Ancestral allure

Discovering a connection to a fiery Puritan minister or a soldier nicknamed "Silver Fist Lindsay" intrigued two area women to dig deeper into their family histories and join the local chapters of the Colonial Dames XVII Century.

Shirley Dillon knows the feeling. She's the president of the Dr. Henry Woodward Chapter National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century. Her oldest ancestor found, Vincent Cox, was born in 1632 in England. An indentured servant, Cox came to America with the promise of freedom after five years of labor. Through court documents, Dillon discovered Cox had to sue his owner for his freedom and eventually the British Empire gave him 800 acres in Virginia in exchange for the promise to farm the land and not return to England. Dillon credits her mother with sparking her interest in heritage groups.

"I just love history and these lineage society things. My mother is really the link for me. I knew my mother was in Daughters of the American Revolution, but I didn't get into the Colonial Dames until much later when I moved here and I knew real historic people were in it," said Dillon, a resident of Dataw Island and member of the Dataw Historic Foundation.

COLONIAL DAMES VISIT DATAW

A shared love of history and discovering their family origins has brought many women to research and become members of the Colonial Dames XVII Century. Two of the 20 chapters in South Carolina are in Beaufort County. Colonial Dames have 48 state societies with about 11,500 member nationwide.

The Dr. Henry Woodward Chapter and the Hilton Head Chapter National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century shared their stories as well as a tour of a 17th century island site, the B.B. Sams Plantation House Ruins and grounds and a new exhibit documenting the site, during a joint luncheon Oct. 15 on Dataw.

Earliest records show that in 1682, a trading post was established on Dataw by Caleb Westbrook, a Scottish trader. By the 1780s, the land was purchased by William Sams. Two of the Beaufort Colonial Dames members at the meeting -- Jean Sams Aimar and Marnie Sams Fuller Fyfe -- are direct descendants of the Sams family.

The Dr. Henry Woodward Chapter was founded in the early 1970s by Leola Fanning and named for the first permanent white settler in Beaufort. Fanning recalled those earlier meetings were more formal.

"When I came here there were no genealogical societies functioning," said Fanning, who had joined the Colonial Dames in 1952. "My mom invited me to join and she's not clubby, but I am. The ladies always looked so lovely at the time I joined. ... It was so far back that they wore hats and gloves."

'OLD SILVER FIST'

Growing up listening to stories of her grandmothers' great-grandfather, Major John Lindsay (aka "Silver Fist Lindsay" or "Old Silver Fist"), fascinated Joan Sherouse Perry, president of the Hilton Head Chapter of Colonial Dames XVII Century and a founding member of the chapter.

Unable to find time to do the necessary research until after she moved to Hilton Head Island in 2000, Perry already was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution with her connection to the Patriot Lindsay, a 1775 war veteran, who had been wounded twice and lost his hand in battle. The hand was replaced with silver, thus the nickname.

Perry's sister had researched the family tree and their aunt had written a book that included stories of Lindsay and others. To then become a member of Colonial Dames, Perry picked up information from the book to research further past the Revolutionary War where she discovered William Worsham, who was a justice of the peace and a sheriff, owned property in Virginia in the 1640s.

RASCALS, ROYALTY

Discovering the rascals as well as the royalty in their gene pool or hereditary closet makes the searches interesting for some.

"The rogues are the ones that are intriguing," said Mary Duvall, organizing president of the Hilton Head chapter. Duvall found she was related to Peter Bulkeley (1583-1659), a Puritan minister who co-founded Concord, Mass. Bulkeley's grandson -- Duvall's first cousin 12 times removed -- is Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"That is part of the delight," Duvall said. Her research has taken her to England where she discovered herconnections to William the Conqueror and Charlemagne, born in 742.

"It is like a great jigsaw puzzle. It is fun once you get into it and see how certain traits occur in certain families and you find you share certain talents," Duvall said. "I was fortunate enough that someone in my family kept some records. ... All it takes is one little thread for someone who loves to do research and to start taking that thread back."

LEGACY AND HISTORY

Leaving a legacy is an important reason for membership for many of the group.

"One of my most favorite things about genealogy and heredity organizations is the greatest gift it gives to us is the ability to leave a legacy to our children," Duvall said.

"It is very important that we know our past, so we have some tools for the future. ... All the other things come and go, but a sense of your own family history is more unique."

But the group is about more than finding one's own personal lineage, it's about preserving history. Statewide, Colonial Dames are seeking historical sites that need markers as well as recognition for women in the community who have made a difference.

"The whole reason for Colonial Dames is interest in American history and respect for American heritage and to preserve the records," Perry said.