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Part Taken by Women in American History


board to accept the position of state regent of Maryland and to undertake the work of establishing chapters in that state. In accordance with that request Mrs. Knott, in 1892, sent out invitations to ladies in Baltimore whom she knew were eligible to membership in the National Society and on March 4th, the Baltimore Chapter was formed at her house. Mrs. Knott appointed Miss Alice Key Blunt regent of the chapter. In 1894 Mrs. Knott resigned the office of state regent of Maryland, and at the succeeding congress was elected one of the honorary vice-presidents-general for life. In 1889, at the urgent request of many of the members of the chapter, Mrs. Knott was elected to the office of regent of the Baltimore Chapter, which has done good work under her regency and has taken a lively interest in the construction of Continental Hall.

SOPHIE WALKER HYNDSHAW BUSHNELL.

The subject of this sketch was born in Henry, Illinois; her father Silas Condict Hyndshaw, coming there from Morristown, New Jersey as a young man. In 1858 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Walker of Cincinnati, Ohio. At an early age Mrs. Bushnell was sent to Monticello Seminary, one of the oldest schools for young women in the Middle West and there she spent four years. During the time she was attending school at Monticello, her parents moved to Norwood Park, a suburb of Chicago, and there in 1878 she was married to Drayton Wilson Bushnell. Mr. Bushnell was a native of Ohio, his ancestors coming there from Connecticut in 1880 and settling on the Western Reserve.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bushnell went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and decided to make that place their home. Mrs. Bushnell became much interested in the Daughters of the American Revolution during the first years of the organization but did not identify herself with the society until 1897, when a chapter was formed in Council Bluffs, and she became a charter member. She has served the chapter in various offices, being regent for three years and in office or a member of the board of management constantly since the chapter was organized. She was state historian for two years, state vice-regent for one year and vice-president-general for four years. She is also a member of various other patriotic societies—the Colonial Dames—the Huguenot Society—United States Daughters of 1812 and others. Her line of ancestry through her father embraces many prominent New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England names; her father having been named for the Hon. Silas Condict of New Jersey, who was a member of the first Continental Congress and speaker of the House; while his great-grandfather, Captain James Hyndshaw, was a distinguished soldier in the French and Indian Wars ; a fort near the Delaware Water Gap being named for him in recognition of his service. Her mother (Elizabeth Walker of Ohio) traces her lines to the Walkers, Fosters, Hicks, Millers and many of the old Maryland families; also to the Wiltsees and other Dutch families of New York. When elected to the office of vice-president-general, Mrs. Bushnell suggested to the Daughters of Iowa that they pay for one of the rooms in Memorial Continental Hall, to be called the Iowa Room. This plan met with the approval of the members, and Mrs. Bushnell was made the chairman of the Iowa Room Committee