What is the DAR?

-
By Winona I Laird

This is the question I’m always asked when I say, I have a DAR meeting today, or I am a member of the DAR, or the DAR will be marching in the Veterans Day Parade.  To answer the question. What is the DAR? It’s Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage society that is a non-profit, 501 (C )  (3)  charitable organization dedicated to historic preservation, education and patriotism. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, with the mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. The objectives of the Daughters of the American Revolution are:

Historical – to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence. DAR members participate in a wide variety of Historic Preservation projects such as restoring and maintaining historical sites, preserving genealogical records, artifacts and historical documents.

Education - to carry out the injunction of Washington in his farewell address to the American people, "to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion.”  The DAR have many educational programs such as Scholarships, essay contests, youth programs.  Resources for teachers are also available.  Educational resources are also available: Genealogical Research system, the DAR Library in Washington D. C., and DAR Museum Portable Education Programs. There are many more educational programs.

Patriotic - to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty. Patriotism is the foundation of many DAR activities. Some of the activities are volunteering at VA hospitals, National Cemeteries, supporting active duty military, assisting and welcoming naturalized citizens, presenting awards, researching family history, and service for veterans.

As a member of the Daughters of American Revolution you honor and preserve the legacy of your Patriot ancestor. The Revolutionary War was fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.  As a member of DAR you can contribute to service projects, make lifelong friends, gain leadership experience and honor and preserve the legacy of our patriot ancestors.

To become a member of the DAR you must be a woman 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence. These efforts may come through military, civil or patriotic service and must occur during the period between 19 April 1775 (Battle of Lexington) and 26 November 1783 (withdrawal of British Troops from New York). She must provide documentation for each statement of birth, marriage and death, as well as of the Revolutionary War service of her Patriot ancestor. This can be done using a wide variety of documents such as: birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, census records, court records land deeds, wills etc.  Prospective members are also encouraged to use already proven DAR lines when possible.  If your ancestor was involved in the following:

  • a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 
  • served in Military Service, 
  • in Civil service - in the provisional or state Governments, 
  • Patriotic Service – Member of Continental Congress, State Conventions, Members of the Boston Tea Party and much more.
  • Those who rendered material aid and supported the cause of American Independence by furnishing supplies, with or without remuneration, loaning money and/or providing munitions. Some states enacted special tax laws to raise money for supplies. Payment of these “supply” taxes is considered patriotic service. You might say “My ancestors were Quakers, so I don’t qualify. There were many Quakers who supported the revolution by providing medical help, feeding the soldiers and much more. They are considered a patriot and would make you eligible to join the DAR.

A complete list is on www.dar.org

 DAR volunteers in chapters throughout the country can provide guidance and assistance with the application process. Admission to membership in the National Society is through a chapter. If you know of a chapter near you contact them, then fill out a Pedigree Chart as completely as you can, take it with you when you meet with the Chapter representative. Or, go to DAR.org; click on (Become a member section), fill out the “Member Interest Form”, you will be contacted by the Registrar from the chapter nearest to you. Each Chapter has a Registrar who will help you gather your information for submitting your application.

The National Society Daughter of the American Revolution headquarters is located in Washington D C.  The website is www.dar.org.  I am a member is Mary Fell Stevenson Chapter in Black Diamond, Washington and am Regent of the Chapter.

Winona I Laird



Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 14, 2019 at 10:05 AM

    It's on my list to someday apply to DAR in connection with my ancestor David Kellogg.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Looking for a Needle in a Haystack? GAME CHANGER at FamilySearch

-
Image
Generated with Bing ImageCreator (AI), March 13, 2024 Where is YOUR Needle, Your Missing Record? Genealogical Proof Standard When we use the GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard) as our guide, we all know that "exhaustive research" can be both tedious and exhausting. Is life long enough to search page by page through all the counties where all the members of a family might have lived, paid taxes, bought, leased or sold property, made a will or died intestate? It is possible that the new Full Text Search at FamilySearch will  eventually  allow us to do just that. It has been estimated that 75% or more of the records at FamilySearch were browsable but not searchable; the only indexes those found in the records themselves. Those records are certainly attainable by using those indexes and browsing to the record of interest, but the process is tedious, often frustrating, and slow. And once found, the record must be read and transcribed to be useful. This new Full Text Search tackles a
Read more

What's the Question?

-
Image
We genealogists are often told by experienced researchers how important it is to begin with a research question. I resisted doing this for a long time, but now that I use a series of questions to guide my research, the search is more focused and actually finds more of the history of the family I'm investigating. I use a Google Doc as the  research proceeds, where I keep the question(s), the plan, timelines, checklist of resources to search, etc. all in one place. I've seen others use spreadsheets in the same way, perhaps splitting up things in tabs (Excel or Google Sheets). I prefer a document because I add source citations as I find them and I can begin writing up the case right there in the doc as the hypotheses are proven. Specific Questions in Previous Successes As beginners we often have no clue how much and what details we already know about a person, event or relationship, so it's hard to specify what we want to know. But when looking back at successful research, it
Read more

Help Save This Abused and Neglected Cemetery

-
Image
Screen capture from Google Maps History In an exchange of emails this past week in both the main SKCGS group, and in the Washington-State-Genealogy group, many facts were revealed about the history of the I.O.O.F. Comet Lodge Cemetery, also known as the Old Burying Ground, the Georgetown Cemetery, the Graham Street Burying Ground and maybe more.  FindAGrave sums it up this way: "Since it was established in 1881, the Comet Lodge cemetery site has been whittled away to less than half its original 5 acres. Records are sketchy but it's safe to say that some 500 pioneers were buried here, atop unknown numbers of native Duwamish people. New burials ended in the 1930s. Since then, homes and streets were built on top of many of the plots as the neighborhood around the cemetery grew.  "Upkeep and ownership of the cemetery bounced between the city, civic groups, relatives of Comet Lodge residents, and nearby neighbors. For years, much of the property was allowed to deteriorate int
Read more