The first time was a charm for a Franklin woman who entered an essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Barbara Yoder had never participated in a writing contest before, she said Wednesday. So she was surprised her entry in the family category in "women's issues" not only won first place in the state and divisional competition, but that she received a national award at the DAR 117th Continental Congress in Washington, D.C., in July.
She will receive a certificate for her state award at the Sept. 27 state DAR conference in Albany.
"It's exciting," she said about the recognition for her essay, "The Sandwich' Generation."
It talks about the trials and tribulations as well as the rewards of caring for two of her grandchildren and her mother.
Yoder, who is married to Rev. Roger Yoder, minister of the United Methodist churches in Franklin and Treadwell, has eight grandchildren, she said.
She has been a member of the Oneonta chapter of the DAR for two years. She is chaplain and chairwoman of its national defense committee.
"It was just something I needed to do," she said about why she entered this year's competition. "These were the things that were happening to me," she said.
While she was thrilled to learn about the state award, she said, "I was just floored" when the head of the Oneonta chapter informed her that she had won the additional honors.
Regent Linda Sokolowski said, "We are certainly very proud of her."
This is the first time, she said, that she can remember a member of the chapter winning a national essay award.
"This is quite an achievement," Sokolowski said.
The local recognition came at the DAR's Flag Day luncheon, she said.
To be a member of the organization, which promotes such things as patriotism and education, a woman must be able to show a direct lineage to a soldier or patriot who fought in the Revolutionary War, Sokolowski said.
Yoder said that thanks in large part to her late grandfather's genealogical work, she has traced her lineage to Seth Rowley, born Feb. 19, 1760. He was in the 3rd N.Y. Regiment and was at the siege of Fort Stanwix, she said. The fort was the site of a successful American defense against a British siege in 1777.
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