Chapter History
Photo of the Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter in 1917, during the unveiling of the marker on the historic wall in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Photo courtesy of a chapter member.
Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter, NSDAR, was organized on 23, October 1906.
The chapter’s name was selected both for the relationship to our local area, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the American Revolutionary War service of Captain Jesse Leavenworth. Ruth Johns, of the National Military Home, was elected regent and was a founding member of the chapter.
Photo of Ruth Johns taken in 1896
Ruth Johns in was the first elected regent of the Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter, NSDAR, in 1906 and later served as the Kansas State Regent from 1908-1909.
Photo curiosity of the Leavenworth County Historical Society collection by photographer Horace Stevenson.
Among the early members was Frances Bush Loveland, a “Real Daughter,” whose father, Ziba Bush, served under General George Washington at the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolutionary War. A “Real Daughter” is the first generation daughter of a person who served or provided aid in the American Revolutionary War.
In 1903, a historic stone wall at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was threatened. The wall was located at the site where Colonel Leavenworth's command built a similar wall of rough stones and logs to guard against possible attacks by the Indians. An effort was made in 1903 to have the wall removed, and this brought about its restoration by the Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter, NSDAR. The wall was quite thick, with apertures at frequent intervals. A marker was placed there by the Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter, NSDAR, in 1917.
A historical marker placed on the stone wall at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
During World War I, members of our chapter were active in the war effort. Several members joined the American Red Cross first aid unit, and others aided in operating a recreation center for soldiers stationed at Fort Leavenworth.
In 1924, after the passing of Frances Bush Loveland, a DAR bronze tablet on a marble shaft was placed over her grave in the Soldier Cemetery at Soldier, Kansas.
During World War II, members of our chapter did their duty by making surgical dressings and fundraising for blood plasma to aid our soldiers.
"This tablet is placed by the Captain Jesse Leavenworth Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, Military Road to Fort Scott and the Freemont Expedition, Doniphan Expedition. All of which, between the dates 1827-1898, used the Reservation of Fort Leavenworth and were protected or employed by regular troops of the United States Army."
Last Updated: 22 December 2020