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, the tenth of 12 children. Avery graduated from Princeton University 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 of May 20, 1775. In November 1776, he was a member of the Congress that met in Halifax where he was instrumental in drafting the first North Carolina state Constitution. He was elected to the first General Assembly, which met at New Bern in 1777, and was named the first attorney general of North Carolina.

He married Mrs. Leah Probart Francks in New Bern on October 3, 1778 and they settled on her large farm in Jones County. There he served on the Governor’s Council, resigning in 1779 to become a Colonel in the militia of Jones County with which he was engaged for more than two years.

In 1780, while General Cornwallis was occupying Charlotte, Avery’s actions were notable enough that Cornwallis ordered the burning of Avery’s law office. During this time period, Avery purchased Swan Ponds plantation in Burke County. After independence had been won in 1781, he joined his wife and two daughters there.

He was elected to represent Burke County in the House of Commons five times beginning in 1782 and was elected to the State Senate in 1796. He served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina from 1795 until 1804. He is famously known for a 1788 courtroom argument that led to a duel with a young Andrew Jackson (future U.S. president). Each intentionally missed the other while firing, leaving the duel as fast friends.

Avery County in northwest North Carolina was named for Waightstill Avery when it was formed in 1911. The founding members of the NSDAR chapter in Brevard, North Carolina named their chapter in honor of Waightstill Avery when the chapter formed in 1921.

In November 1988, members of the Waightstill Avery Chapter, NSDAR, placed a bronze marker on Avery’s grave in the Avery family graveyard at Swan Ponds near Morganton, North Carolina.

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.