Standing in front of the Sara De Soto Chapter sign
Sound the horns and throw the confetti for I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted into the Daughters of the American Revolution. For those who are unfamiliar, Daughters of the American Revolution or DAR for short is a lineage society open to any woman over the age of 18 who can prove direct lineage to a patriot who either fought or provided aid during the Revolutionary War. It is one of the oldest women’s organizations that has its core focus in three main areas: Preservation of our national history; Patriotism and love of country; Education because knowledge is key. After such a lengthy application process and exercise of the spirit of my genealogical endeavors it is such a privilege to finally be apart of this organization.
In this blog I want to share with you my reflections prior to seeking membership, my reasons for deciding to pursue membership, the application process plus how DNA assisted in my application and a word about my Revolutionary War patriot ancestor. Buckle up, because you are in for an adventure.
A Conversation Turned Pursuit
A little bit over a year ago, I was having a conversation with one of my close maternal 3rd cousins about various family lines on my maternal grandfather’s paternal side. I casually mentioned that my grandfather had at least one Revolutionary war patriot that I knew of. My cousin was surprised to hear this and asked whether I had any intention of joining the DAR. To be quite honest I had zero intentions to join prior to this conversation and none really to pursue any lineage society. On my short list of genealogical pursuits joining a society just wasn’t even on there, so naturally my cousin provided his many reasons why he felt I should strongly consider it.
So I did. I considered it. I checked out the DAR website. I read all about what the organization promoted and what it had to offer. Then I read the application requirements. Prior to reaching out to any of the local chapters for membership I decided to poll one of my Facebook genealogy groups for their feedback. Without going into too much detail about the challenges my application would face I wanted to know if they thought joining would be worth the headache. What I received was a wide range of responses. Some yes, no and maybe so. The affirmative and maybe feedback did the additional interest sparking I needed to pursue membership.
Here are some of my main reasons for deciding to join:
1. For many African American people tracing their lineage back to a Revolutionary war patriot is near impossible because of that stuff called slavery and the Civil War. The records needed just aren’t there and lineage societies need record proof. The only reason I can trace my way back to a patriot of the Revolutionary War is because my maternal grandfather’s father was white. I’ve not been able to successfully do this for any other line of my maternal or paternal family. In short, this would be my opportunity to write my family into a small slice of history that has looked over or excluded African American people for various complex reasons other than the two major road blocks listed before.
2. As a parent of two small children who I have every intention of homeschooling, a successful membership for me could easily permit them to apply and join the Children of the American Revolution (CAR). I figure this could be a nice way for them to learn more about our Nation’s history and engage in civic and patriotic activities with other children of various ages. This is in addition to any college scholarship opportunities that may be available when they are ready to pursue a college education.
3. As a stay-at-home-mom I had been looking for an organization that I could volunteer with to be an active participant in society beyond the needs of my household. Prior to having children I used to travel with Habitat for Humanity International working on Global Village projects as a team leader and team member. Life doesn’t permit me to go engage in the kind of global philanthropy I once did. Since I feel pretty at home where I live now I wanted to find something right here in my community. Little did I know beforehand that the DAR could fulfill this need too. I look forward to digging in and participating in volunteer activity this upcoming calendar year.
My Application Conundrum and Process
Now that I’ve gotten the boring stuff out the way let me tell you about the application process. As mentioned before, any woman over the age of 18 years old who can prove direct lineal descent from a patriot of the Revolution is eligible to join the DAR. The application, which can be found on the website or provided by the registrar of a local chapter requires that you walk your way back to your patriot ancestor. You start with yourself and include details such as date of birth, place of birth, marriage date, name of spouse, etc. And if the individual is deceased you include that as well. This type of information has to be listed along with record proof or sources for every generation back to the patriot. This may seem like a daunting process to go at alone, but luckily I had some amazing assistance from the registrar of my desired chapter.
Let me be the first to tell you in case you did not know: paper-trail records can be tricky and misleading things at times. For the first three generations of my application my chapter registrar noted that I would need birth, marriage and death records as source documents for each event. Beyond the first three generations a variety of sources could be used as proof as to DOB, DOD and so forth. This was all too easy for me. I already had the records. I had started collecting vital records for several direct ancestors for various reasons so I just needed to pull it from my binders. The biggest hurdle I told my registrar would be my maternal grandfather. His records were a mess and here’s why.
