By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

For years, the David Lindsay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has provided Christmas gifts to the military either deployed overseas or at home.

This year the chapter provided Christmas gifts to the 254 residents at the Colonel Robert L. Howard Veterans Home in Pell City.

Neville Peacock of Pelham is the Veterans Chair for the chapter.

Chapter members donated items as: Hard candies, lip balm, board games, card games, peanut butter crackers, socks, scarves, toboggans, T-shirts, robes, light jackets, gloves, flip flops, batteries, pencils, pens, notebooks, pocket calendars, caps and toiletries.

Peacock and husband Claude delivered the gifts to the veteran’s home before Christmas.

The David Lindsay Chapter was organized in 1927 in Montevallo by Mrs. E. H. (Phoebe Gibson) Wills, chapter first regent, and 16 charter members: Emma Goodwin Bohn, Alice Boyd, Linnie Pratt Crowe, Estelle Goodwin Dennis, Josephine F. Eddy, Anna Fitzgibbons, Susan Reed Childress Hartfield, Mary Ford Kennedy, Lily Pratt Logan, Florence Boyd Lyman, Hattie Lyman, Mary Beeler Napier, Willena Abby Peck and Leonora Bradshaw Wallace.

The chapter namesake served as private with the Virginia Continental Lines and received 100 acres in a land bounty warrant, granted by Virginia for services in the “War of Independence.”

The Lindsay family were early settlers in Shelby County as early as the 1820 census. Lindsay (1750-1835) and wife Mary Casey Lindsay (1750-1847) are buried in the Lindsay Historical Site along Shelby County 17 in Maylene. Several Lindsay descendants are current members of the chapter.

In October 2006 a plaque was placed on “The Rock” at American Village in Montevallo honoring Lindsay as a Revolutionary War soldier and Shelby County pioneer.

In October 2008, the DAR Memorial and Historical Marker was dedicated at the “David Lindsay Rock.”

The DAR, founded in 1890, is open to any woman age 18 and older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution.

David Lindsay meets the first Wednesday of February, March, April, September, October, November and December at 1 p.m. at the Columbiana Public Library.

For information, contact Regent Phoebe Robinson at (205) 669-7301 or phoeberobinson@bellsouth.net.