How to Join the Daughters of the American Revolution

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a volunteer service organization which promotes patriotism and U.S. history. The DAR was founded in 1890 and is open to any woman, 18 or older, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. To determine your eligibility to join the DAR, read the following steps.

Instructions

1. Gather family documents, such as birth certificates, death certificates and marriage licenses, to begin establishing the family line. For earlier generations, use censuses, tombstone inscriptions, wills, land records and other documentary sources to trace each generation. Each generation must be validated according to DAR standards.

2. Establish the patriot in the family line. A patriot did not necessarily have to be in military service; he or she could have provided patriotic or civil service. The DAR has an extensive list of previously identified patriots in their "Patriot Index." Contact the DAR to browse the index.

3. Contact the local DAR chapter and express interest in membership. In 2006, there were 3,000 local chapters in the U.S. and abroad. Locate a DAR chapter nearby by visiting the DAR link below. Attend local chapter meetings.

4. Complete the membership application and include documentation for each generation back to the patriot ancestor. Submit the application for approval by the DAR registrar. Each DAR chapter has a registrar and lineage research chairperson. Both can offer you advice and information about establishing each generation.

Tips & Warnings

• Take a genealogy course offered by a local genealogy society or library. Learn the techniques and tools that make research easier.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) has Family History Centers in many of their local churches. These genealogy libraries have a wealth of information and are open to non-members.

• The Latter-Day Saints (LDS) also have an extensive genealogical website that includes the entire 1880 U.S. census.

Resources

• Visit the Daughters of the American Revolution.
• Latter-Day Saints website for genealogy resources.
• Cyndi's List is an extensive index of genealogy websites.