Portion of my grandfather’s birth certificate
My grandfather, Sam Allen Wilson, was born in the segregated South to a black mother and a white father. Because it was 1924 and his parents were by no means married this was information that could not and would not go on his birth certificate. Instead the midwife provided a name and race for the father that was not true. It states his father was a black man named Tom Wilson who was a RR section hand, but my grandfather’s father was actually a white man named James Moffett. While this was common knowledge and hush-hush type of talk in my grandfather’s Mississippi hometown it was a mystery to be unearthed for me.
My great-grandfather, James Moffett
Long before I ever thought to join the DAR I knew there were steps that had to be taken to make fact out of fable. I had been provided several oral accounts that stated my grandfather was the child of a white man including those from his own children. My aunt had a photo of a white man seated in a chair whom my grandfather always said was his father and a birth certificate that stated his father was a black Tom Wilson. Mind you, the DAR traces lineage by using paper source records. How could I make this conflicting information sync up? The answer was DNA. Since my grandfather and his father were both deceased there would be no way to provide paternity test type of samples, so I went after the next best thing: Y-DNA. I needed to connect a male in my family with a known direct male descendant of my grandfather’s father. I decided to have my maternal uncle tested for a positive result would note that he is indeed a male descendant in close relation to James Moffett’s known descendant(s). In addition to my uncle, I made a special trip to Natchez, Mississippi to collect the DNA of my uncle’s half first cousin, a white male Moffett cousin who was in fact a known grandson of my grandfather’s alleged father. This Moffett cousin could even recall a moment during his childhood where my grandfather came to visit and stayed with his family at their home. Considering the race relations of the time this was a big deal, but to my Moffett Cousin my grandfather was just “Uncle Bubba.”
My grandfather, Sam Wilson
For the DNA testing I went with Family Tree DNA and had both participants test 67 markers of their Y-DNA. The result was near a perfect match. Out of 67 markers 66 were exact matches. My uncle had a null value on one of his markers which indicates that Family Tree DNA could not get an accurate read on that particular marker and/or my uncle may have a mutation on that marker. 66 out 67 markers and additional autosomal DNA testing definitely pegged my uncle and this Moffett cousin as half first cousins. So in my mind that’s a done deal. The DNA results combined with oral history presented a solid case of evidence to dispute the claims made by the midwife on my grandfather’s birth certificate.
Back to the DAR and how this could or would be used. Up until late 2014 the DAR did not accept DNA evidence with applications. It was paper-trail records or bust! See you – bye-bye! When they finally decided to accept DNA evidence it was outlined in such a manner I personally felt would be extremely challenging for anyone. I couldn’t imagine any applicant getting in with such use of DNA and to date there has only been one successful application under their current DNA requirements. You can read about that application here. So what about me? I’ll come back to the DNA in a moment.
My grandfather’s birth certificate wasn’t the only problem. His original death certificate was also a hot mess. I knew from his birth certificate that his date of birth was wrong, but not only that – his father was listed as Sam Wilson this time. My aunt, the one who cares nothing about genealogy and accuracy of such vital records and who I’ll cut some slack because she never knew her father’s white father, was the informant on my grandfather’s death certificate. The registrar helping me with my application noted this would also be a problem and that I should take the necessary steps to have the death record amended to reflect the correct information. Who knew you could amend a death record?! So I troubled two of my aunts with the task of having my grandfather’s death certificate amended.
After getting the amended death certificate and a few other records off my application went. I was attempting to join under my patriot ancestor Christopher Guice, my 7th great grandfather. The registrar was feeling really good about the application, but I was nervous. Not only because of my grandfather’s various record issues, but a much earlier generation didn’t appear to have as strong case for linking her to the parents whom I said she belonged. In response to my initial application the DAR sent out what is called a “Have Written” response. Although my patriot ancestor was already a proven patriot, there were some windows in my application that needed more sources. And yes, they said they would like to see the DNA evidence I had in regards to the conflicting information about my grandfather’s father. In addition to this DNA evidence I was required to gather notarized affidavits from my uncle, mother and the Moffett cousin whose DNA results would be included in a multi-page analysis done by the registrar.
