Written by Susan Kathryn Hefti

Nov. 12, 2014: In honor of Eastchester's 350th anniversary celebration, the Anne Hutchinson-Bronxville Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution hosted an October 24 lecture at the Bronxville Public Library on the history of Eastchester's founding families.

DAR member Virginia Kathryn Hefti is a direct descendant of Henry Fowler, who was a signatory to the vaunted Eastchester Covenant. Town historian Richard Forliano built his lecture, "The Fowlers: A Living Legacy," around Hefti's ancestors, who, according to Forliano, remain arguably the most influential family in the history of the town.

Bringing to life the storied history of the Fowler family, the town historian shared with the audience the fact that, in addition to signing the Eastchester Covenant, an historic 17th-century document still held in the town archives, Henry Fowler and his descendants stood up to the tyranny of the British Crown long before the Declaration of Independence was ever written; served bravely in the American Revolution (Moses Fowler and Theodosius Fowler, et al.); served on the judiciary (e.g., Judge Caleb Fowler); and served as town supervisor for a cumulative twenty-four years.

Two other Fowler descendants, Susan Bartlett (DAR treasurer) and Pieter Jacques (husband of Edna Bolling Jacques, a descendent of Mary Hemings and a former DAR regent), were also introduced to the audience prior to the public lecture.

Pictured here: Front row (L to R): DAR Regent Valerie Fine Limekiller, Edna Bolling Jacques, and Virginia Kathryn Hefti; back row (L to R): Eastchester town historian Richard Forliano and Fowler descendant Pieter Jacques.

Photo courtesy the Anne Hutchinson-Bronxville Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution