Welcome to the website for the New Bedford Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR).
The following origin of our chapter name is taken from You Named It Massachusetts DAR, compiled and edited by Bernice G. Pickering, Organizing Secretary 1977-1980, Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution.
Originally New Bedford was known as Dartmouth, a section of the town of Dartmouth, first settled in 1660. In 1765, the village was named Bedford in honor of one of its citizens, Joseph Russell, who, in England, was known as the Duke of Bedford.
In 1787, the old town of Dartmouth was divided into three parts and Bedford became New Bedford. During that time, the great whaling era began and the area prospered. New Bedford was the wealthiest city of its size in the country at the time.
New Bedford can claim to be the site of the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War.
The first land encounter at Bedford in 1778, occurred at the corner of County and North Streets causing three fatalities; Thomas Cook, Abram Russell, and Diah Trofford. In 1927, the New Bedford Chapter, NSDAR, erected a bronze plaque on a stone at this location in their memory.
Last Updated on May 31, 2022 by admin