Now with my grandfather’s issues out of the way for a moment I attempted to work on the other problem area which was much closer to my 7th great-grandfather, Christopher Guice, but wasn’t making any headway. I decided then to switch to a different patriot ancestor which was much easier to trace back to since he was out of Massachusetts and Massachusetts has phenomenal records sets online. Like my Guice ancestor this patriot was also already proven in the DAR database. His name is James Collins and he is my 6th great grandfather.
With the change of patriot ancestors, the DNA evidence, affidavits and analysis from my registrar I felt like we were on our way! I say we because I wouldn’t have been able to do this without her and I truly appreciate her effort on such a unique application scenario considering all her other commitments. It is important to note that the work the chapter registrars do is all unpaid.
The end result? Well I already spilled the beans so you know I made it in, but what about the final remarks from DAR HQ? Well my chapter registrar stated the application did create quite a buzz. It required a lot of additional review. Since I couldn’t test my grandfather or his father it would still be difficult for them to say that the DNA evidence I provided could 100% connect the two as father and son. I can certainly understand that knowing how Y-DNA works. The affidavits and written statement from my Moffett cousin made a stronger case for the DNA evidence I presented. My application would not have been strong enough if I had only had one, but not the other.
After everything I had to do to prove my lineage to my patriot ancestors I have to say I quite enjoyed the application exercise.
My Patriot Ancestor
I am still in the process of learning all there is to know about my patriot ancestor / 6th great-grandfather, James Collins, of Gloucester, Massachusetts. What I do know as of now is that he was kind of exceptional. First he served as an officer in Colonel Moses Little’s regiment in 1775 and later he was commissioned as commander for the “Cumberland” (privateer) in 1777. He was said to have been lost at sea and there is this pretty awesome information found online about my patriot ancestor during his time on the Cumberland.
I am very much looking forward to visiting Gloucester, Massachusetts with this new information on my patriot ancestor in tow. I hope it is a trip that will be just as exciting for my children as this whole journey has been for me.
Acknowledgements
I would like to take a moment to formally acknowledge a few people who have inspired and helped me along the way. First, my cousin Herman Jones for helping me realize that it was very much worth my time to pursue DAR membership. To all the folks that commented on my query in the Our Black Ancestry Facebook group, namely Shannon Christmas and Shelley Murphy. Your insight meant a lot. To my mother, aunts, uncles and Moffett cousin who I had to request much from (including saliva) to make this a reality. And to the very amazing chapter registrar and ladies at the Sara De Soto DAR chapter here in Sarasota, Florida. Thank you for your time and patience. It means more than you know. And for my two little ones who don’t understand all mommy’s genealogy babble now, but will hopefully appreciate all my efforts in time. Thank you!
Congratulations! I am also DAR eligible, but haven’t (yet) made the decision to join. I hope your membership is fulfilling for your and your children! 🙂
Renate
Hi Renate, Thanks for stopping by and for leaving the congrats! I really appreciate it. If you do decide to join please swing back by and let me know so I can root for you.
It really is a fantastic organization. I’ve been a member for quite some time, but before, my mom begged me to join, because my grandmother wanted me to. It was worth it, because you meet some great ladies there. I also have been fortunate to volunteer with the USO, and the VA because of the DAR. I joined mainly because of the emphasis on volunteerism, but I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful and supportive the women are.
Hi Emily,
Thank you for stopping by. It is awesome to hear your mother and grandmother were/are Daughters as well. I’d love for my mother to join, but I know that won’t be happening. My sister may join, so I am pumped for that. The volunteerism is something I am very much looking forward to.
Congratulations!I join DAR a year and went through the whole process.
Thank you Gabrielle for visiting my blog and for the congrats!
Welcome new Daughter from a DAR member in Michigan. My wishes for you are to keep climbing those trees and to enjoy your life in your in DAR. Blessings, Marilyn
Thank you so much for visiting my blog Marilyn and for your kind well wishes. Thank you!
