COLUMBIA, S.C. - Essie Mae Washington Williams, the biracial daughter of the late Strom Thurmond, plans to apply for membership in the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.

Williams' attorney, Frank Wheaton, sent a letter to Presley Wagoner, chaplain general of the organization, about his client's intentions to join the society, whose members trace their heritage back to Revolutionary War times.

Wheaton said Williams, 78, and her family became instantly eligible for membership when she announced last December about her parentage. Williams said she was the child of Thurmond and a woman who once worked for his family.

"Through my father's line, I am fortunate to trace my heritage back to the birth of our nation and beyond," Williams said in a statement. "On my mother's side, like most African Americans, my history is broken by the course of human events."

Wheaton also said Williams and her family would pursue membership in several Confederate-based groups, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Williams will accept a "prominent role" with the Black Patriots Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., according to Wheaton's news release.