Daughters of the American Revolution
Mary Shirley McGuire Chapter - Plano, TexasTSDARNSDAR

Main
History
Membership Information
Genealogy Resources
Pledges, Creed & Motto
Calendar of Events
Contact Us

Membership information:
Patty Strawmyer

Website Issues:
Julie Avedikian

Last update: August 23, 2017

History of the NSDAR, the TXDAR, and Mary Shirley McGuire

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) was founded on October 11, 1890, and incorporated by an Act of the United States Congress in 1896. Visit NSDAR form more information.

For information about the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution, visit the TXDAR website.

The History of Mary Shirley McGuire:

This chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was named for a patriot, Mary Shirley McGuire, who suffered much for the American cause. She was born 17 February 1762, the eldest daughter of Michael Shirley, a lieutenant in the Continental Army, and his wife, Katie Franz. On February 23, 1778, she married William McGuire in Rockingham County, Virginia. William was a lieutenant of the First Artillery, Virginia Regiment when they and their young son, Michael, were taken from their farm and carried to Canada as prisoners of the British. Their second child, Thomas, was born during their imprisonment.

After their release by the British in Canada, they endured many hardships as they wandered through the deep snow on their way back home. One of the bitterest sorrows was the loss of their elder son, Michael, who froze to death. The McGuires had stopped for the night at a Canadian graveyard. The parents tried to prevent the children from freezing by lying between the graves and covering themselves with their scanty blankets. The mother saved the baby, Thomas, by placing him inside her clothing and buttoning her coat over him. Michael, however, died that night and was buried in a shallow grave that the parents were able to scratch out in this unknown, foreign soil. With broken hearts, they left his little body there.

The McGuire family migrated to Bedford County, Tennessee, from Shelby County, Kentucky, about 1813. Their children were: Michael, Thomas, Polly, Katie, William, Jr., Cornelius, John, and Elizabeth (Bettie).

The following links are to pictures of our group trip to Shelbyville, Tennessee, for the unveiling of the DAR historical marker at the Mary Shirley McGuire grave site.

The Marker | Ceremony Attendees | The Gravestone
Group Photo | Group Photo 2


Back to top of page

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the positions of the NSDAR. Hyprlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.