T HE W I LLIAM F EW C ONSTITUTION THE NEWSLETTER OF THE COLONEL WILLIAM FEW CHAPTER GEORGIA SOCIETY, SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Ma y 1 , 201 4 Vo lu me 1 , Iss ue 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Message By William “Bill” Colbert We are moving quickly through 2014 and mid-year is already almost upon us. With one grave marking President’s Message 1 Chapter Meeting Notes 1 Chaplain’s Corner 2 From the Secretary/Treasurer 2 Registrar’s Notes 2 Patriot Abraham Marshall 3 JROTC Certificates and Medals Upcoming Events 3 5 and our ROTC presentations already behind us, we have made a good start on completing a good portion of our chapter goals for the year. The Sgt. William Jones marking on March 8th was another great chapter effort, as well as another excellent opportunity to demonstrate cooperation with the NSDAR and the College Hill Chapter. Many thanks to all that participated and attended. We have also completed our ROTC Bronze Medal awards for this year and I appreciate all of those who volunteered as presenters. These presentations are an important opportunity to involve our chapter in both community and educational support activities. I am also hopeful that we will one day soon be able to become a chapter known for presenting the “Traveling Trunk” in our local elementary schools. On April 26th, I had the privilege of addressing the Mathew French Chapter, NSDAR, in Princeton, West Virginia on with a presentation on “The Faiths of Our Fathers”. Mrs. Donna Brewster, a friend of our family and chapter Chaplain, hosted the event on their family farm. They were a very receptive audience, and presented an excellent opportunity for me to learn and share some of the religious history of the Chapter Meeting Notes Founding Fathers. Bill Tankersley, Pat Colbert (College HillFew DAR) and I will meet withAmerican the Columbia The William Chapter, Sons of the th for a County Genealogical June 12 Revolution (SAR), met Society Mondayon evening March 24th presentation to their membersfor onour SAR/DAR at the Garlic Clove Restaurant 2014 1st membership andwith activities. We are and looking forward Quarter meeting 30 members guests in to this as anChapter opportunity to promote the significance attendance. business was conducted, with of finding and recognizing our patriotic ancestors as special emphasis on encouraging member well as to promote and encourage membership in our chapters. For the future, we are working on a participation in our upcoming JROTC award presentations. Recognition of several chapter members was also a highlight, with Don Anderson and William Yarbrough commended for their Vietnam War Service, and in Anderson’s receipt of Please see Chapter Meeting Notes on page 4 Page 2 The William Few Constitution Chaplain’s Corner By David Titus (Note: For this issue, our guest Chaplain is COL Tom Troxell, Chaplain, Phoenix Chapter SAR.) At this time of year many people consider the question "Who is Jesus Christ?" Many reply: "He is a good teacher, but I cannot accept his claim to be God, the Son of God, or the Savior!" C. S. Lewis (author of The Narnia Chronicles) replies to that statement this way: "That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the things Jesus said would not be a good moral teacher. He would be a lunatic -- on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great So, for the Christian, Easter (I prefer “Resurrection Sunday”) is not about the rites of spring, marshmallow chicks or chocolate bunnies. For the Christian Easter is about salvation from sin, the defeat of death, the hope of eternal life provided by a gracious God. It is not about what we can do, but about what Jesus did for those who trust him with their lives in this age, and for the age to come. Where will you be on Resurrection Sunday? Eating chocolate or rejoicing in the Resurrection? Why not join me in the latter? human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (Mere Christianity, p. 41) Secretary/Treasurer’s Message Registrar’s Notes By Albert Beveridge By Alton McCloud Each year the NASSAR Americanism Committee sponsors the Americanism and President General’s Streamer contests. These contests highlight participating chapters’ activities during the year in support of our Society’s efforts to promote the principles of freedom and liberty for all Americans. Our chapter is active and involved in these activities and our score sheet reflects these efforts. Any member may review the score sheet template at http://www.sar.org/node/283 to see the various items for which we earn points. We can earn points for both the President General’s Streamer and Americanism. If you participate in any of the listed activities on your own or with another chapter, please let me know so that I may track in our Chapter’s score sheet. Our total membership roster currently stands at 36 members. We have several potential new members in an inquiry stage and some who have gathered necessary paperwork toward completing their membership applications. As a chapter member, please be on the lookout for potential new members. This is very important to the future of our chapter !! A family reunion can be an excellent avenue for recruiting new members, especially if you have male relatives in attendance who are descendants of the same patriot ancestor through which you joined the SAR. Do you have a friend, uncle, cousin, brother, nephew, son, grandson, who may be interested in membership? If so, invite them to our next chapter meeting, and please let us know so that we can help them with their membership applications. Page 3 The William Few Constitution Patriot Biography and Grave Marking Ceremony By William Tankersley Located on Tubman Road near Appling at the Marshall Historic Site, approximately one mile from Patriot Abraham Marshall COL Stewart’s Reg’t of Minutemen Georgia Militia Revolutionary War 1748-1819 the Old Kiokee Baptist Church, lies the grave of Revolutionary War Patriot Chaplain Abraham Marshall (DAR # A073696 and SAR # P-241763). Chaplain Marshall was born in Windsor, Connecticut in 1748. He was the