MONTHLY PROGRAMS

March 2, 2026

PGS TO SPOTLIGHT DAR

Pioneer Genealogical Society resumes its monthly meetings (after a winter break) on Monday, March 2, at 7pm in the Program Room of the Ponca City Library. The public is always invited. 2026 marks America's 250th year anniversary from its founding with the Declaration of Independence, and PGS plans to make it memorable.  

How can we connect ourselves to that past? A good starting point is the Daughters of the  American Revolution, the nation-wide organization that since 1890 has gathered, documented and preserved the service of those who fought for and supported the fight for independence. Over 380,000 patriot colonials, immigrants, slaves, and Native Americans (almost 8-10% of the population) plus 12k French and 7.5k Spanish soldiers fought. And thousands of others sheltered troops on their land, provided food, supplies, arms and ammunition, nursing and labor to build earthworks and fortifications for the massive effort to defeat the British.  

Was your family among them? The average American is 7 or 8 generations from the Revolutionary War. If all your roots predated it, that would be either 124 or 248 direct possibilities (not counting siblings, spouses, cousins).  Some DAR members have proven 65 in their families, and their extensive database has over 100,000 patriots so far.

The speaker will be Kym Seals of the Ponca City chapter of DAR. Kym will be sharing how to search for ancestors on the DAR website, how to prove eligibility, how to apply for membership, and share the other projects the group sponsors locally and across the state and country. She has been a member for 36 years, served as Vice Regent, and currently is Registrar, Museum Curator, Newsletter Editor and Yearbook Chair. Kym was born and raised in Ponca City. Her family came with the Land Run, eventually starting the Paul A. Long Oil Company. She was the 4th generation to graduate from Po-Hi (1977). She is married to Mike Seals, son of Clyde and Nadine Frisby. In support of the military, their family lived in Kuwait for many years, returning to Ponca in 2019. Come meet her with your questions.

There will be a short business meeting beforehand to approve the 2026 budget, select an audit committee, and preview the year. Annual dues of $15 will be collected.  PGS as stated is planning a great schedule for this special year of celebrations. In April we will celebrate the Centennial of Route 66, America’s Mother Road. In July we plan to showcase our attendees’ stories of their family patriots. PGS since 1971 has served Kay County family historians with programs, a monthly newsletter, and our website www.pgskaycntyok.org. Currently we are in the process of posting hundreds of unique settler stories submitted as part of our Pioneer Certificate project.