Question for DARs on GC
 

Is anyone planning on attending or paging Continental Congress this year?

Do we have any TSDARs in the house going to convention in March?

Adrienne
Tejas Page
:D

I'm wondering if there are any DARs on GC besides Adrienne.

I thought honeychile was one. Maybe I'm wrong.

I am definitely not a member of the DAR. I did, however, write a paper on them and the Colonial Dames for my Preservation Theory class.

whats a DAR???
im confused!!

My guess would be Daughters of the American Revolution?

I also am assuming you are talking about the Daughters of American Revolution-my grandmother was involved with this and I thought about joining-how do I get involved?

www.dar.org

I can trace my ancestors to the American Revolution...it just so happens they weren't patriots though. :eek:

Hi aggieAXO, there was some information listed on the DAR Membership Page. Or, you can go to your nearest local chapter meeting and get assistance from the members there to go about tracing your lineage.

Well, our ancestors had to fight somebody!! ;)

Yes, I'm a Daughter of the American Revolution, and a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and several other lineage societies that y'all probably never heard of.

If you have an ancestor who either served in the American Revolution, or gave Patriotic service to the American troops, and can prove your lineage, you are eligible for the DAR. If you don't know someone in your town personally, go to www.dar.org and let them know that you're in search of a chapter! If you're in Southwestern PA and don't ask me, I will take it personally and cry for days! ;)

My chapter office is Registrar; that means I help people fill out their applications, prove their lineage, and give workshops on genealogical lineages. I would be happy to help anyone on GreekChat with any genealogical questions/problems.

FYI, if you even suspect that you have an ancestor who may have served, I have the Patriot Index for those men & women who have already been proven Patriots in my hot little hands! Just let me know & I'll look 'em up!

AOTT Silver is also a member of the DAR; I don't know about anyone else here?

And no, I'm not going to the Convention in March. I have three workshops to manage, and would like to take the "new & improved" Lineage Workshop in DC in May. *cross fingers*

I wonder if I am descended from someone who fought in the American Revolutionary War. There is a Major General who shares the same name as my ancestors. I wonder how I could find out about my lineage.

Let me know the name. If he's in the Patriot Index, then you can go to the www.dar.org website, and obtain Record Copies of the ladies who have claimed him as their ancestor. You may find a long lost aunt or grandmother! Then, you will need to prove how you connect to the aunt or grandmother or whomever through birth, death, census, tax, court, and/or marriage records.

My mama & I had to prove a new Patriot - someone that had served, but no one had used them to go DAR before. That was a bit harder! (she says, laughing semi-hysterically!)

Yet another DAR related thread...
http://www.greekchat.net/gcforums/sh...&threadid=9184

I just read that link, and I have to tell you, there certainly are some snobs in the DAR - just like there are snobs in various sororities, clubs, cotillions, and every other walk of life.

A year & a half ago, I had the opportunity to go to DC for the DAR genealogical lineage class. There were three of us under 50; from there, the average age in the class was probably 70.

After 3 days of intense study (trust me, I mean intense!), a few of us went out to dinner. The younger woman who was incredibly sweet and lovable turned out to be the descendent of Augustine Washington - George Washington's brother! She never once bragged or lorded it over anyone, and her wonderful attitude will impress me as long as I live!

DAR
 

Hi, Honeychile! :) Alpha love to you!

Yep, I am, too, a member of the DAR---as is my mom. I am planning on paging at the Tennessee Congress in March.

My mother and I are members of a chapter in my family's hometown, and I also attend chapter meetings in the town where I now live. There are VAST differences between the two chapters...just like any other organization...but I love both groups.

Sometimes I wonder if the persona of "snooty" is equated with "older." Many DAR chapters have a number of older women; perhaps to an outsider, this gives the persona of snooty? I'll tell you right now, I am not snooty! :)

The DAR does wonderful work for a variety of causes. :)

I want to point out that you really need to find a local chapter. They have all of the official paperwork. If you have a family member who is already a member, usually the process is much easier because you can "link" onto their application.

let me know if I can be of help...

AOIISilver

I've always wondered about this... I've traced my lineage back pretty far (pre-revolution).... but there's one step in the mid-1800's that I can't conclusively prove. How solid does your proof of decendency need to be to apply? I mean, it's almost impossible for these two to not be father-son, but I can't find any conclusive evidence to prove so.

Ginger, the DAR is a little more genealogically liberal than the standards of say, the National Genealogical Society. Depending on what you DO have, we can probably work something out.

