One-hundred-year-old Marjorie Brinkley and her daughter, Leilani Peck, turned their pandemic isolation months into a genealogical adventure.
While serving as President of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Auxiliary, Peck set out to find new ways to involve members when they were not able to get together in person. One idea the Auxiliary pursued was to create a genealogy interest group, organized with assistance from Lake Minnetonka Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Regent and Arboretum Auxiliary Volunteer, Gigi Hickey.
Peck and another DAR member, Margie Nash, joined the group. Peck recalls, “As stories of our family’s genealogical journeys came out, Gigi and Margie were convinced we would find a Revolutionary War Patriot somewhere in our family background.”
“We had one other invaluable resource, something that few families are lucky enough to find among their attic treasures: more than 70 letters written by my three-times great-grandmother, Hannah Hayden,” says Peck. The letters had been written between 1806 and 1823, and were discovered 150 years later in a ledger book of the family’s mill business in Tecumseh, Michigan.
Since Hannah and her husband, Hezekiah, were born during the American Revolution, Peck and Brinkley reasoned that their parents may have been involved in the war. A Hayden family genealogy book written in 1888 stated that Hezekiah’s father, Levi, had indeed served as a soldier during the Revolution. Lake Minnetonka Chapter DAR Registrar, Sarah Martin, helped Peck and Brinkley verify Levi’s war service in official records from colonial Connecticut. Once Levi’s service and the family’s genealogy were established, mother and daughter successfully submitted their applications to the DAR.
Peck and Brinkley learned that three patriotic Hayden brothers served during the American Revolution. Their ancestor, Levi, was drafted twice for short terms during the Revolutionary War. Levi’s brothers, Nathaniel and Hezekiah, fought with General George Washington in the Battle of Long Island during the summer of 1776. After heavy fighting, Nathaniel was safely evacuated as the badly outnumbered Continental Army retreated under the cover of fog. Hezekiah, was not so fortunate. Hezekiah’s company was cut off during the retreat and was captured by the British. He, along with all the men in his company except the captain, tragically starved to death while imprisoned.
Mother and daughter’s applications to the DAR were approved just in time for a family reunion celebrating Brinkley’s 100th birthday. Marjorie Jeanne Hayden Brinkley was born in her grandfather’s farmhouse on March 21, 1922, in Kent County, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University and went on to receive a master’s degree from Rollins College. She had a career as an educator, serving as a classroom teacher, a county and state administrator, and a teacher trainer for Florida State University. She even authored several textbooks which earned her a spot in Who’s Who of American Women.
Throughout her life, this remarkable woman has traveled to five continents, more than 30 countries, and all 50 states. She reads the newspaper every morning to stay current with national and world affairs, and keeps her mind sharp with weekly bridge games, crossword puzzles, cryptograms, and the daily Isaac Asimov quiz.
Inspired by her ancestor’s letters, the ambitious Brinkley decided to use the pandemic lockdown to record memories of her own life and times to pass along to future generations. “A fellow resident at Lake Minnetonka Shores began typing my mother’s handwritten notes and passing them along to me,” says Peck. “We decided to turn these writings into a 100-page book to celebrate her 100th birthday.”
“Marjorie’s story proves that it’s never too late to join the DAR,” says Hickey. “Not only will you honor your Patriot and discover fascinating stories about your family history, your research may help others seeking membership.”
Peck and Brinkley are looking forward to meeting other members of the Lake Minnetonka Chapter DAR and hearing the stories of their family histories. Peck appreciates the DAR leaders who helped trace her genealogy back to a Patriot of the American Revolution, saying, “I am very grateful to them for their help in establishing my family’s link to this seminal event in the nation’s history.”
Marjorie Brinkley and Lani Peck
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