Society Saturday - Bartlett Kelley Circle LGAR

I was recently involved in the chartering of a new Circle (ie local chapter) of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic.  Several ladies in the area have ancestors (direct or collateral) who fought for the Union in the Civil War.  We organized a new Circle named for the ancestor of our Organizing President.

We were honored to have 5 National Officers of LGAR travel to help us with our first official meeting.  They began by telling about the history of the organization.

The LGAR was originally started in 1880 in New Jersey as the Loyal Ladies league.  There were several other groups in existence at the time, all existed to help care for Union veterans.  In 1886, an auxilliary was formed with 4 allied orders - all with slightly different eligibility criteria.

LGAR, as it exists today was actually started in Chicago by Mrs. Edward Roby.  Their main activities were helping veterans get pensions, and supporting the soldier's home in Quincy.

Today's LGAR works to keep the memory of our Union ancestors alive through support of the LGAR Headquarters and Military Museum in Ohio, and participation in memorial events and markings.

After learning the history of our new organization, the Charter was presented to our Organizing President.

Officers were then installed.

We are off to a great start with over 50 members.

http://suvcw.org/LGAR/Home.html