Hello Ms. Abiodun,
I really enjoyed reading this. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your research and your willingness to help others. I see you had to jump through many hoops to join. Luckily for you it paid off. I love the layout of your webpage as well. It was very well organized and inviting to look at. I wish you continued success with your writing and genealogy.
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
Thank you for visiting my blog and for your kind comments on both my DAR blog and site overall. I only wish I could blog as much as I used to, but my children keep me too busy and too tired at the end of the night to want to write.
Congratulations, Adrienne! It was very interesting how you were able to amend your grandfather’s birth record. Do you mind if I share your post on the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC) facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/AAGHSC/ I am a member of AAGHSC and the administrator for the page.
You will remember that we talked maybe a year ago about Virginia Kates. I am still doing my Kates research.
Take care.
Hi Janice! So good to hear from you. I’d been wondering how you have been doing. You are most welcome to share my blog on the AAGHSC Facebook page. And just to be clear I amended his death record from the state of California. I don’t think I could amend the birth record at this point.
Congratulations cousin!
Thank you Cousin Krista!
Congratulations, great job!!!!!! You can’t beat Documentation + DNA.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my little story. I am so overwhelmed by all these congrats and good cheer.
Your story is so inspiring! I’m off to research more about my local DAR chapter. I know I have patriots, but connecting myself to them has been daunting. You’ve shown, with hard work, it can be done.
I believe in you Beck! Go for it and if you find any patriots let me know! Thank you for swinging by to read my story.
Have you traces your Collins line back any further? I have a Collins line – Edward Collins of Charlestown MA, died 1689.
I have been a DAR member for almost 20 years. I love it, and I hope you do too!
Congratulations!!
Hi Mary,
Thanks for stopping by and for the congrats. I have traced my Collins line as far back to a John Collins born about 1632 in Gloucester, Essex, MA. I remember when I first stumbled upon my Massachusetts ancestors. I was so happy to finally get some more of my family out of the state of Mississippi where it feels they have been forever. 🙂
Congratulations and welcome to DAR! I learned so much reading your article. I’m thrilled you shared your journey to inspire so many others who might think joining is not a possibility! Our society was founded by women who let no object stall their desired patriotic journey. I’ve no doubt you will make us greater.
Hi Brenda,
Thank you for reading and for your kind remarks. It is really touching – the sense of community and the welcome I have received thus far. Thank you again.
Congratulations, Adrienne, for your determination and welcome! You will find a whole new sisterhood of women in DAR. We are proud to have you and your young ones join us.
Dear Adrianne,
Your story is a triumph of persistence and DNA! Congratulations! You will find a whole new sisterhood of women in DAR for you and your young ones to enjoy. You are most welcome to work with us and to enjoy all the benefits of this wonderful organization.
Thank you for reading Patricia and for the congratulations. I truly appreciate it.
Congratulations from a fellow Florida Daughter, homeschooler and C.A.R. mom. Your journey is amazing and I hope that it will inspire many more people to look beyond the documents. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for reading and for the congratulations. I hope to meet at one of the Florida events. I would love to hear about your children’s experience in C.A.R. Mine are still very young, but I’m working on their applications now anyway. 🙂
Congratulations, and what a story! Your motivations for joining DAR when it comes to service as a mother with young children reflect my own. I look forward to meeting you at a future Florida event!
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for reading and the congrats. I hope our paths will cross at a future Florida event as well. 🙂
Congratulations! It is a fabulous service organization with amazing women of all interests. I hope you pursue C.A.R., too. My children are better leaders and mentors because of their C.A.R. membership.
Thank you and I do plan on getting their C.A.R. applications in before the end of this year. They are only 4 and 2 years old right now. 🙂
Welcome to DAR! This TN Daughter is thrilled to have you! You will love the volunteer opportunities that DAR has to offer! Get involved in your chapter and consider attending your state events and Continental Congress. There is something for everyone and I am so glad your children will be joining CAR! Your DNA detective work was fascinating.
