Col. Tench Tilghman Chapter of the SAR to Feature U.S. Marine Corps Historian

On Saturday March 21, 2026 the Colonel Tench Tilghman Chapter, Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution (MDSSAR) will conduct its first quarterly meeting of the year at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club in Chestertown, Maryland located at 7738 Quaker Neck Road, Chestertown, Maryland at 11:00am. The event is free and open to the public.
Join Dr. Jessica J. Sheets, Oral Historian for the United States Marine Corps, for a gripping look at a family divided by revolution. In this dynamic presentation, titled No More Striving Brother Against Brother – Family Divisions and Historical Memory of the Revolutionary War, Dr. Sheets will share the story of the Tilghman family and two other families. She will describe how Colonel Tench Tilghman, George Washington’s most trusted aide-de-camp, was able to preserve supportive family relationships among family members, some patriots and other loyalists, who chose to support different sides of the war.
More than just history, this talk offers timely insight into how we can bridge ideological divides today, drawing lessons from the past to foster understanding, civility, and common purpose in our ongoing pursuit of a more perfect union.
Jessica earned a Ph.D in American Studies from Penn State University in Harrisonburg in 2020. She earned a Master of Arts Degree from Shippensburg University in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts from Bob Jones University in 2004. She is a member of the Society for Military History and the Society for Historians of the Early Republic. Her publications include the following:
● “Scattered across the Globe and the Political Spectrum: The Tilghman Family in the Revolutionary War,” Underbelly blog, Maryland Historical Society, 25 Oct 2018.
● “Siege of Yorktown, September-October 1781,” Military History, Oct/Nov 2009.
● “The Redoubts at Yorktown,” Military Heritage, Dec 2012.
If interested in attending this meeting please send an email to wdtewes@gmail.com by Thursday, March 19, 2026.
The MDSSAR founded in 1890, is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, serving our communities, and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our country. To learn more please go to the chapter’s Facebook Group page https://www.facebook.com/ColTenchTilghman and the society’s website at https://www.mdssar.org/