History of Tent 2
Eva Gray Tent No. 2 || Grand Rapids, MIchigan
The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861 - 1865, is the oldest and largest of all Civil War American Women's organizations based on lineal descent. It was organized Decoration Day, May 30th, 1885.
Local groups, called Tents, are named for Army Nurses who served in the Civil War or for any loyal woman of the Civil War era whose patriotic deeds during the years 1861 - 1865 were recorded.
On April 3, 1912, Eva Gray Tent No. 2 was instituted in Grand Rapids with 21 charter members. This was the second tent in Michigan under the name of National Alliance, Daughters of Veterans and was named in memory of Mrs. Eva A. Gray, who was a President of Custer Relief Corps in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1890, and President of the Department of Michigan, Woman's Relief Corps, in 1905. The Tent became inactive on January 1, 1988.
In 1999, Eva Gray Tent No. 2 was reactivated. Today, we are nearly 40 members strong!
Submitted by Susan Norder, October 2004
ADDENDUM - May 27, 2019:
Because several members of the tent continued to pay their annual dues, Tent 2 was allowed to reactivate with the same name and history. We owe our thanks to the following members: SOWA: Jean Sowa (deceased) and Claudia (Sowa) Wojciakowski; YARBROUGH: Patricia, Joanna, and Jennifer Yarbrough, and McDONALD: Mary Lou McDonald (deceased).
Around 1998, Lorie Gladyness and Melanie Meengs began the process of reactivating the tent. The first meeting was held in the spring of 1999.
Here is an interesting article about Eva Gray Tent in the old days. At the time the article was written (1937), our tent claimed over 200 members ! Thank you, Wenda Fore, for sharing.
DAUGHTERS of UNION VETERANS of the CIVIL WAR
by Ida M. Glasgow (Mrs. William J.)
ca. 1937