Have you tried census records (John Doe is the father, one of the sons is James Doe, correct age), tax records, court records (these are especially a godsend when the father died, he left either minor children [then you check to see who got guardianship] or a will), deeds, property transfers, cemetary records, etc etc.

Where we had troubles was proving my great-grandparents' marriage. The ONLY record we could find was by writing to the cemetary, where they had a notation that my g-grandfather paid $10 for the burial of his wife, Anastasia!

So, let's hear what you have! :)


ps - How I envy those whose ancestors kept a family Bible!!!!

Well, I was going to reply to a bunch of these, but honeychile did a great job of it. :D

Regarding evidence of ancestry: I was one of those souls who had to both prove a new patriot and had a hitch in one of the links. (Couldn't find a marriage certificate.)

"Proof" is based more on preponderance of evidence, rather than only certain straight-line documents. In the above example, I used a combination of census records, published birth records, and a death certificate to prove one person's parentage. We never did find a marriage certificate, but it didn't matter.

honeychile - you'd be proud of me, I was just elected my chapter's registrar (HEEEELLLLLLLLP!!!!!!! :p ) so I'm going to be cross-checking applications and supplementals, etc.

The links everyone gave are a good start for basic DAR membership information. I'm helping some family members get started on their paperwork. If anyone has questions beyond that, feel free to drop me a line. (If you're in Texas, I can probably give you more direction since I'm working w/ that state. Sorry, honeychile, I don't remember where you're from, so I don't want to step on toes if you're a Texan too.)

Re: "snooty". AOPiSilver, I think you're right about that being equated with "older". I know very few ladies who fall into the "snooty" category, and it does seem to be associated with age. Case in point: the Texas Fall Forum was held in the same hotel at the same time as the Capital City Gay Rodeo. A few older ladies were wound kind of tight about that, but the majority of the younger ladies were like, "Woo hoo! Party down!"

Anywho, cool to see some other pages out there. And add me to the list of ladies who will help out w/ membership.

Adrienne
:D

Congratulations on becoming Chapter Registrar, Adrienne!!! It is one of the more interesting & rewarding positions, but can also be frustrating. But since you also proved a new Patriot, you know all about the frustrating part!! If your chapter doesn't have a "Prospective Member Kit" yet, I'd be happy to send you one of ours - when I'm done tweaking it this weekend! And thank you for the nice things you said. :)

No, I'm not from Texas. My ancestoral lines blur between Virginia, Maryland, Delaware (that's a new one!), and Pennsylvania. My PA ancestors considered themselves Virginians until after "the unpleasantness"! And then, there's the one frustrating Massachusets line...!!!!

Question: I was told that you have to prove to 1630 for Colonial Dames by one lady. That seems unreal to me! Can anyone verify or deny that?

I have an ancestoral missing link that would take me there (actually, Mayflower), IF I could find the @#$%^&* proof for ONE lousy generation!!

Thanx much! We've got our Prospective Member Kit - it's on my desk looking at me right now, as I gear up for my installation in May.

One of our members is a Colonial Dame, I'll drop her a line and ask your question.

Also, PM or email me about the Mayflower connection. I may be able to help you there too.

--add
;)

Congrats and another ?
 

Congrats Add on the Chapter Registrar! Woohoo!

Are any of you in the War of 1812? I have had a bit of a time getting someone to contact me so that I could apply.
:)
Silver

Re: Congrats and another ?
 

So far, no. Our Hunter line would be either too young or too old, and I'm in the process of working on the McKinney/McCullough line more fully.

And then there's that frustrating link in Boston, whether it will pan out or not. I have my gg-grandmother's parents' marriage license, but no proof of them existing prior to then (1811). They would be the Challis/Sargent line - which is proved until about 1750 or 1760. So, I just need that one two generation link to see if I've been handed down family stories or family tall tales! :)

I've always said that our family motto is "Never Leave a Paper Trail!" :D

Silver, Adrienne - are either of you members of the Cameo Club? We just found out about it, and it sounds nice! I'll be asking more pin questions in the future - I finally have the chapter bar to go with my pin & one I found on ebay! I need to get my ancestor bar, though, before I feel it's proper to wear. :)

Sorry, no War of 1812 here, as far as I've been able to gather.
Closest I've gotten is Amer. Civil War - another of my father's ancestors fought for New York. (I've been trying to find out when/where he was stationed and if he was in the contingent portrayed in "Gangs of New York.")

