Organization of the Nevada State Society:

Samoset Chapter, Nevada’s first chapter, was chartered on April 16, 1971 in Las Vegas. The name of Samoset was selected to honor the Algonquin Indian Chief Samoset, who was purported to have been the first Indian to greet the Pilgrims upon their arrival in America. He was an Abenaki, an Algonquin-speaking people that resided in south-east Maine. Samoset was a sagamore or subordinate chief of his tribe, and had learned some broken English from the English fishermen that came to fish off the coast of Maine.

Thomas Holcomb Chapter, in Reno received their Charter on February 23, 1981. The name Thomas Holcomb was chosen as he was the Colonial Ancestor of the Organizing President, Jeanne S. Thornton. Thomas Holcomb was born in Devon, England and came to America with a group of Puritans and dissenters in 1630. He settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts and became a Freeman in 1634.

A new Chapter will be forming in the Gardnerville, Nevada area. Interested ladies please contact Dixie Lee Judge dixieleenv@aol.com

Pertinent Facts About the Nevada State Society:

* Nevada means “snow capped” in Spanish
* Nevada is the 36th state in the Union attaining statehood on October 31, 1864.
* Nevada is known as the “Silver State”
* Nevada is home to the Hoover Dam, completed in 1936, to harness the water of The Colorado River.
* Nevada was home to the Paiute Princess Sarah “Thocmetony” Winnemucca, whose statue now stands in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

Las Vegas, which means “The Meadows” in Spanish, was discovered by a young Mexican scout, Rafael Rivera in 1829. The abundant artesian spring water he discovered in the Las Vegas Valley provided a needed water stop for explorers on the Old Spanish Trail. The Old Mormon Fort established by Mormon settlers in 1855, was built to protect the riders on the Los Angeles-Salt Lake City mail route. The fort stands today and is being restored.

Reno, known as the “Biggest Little City in the World” was named after the Civil war General Jesse Reno. When the Central Pacific Railroad reached Nevada from Sacramento, California in 1868, a depot was built and the town site was officially established. Reno became an important way station for the Atlantic to Pacific rail route.

Recent Happenings of the Nevada State Society:

Presentation of the Colonial Dames Ancestor Roster Book to Brother Deon Sanders of the Las Vegas Family History Library, by the Samoset Chapter.

Thomas Holcomb Chapter hosted its second annual Northern Nevada Lineage Luncheon in November 2004. Notable among those present were Brian Worcester, Sons of the American Revolution and Paul Washeleski, Sons of Union Veterans Civil War, both of whom were dressed in uniform. Information from each of the ten societies attending was placed on the head table for all to see and each officer gave an explanation of his/her organization. Also present were representatives from Governor Guinn’s office and Representative Jim Gibbon’s office who presented each Society a Certificate of Outstanding Community Service.

Society Calendar of Events:

Nevada State Society State Conference 2007
Friday March 23, 2007
Airport Plaza Hotel
1931 Terminal Way
Reno, Nevada
775-348 6370
contact Janice Frost, State President

Historic Sites Marked in Nevada:

The Sparks Heritage Museum, originally the 1st Public Library in Sparks, Nevada, was built in 1932. A historic marker was placed at the building in November 1998.

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