A week or so ago, I mentioned how I had been asked to become an Associate Member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (an invitation that I gratefully accepted.) Yesterday I received my first camp newsletter courtesy of the SCV Stonewall Brigade #1296 and in it there was information on another wonderful organization called the "Order of Confederate Rose." One of my daughters has an interest in southern history and I am thinking about getting her involved in this group. Like the SCV and UDC, the "Order" has pledged itself to the preservation and presentation of Confederate history. They are also involved in some wonderful projects including the care and protection of burial sites and historical monuments, as well as programs that strive to share the history of the South with all generations. With more and more heritage crisis happening everyday (such as the plight of Oakwood Cemetery in Richmond) groups like this stand on the front lines against those who wish to erase this portion of our nation’s history.

According to the organization’s bio: "The idea for the Order of Confederate Rose came to Jane Latture of Birmingham, AL, after a Robert E. Lee birthday dinner in January 1993, when the speaker, Charles Lunsford, told Mrs. Latture of an Order of Robert E. Lee that had been reactivated in Georgia. Knowing that other ladies in Alabama felt the need to help combat the growing attack on their Confederate Heritage, Mrs. Latture proposed the idea of their own order to some ladies, including Ellen Daniel, Sharon Dasinger, and Harriet Outlaw. All responded positively. The first name to occur to Mrs. Latture was The Order of the Confederate Rose, based on the movie "The Rose and the Jackal" about Rose O'Neal Greenhow, a Confederate Spy. On May 1, 1993, eleven wives and daughters of Alabama Division SCV members met by a picturesque pond in Alabama City during the SCV state convention and organized the order. The ladies amended and approved the name "Order of Confederate Rose", and everyone agreed it was perfect. Then, using ideas from the Georgia order, they mapped out the purposes and the structure of the organization. One evening late in May, Ellen Daniel and Jane Latture met by chance at the home of Sharon Dasinger, where they wrote up a tentative constitution and by-laws for the organization. In July 1993, the first application and a short history of the order appeared in the "Alabama Confederate" offering charter membership to those whose applications came in by August 1, 1993. As a result, 65 applications were received and a charter signing ceremony was scheduled at Cahaba, the first capital of Alabama, on 16 October 1993, to coincide with the fall muster of the MOSB. Great interest in the order was expressed by women from other states at the 1993 SCV National Convention in Lexington, KY., so the Alabama ladies put up a sign and handed out applications. Now, today this is where the order stands. The next steps in its history are up to the members. Their ideas, support and talents will determine the direction of its future."

The OCR remains dedicated to furthering the cause of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The organization is open to all males and females, ten years of age and older, regardless of ancestry. It is non-racial, non-political, and non-sectarian. The Order of Confederate Rose does not compete with the United Daughters of the Confederacy, or with any other genealogical organization. Their goal is to aid and further the cause of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and support all endeavors sponsored by the SCV, including but not limited to, the support of honoring Confederate symbols. For more information, visit the OCR’s website.