Free Republic

The biracial daughter of the late Strom Thurmond is pursuing membership in the United Daughters of the Confederacy - a group founded to honor the memory of those who fought for the South in the Civil War. Essie Mae Washington-Williams will make the application based on her relationship to Thurmond, whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy. Male members of her family also will seek to join the Sons of Confederate Veterans, of which Thurmond was a member, said Frank Wheaton, her attorney. "Through my father's line, I am fortunate to trace my heritage back to the birth of our nation...