oldest son of Patriot Reverend Daniel Marshall and his wife, Martha Stearns, and was ordained at Kiokee Baptist Church in 1775, where he followed his father as pastor. After serving in the Revolutionary War as a Chaplain in Colonel Stewart’s Regiment of Minutemen, Marshall preached to thousands on New England trips in 1786 and 1792. He constituted or reconstituted about 39 churches, including the First African Baptist churches in Savannah & Augusta, Georgia and the First Baptist Church of Augusta. According to Thomas Ray, “No man founded more churches in Georgia than Abraham Marshall. One of the churches he founded was First Baptist Church of Augusta, which he organized in 1817 and pastored until May 1819.” On Saturday, April 25, 2015, the William Few Chapter SAR will conduct a grave marking ceremony for Patriot Marshall. A reception will follow at the Old Kiokee Baptist Church, completed in 1808, where Marshall preached when he was the pastor of Kiokee. The GASSAR color guard will be in attendance at the ceremony. JROTC Medals and Certificates Presented According to the NSSAR website, “the SAR awards the ROTC Medal to foster the principle of the "citizen-soldier", exemplified by the Minutemen of Revolutionary War days. This award is presented by a Chapter, a State Society, or the National Society to ROTC or JROTC cadets who are selected for having a high degree of merit with respect to leadership qualities, military bearing and general excellence. The recipients are selected by the Commanding Officer of the ROTC or JROTC unit, who should be given full latitude in making the selection. The ROTC medal is struck on a circular planchet. The obverse shows a Minuteman holding a rifle and standing next to a plow, with the Liberty Bell in the background. It is inscribed with the letters "ROTC". The reverse is inscribed "Awarded for Leadership, Soldierly Bearing and Excellence to _____________." The medal is suspended from a ribbon of the SAR Colors. A ribbon bar in the SAR colors is included and a certificate is available as well.” During the month of April, the William Few Chapter SAR presented JROTC medals and certificates to cadets at the following high schools in Columbia and Richmond Counties: Butler, Cross Creek, Glenn Hills, Greenbrier, Grovetown, Harlem, Hephzibah, Josey, Lakeside, Lucy Laney, Richmond Academy, and Westside. A cadet at Georgia Regents University was also honored with a medal and certificate. Compatriots who volunteered to present the medals and certificates are: William Colbert, Alton McCloud, David Titus, William Tankersley, Russell Brown, Richard Schuster, Don Anderson, and Albert Beveridge. Page 4 The William Few Constitution Chapter Meeting Notes from page 1 the Korean War Service Certificate as well. Bill Tankersley and Kirby Towns were also recognized for having received supplemental certificates. Don Thomas, Elijah Clarke Militia Lyman Hall Chapter member, was also recognized for his participation in Sgt. William Jones’ grave marking ceremony. The chapter announced the planning stages of a grave marking ceremony for Patriot Chaplain Abraham Marshall on April 25, 2015. Colonel William Few, Jr. 1748-1828 William Few Factoid: Ed Rigel presenting the “Traveling Trunk” After dinner, we welcomed Compatriot Ed Rigel, GASSAR Color Guard Commander, GASSAR Colonel William Few, Jr., was instrumental in the creation of Columbia County from Recording Secretary, and member of the Lyman Richmond County in 1790. His Hall Chapter, SAR. Compatriot Rigel presented a home was located along very interesting and well-received program on the “Traveling Trunk”, “Traveling Trunk”, leaving us with a challenge to begin a program of our own for use in our local systems. The traveling trunk is filled with replicas of colonial era home, school, and military artifacts for use with elementary and middle school students, living history displays, and lectures. An excellent description along with many resources on the traveling trunk program can be found by going to the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution Website at http://www.gassar.org and clicking on “resources”, then “traveling trunk.” present day Georgia Highway 150 (Cobbham Road) between Mistletoe road and Shiloh United Methodist Church. A Georgia Historical Commission marker is located at the site. The William Few Constitution Page 5 Upcoming Events *June 12 at 1:00pm DAR and SAR presentation at a Columbia County Genealogical Society meeting, Euchee Creek library, 5907 Euchee Creek Drive, Grovetown, GA. The presentation topic will be on what it takes to become a member of the DAR and SAR, and what kinds of things our organizations do. *June 23 at 6:30pm – William Few Chapter SAR meeting, Garlic Clove Restaurant, Evans, GA. GASSAR Past President James Stallings will present a program on “Uniforms Worn During the Revolution.” *July 4 – Independence Day event at the Declaration of Independence Signer’s Monument, downtown Augusta, near the Augusta-Richmond County Government Center *September 17 – Constitution Day DAR event recognizing William Few as a signer of the U.S. Constitution *September 22 at 6:30pm – William Few Chapter SAR Meeting, Garlic Clove Restaurant, Evans, GA *November 11 – Veterans Day events at the All Wars Monument and Heroes Overlook (Riverwalk and 10th) *December – chapter Christmas Banquet (date, time, and location to be announced later) *April 25, 2015 – Grave marking ceremony for Patriot Abraham Marshall, Marshall Historic Site on Tubman Road near Appling, reception at Old Kiokee Baptist Church The William Few Constitution is the newsletter of the Colonel William Few Chapter, Georgia Society, Sons of the American Revolution. The newsletter is published quarterly on the first of February, May, August, and November. Please contact Bill Tankersley at [email protected] or 706-825-5810 with comments, suggestions, etc. 2014 Officers of the Colonel William Few Chapter SAR: President: William Colbert Vice President: Richard Noegel Secretary/Treasurer: Albert Beveridge Registrar: Alton McCloud Chaplain: David Titus Parliamentarian: William Tankersley