Welcome to Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR
Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR has been active for over 110 years. Chartered in 1907 in Tuscumbia, Colbert County, Alabama, the chapter members cherish the Native American heritage of our area. Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR is active in Colbert County and neighboring Franklin County, Alabama. We are an integral part of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; we also well represent our state in the Alabama Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Goals of NSDAR and Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR

Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR Officers
The objectives laid forth in the first meeting of the DAR have remained the same in more than 125 years of active service to the nation. Those objectives are:
History - to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence. 
Education - to carry out the injunction of Washington in his farewell address to the American people, "to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion…"
​Patriotism - to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty.

Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR History

The Chief Colbert Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, was organized November 19, 1907, at the home of Mrs. A.H. Carmichael, Sr., in Tuscumbia, Alabama, with Mrs. Aurora Pryor McClellan, State Regent of Alabama, presiding.

This was the twelfth chapter organized in the state. Charter members were: Emma Aldridge, Annie Carmichael, Mary Chitwood, Eliza Cribbs, Isabella Crowe, Annie Delony, Bertie Drisdale, Julia Goodloe, Ernestine Hogan, Emma Isbell, Aletha Jackson, Kate Johnson, Mary T. Jones, Mary Julian, Evelyn Lasseter, Mattie McCleskey, Sudie Palmer, Mary Pride, Medora Robinson, Lulie Sawtelle, Minna Scruggs, Lula Simpson, Mattie Steele, Margaret Turner, and Lillian Wall.
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The chapter was called Colbert Chapter NSDAR for many years. In 1970 the name was changed to Chief Colbert in memory of the famous Chickasaw chiefs, Levi and George Colbert. They were the sons of James Logan Colbert who was of Scottish descent. As a youth, James came from the Carolinas to the Muscle Shoals with a band of British traders, settled among the Chickasaw and was adopted by a Chickasaw family. George Colbert's home was on the Natchez Trace above the Tennessee River, where he operated a famous ferry, owned many slaves and a large plantation. Levi Colbert"s home was at the Buzzard Roost, just a few miles west of Tuscumbia. They had tremendous wealth, were interpreters and diplomats, and virtually ruled the Chickasaw, trying to help them better themselves. The current membership of Daughters includes one of their descendants.

More than one hundred and ten years later, the Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR members continue to document the history of their ancestors and their contributions to the independence of and continued progress of America.
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Chapter Officers 2017-2019 
Regent: Jeanie Bullock Finnell McNees
Vice Regent: Nancy Cox Gilliland
Chaplain: Lisa Francis Gardner
Recording Secretary: Freda Smith Daily
Corresponding Secretary:  Jessie Evans Wilson
Treasurer: Verna Slack Brennan
Registrar: Susan Greene Carter
Historian: Marie Nichols Johnston
Librarian: Christine Griffith Box​
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Our Chapter's Historical Beginning

Carmichael home where Chief Colbert Chapter DAR held their first meeting in 1907Home of Archie Hill Carmichael and Annie Sugg Carmichael where Colbert Chapter NSDAR convened its first chapter organizational meeting in 1903; the chapter name was changed to Chief Colbert Chapter to reflect the rich Native American heritage and the history of Chickasaw chiefs, brothers Chief George Colbert and Chief Levi Colbert.


The chapter was named Colbert Chapter NSDAR at its inception on 19 Nov 1907. The meeting of the charter members was held at the home of Annie Sugg Carmichael. It was a lovely two-story home on East Sixth Street in Tuscumbia. Her grandson told about how she saved the depot in the manner she had the home built on South Dickson Street in Tuscumbia.

Charlie Carmichael’s grandmother, Annie Sugg Carmichael (wife of Archibald Hill Carmichael, United States Congressman) preserved the "Stage Coach Depot," built on the highest hill in Tuscumbia in the early 1800s, by building a house around it rather than tearing it down to build a new house. Mr. Carmichael inherited the house and upon demolishing it in the early 1970s discovered the original Stage Coach Depot building concealed within the walls of the house. Recognizing its historical significance, he donated it to the City of Tuscumbia. It was moved from the highest hill to its nearby permanent location on South Dixon Street in Tuscumbia.
Why do women join DAR? ​There are many reasons to include: the desire to preserve their genealogical heritage; the opportunity to serve veterans, children and their communities; and the connections they build with family and friends. DAR members participate in a time-honored service organization that honors our God, our flag, our country, and our heritage.

Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR
​Important information or where to get it: 

Why become a member of NSDAR? When you join the NSDAR, you enter a network of more than 185,000 women who form lifelong bonds, honor their revolutionary ancestors and promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism in their communities. We have answers to your questions about becoming a member of this historic and vibrant organization. Click the Interest in Membership Form link below:
​Who can become a Daughter of the American Revolution? Any woman 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence is eligible to join the NSDAR. She must provide documentation for each statement of birth, marriage, and death, as well as of the Revolutionary War service of her Patriot ancestor.
Photo Credit:
- Likeness of Chief Levi Colbert was found at this web address: Chief Levi Colbert: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/al-buzzardroost/.
- Photo of Archie Hill and Annie Sugg Carmichael home is from the Chief Colbert Chapter NSDAR photos.

Disclaimer:
The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR. Hyperlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.

Questions about membership? Please write to membership here.
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Email: Webmaster
Last Updated: 9 May 2019

​Photos courtesy of Carolyn Murray Greer