Ortonville- A wedding dress made from a parachute is in an exhibit case on the upper floor of the Old Mill.
It was November 1947 when Josephine Agnes Walsh was to wed Lester Oakley. At that time, the United States was still recovering from World War II shortages, and silk for a wedding gown was difficult to find. Lester Oakley, a U.S. Navy veteran who had kept a parachute from his service in the war, offered it to his bride-to-be to be converted into her wedding dress. Her sister transformed the parachute into a simple, but beautiful, long-sleeved gown, in which the ripcord was also incorporated in a pattern across the front.
Brandon Township resident Agnes Oakley, 82, recently showed the dress to her fellow members of Sashabaw Plains Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The group meets monthly, and such history lessons are common as the group strives to make sure war veterans are not forgotten.
‘We’re making sure men who have served in wars are acknowledged and appreciated for all they have done for us,? says member and Brandon Township resident Jo Miller.
Members of the DAR are an exclusive group. The women must be able to prove they are descendants of a man or woman who served in the Revolutionary War.
Some women have multiple connections.
Miller learned she was eligible for membership from her aunt, who told her she has two relatives who served? William Vliet and Isaac Tower, both great-great-great-great grandfathers. She joined DAR in 1994 and a few years later helped Oakley find her own connection? her great-great-great-great maternal grandfather, Joseph Long.
To prove ancestry, members must provide birth and death certificates and marriage licenses of relatives.
‘Genealogy is like a bug biting you,? says Miller, 64. ‘It’s a virus that never goes away. I hated history in school, but now I love it.?
Members recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the American Creed and the preamble to the Constitution at meetings as part of their regular ritual.
‘It’s a way of keeping history alive,? says Miller.
Members also do fundraising for American Indians scholarships and collect items to donate to veterans and soldiers.
DAR was founded in 1890 and the local chapter was founded in 1984.
‘I like knowing these guys aren’t forgotten,? says Oakley. ‘If not for the Revolutionary War, we wouldn’t be free. We have freedom to do what we want to… We’re more than happy to help women find out if they are a Daughter of the American Revolution.?
For more information, call Miller at (248) 627-4549.