Chapter, it was included in an 1 August 1941 Chapter list showing membership: Norfolk 124, Richmond 100, Headquarters 96, Thomas Nelson, Jr 46, Thomas Jefferson 31, Nathaniel Bacon 14 and lastly George Washington with 13. The Society s membership at that point was 404. At the same time the following year in a letter to the BOM, Secretary Jones list these same chapters, with all showing an increase in members (Norfolk had the most followed by Richmond) but the Nathaniel Bacon (12) and George Washington Chapters (12) showed a slight decrease. By 17 September 1941 it was again noted that the
George Washington Chapter was not properly organized, so the Board of Managers appointed a committee to go to Alexandria. Even though the country was involved with World War II, the Society continued to grow as did most of its Chapters. The total new members for 1 Jan through 31 December 1942 was as follows: Norfolk 23, Richmond 15, Thomas Nelson Jr 7, Thomas Jefferson 2, Headquarters 7, Nathaniel Bacon 2, with the exception being George Washington 0. The number of new members in the Virginia Society that year was 56. The number in service exempt form dues was 25 and the number in service ranked captain or above and not exempt from dues was 38. The members on roll as of 31 December 1941 totaled 464, and by 22 February 1943 totaled 517, with a net gain of 53. By the Annual Meeting of 1943 the Chapters had the following members: Norfolk 187, Richmond 121, Headquarters 101, Thomas Nelson Jr 50, Thomas Jefferson 32, Nathaniel Bacon 14, George Washington 12. The Secretary s Report for 22 February 1944 announced that The Headquarters office has been looking after the interest of the Society in the jurisdiction of the George Washington Chapter, which to date, has never been properly organized. He further stated that The status of all chapters except the above and the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter is all right, and the Society as a whole is in good shape. The Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter itself suffered some relapse during the war years. In a report dated 19 February 1944 the Treasurer of the Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter reported that 26% of its members were in the armed services. He wrote: The Chapter has held no meetings during the past year, due to congestion here because of war activities Transportation facilities are grossly inadequate. Every place filled up and no place to meet. Our membership, as a whole, has not lost interest in the Society. The Chapter lacks a President (he was on active duty with the Navy) and a Secretary. Those last elected are either in the armed services or have moved into other states. In the 9 March 1944 BOM meeting Secretary Jones spoke of the condition of the Nathaniel Bacon, Thomas Nelson, Jr and the George Washington Chapter, and of the latter he stressed that it was not properly officered, and has held no meetings for a year By the 17 September
meeting in Williamsburg, the Secretary reported that The Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter had recently held a meeting, elected officers, and that this Chapter would now hold regular meetings and functioned properly. The growth of the Chapters was again mentioned by Secretary Jones at the 22 June 1944 BOM meeting which showed that some of the Chapters were growing favorably: Norfolk now led with 247, Richmond 162, Headquarters 103, Thomas Nelson Jr 66, Thomas Jefferson 39, Nathaniel Bacon 13 and George Washington 13. The Secretary noted, however, that It will be seen that all the Chapters are in good shape except the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter, which holds no meetings, and whose officers and members take little or no interest in the Society. The Geo. Washington Chapter has never been properly organized although your officers have made two trips to Alexandria to try to organize it. However, a large majority of its members still keep up their membership. The Society continued to grow and at the Semi-Annual Meeting on 16 September 1944 it had 650 members with 151 in the armed services. Secretary MacFarlane Jones wrote: The condition of the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter and the George Washington Chapter is far from satisfactory and these Chapters should be built up and reorganized. By the next February 1945 he reported at the Annual Meeting that We have finally gotten a response to our pleas to the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter, and we hope to revive some interest in that Chapter, which is and has not been functioning properly. And in addition he added, The George Washington Chapter has never been organized, and holds no meetings, but the members are paying up promptly By September 1946 the Secretary could still report that the George Washington Chapter was not properly organized, held no meetings, and had received no new members. Total on roll 12. He reported too that the Nathaniel Bacon Chapter members may need to be transferred to the Headquarters Chapter. During the war years the Society grew but as in earlier times there was always members who were delinquent in their dues and the danger of members being dropped was always a problem. The war had been a hindrance, not just to the Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter but
also to the Thomas Jefferson Chapter. Their treasurer wrote in his report for the year 1945-46 that The Chapter s activities have been quite limited since the war began in the way of meetings. Each of the active members has been engaged in one or more kinds of war work. During the Virginia Society s first 50 years, the Society at times struggled to retain members and get new ones, and also to establish new Chapters. Some of the newer Chapters had trouble getting organized. The Society s leadership never did see all the Chapters they hoped to start throughout the State formed, despite the fact that they did a great deal of work to try and start Chapters. Other things related to Chapters stand out during the Virginia Society s first 50 years. The Society suffered most during the Depression especially financially due in part to those resigning or being dropped from membership. World War II also took its toll because many members were on active duty or in some kind of war work. Regardless of the obstacles, however, the Society, beginning with 24 individuals at the first meeting in 1890, grew to over 600 in that first half-century. It appears that establishing Chapters throughout the State made a big difference, as they encouraged continued growth. Also, leadership and dire efforts by State officers in promoting the organization of Chapters made a significant difference as well.