Illinois Society
United States Daughters of 1812

          

Welcome! Our chapter, located in central Illinois, was organized October 20, 1972 by Organizing President Mrs. Russell S. Cooke.  It is named after the Sangamon River. The river played a major role during the early white settlement of the state. The Sangamon River was home to many different groups of Native Americans in the centuries before the arrival of Europeans. The river's name comes from a Pottawatomie word Sain-guee-mon (pronounced "sang g� mun") meaning "where there is plenty to eat."

In the 18th century, groups of the Kickapoo Indians settled along the river. French traders were active in the region throughout the middle 18th century when it was part of the Illinois Country. The first U.S. settlers arrived in the region in the 1810s. Today, the Sangamon River is a focus of recreation for the people of central Illinois.

Members of the Sangamon Chapter are pleased to be part of plans to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

In the near future we will be marking the grave of another soldier from that war. Did you know there are an estimated 2,000 War of 1812 soldiers buried in Illinois. Many veterans of the war received bounty land in Illinois from the government for their service.

Does one of those soldiers belong to you? Perhaps you would like to be part of our society. Our goals are:

• to promote patriotism;
• to preserve and increase knowledge of the history of the American people by preserving documents and treasures;
• to mark historic locations;
• to record family histories and traditions;
• to celebrate patriotic anniversaries;
• and to remind citizens of the heroic deeds of those who moulded our government between the close of the American Revolution and the close of the War of 1812.

To become a member, you must be able to prove lineal descent from an ancestor who rendered military, naval or civil service between the close of the American Revolution and the close of the War of 1812. 

You can download a membership worksheet here. A brochure with additional information about our society is available here.