Event: Members join DAR members to greet Honor Flight on Sept 30, 2023

 Alexander Hodge Chapter President, Carl Hill and Secretary, Steve Barber joined with members of the DAR Alexander Hodge Chapter to greet the returning Veteran's Honor Flight at Hobby Airport.

The returning flight had the 25 Veterans who served in American Wars who had travelled to Washington D.C. to visit American War Monuments.

Patriotic groups who met them on their return to Houston included the SAR, DAR, American Legion, and others.

Pictured below:

Ed Sellers left in uniform, next to him is Steve Barber and wife Sandy Barber, Carl Hill, Art Bynum is in the SAR uniform on the right, The rest of the ladies are in Sandy's Alexander Hodge DAR Chapter.  Ed and Art that are in uniform are members of the Freedom SAR Chapter in the Woodlands.

Mark your Calendars for clean-up at Alexander Hodge Cemetery on Dec 2, 2023. Meet 9am

 All members are invited to lend a hand and make short work of the clean-up of Hodges Bend Cemetery on December the 2nd.  Time to meet is 9am.  Will plan to finish by 12pm.

Weeds and vines need to be cut down so bring tools for the job. 

Here are some pictures I took on May 30, 2023.  I dropped by there before a Meeting.  It is not far from Spring Hill BBQ.

Needing a member who would be interested in filling the position of Youth Awards Chairman

 The Chairman would administer SAR Programs that are encourage and award students sponsored by our Alexander Hodge Chapter.  

The George S. and Stella M. Knight Essay Contest is for local high school students and will commence this Fall.  Students submit an 800-1200-word essay, based upon original research dealing with a topic that shaped American history.  

It can be on a person, event, philosophy or ideal associated to the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the United States Constitution.

Local winners will be submitted to the State SAR competition and then those winners will be submitted to the National SAR competition.  Submissions from our local students will be judged by Alexander Hodge members Randall Hankla and Dennis Giuffre.

State Competition Awards: 1st place is $3500; 2nd place is $1500 and 3rd place is $500.

National Competition Awards: 1st place is $6000; 2nd place is $2500 and 3rd place is $1,000.

We need a Chairman to oversee and administer this worthwhile Program. 

Anyone interested contact our President, Carl Hill.

Help from members needed for purchase of Christmas Wreaths for placing Veteran's graves

In preparation for a planned Event on Dec 16th, we need help from members by purchasing the needed Christmas wreaths which will be placed on the graves of Veterans.  The price is $17.00 each.

We voted at the Business Meeting on the 31st to authorize the purchasing of 3 wreaths from Chapter funds.  Additionally, a member has also purchased one.  I am planning on purchasing 3 wreaths.  Any help in making this a successful Event will be appreciated.

The wreaths will be delivered to our president, Carl Hill, and he will hold onto them until the Event.

More of the planned Event will be Posted at a later date.  Please put Dec. 16th on your Calendar to save the date.

Mark your Calendars for Event on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 from 6pm-7pm; Note: Location Change

 The Alexander Hodge Chapter DAR has invited all Alexander Hodge Chapter SAR members to join them at their November meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. 

 Location has been changed to Imperial Park Recreation Center in Sugarland. 

It is located on 234 Matlage Way, Sugarland Tx. 77478.

 Social time and snacks begin at 6pm followed by the Meeting beginning at 6:30pm  

The highlight of the meeting will be by Denise Bennett who does historical reenactments.  She will portray Priscilla Mullins Alden, a passenger on the Mayflower.

I hope to see you there!

Mark your Calenders for upcoming Event on Nov. 10th 2023

 All Chapter members are invited to an Event honoring Veteran's Day on November 10th at the Anderson VA Facility in Houston. The Chapter has been asked to participate in the parade in front of the VA facility.  

We will also have a booth for patients and their relatives to visit.  

 

Revolutionary War: Factors that created such a wide array of Patriot uniforms

Identifying the uniforms worn our Patriots and to include a discussion each Colony/State's role in the events of the Revolutionary War will continue as a Supplement to our monthly Newsletter.

But, here in the Blog, I will continue to add bits and pieces of background information so as not to repeat the same information for each of the Colony.

Early in the War, a standard uniform for any Colony either did not yet exist or didn't exist in the quality needed for expanded numbers of soldiers.  Some Militias already had their own uniform colors.

Often the first uniforms were from the French and Indian War or were the common working or hunting dress of a soldier.  Supplies were augumented from captured British uniforms or from imports from France and Spain.  One American merchant ordered from France 30,000 yards of blue and of brown cloth.  The Spanish alone supplied about 30,000 complete uniforms and the cloth for making more.

On 4th November 1775 Congress adopted brown as the first official color of the Continental Army.  The various Regiments were distinguished by different color collars, cuffs, and lapels.

Any uniform or garment worn by soldiers in the field of battle did not last long and required replacing.

On 2nd October 1779, General Washington issued a General Order which set the standard for American dress regulations.  The Infantry were to be clothed in dark blue, with different facings and distinctions for groups of states.  

One dress that was wore when none of other were available, was the hunting frock or rifle dress.  These were the type of preferred uniform of the frontiersman soldier of Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc.  It was derived from Indian clothing and consisted of an unbleached homespun or deerskin shirt, or 'frock' fringed deerskin leggings and moccasins.  Gen. Washington gave his official approval of this dress and required that 10,000 sets be made for the Army.

prepared by Jim Penny

Revolutionary War: Early Military Conditions before the Revolution.

 Though the French and Indian War (The Seven Years War) of 1754-1763, the American colonists became skilled at defending themselves and in some case being part of a military force. Colonal officers, such as George Washington gained experience leading men in battle.

