In a message dated 1/20/2002 12:02:19 AM Central Standard Time,
CHAPMAN-D-request(a)rootsweb.com writes:
I have an ancestor that I know was in the Rev. War and wondered if
anyone
had ever claimed him as an ancestor for membership in the DAR. I
discovered that they have a website where they will check their database
(no fee for just checking the database) for the name of your ancestor.
(They got back to me, via email, in less than a week. Alas, my David
Kinney/McKinney was not listed.) However, if he had been, then I could
have contacted them about providing me info from their files. I don't know
the current fee for info from their files. I did receive paperwork on one
of my Chapman ancestors a year or so ago....it takes quite a while to
receive copies of paperwork; I think it was several months. Pat Pulasky
Pat... I'm fairly new to the DAR having just submitted my paperwork for an
ancestor. But, I've learned a lot about the process in a short time.
Apparently, there are many Revolutionary patriots who have never been "used"
for DAR membership. In fact, the DAR gets pretty excited when a "new"
ancestor is identified. So, if you are fairly sure that you have a
Revolutionary war patriot in your line, I would encourage you and others to
go ahead and work with a local DAR chapter.
I was amazed at how helpful my local chapter was. The registrar who helped me
with the paperwork seemed to spend as many hours as I did trying to establish
the line. It certainly was a labor of love on her part because it is a
volunteer position within the chapter. I had a lot of trouble trying to come
up with documentation on a great grandmother. The registrar had so many
helpful ideas and I finally was able to work it out, but never would have
been able to do so without her help.
You can find out the names and phone numbers of local DAR chapters by going
into their website. I'd encourage you to simply call them and let them help
you. Just because no one ever used your ancestor for DAR membership doesn't
mean a thing.
Good luck,
Carol Reed Kennedy