About Us

The Waightstill Avery Chapter, NSDAR, was established in 1921 and named for American Revolutionary War Patriot Waightstill Avery.

Like the town of Brevard located in Transylvania County, North Carolina, our chapter is growing rapidly. Many of our members are natives of North Carolina and the adjoining southern states, but others are relative newcomers to this Blue Ridge Mountains community. We have members that have moved here from Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, and Hawaii. We welcome membership inquiries from any woman eighteen years of age and older who believes she may be a descendant of an American Revolutionary War Patriot.

Waightstill Avery

May 10, 1741 – March 13, 1821
He was born in Groton, Connecticut, on May 10, 1741. Avery attended Princeton University and then graduated from Nathan Hale College in New Jersey after earning both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts degree. Trained for a career in law, Avery moved to North Carolina in 1767 where he set up his practice. During the years leading to the American Revolutionary War, Avery was a leader in the effort to gain independence from Great Britain. He was a signer of the famous Mecklenburg Declaration, the first attorney general of the state of North Carolina, and a trustee of the University of North Carolina from 1795 to 1804.

He married Mrs. Leah Probart Francks in New Bern and they settled on her large farm in Jones County, where he became a colonel of the militia in 1779.

Eventually, he purchased Swans Pond Plantation in Burke County and moved there with his family in 1781. He continued to practice law, although suffering paralysis of his lower limbs, until a few years before his death.

Avery family graveyard — In November 1988 chapter members and Avery descendants placed a NSDAR bronze marker on Avery’s grave in the Avery family graveyard at Swans Pond Plantation.

Meetings

Our chapter meets in the months from January through May and September through December. A typical meeting includes social time, a guest speaker, and a business meeting. We also have special meetings featuring our Christmas Tea and May luncheon.

We encourage anyone interested in joining DAR to attend one of our meetings to better understand the DAR organization and especially our chapter. You will learn more about our chapter by going to the What We Do webpage (see menu at top of page) to read about some of the things that we do throughout the year.

Please contact us for the meeting dates and location.