In 1769, the French sent Baron de Kalb to America to report on the preparedness of the colonists' for open warfare.  He noted that they had facilities for creating a large merchant marine force.  They did not have arsenals nor magazines, yet merchants carried stocks of gunpowder to the Indians.  They were well supplied with cannon and with firearms.  He estimated that there were 200,000 young men enrolled in the Militia.

New threats led the British to pass the Militia Law of 1775 which provided for the enrollment of all free males between the ages of sixteen and fifty.  They were formed into Companies and Regiments with officers appointed by the Royal Governor.

They were required to supply themselves with arms, packs, blankets, and canteen.  They were engaged to serve, without pay, for short periods within the borders of their own Colony.  Colonies, such as Connecticut had 26,000 militiamen in 1774.  By 1775, New Jersy had twenty-six Regiments of infantry and eleven of calvary and Pennsylvania had fifty-three battalions of infantry.  By the time the Revolution started in 1776, most of the Colonies had a nucleus of a defense force.

At the time of the Revolution, a Company had about 50 men.  A Regiment had 500 men.  A Battalion consisted of four to six Companies but could contain about 1000 men.

prepared by Jim Penny

Monument Challenge - contribute $3.75 per member for 2024 and 2025.

 (Note: Looks like we have abt 89 members and 16 Jr members.  If all paid that would be approx. $390.35 for 2024 & 2025).

Motion from the Texas SAR 250 Anniversary Monument Committee

The Committee has approved the following in its meeting of 10/10/2023:

“The Texas SAR leadership challenges each of its chapters to contribute $3.75 per member per year for the next two years (2024 and 2025) towards the Texas SAR 250 Anniversary Monument to be located at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.  If we are successful with full participation at this level and raise approximately $20,000, we will have, in addition to the $19,300 currently pledged by chapters and compatriots and $15,000 from the GWEF, obtained commitments for approximately $55,000 or the expected expenditure for the project.”

“Each chapter is responsible for challenging and coordinating with its own members to achieve these chapter goals.  The Texas Society will not levee any fee on any member or chapter.  This effort is entirely voluntary.”

Click here to view the Texas SAR 250 Anniversary Monument web page on the Texas SAR website.

For questions, please contact the Texas SAR 250 Anniversary Monument Committee
Committee Members:
Richard Zdunkewicz, Committee Chair; rzdunkewicz@comcast.net
Tom Jackson, Committee Vice Chair; longhorntij@yahoo.com
Sam Massey; sartxpres2023.2024@gmail.com
Jesse Villarreal; jesseo2800@yahoo.com
Mel Oller; mel_oller@yahoo.com
Jim Kuykendall; jimkuy55@gmail.com
Joe Dooley;

Dues Reminder from Texas SAR

 2024 Dues Notice

Compatriots,

For those of you who have a deliverable mailing address, your 2024 Dues Notices should be arriving in your home mailbox within the next few weeks.  These are sent Bulk Mail to your address of record as of September 1st.  If you do not receive one by Thanksgiving, please look for your notice online, and help us get your address corrected.

Texas SAR has voted that Junior Members will not need to pay dues for 2024.

Keep in mind that your dues are considered late on January 1, 2024.  If they are still unpaid 30 days later - NSSAR will drop you from the rolls and you will start to show a gap in your service and not get your magazine.  So, please pay them online or by mail as soon as you can to help your Chapter and avoid a lapse in your SAR Service!  As in previous years, you have 3 options for paying your dues.

Online/Paypal (option 1) - We encourage everyone to use this option.  And pay your dues by credit card through Paypal.  To pay Online, go to the TXSSAR Private Site and find the Payment link.  You then enter your National SAR # and Name as it appears on your Membership Certificate.  Then select your primary chapter and any others you maintain dual membership with and follow the checkout procedures.  This is operational on the TexasSAR.org website NOW.  PayPal fees have been removed for 2024 Dues payments.

As mentioned, this online Paypal form also allows for secondary (dual) chapters to be added for those wishing to pay as a dual member.

US Mail (option 2) - You simply take the bottom section of the dues invoice you receive in the mail and send a check for the amount indicated with the pre-addressed envelope, stamp it, and return it to us by US mail.  This is to be for your PRIMARY Chapter Dues Statements - it only includes dues for your Primary Chapter, State Dues, and National Dues where applicable.

US Mail (option 3) - Use this option if you want to pay by check, but did NOT get a dues notice in the mail or you want to pay NOW for whatever reason.  Go to the TXSSAR Private Site, grab your dues notice online, print it out, then mail it back in with a check.  This option is available NOW on the TexasSAR.org website.

Donations - As many of you are aware, our society has many beneficial funds that you can donate to for great purposes.  Each year, when you renew your membership is a great time to make a donation to one of several great options.  All Donation $ will be allocated as you indicate on the form.  Please review the items listed in the donations section of the Online Dues payment page, to support these worthwhile programs.  Thank you for your continued support of our programs!

Please do NOT mail to older addresses - those have been closed - USE THE ADDRESS ON THE RETURN ENVELOPE or the ONLINE DUES NOTICE ONLY.  If you or your bank mail it somewhere else, there is no guarantee it gets to us or that you will be credited.  Getting these in on time is important for your Chapter and you.  The sooner your dues are in, the sooner our books are cleared with NSSAR and the funds available to your Chapter in the Spring - and no more reminder calls!!!  We appreciate your patience and support!!!

Thank you so much for your continued support!

In Patriotism,

Mel Oller                  Don Hayes
Secretary                  Texas SAR Assistant Treasurer - Texas SAR
sec@txssar.com        assttreas@txssar.org