Original Charter Members - 1883

The original founders of the Woman's Relief Corps had already organized during the Civil War and provided much needed assistance at home and at the Battle Front. These women loosely organized and set up fundraisers as well as group work details that could help by sending supplies of various types to the front. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) wanted an auxiliary and asked their wives, mothers, sisters, and neighbors to please organize one. When the women began planning out the process and creating the structure they leaned heavily upon the already existing Relief Corps located in New Hampshire and in Massachusetts. Ultimately the women chose to model after the Massachusetts "Woman's Relief Corps". The women who accompanied their spouses for the 1882 and 1883 Encampments drew up more formal plans. The 1883 Encampment held in Denver, Colorado, was the formalization time/place of the official Charter of the Woman's Relief Corps. It was signed by Paul Vandervoort, Commander-in-Chief of the GAR. The original hand-drawn Charter hangs in the WRC Museum inside the General John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro, IL. The original 57 WRC founders/Charter members were:

Emma B. Alrich – Cawker City, KS

America Anderson – Denver, CO

Lizzie Anderson – Topeka, KS     

B. Ayers – Denver, CO

Helen S. Bangs – Waterville, ME

Elzina Florence Barker – Malden, MA * (first National President)

Jane W. Beatson – Rockford, IL

Mary Berwick – Denver, CO

Louise V. Bryant – Washington D.C.

Mary L. Carr – Longmont, CO

Emily T. Charles – Washington D.C.

Annie W. Clark – Columbus, OH

Frances A. Collar – Denver, CO

Sarah E. Devendorf – Frankfurt, KS

O. Driscoll – Denver, CO

Jennie Fensky – Topeka, KS

Margaret Freeman – Denver, CO

Sarah E. Fulton – Boston, MA

Emily Gardner – Denver, CO

Marion A. Gillis – Cleveland, OH

E. Hanly – Denver, CO

Harriet L. Heard – Denver, CO

Augusta B. Henderson – Denver, CO

Kate Hobart – Rockford, IL

Olive Hogle – Denver, CO

D. Hunt – Denver, CO

Mary Ingersoll – Denver, CO

Mary E. Lanning – Columbus, OH

Harriet B. Jeffries – Denver, CO

F. Lather – Denver, CO

Mary E. Lattin – Denver, CO

H. Leaverns – Denver, CO

Julia A. Lynd – Denver, CO

Emma K. McCammon – Carthage, OH

Nora McIntyre – Denver, CO

Henrietta F. Mills, Denver, CO

Amelia A. Moore – Youngstown, OH

Lottie M. Myers – Canton, OH

Henrietta Norton – Rockford, IL

Frances Elliott Olney – Warsaw, IN

Ellen M. Pay – Topeka, KS

Angenette Peavy – Denver, CO

Josephine L. Peavy – Denver, CO

Maria F. Gray Pitman – Denver, CO

Frances S. Runyan – Warsaw, IN

Helen M. Santmeyer – Carthage, OH

H. Savage – Denver, CO

Louise E. Sherman – Colorado Springs, CO

Kate B. Sherwood – Toledo, OH

Lenore K. Sherwood – Toledo, OH

Mary A. Stimson – Denver, CO

Lizzie M. Tarbell – Denver, CO

Mary Jewett Telford – Denver, CO

Mary Timmerman – Leipsic, OH

Lizabeth A. Turner – Boston, MA

O. Ver Plank – Denver, CO

L. Wadsworth – Denver, CO