Their twin 1,000cc Indian Power Plus motorcycles (equipped with gas headlights) were purchased from the Indian Motorcycle Company. Back in 1916, these were the motorcycles to have, and they ran to an exorbitant US$275 each in the day.
Being from the wealthy family, descended from President Van Buren, this wasn't a problem.
They were part of a 'preparedness' organization, and wanted to show that women could be a productive part of the US war effort - as the US was steaming quickly towards entering World War I - and demonstrate that women could help to shoulder the burden of sacrifice for their country, even if they weren't allowed to fight.
Specifically, they wanted to show that women could become dispatch riders on the front-lines, able to travel long distances quickly and efficiently.
Ultimately the sister's petition to be allowed to be come dispatch riders was denied.
(PS, they are in my family tree, as I'm distantly related to pre Van Buren)
Very interesting article! When I lived in Castleton-on-Hudson, NY, my landlady's aunt lived in East Greenbush near the Schodack border on U.S. Route 9. She was Fannie Van Buren, and had been married to a Van Buren. Any relationship to you? Bear in mind that Schodack and East Greenbush are perhaps twenty miles north of the Martin Van Buren homestead, which incidentally, is worth the visit. Aunt Fannie (we all addressed her this way) was born in 1888. I am saving your article as a piece of Americana.
ReplyDeletedistantly, I imagine, but I didn't do the Van Buren tree except to verify the relationship to the president. I didn't do any more of his descendants. One of his ancestors was also one of mine, as we both come from the initial Puritan and Quaker religious pilgrim immigration movement of the early 1600s families.
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