ADDISON — The lost Daughters of the American Revolution insignia belonging to Eva Grace Goss was presented to the current leadership of the Vermont DAR at a special ceremony at the John Strong Mansion Museum in Addison on July 12. The ceremony was conducted by Purple Hearts Reunited (PHR).
Eva Grace Ward Goss was born on Feb. 25, 1896, in Barton to Albert Ward and Mary Jane Hutchinson. In 1923, Goss joined the Ethan Allan Chapter of the DAR and would later become regent of that chapter. She was assigned a national membership number (219547), which can be seen engraved on the back of the medal along with her name. During her time with DAR, she was able to enlist 13 of her grandchildren to join the Green Mountain Boys Society of the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) which was organized in 1972.
In September of 1917, she married Dr. Raymond Charles Goss, a local veterinarian. She had two sons who served their country in the Navy during World War II and she also had two daughters. Goss passed away on Christmas Day in 1985 at the age of 89 in Middlebury.
In May of 2015, Purple Hearts Reunited was contacted by Nancy Comstock looking for help to return the insignia. Comstock told PHR that the medal was discovered several years ago by one of her daughter’s friends. Her father is a local electrician and found the medal in an old wall of an apartment building in Burlington. Comstock’s former name was Goss, so she was given the medal with the hope that it belonged to a relative of hers.
Receiving the medal on July 12 was newly installed Vermont Regent Carol Patterson Schwenk and other members of local Vermont and New York DAR chapters. The insignia will be on permanent display at the John Strong Mansion Museum.