National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution

Union Mission Chapter

Pryor, OK

Our Chapter History

Union Mission Chapter was chartered in 1990 with 16 members. The main focus of the chapter has been the historic Union Mission, the first Protestant mission to the Osage Indians, and the Union Mission Cemetery. Each year, activities have been planned to increase awareness of DAR members and students to the historical importance of the Mission and the dedication and bravery of the Mission family. A monument was erected on November 7, 1992, at the cemetery and the chapter was presented a citation by the State of Oklahoma.

In the year 2000, the chapter erected a granite marker at the Union Mission Cemetery to commemorate the placing of the cemetery on the National Historical Registry. We endeavor to keep the cemetery mowed and cleaned with the help of Mr. Burt Nelson, nearby resident, and members of the Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor.



In 2002, with the family's permission, tombstones from the historic Chouteau Family cemetery were relocated to Union Mission Cemetery to prevent further vandalism. A granite marker was placed to commemorate this event.

Union Mission Chapter sponsored the publication of an historical novel written by Juanita Cherry and based on the Union Mission Journal. This volume has been placed in area schools, libraries, the State Historical Library, and the NSDAR Library. The chapter won first place in State competition for historical preservation sponsored by the American Historical Society Association. The original Union Mission Journal, a handwritten account of daily life at the mission, is housed in the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives in Oklahoma City. A typed transcript is kept in the Pryor Public Library.

Monthly meetings of the Union Mission Chapter are held on the first Thursday of each month, September through June. We invite prospective members to visit a chapter meeting.



A Little History On The Osage Indian

Most of the Osage live in Osage County, which was organized from their former reservation when Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as a state in 1907. The Osage that remained in Oklahoma live in one of three communities or "villages," each of which was originally settled by the members of one of three traditional groups within the tribal organization: "Dweller-in-the-Hilltop" at Gray Horse, "Dwellers-in the Upland-Forest" at Hominy, and "Dwellers-in-the-Thorny-Thicket" at Pawhuska.

Union Mission, the first mission in Oklahoma, was organized and established in 1820 among the Osage by the United Foreign Missionary Society (Presbyterian Dutch Reformed). The first school in Oklahoma was opened in 1821 at Union Mission (about 5 miles northeast of Maizie in Wagoner County), with four French-Osage children as the first pupils.  Harmony Mission (near Papinsville, Bates County, Missouri) was established at this same time among the Osage of Missouri by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. These early Protestant missions were closed by 1834, and henceforth missionary efforts among the Osage were carried on almost exclusively
by the Roman Catholic church.

Among the outstanding Osage citizens of the state was the late Chief Fred Lookout, a graduate of Carlisle Indian School, and revered by his tribe. Other distinguished members of the tribe are John Joseph Mathews, a graduate of Oxford University in England and author of Wah' Kon-Tah, and other notable books; Maria Tallchief, prima ballerina, and Clarence L. Tinker, killed in action in WWII. Tinker Air Force Base was named in his honor. 



Union Mission Chapter members who have served as
State Officers or Appointments include:

 
Alice Lange Jacobs State Chaplain
Lucy Lee Knutsen (deceased) State Chaplain
Dalena Patterson Nichols State Chaplain 2002-2004
Alice Lange Jacobs Green Country District Director
Donna Talley Green Country District Director 2004-2006
Amy Means Sparks Deputy Representative for VA

Union Mission Chapter Officers

Chapter Regent Flinn Rita Wigal Cremin
Vice Regent Patricia O'Bannon Morgan
Chaplain Betty Bergman
Secretary Peggy Sue LaPorte
Treasurer Colleen Anderson
Registrar Dalena Nichols
Historian Lesa Ann Terrill Larsen
Librarian Peggy Sue LaPorte

What the Constitution Means to You

It establishes for you a stable and responsible government. It makes you a citizen of the United States, if native born. It gives you citizenship, if foreign born, on complying with liberal naturalization laws. It allows you a voice in the government through the officials whom you help to elect. It guarantees you life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It defends your rights even against the government itself. It makes you equal with all men before the law. It confirms your religious freedom and liberty of conscience. It accords you free, lawful speech. It guarantees you, together with all people, the right of peaceable assembly. It permits you to petition the government to right your wrongs. It guards your property rights. It prohibits the government from taking your property without due process of law. It lets you hold any office in the nation for which you are qualified. It enables you to become a citizen of any state. It prevents you from being held to answer to a complaint unless you have been lawfully accused. It insures your right to trial by a jury of your peers. It grants you the right of habeas corpus, that is, the right to know why you are being held a prisoner. It assures you a speedy trial. It permits your having counsel for defense. It prevents your being tried again if once acquitted. It lends you the power of government to compel witnesses to appear in your behalf.

Author Unknown

For information regarding the Union Mission Chapter
please contact us.

Links:

  National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

  Oklahoma State Society
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Updated on February 25, 2012