Thirty days before Addie died, she successfully organized a Lake Mills chapter of the “Daughters of The American Revolution.” This newspaper article (quoted below) originally appeared in the Waukesha Freeman on May 30, 1901.
The piece quotes an earlier article that appeared in the Lake Mills Reader and states,
By the strenuous effort of Mrs. E. J. Fargo, a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has been organized here, the object of which is to perpetuate the memory of the spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence. The chapter organized with sixteen charter members and was christened “Tyranena Chapter, D. A. R.” on Saturday last, May 18, 1901. The charter members are: Mrs. Addie Hoyt Fargo, Mrs, Carrie Brown Douglass, Mrs. Charlotte C. Williams, Miss Lora Gary, Mrs Ellen Gary Spencer, Miss Mary Jane Harvey, Miss Mary Emma Russell, Miss Agnes Augusta Hebard, Mrs. Minerva Joslin Fargo, Mrs. Gertrude W. Kemeys-Tynte, Mrs. Alice Sabin Dodge, Mrs. Carrie Harvey Tasker, miss Mary Lydia Harvey, Mrs. Mable Hunt Heater, Mrs. Isabel Copeland Burns, Miss Eva Stiles.
To be eligible for membership, a woman must be 18 years of age and a descendant of a man or woman who was a loyal American patriot.
This little tidbit fascinated me, because my father (Thomas Hoyt Fuller) was named after the Revolutionary War hero in our family, “Thomas Hoyt” (a direct relation to Addie).
And I know that my grandmother (Florence Whitmore Fuller) and great-grandmother (Anna Hoyt Whitmore, Addie’s sister) were very much into the DAR and my grandmother urged me (repeatedly) to join the DAR, as both of them had. Apparently, it was important enough to Addie that she was willing to exercise “strenuous effort” to create a Lake Mills chapter of this group.
I’d love to know if the Lake Mills chapter is still alive and well. And I’d also love to know if the descendants of these many women – named above – left behind any letters or correspondence mentioning my Aunt Addie.
Thanks to Waukesha resident and researcher Heather Lukaszewski who found this tidbit in the Waukesha Freeman while looking for more information on Dr. Oatway.
In addition to playing poker and managing the household, Addie also formed the Lake Mills Chapter of the DAR.
Addie on the steps of the Fargo Mansion with the family, Enoch, Elsie (top right) and Mattie (lower right). Elsie and Mattie were Enoch's children by his first wife, Mary Rutherford Fargo.
Addie died on June 19, 1901, about a month after forming the Lake Mills Chapter of the DAR. The obituary (above) does not mention her involvement with the DAR. I wonder what else Addie accomplished in her short life?
If you’ve any information to share, or any insights on this story, please leave a comment below.
To learn more about Addie Hoyt Fargo, click here.
* * *
Another thing I thought to mention: Sometimes a library will have file folders or boxes on various surnames or localities. These files may contain newspaper clippings and the like. I have seen them contain research that other people have done regarding a particular family or surname. Some people donate copies of their work or staff saves letters received from people asking for help with their family tree and these items are placed in such files. When researching at genealogy or public libraries, you might want to check for these kinds of files. You never know, there could be some files for Fargo and/or Oatway.
I don’t know if you can get any help here or not. Maybe you can find a DAR member to assist? I did not see a Lake Mills chapter listed on the website. I wonder if the state or national organization would have the old records from the Lake Mills chapter? I will try to ask around about the DAR next week. http://www.wsdar.com/
I think you posted you have been in contact with a researcher in Lake Mills? Someone affiliated with this society perhaps? http://www.dodgejeffgen.com/
Found the chapter! Looks like they took over at some point. This is an interesting article.
http://www.livinglakecountry.com/jeffersonadvertiser/news/121330793.html
Chapters’ website:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wichadar/FortAtkinson/default.html
Good Luck! (I need to get organized and packed! This stuff is so addictive!)
Hello,
I got to this website thru’ Dick Eastman’s online genealogy newsletter. I looked into the Lake Mills Fargos a few years back. I descend from Polly Fargo Kimball (Baraboo). She was definitely a cousin to these Fargos, though, I have no idea whether she were in contact with them, or, for that matter, with the Silas C. Fargos, in Fond du Lac.
I am also descended from Hoyts. Interestingly, the DAR chapter in Clinton, Rock, Wisconsin is named for my 3rd-grt-grdmthr Betsey Hoyt Willis. She was the daughter of Gilbert Hoyt, who served, as private, in New York Militia, in the Revolution.