Hi Angela, Thanks for the welcome message and all of your suggestions. I am looking forward to diving in to it all as soon as I’ve rested up from that application process. What an exercise! 🙂 Thank you again.
Welcome to DAR!!! I am a DAR member from Pennsylvania. I too have a Wilson patriot!! I am trying to prove him now. He will be my second Patriot. David Wilson is from York County, PA and he was a captain in the American Revolution. I wonder if there is a connection to your Wilson and to mine. Would that be awesome!
Hi Valerie,
Thank you for stopping by and for your warm welcome. My patriot is James Collins of Gloucester, MA. My Wilson line only goes as far as my maternal grandfather. Wilson was a fictitious surname he was given at birth. His biological father was James Moffett, so biologically we have no known connections to any Wilson ancestors. 🙂
Congrats and welcome to DAR! I have loved every minute of being a daughter. Keep up your investigating, it has already taken you amazing places. I am glad to hear your children will join CAR. It’s so important to teach our children our history and social responsibility at a young age.
Hi Andrea, Thanks you for the congrats and welcome. This has been such a great experience so far thanks to all of you who made it over to my blog. I look forward to learning more about C.A.R. and seeing how my children enjoy it as they get older.
Welcome to the DAR! I live in Florida and am the Regent of the Henry Morrison Flagler Chapter! I love your story about your DAR journey! Hope to meet you in person at Fall Forum in Orlando!
Greetings Gladys,
It is such a pleasure to have you visit my blog. Thank you for the welcome message and I too hope we can meet in person at the Fall Forum.
Congratulations!! What a story! Welcome to the FSSDAR!! I finally got in two years ago. I had a bit of an issue with my grandfather’s records as well because, well… I didn’t have any! He was born, married, and died in Mexico, but on my Dad’s birth certificate, he put that he was from Texas. A cemetery photo cleared the Have Written up (thankfully). Hopefully, we will see each other at Fall Forum or State Conference. I hope you find the DAR as fun and fulfilling as I do.
Hi Brittany,
Thanks for coming by and for sharing a little bit about your application process. What a challenge and I am glad to hear it didn’t stop you either. I know these lineage societies all require these paper records, but I have to tell you I am more weary of them day by day. However, it is fun bringing it all together (paper records, oral histories, photos, DNA, etc.) to make for a more robust application. 🙂 Hope to meet you this fall as well.
Congratulations and welcome to DAR.
Thank you so much Lori-Ann!
Welcome to the DAR! We are so glad to have you, and your story is fascinating. Thank you for sharing. Hope to meet you at Continental Congress. All the best to you and yours.
Thank you Hallie and thank you for visiting my blog!
Dear Adrienne,
Your story is heartwarming and it gives hope to others who never thought it was possible. Welcome!! And just know your journey is just beginning! All my best to you <3
Thank you Jenice for visiting my blog and for reading my DAR story.
Congratulations! I am so proud of your hard work and dedication. I am excitied to be a Daughter and am proud to be a part of this organization along with the amazing women, like yourself, who make up its membership. You are an inspiration!
Thank you Melodie for the congrats and the kind words.
Congratulations on becoming a Daughter! I have been a member for 15 years and have met wonderful women who share a love of genealogy, history, and country.
Hi Ann,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the congrats.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story. It is important to hear about the creative solutions needed to bridge the records gaps.
Thank you so much for the Congrats. I trust this is only the beginning for me and that I will likely have to come up with more solutions to get past the brick walls I face on several of my lines.
Congratulations from the General Marquis Calmes Chapter in Versailles, KY!
Anissa Penn Davis
Regent
Hi Anissa,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the congrats!
Congratulations and welcome aboard! Your story is amazing and inspirational. If you are ever in Tennessee, please swing by and visit with your DAR sisters of the Captian William Lytle chapter.
Hi Bethany,
Thank you so much for the congrats and for the invitation to visit with your DAR chapter.
