Esther Lowrey Chapter organized on June 14, 1905, in Independence, Kansas. The chapter chose its name to honor a Revolutionary Patriot, Esther Lowrey, of Trenton, New Jersey.
Esther Lowrey was born April 15, 1739, and died October 13, 1814. She was a "leading lady" of Trenton, and actively solicited volunteers to aid the Colonial soldiers, and money to buy military supplies and medicines for them. She was a personal friend of General George Washington, and was on hand in 1789 when he was received in Trenton on his way to his first inauguration in New York.
Independence, Kansas, was founded in August 1869 by men from the nearby city of Oswego who sought to found a new city. Their search for a location led them to the Verdigris River Valley. The first building erected here was a log cabin, built as a claim house. Independence is home to the "little house" of Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her popular series, the book called Little House on the Prairie was written about the family's life in their small home near Independence. Dr. Tann, who nursed the family through a bout of malaria, is buried in an Independence cemetery.
Through the years since its founding, the Esther Lowrey Chapter has been involved with its community and the objects of DAR. The chapter is proud to have had one of its charter members, Mrs. George T. Guernsey, elected as President General, NSDAR, in 1917. During the two World Wars, the chapter actively supported war work, and many bonds were bought. The chapter even financed the restoration of a war-torn French Village, in honor of Mrs. Guernsey, following World War I.
 The chapter has always been particularly interested in helping the DAR schools, and scholarship in general. The American History Essay Contest and the Good Citizen program are favorite annual projects. The chapter offers an academic scholarship in memory of Lena Frye Merritt to an eligible Kansas high school graduate. For more information, contact the chapter at the link below.
A big occasion for the chapter is the State Regent's visit. Here, the chapter hosted the visit, along with Neodesha Chapter and Jane Dean Coffey Chapter.
Esther Lowrey Chapter holds regular meetings on the first Friday of the month, at 1:30 p.m. Prospective members are welcome to attend. Please contact us, using the link below, to learn more about DAR and joining our chapter.
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Divider graphic courtesy Eos Development.
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