The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded in Washington, D.C., in October 1890. The society consists of women descendants of proven patriots of the American Revolutionary War.

The DAR came to Plymouth when the Sarah Ann Cochrane Chapter was organized here on December 13, 1926, with 24 charter members. Recognizable names among the chapter charter members include Mary Starkweather Hillmer and her two daughters Rose and Gertrude; Harriet Hill Wilcox; and Ruth Shattuck.

When it came to naming the chapter, they were cautioned against selecting any ancestors of members. Under early consideration were Keziah Benjamin Starkweather, Hannah Howard, Rosetta LeGros, and Fort Shelby in Detroit.

Ultimately the chapter chose to be named after Sarah Ann Cochrane for several reasons. Sarah had at least five Revolutionary War patriot ancestors on both sides of her family. After moving with her family to Northville when she was 11, she taught at the Northville Academy founded by her father, Sylvester Cochrane, until the late 1850s. When chapter members visited the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library, staff members recommended Sarah, who had been the second assistant librarian there. Her legacy was the cataloguing of the library using the Dewey Decimal System.

Sarah worked at the library from 1883 until 1906 and trained many of the staff. She was described as “a reserved, dignified, resourceful woman with a keen intellect” by contemporary chief of staff Gracie Krumm. Sarah died in 1917.

Chapter members “pay homage to … patriot ancestors through volunteer work in historic preservation, education, and patriotism,” according to its website.

One of their first acts in 1927 was to place a bronze tablet on the new Mayflower Hotel, recognizing it as the location of the first home in the Plymouth settlement. They continued their service by sending boxes of yarn and sewing materials to immigrants detained at Ellis Island in New York and boxes of clothing to southern mountain schools. They also honor patriots and local dignitaries by commemorating their graves with a metal DAR marker.

Sarah Ann Cochrane’s grave at Rural Hill Cemetery in Northville was marked by the chapter in May 1949.

A national focus of DAR is on education. Chapters are encouraged to donate to rural schools and to run essay contests for good citizenship and history. The local chapter has a literacy committee that collects new and used books and donates an average of 750 books a year to low-income pre-school and kindergarten-aged children.

Sarah Ann Cochrane Chapter members are “a vibrant and diverse group of women who share a common bond of having an ancestor who helped secure American independence.”

For more information, visit http://www.cochrane.michdar.net/.



The Plymouth Historical Museum is spotlighting Michigan history during 2026, with two special exhibits celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. The first highlighted the years 1776 to 1900; the second focuses on the years 1900 to 2026 and runs July 1-November 1.
The Museum is located at 155 S. Main Street in Plymouth and is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1-4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children 6-17.