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The William Taylor chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution held its February meeting at Lunenburg County’s historic 1827 courthouse. The Honorable Gordon F. Erby, Clerk of Lunenburg County’s Circuit Court, spoke to the group, sharing practical advice on estate planning gleaned from his years of experience with individuals engaged in settling the estates of deceased relatives.

At the close of Erby’s presentation, Chapter Regent Linda Bagley presented him with a check that will be applied to the preservation of the bound volume from 1746 that Erby is holding in the above photograph. The significance of this volume from the first year of the county’s creation is that its first page contains the court order naming William Taylor, the chapter’s namesake, to the position of Lunenburg’s first clerk of the court for the new county.

Not only is the William Taylor chapter engaged in preservation of historical documents in Lunenburg, but it has also pledged to finance similar projects in each of the counties that it serves. Those counties include Amelia, Brunswick, Mecklenburg and Nottoway. The chapter is raising funds to support this effort in response to a challenge to all chapters throughout the nation to undertake preservation projects in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

The William Taylor chapter was recently named by the Lunenburg Chamber of Commerce as the county’s “Non-Profit Organization of the Year.” The 97 members of the chapter are all descendants of one or more persons who aided the cause of American independence in the American Revolution. Membership is open to all women over the age of 18 who can prove this ancestral lineage.