Nope. My Irish heritage did not come from Chloe Clark Willson, but from my Montgomery side. Yes, the William Montgomery (aka Footballer, if you read Early Portland and the Flying Pigskin) who married Chloe (and William Willson’s) granddaughter Georgia Gill.

Irish history exudes music, stories, and lore. My dad liked to pretend we had more Irish in us than we probably do; yes, he glorified his “Irishness.” William Montgomery’s grandfather, Alex Montgomery (born in 1793, Fermanagh Northern Ireland) married Hannah Blakely in Tyrone Northern Ireland in 1826. William’s father (my great-great grandfather) Hugh was born in 1839 in Eniskillen, Fermanagh. He immigrated to first Canada and then the Eastern United States during the potato famine. (See Digging for Roots.) And while our Montgomery heritage includes Eniskillen, Ireland, earlier roots include Scotland with the name Montgomerie.

St. Patrick’s Day reminds me of my grandfather, Richard Gill Montgomery, Sr. Our Daddy Dick was an author and historian (The White-Headed Eagle among others) and, like Dad, a storyteller. He was on track to become a doctor when he found, after working in his grandfather’s J.K. Gill store one summer, to be better suited to be a man of words and books, later establishing a Portland advertising agency. He offered radio book chats on the side. And wrote his own. Yet, my favorite story this time of year is about his Multnomah County Library St. Paddy Day concerts.

So, for my celebration today, I will listen to my collection of The Irish Tenors.

But, back to Chloe. Unlike the Montgomery side of family, Chloe Clark came from deeper early America roots. Our shared ancestor, Thomas Barber, was born in 1624 in England and immigrated with his wife Jane to Windsor, Connecticut in 1625. Yes, a long time ago. It is because of this lineage that I recently received a surprising phone call request, the caller finding me through my blog. A group of women in Dupont, Washington were founding a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) named the Chloe Clark Chapter! And yes, they invited me to be a founding member. What followed were a number of discussions and for me to come up to speed on DAR, an organization I knew of but hadn’t ever thought much about. To keep it simple, I’ll summarize by saying that I have not joined the organization but was pleased to attend their celebration of the founding of the Chloe Clark Chapter at Dupont, Washington City Hall.

I do believe my third great grandmother Chloe (see: Hello 3rd Great Grandma: An Interview) would have been honored to have her name bestowed in this way. Similar to how I am certain she would be thrilled to know how Chloe Clark Elementary in Dupont was also named for her long after her death. I have no doubt that the three DAR pillars: historical preservation, education and patriotism (defined as “commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law”) would speak to her. And although I have determined to put my time and energy into different priorities at this moment (like becoming a hospice volunteer), I am certain Chloe Clark would have celebrated the forming of this new chapter. I’m grateful to have been there to represent family.

Okay, enough of this. Time to get my sign together for today’s protest. Onward to support patriotism, democracy and justice. I’ll save the Irish Tenors for later.