Congratulations!! So happy to welcome you to DAR. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and hope that my FB friends will read it. The genealogy journeys are so educational and inspirational. I hope you keep working on your supplemental. I had 5 approved last year and am about to submit 21 more in the hope that it will allow more women to join more easily. Our last President General would like for DAR to find every individual who aided or fought to establish American Independance. Who knows, you might find that you have more proven Patriots and a few who are yet to be proven. Welcome!! Hope to meet you at Continental Congress one day. It is an absolute must do! 💕🇺🇸💕
Wow, Sandra! 21 supplemental applications?! That is phenomenal. I wonder what the record number is for patriots/descendant? Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the congrats. Time to go sniff out some more patriots of my own. You are inspiration!
My mother was a DAR and I avoided joining because I thought it was for little old ladies. While doing genealogy, I realized that we owe a debt of gratitude to this organization which has an amazing database and worthy principles. I finally joined and was truly surprised at how eagerly new members and prospective members are welcomed. If anyone has postponed making an application, I recommend to do it. Our Illinous registrars are wonderful volunteers to work with.
Hi Ann – I totally agree with your remarks. I am very much looking forward to my first year as a Daughter. This is so much fun.
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From one Florida daughter to another, welcome to the DAR. I look forward to meeting you at a Fall Forum or State Conference. Thank you for sharing your amazing story!
Hi Denise,
Thank you for the warm welcome and for visiting my blog. I too hope that our paths will cross at a future DAR meeting.
Adrienne – thanks so much for sharing your journey to DAR! It’s fascinating and got me to remembering my own decision to become a member back in 1977; a more difficult path back then as an African American. So it does my heart good to welcome wonderful young Black women like you who are joining DAR these days:) We’re blessed to have you on board!
If you ever think about becoming an associate member of another DAR chapter, you have a standing invitation to join Ezra Parker in Royal Oak, MI where I belong.
Congratulations and Hugs!
Karen Batchelor
National Vice-Chair
DAR Lineage Research Committee
Karen, Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for reading my journey thus far. I have so much to learn and am so thankful to have so many amazing Daughters to be so warm and receptive in just this past week. I am still trying to catch my breath from my initial application and will see how my first year goes before jumping into any additional chapters. Thank you so much for the standing invitation to your chapter. 🙂
I am also Adrienne and in DAR! It was great to read your story. You have corrected the historic record and made it possible for so many to know their true heritage. Congrats!
Hi Adrienne! Always a pleasure to meet another Adrienne. Thank you for swinging by and reading about my journey. The congrats mean a lot as it took a lot!
Congratulations!
You had a real hard road to work down, Adrienne! It is always awesome to see a dedicated individual who achieves a goal this difficult. Welcome to DAR! Come visit the Mississippi Daughters sometime – we’d love to have you!
Hi Shana, Thank you for the warm welcome. I would love to swing by the next time I’m in Mississippi. I find myself going out that way far more than I ever imagined I would have some years ago. Thank you again.
Loved reading your blog and admire your tenacity in tracking down records, DNA and oral history. I also struggled with missing records from Virginia during the Civil War and trying to piece together information on my maternal side. With the help of our local registrar and the state registrar in Massachusetts, I was able to find a different patriot than the one on my initial application that was approved. I found a whole new branch no one in the family ever new about! You are correct that the registrars are silent heroes in all this and mine were as excited as me when the application was finally approved. And I still scour libraries and websites looking for the missing info on my initial patriot, hopefully someday I will be able to piece it all together. It was such a positive experience that I have now submitted an application on my paternal side and you’re right, the records in New England are much more complete so now not so patiently waiting for a response from the DAR 🙂 Best wishes on your geneological journey!
Congrats! The DAR is a marvelous organization! I grew up in CAR and I would be the first to recommend you involve your children into the organization. You have a wonderful history!
Congrats!! I am also a DAR member, I homeschool my kiddos and they are in C.A.R. They LOVE C.A.R. and I love what they learn there–history and leadership skills. Hope you find your DAR membership fulfilling! 🙂
Congratulations on your DAR membership! I have been a member since 2012 and have loved serving in my local chapter, Point Vicente Chapter in Palos Verdes, CA. I agree with you that your family history is important for your children to know. Our ancestors lives mattered. Their history is our history and their blood runs through our veins. They sacrificed blood and treasure to help secure our nation’s independence. This organization adds to the richness and diversity of America. I wish you many happy years serving in the DAR.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! Welcome to DAR!