No Cameo Club here - yet. We found a supplemental ancestor on my mother's side, and we're going to work on her paperwork. It is a possibility tho. I noticed that the minute the ink was dry on my nat'l number, relatives lined up to do the "short" paperwork for their memberships. :D

And your family and mine, honeychile, have the same motto. At least in my mother's line. :p We can find them after wandering all over the Hudson Valley up to Albany, but prior to that, nada.

--add
:)

I haven't worked on it for about 2 years, but I keep meaning to look back into it again. I'll try to look at it tonight and refresh my memory!

No kidding!!

Good for you, Ginger!

It's OK if other priorities take the place of research for a while and you have to go back to it. A lot of people go through this, especially if they have difficult histories to explore.

I was invited to check out the DAR when I was 19. I was 34 when my lineage was approved and I can tell you, it was more than worth the wait and work.

--add
:D

Cameo Club
 

Hi, Honeychile...
????? What Cameo Club? The Mother/Daughter Cameo pin? Something else?
My pin buying has been on hold since Mr. Silver and I made a purchase that has us snowed under.....
:)
Silver

Re: Cameo Club
 

Yes, that's exactly what I meant! I naively asked for the pin for Christmas, not realizing it was a separate "Club". Now that we've heard about it, we'd like to see about it. I find it somewhat incredible that my mama & I have been members for this long (we both went in at the same time), and no one had ever breathed a word about it until Caldwell called our Regent!

Honey, honey, honey....
You just need a high quality insignia chair like we have ;). [AOIISilver flips her hair over her shoulder and looks important.]Honeychile, you are just so welcome to visit our chapter any time that you need a pin lesson! Just remember not to mix organizational pins at our meetings unless you want a severe reprimand!
Seriously, the mother/daughter cameo is simply a goregeous pin and not too expensive.
What kind of insignia do you have? Have you seen the all diamond insignia?:eek: It costs as much as TWO of my mortgage payments.:eek:

When I first started picking out my insignia, Mr. A was looking over my shoulder. He took ONE look at the star/diamond insignia and said, "No." With a look that said without words, "Don't even THINK of trying to negotiate this one."

I have to order a few more pins so I can show 'em at state and national convention. Not that I'll measure up to the ladies who have 4 rows and wear them like armor!!

Adrienne
:D

I find this highly entertaining because DAR up here is veddy veddy snooty - and there's actually a good age range! The GP family will not ever be DAR members, but if there is a Daughters of the Irish Potato Famine, we are READY and willing to submit our paperwork. ;)

Hi honeychile, I am sure that his name is in the Patriots record. Here is my story:

I come from a long line of Sullivans from Newport, RI and New York. There is a Major General John Sullivan who fought in the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Rhode Island. The name struck me since we have so many men in my family with the same name. Truthfully, I have no idea if there is any relation. My mother can trace our family tree to the mid 1800s in Newport, RI. A few years ago we went to Newport and checked their property records. My great great (great?) grandfather bought a house there in the 1850s or 1860s. That is as far back as I can go in my family tree. There were John Sullivans galore in those records. It is not an uncommon name so we probably aren't related to the Major General, but it would be cool if we are.

Anyway, I'm not pursuing membership in DAR. I actually never even thought about it until this thread. I am more interested in filling out my family tree. I am just not certain how to do this. It is entirely possible that my Sullivan ancestors came to the US from Ireland after 1847 due to the famine, but I haven't seen concrete evidence of this.

How about the Scotch-Irish Society of the USA?

http://www.rootsweb.com/~sisusa/

:D
Adrienne

*BIG GRIN*
That's how we started, too - just proving the family stories, filling out the family tree! I can distinctly remember a time when my mama & I made the conscious decision to abandon all hopes of any lineage society and search for the truth. Well, the truth led down the road to the DAR, UDC, etc! Many people think that the DAR is all about snootiness, and don't realize that the DAR has supported schools for the Native Americans and several other charities LONG before it was in vogue! The ladies of the DAR are there when new citizens are sworn in, and to help with veterans hospitals. We're more hands on than most people realize.
[/soapbox]

Okay, I have the newest Patriot Index open in my lap. There are 2 John Sullivans - the first born in VA, died in SC and the second born in MA and died in NH. That doesn't mean that there ISN'T a Major General; it just means that his lineage hasn't been pursued by someone in the DAR. Both Adrienne & I had to prove a New Patriot; it's a bit more work, but worthwhile. Working on a new lineage means a chance to see more clearly exactly what they did; in my case, I actually held the Fort Day Book and saw where my ancestor signed for his pay. A lot of people don't get that rush!

