DAR members honored at conference

Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution from all over the state attended the New Jersey State Society Daughters of the American Revolution's 122nd Annual State conference on April 25-26.

Guests at the conference included NSDAR President General Lynn Forney Young, Vice President General Debora Refior, District of Columbia State Regent Julia Miller Roger, Texas State Regent Pamela Rouse Wright, and NSDAR Junior Membership Chairman Roberta Cecile Wimberley.

Several members of the Chinkchewunska Chapter NSDAR attended the conference. They were: Bea Kota (NJDAR State Historian), Bonnie Matthews (Chinkchewunska Chapter Regent), Joanna Cosh (Chinkchewunska Chapter Vice Regent), Allyn Perry (Chinkchewunska Chapter Corresponding Secretary), Lisaann Permunian (Chinkchewunska Chapter Historian), Laura Ballard and Ashley Ziccardi (Chinkchewunska Chapter Registrar), who served as a page.

The Chinkchewunska Chapter received the Distinguished New Jersey DAR Chapter for DAR Project Patriot Award and was recognized their 100 percent participation in the President General’s Project.

Bonnie Matthews was recognized as the NJDAR outstanding chapter regent. As chapter regent, Matthews has increased the morale of the chapter by opening her home to all members and encouraging fellowship and bonding among the diversity that is found in any chapter. She spends countless hours working to maintain and preserve the chapter’s “home” the Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten Museum and also volunteers with the DAR at the state and national levels. Matthews also is the state chairwoman of the Hospitality Committee.

Lisaann Permunian, chapter historian, received the NJDAR Outstanding Volunteer Information Specialist Award. This award is presented to a member who uses computer and technology skills to assist the DAR. Lisaann created and maintains the Chinkchewunska Chapter Facebook page. She also uses her computer skills do the necessary research to obtain grave markers for Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots. She has obtained new grave markers for four Revolutionary War Soldiers and has helped with other dedications by researching biographical information about the soldiers. Lisaann also is a member of the State Genealogy Preservation Committee where she has indexed more than 5,000 documents

Ashley Ziccardi was recognized as the 2014 NJDAR Outstanding Junior Member. This award honors a junior member (DAR member who is younger than 35 years old) who has promoted the aims and purposes of the National Society, as well as participating in community activities. Ashley is serving her second term as chapter registrar. She is the chapter chairwoman of the commemorative events, lineage research, and membership committees and she is the state chairman for the Genealogical Records Committee. Ziccardi was the senior society president of the Elias Van Bunschooten Society National Society Children of the American Revolution (NSCAR) and she is the senior registrar for the New Jersey State Society NSCAR. Ziccardi has been working with other volunteers to clean the Coe Smith Cemetery, which has been abandoned for more than 15 years and has obtained 11 new grave markers for Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots and one grave marker for a DAR Real Daughter.

The Chinkchewunska Chapter owns and operates the DAR Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten Museum in Wantage. The museum will open for the season on May 15 and will be open every Thursday and Saturday from 1-4 p.m. until Oct. 15th. A major second-floor stabilization project was just completed at the museum this winter. The chapter holds many fundraisers through out the year to maintain the more than 200-year-old Dutch Colonial home.