Thank you, Pamela!
Adrienne,
What a fascinating process! So interesting. Welcome to DAR from a Michigan Daughter. I am a young retiree and am enjoyably becoming more active in my chapter, Three Flags.
Greetings Ellen! Thank you for reading my story and your welcome message. It means a lot to me.
So excited for you! As a genealogy fan, a DAR member, and as some one trying to help trace African American lineage in her own family. Wow. So much work, and look how much you’ve learned! Thank you for sharing with us. Welcome to DAR – can’t wait to meet you!
Robin, Santa Clara Chapter, CA
Hi Robin, Thank you for the warm welcome and for taking a moment to read my blog. I hope you have received my book by now and enjoyed reading it as well.
I’d love to find out about your Isaac book. I’m a retired librarian who is always searching for new treasures (for my family and to suggest to libraries). Didn’t see it on Amazon – is it available elsewhere? Thanks!
Congrats its a great accomplishment!! I also submitted. It took us about two years to get paperwork in order. My soldier will be the first in Arizona from the Santa Fe Presidio to be verified. I am waiting for that now it’s been about a month. The women from my chapter along with Tyler Hancock, of the Spanish Task Force were so awesome in assisting me. It was a long road but will be worth it for my children and descendants to come. Keeping my fingers crossed and patiently waiting now to hear!
Thank you for visiting Molly. I am rooting for you too! I hope you’ll swing back by with an update.
Congratulations and welcome to the DAR. I joined last fall so I am new to the organization as well. So glad to see you join!
Thank you for visiting my blog Audrey and I hope to meet you at a future DAR event.
Adrienne, I love your story. I also have the lineage of a patriot. I have chosen not to follow due to the fact that the line for me, stops at me. Not having a bio child only adopted, the benefits of the DAR would not benefit her. I understand that it is lineage based, but at the same time. She is my daughter, regardless of blood lineage. My nieces would all qualify for DAR. Heck hey probably qualify for sons and daughters of the confederacy as well
Hi Kara,
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hear that sentiment often from adoptees and so on. It is a personal choice and although it wouldn’t be of ant benefit to your daughter it may help your nieces down the road. Best wishes!
Congratulations Adrienne! Wow, what a journey for you during he DAR application process. I am in the application process also, and your tenacity and hard work is an inspiration. I hope to meet you someday.
Thank you so much Linda! Despite the hurdles the application process was actually a lot of fun. I say that now after being successfully approved, but really it was. Good luck with your application and I look forward to hearing your DAR journey in the future.
I’m so proud of you. I’m also a member of DAR and a minority. I’m happy to see the rules adapting to include more sisters. Best of luck!
Hi Amber! So nice to meet you. Thank you for stopping by to spread good cheer and congrats! It means a lot to me. 🙂
Even though I don’t know you, I can say I am so proud of you for doing what it took to uncover the truth of your family’s lineage and history.
I’ve worked on my family history for about 10 years now. I, too, have a patriot and am looking forward to joining the DAR.
Our stories are a bit similar in that my grandfather never laid eyes on his father. He was raised by his father’s father, his paternal grandfather. I decided to go with DNA testing to prove the direct male line and it did, indeed, prove it.
I was glad to hear that the DAR is now accepting DNA results as proof of lineage as a lot of us would be up a creek and unable to join without it.
Congratulations and regards,
Paula Wallin Hubbard
Hi Paula,
Thank you very much for stopping by to read my story and share in my excitement. It means a lot to me and I will be rooting for you on your journey as well. I believe DNA is going to blow the lid off of accessibility into lineage societies and I think may also trump what the paper records sometimes show. I know a lot of people put stock into paper, but I’m not one to argue with my own saliva. Or anyone else’s for that matter. 🙂 Best wishes to you and I hope to hear your success story in the near future.
Welcome Adrienne to the DAR and thank you for sharing your story – what an incredible story indeed! Finding your ancestors is like a treasure hunt.
It sure is Missy! An incredible treasure hunt indeed! Thank you for taking a moment to read my story.