But let's back up to Newport in the mid-1800's: my one ancestor, Catharine McCann married Peter Carlin on September 27, 1857, with Ann and Andrew McCourt as witnesses at St. Mary's (incidentally, where JFK got married), but supposed she was a Baptist. It's her parents, Michael McCann & Caroline Challis, that have us hung up. Any help from your research? :)


ETA: I have ancestors on both sides of the Civil War - and they fought in the same battles! Talk about your inlaw troubles! Anyhow, we did join the United Daughters of the Confederacy (which is a whole story unto itself, as we didn't want to be involved with any racism), and have a sponsor lined up for the GAR/Union Ladies. Both are in DC, though. We used to get there about once a month, but not as much since my daddy died. We were to go this weekend, but it looks as if it's off. :(

YES!!! YES!!! We really DO need an Insignia Chairman!!!

I have asked and asked for a proper etiquette on what to wear when, and the best I get is, "Ask the State Insignia Chairman," or "Here's what to do when your pins get heavy." I would gladly purchase a diagram, because I really don't want to do it wrong!

Thus far, I have my pin (non-diamond encrusted, but we did spring for the 14k instead of gold filled), my chapter bar, and the Victory at Yorktown pin. I'd like to get my Patriot bar before "unveiling" my pin. Obviously, I need to make a little trip to Tennessee and see how it's really done! ;)

Do you have the Cameo, Silver?

Yes, but many people'll continue to believe that the DAR is "snooty" because it is a "linage" association. Because of this, the DAR will unlikely be as "diverse" as other women's organizations who may have been perceived as "snooty" in the past (or still are seen as "snooty"..I can't tel). However, this is a POV from an outsider.

NP re: POV.

But any time you have an organization with a selection process, private activities, effort required to meet the standards, and a situation where not everyone is permitted to join, someone is going to think it is "snooty". Keep in mind GLOs have the same accusations thrown at them. Sometimes the subjective selection criteria helps that perception along.

I say, live and let live. Whatever. People are going to organize themselves in whatever way they are comfortable. GLOs and lineage/heritage societies are part of that.

--add
:)

OK, but what about this. Say your family has had a long history of DAR membership. You marry, but you find out that you and your husband can't have kids, so you adopt. You don't know the little girl's family history, so she can't be a member. End of linage in your family (or at least your branch), unless she marries a guy who can trace his family back.

Re: DAR/lineage societies. Very good question, and one I am working with right now because adoption is an option my husband and I are considering at this moment.

To be totally honest, I do not have an answer--at least for myself. When I have one, I'll post it. As you can imagine, adoption is a very personal process, so the answers you get from different people will all vary and I won't try to speak for anyone else.

Re: family histories in general. I just PMed a part of this to someone else so I'll repost the bulk of it.

Family history is not *only* about direct lineage. Family history is also about your racial/ethnic heritage. Most importantly (IMHO) it is about how you find your place in the world via your parents, siblings, or other relatives, including adoptive ones. The story of how and why a person is adopted can be a more inspirational story than some family lineages. It can also be a powerful footprint in history itself. Since the advent of international and interracial adoptions, a family history of an adopted child can be a living representation of socio-political changes in their lifetime, and they can be a personal witness to it. That's every bit as powerful as a person's claim of descent from......(inset historical figure here.) In lineage societies, we remember history through ancestors. But adoptive families MAKE that history, here and now.

My matron-of-honor (straight German descent) just adopted two boys (ages 3 and 5) of Brazillian descent. No big deal for her - she has two Korean brothers and sisters. I learned the above from their continuing example.

So, that's my short story made long and MHO on the topic.

Adrienne
:D

Count me in, we'll start a chapter. ;)

This has happened in my chapter, several times. We have always welcomed guests, with the exception of the annual business meeting.

Same thing happens if you only have sons. It's a chance you take.

OK, how about this one: DAR family has two daughters. One is biological, the other one isn't. Wouldn't the adopted one always feel really left out at meetings because she is only a guest? Also, I've seen a DAR commercial on TV, and I've always thought it was weird to see the Asian kid, since there probably weren't any Asians in the US at the time. Oh well, the adopted girl always has the Junior League