Colonial Heritage Month now official

At the request of the Arkansas Society, Colonial Dames 17th Century (CDXVIIC), Gov. Asa Hutchinson has proclaimed October as Colonial Heritage Month.

CDXVIIC representatives attending the proclamation signing included Sharon Stanley Wyatt of Pine Bluff State President Patricia McLemore of Mt. Ida Belinda Meacham Jones of Benton Judith Williams, Sheri Koch and Sheila Beatty-Krout, all of Hot Springs Village, according to a news release.

The work of the society is dedicated to the preservation of historic sites and records, promotion of heraldry and coats of arms and support of charitable projects, patriotism and education.

The National Society CDXVIIC unites more than 11,000 members in 45 state societies and one international society in Canada.

The John Eliot Chapter CDXVIIC meets four times a year at the Pine Bluff Country Club at a luncheon meeting with the United States Daughters of 1812 and the Daughters of Colonial Wars.

“Colonial Heritage Month recalls the first courageous settlers who arrived in America and determined the direction for the formation of our country,” according to the release. “CDXVIIC members, by virtue of their lineal descent from those early arrivals, feel an obligation to work for the preservation of the priceless legacy these early arrivals left to American citizens.”

CDXVIIC is an organization of women, 18 or older, who are lineal descendants of an ancestor who lived and served prior to 1701 in one of the Original Colonies in the United States. Members are devoted to preserving the memory of those who settled in the United States of America prior to 1701.

Details: State President Patricia McLemore at pcmcmountain@yahoo.com.