Congratulations on an incredible journey of determination and truth seeking! It sounds like it was a real labor of love and I am so glad you were able to reach your goal! I am a member of a DAR chapter in California and I am so honored and pleased to have you as a fellow daughter!
You may also want to look into joining the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century now. It is another group of very nice ladies with the goal of honoring and preserving the history of our ancestors who had the courage to come to a strange, new land to establish a home for their families in the 1600’s. I think you may be eligible to join under an established ancestor, John Collins, if your John Collins is the same individual as listed in the Roster. It lists “Collins, John: He was born in 1632 and died 1670. He migrated to MA in 1635 and was married to Susanna.” If this sounds like it might be your ancestor, you may want to check out the web-site. The requirements are the same as for DAR but you need documentation that goes much further back. If you have any questions I am most happy to help you. I wish you every success in your future searches and hope you find more great treasure stories!
Hi Lanita!
Thank you for swinging by to read my blog and to offer the congrats. Thank you! The information on Colonial Dames of the XVII Century is much appreciated. I think it will be awhile before I join any other societies as I still have my supplemental and children’s CAR applications to get in. However, I will keep any and all lineage societies for which I am eligible for in mind. Regarding John Collins — I actually have two John Collins from my James Collins lines and I need to do some more research on them as they both appear to have been born around the same time frame in the same area. Yikes! I am sure I will get it sorted out. At least I hope! 🙂
This is awesome. Congratulations! My mom did a lot o genealogy and I am eligible too. I am moving back to Williamsburg VA and hoping to get involved with the chapter there.
Thank you for stopping by Becky and good luck on your journey as well.
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Hi Adrienne,
My DAR 3rd cousin posted this on her Facebook page and I was so impressed by your diligence in this process. Congratulations! What really caught my eye was your ancestor. Major James Collins is listed in Francis Bernard Heitman’s “Historical Register of Officers Of the Continental Army…..” page 131. So, my initial thoughts were that you may be eligible to be invited to join the Daughters of the Cincinnati. The catch is that the officer must have had qualifying service to have been a member of the Society of the Cincinnati (formed in 1783). I won’t go into all of those requirements – you can read more about this at http://www.societyofthecincinnati.org or http://www.hereditary.us/cin_membership.htm. I am a member of the Connecticut Society, myself and I am the Secretary of that Society. I took it upon myself to contact my counterpart in the Massachusetts Society to see if he was a qualfied officer and if he was currently represented. If you want to know more, please let me know by emailing me (which I assume you can see as I have to enter that information in order to post this).
Congratulations from the Twin Falls Chapter NSDAR in Idaho! Your story is inspiring.
Thank you, Diane!
What a wonderful story!! You have so much to be proud of, not the least of which is your perseverance. So glad you followed through.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and reading, Brenda!
What a WONDERFUL story of you journey to become a DAR member! I too am a new member and enjoy tracing my genealogy. Like you I didn’t have any immediate family members to which I could attach my lineage other than my Patriot was already on file with DAR. CONGRATULATIONS !!!!
Hi Nancy! Congratulations to you as well. Thank you for stopping by to read my DAR application journey.
I forgot to ask, did you use the standard DNA test provided by Ancestry?
Seattle, Washington’s Rainier Chapter welcomes you to DAR. We love the journey you took to join! Hope to see you at Continental Congress in June 2017.
Lauri Langton
Rainier Chapter
Washington State Society 2nd Vice Regent
Your warm welcome means everything to me. Thank you for stopping by my blog Lauri.
Hi Adrienne,
Congrats on joining the DAR. I am African American too and was accepted into the DAR in December 2015. You have an amazing story. Would love to connect with you one day. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for your comment Gina and welcome to the DAR too! Hope to meet in the future.
Congratulations on becoming a member and for all your hard work! I was just informed last week that my application was accepted. I still haven’t received my certificate or welcome package. How long did it take to get yours? I am so excited to get started. I wish you all the best!
Congratulations! I too have a patriot of the Revolutionary War and have submitted my application for joining the DAR. I’d love to chat about your experience since it is a challenge getting the many AA records required.
Love you, Cousin! Thrilled to finally have a Mass Patriot. See you in FL soon.