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The Oklahoma Department of Daughters of Union Veterans (DUV) held their Eighty-second Annual Convention in Norman May 19. Major Belle Reynolds, Tent 21 hosted this annual convention which was held at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. Those in attendance had an opportunity to listen to Charles Britton as he gave a presentation titled "Abraham Lincoln: Professional Politician with a Purpose."

Members came from throughout the state to meet for one day to carry out the business of the department which included the election of the slate of officers for 2007-2009 term of office. Those elected were Darlene Shawn, department president; Alice Jacobs, senior vice president; Nancy Chotkey, junior vice president; Jae Jaeger, chaplain; June Stone, treasurer; Carol Cox, council 1; Donna K. Talley, council 2; Ann Bailey, council 3; Judith Mahan, patriotic instructor and Ann Bailey, registrar.

Those appointed for 2007-2009 by the department president were Mahan, secretary; Cox, counselor; Stone, VAVS; Chotkey, press correspondent; LeAnne Jones, historian; State Homes, Jacobs, state homes; Shawn, Barbara Hutton and Billie Fogarty, bylaws committee; Laurel Chambers, Talley and Ruth McNeil, membership committee; and Jaeger, Marge Hess and Mary Jo Johnson, nominating committee.

The Oklahoma Department is currently working on a new Web site for the Daughters of the Union Veterans, which is under the guidance of our newly appointed webmaster, Sherrie Ferguson. Look for it in the future to learn more about the society.

Delegates and alternates were elected to attend the National Society of Daughters of Union Veterans Annual Convention. The convention will be held in St. Louis Aug. 8-12. Several Oklahoma daughters are planning to attend the convention which includes the option of a tour of Jefferson Barracks and Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site?White Haven.

Membership in DUV is limited to daughters, granddaughters and all great-granddaughters of honorably discharged soldiers and sailors who served in the Union Army, Navy or Marine Corps and Revenue Cutter Service during the Rebellion of 1861-1865, and those who died or were killed while serving in the armed services of the Union between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865.

Eligibility shall be through lineal descent only and this shall never be changed. The minimum age for membership shall be eight years. All applications for membership shall be filled out in compliance with the current regulations and the required fees shall be paid at the time of submitting an application.

Members of the Oklahoma Department of DUV documented a total of over 3,700 volunteer hours to various organizations for the year of 2006. These organizations included veterans hospitals, veterans homes, libraries and many other worthy organizations. Monies were spent in support of these organizations as well as donated comfort items.

Membership questions or requests for application forms can be sent to my e-mail address which is listed at the end of this article. There are three Oklahoma tents; Sally Peacheater, Tent 18 in Oklahoma City; Major Belle Reynolds, Tent 21 in Norman, and Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Tent 19 in Tulsa. Membership in this lineage society is a way for ladies to honor their ancestors who served their county in the Union Army during the Civil War. We also leave a paper trail of those soldiers' military history for future generations.

OKLAHOMA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (OGS):

The Oklahoma Genealogical Society meeting for June will feature Debra Osborne Spindle speaking on "Pioneers -- Wagon Trains on Oregon Trail." Debra Osborne Spindle had a storytelling grandmother. Among the stories her grandmother told was about Debra's great-great-grandmother traveling west as a child by covered wagon on the Oregon Trail. During the trip the wagon train was attacked by Mormons dressed as Indians.

The child's father was killed, but both the girl and her mother escaped. They survived by eating pods from flowering plants. Later the mother married a gambler, and she died shortly after the marriage. Following her mother's death, the stepfather sent the child to relatives in Iowa.

Her research was to verify if the story was true, and during her talk, she will explain and share with the audience what records she used to document much of the story and the journey. With this research, she has learned a great deal about doing research at the edge of history and the development of the West. She believes that her experience can help other researchers.

Starting in July 2006, Spindle has been employed as a library tech, research coordinator for the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Library in Oklahoma City, and prior to that she was employed by the Metropolitan Library System, Downtown Library from 1996 to 2005 as the library manager and before that as a library specialist. Before her employment by the Metropolitan Library System, Spindle was employed from 1993 to 1996 by the University of Oklahoma, School of Library and Information Studies in Norman as an assistant director.

The Oklahoma Genealogical Society meeting begins 6 p.m. June 4 in the Chesapeake Room of the Oklahoma Historical Society Building, 2401 N. Laird, Oklahoma City. Experienced researchers will be available before the meeting at 5 p.m. to answer research questions. Elections to the OGS Board of Directors will also be held and a report from the recent National Genealogical Society meeting in Richmond, Va., will be made. The Oklahoma History Research Library is open until 7:45 on the evenings when OGS meets.

When sending in queries or sharing information write to: Relatively Speaking, P. O. Drawer 1058, Norman, OK 73070 or e-mail Darlene Shawn at Djshawn636@aol.com.

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