DRT Real Daughters
Welcoming Remarks
We are gathered to dedicate the Memorial Medallions and Honor Three Real Daughters of The Republic of Texas … and members of our James Butler Bonham chapter.
These particular Medallions were provided to us by The Children of The Republic of Texas, who raised the funds for them. The gift of the Medallions capped a massive project undertaken by CRT to survey the entire roster of DRT’s membership — since its inception — and develop the definitive list of DRT Real Daughters. This effort produced some surprises for James Butler Bonham chapter, revealing more members as Real Daughters than we, originally, had known — including one of the women who we will honor today.
We are MOST grateful to CRT for this service they have rendered to our beloved Daughters. It is our chapter’s privilege to return to the practice of “marking” the graves of James Butler Bonham chapter’s Real Daughters as we recognize: Dollie Hamilton Forester,
Elizabeth Love Yeary Bertrand,
and Fleata Bradley Farris.
About Dollie Hamilton Forester
Locations of the graves
(click to enlarge)
Directions to find the grave of DOLLIE HAMILTON FORESTER:
Sparkman-Hillcrest: In Monument Garden Section
— Park on side (directly across the road from Hillcrest Mausoleum, just about to Chapel East sign)
— Go East from road, through two Crepe Myrtles
— Between two large family monuments for HUVELLE & WYATT
— Past SIMRIL Obelisk at left
— Directly behind MACGREGOR family monument.
Directions to find the grave of ELIZABETH LOVE BERTRAND
Sparkman-Hillcrest: In Pioneer Garden Section
— Park on road, directly across from Companion Garden I sign; before Pioneer Garden sign and bench.
— Go straight through break in stand of shrubs. RICHARDSON will be the first large, flat stone.
— Between next two large flat stones: HARRIS & BAISE
— At large flat stone of BIGGER, angle right through trees toward NW Hwy.
— Angle where a row of six large flat stones are to your left: FOX; DYCKMAN; BRUCE / TOWNSEND; WICHELL; RIFE; WILKINS.
— Elizabeth’s marker on the right from WILKINS.
Alternate landmark: look for a Cedar (or Cypress) tree (only one) with a Bench in front. From tree, go directly east of tree a few rows.
Directions to find the grave of FLEATA BRADLEY FARRIS
Sparkman-Hillcrest: In Garden of Devotion Section
— Park across from Fireman’s Rest island (statue), near twin stone benches.
— Walk north, to right of benches; through two oak trees.
— Continue down row, to the right of holly bush
The History of Real Daughters
Real Daughter — what does that mean for The Daughters of The Republic of Texas?
Real Daughter was a special recognition — a classification — conferred upon a unique group of members in The Daughters of The Republic of Texas up to 1997. In 1997, the last two living Real Daughters— one of whom was a member of our beloved James Butler Bonham Chapter —Ruth Linda Sneed— died. Gone was that first generational tie to those we call our Ancestors of the Republic and for whom they called “Mother” and “Father.”
The status of Real Daughter was for a DRT member whose father or mother served The Republic in a civil or military capacity, or received a Land grant, prior to February 19, 1846. Originally, in DRT history, only the women who were daughters of adult citizens were eligible for membership in DRT, therefore only the members with that lineage were eligible for the title “real.” Later in our history, a campaign began to broaden the definition and include, what members referred to as, "The Infant Ancestors." Those were the ancestors who were born into the Republic or who were children who came to the Republic with their parents. It not only impacted membership in DRT, the change also made more members eligible for the title “Real.”
As stated in the book, Real Daughters, published by DRT in 2007, “It would have been a blessing if our predecessors had become aware of the need to record all of the daughters of our Texas Heroes and Heroines and enroll them in our membership.”
The DRT Bylaws extended special courtesies and recognition of these Real Daughters as they were exempt from paying dues and were always honored guests at the Annual Meeting.
As early as 1934, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas recognized the need to honor its members who were Real Daughters. (That would have occurred AFTER today’s first-honored Real Daughter, Dollie Forester, became a DRT member.) The delegates to the DRT Convention in Austin that year approved the idea and named it “The Centennial Project.”
It took the passing of the LAST two Real Daughters in 1997 to prompt The Daughters of the Republic of Texas — finally — to record the history and names of all the Real Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The Children of The Republic of Texas got into the spirit of completing the record in the later half of the 2000s. They also launched a major fund-raising initiative to purchase Memorial Medallions for many of the Real Daughters and distributed them to the DRT chapters.
James Butler Bonham Chapter, originally, had 46 recognized Real Daughters. CRT’s effort revealed six more Real Daughters on JBB’s rolls and it brought the total of the chapter’s recognized Real Daughters to 52.
With the creation of a new member class by DRT in 2007 — that of Posthumous Membership—we have the opportunity to add more Real Daughters to JBB’s roster in the coming years and recognize them as we are doing today. Ironically the marking ceremony of Ruth Linda Sneed's grave occurred 20 years ago — almost to the day of TODAY’S ceremony — on 11 October, 1996.
It is with much love, honor and respect, that we continue the tradition of marking the gravestones of our chapter’s Real Daughters. Along with the gift of the at least eight Memorial Medallions, members of The Children of The Republic of Texas also designated which JBB Real Daughters they wanted us to honor. Past JBB 4th Vice President, Betty Arnold, set about gathering the material for the ceremonial events to honor thoseReal Daughters. Her efforts and contacts in 2009-2010 have borne fruit in this ceremony, today, as we recognize and honor Dollie Hamilton Forester, Elizabeth Love Yeary Bertrand, and Fleata Bradley Farris.who were all laid to rest, here, at Hillcrest Memorial Park.