In a salute to February’s Black History Month, American Spirit‘s January/February issue features recently discovered information on Eunice Davis, recognized as the first and only known Real Daughter of color. More than a century after her death, DAR historians are delving into the life of this fascinating and passionate anti-slavery activist and community volunteer.

Davis–among the few women with the designation “Real” Daughter, or members of the DAR who were just a single generation removed from a Revolutionary War Patriot–was a founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society and helped catapult it to the forefront of women’s abolition groups in the 1830s. Her home was even a station on the Underground Railroad.

Filling in details about Eunice Davis’ fascinating life proved to be a tough case even for experienced DAR researchers. Hidden by scant records, the women’s voices in a family tree require a little more effort to hear. In the magazine’s Genealogy Sleuth department, we provide techniques to help amateur researchers find more information about their female ancestors.
The issue also features a story on preserving historic structures in the face of pollution and climate change. Learn what preservationists are doing to save structures like DAR Headquarters, one of Washington, D.C.’s architectural treasures.