Our Chapter’s Founding

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, during a time that was marked by a revival in patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings of the United States of America.

Honoring Colonel John Mitchell

The Colonel John Mitchell, NSDAR, began on June 10, 1952, when five interested women met at the home of Organizing Regent Helen H. Crowe.  The chapter was approved on October 25, 1952, and the Colonel John Mitchell Chapter, NSDAR, was officially organized.

Helen Crowe’s ancestor, John Mitchell, was born in Ulster, Ireland, in 1741.  He settled in Philadelphia and in 1776 served there as Muster Master of the Pennsylvania Navy and as a Commissioner of Provisions of the Navy.  He served in the Continental Army as Deputy Quartermaster General with the rank of colonel from May 26, 1778, until his honorable discharge on August 15, 1780.

Colonel John Mitchell was an original member of the Society of Cincinnati and a personal friend of famous revolutionaries George Washington, the Marquis de Grasse, Count Rochambeau, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

Colonel Mitchell was the founder of Orphan House in Charleston, South Carolina, the second orphanage to be founded in the United States.  He married Anna E.H. Mercer, widow of General Mercer.  He died in Charleston, South Carolina, on January 27, 1816.