Area DAR chapter restoring gravesites

By JIM BUSCH

For the MV Independent

A group of local women recently tended to the grave of Maj. John Irwin, a veteran of the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. 

None of the women is directly related to Irwin, but they feel a strong bond to him nonetheless. That’s because the women are members of the Queen Aliquippa Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and each is a direct descendant of someone who served in our nation’s war for independence. 

Founded in 1890, the DAR is the largest lineage-based women’s organization in United States. The national organization has more than 185,000 members, all of whom can trace their lineage back to someone who played a role in winning America’s independence from Great Britain. Their mission is to promote historical preservation, citizenship and patriotism. 

The Queen Aliquippa Chapter of the DAR was founded by a group of McKeesport women in 1911. It now has 67 members from McKeesport, White Oak, Elizabeth, Monroeville, West Mifflin and other parts of the Mon Valley.

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