DAR Genealogical Resources



The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization that was founded in 1890. Members of DAR are women over the age of 18 who have an ancestor that helped America gain its independence. The DAR has a variety of genealogical resources.

DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS)
The GRS is a free resource provided by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution to aid general genealogical research and to assist with the DAR membership process. The GRS is a collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890.

Ancestor Database
The Ancestor Database was created and is maintained by the staff of the DAR’s Office of the Registrar General. The data (with a few exceptions) is taken from verified membership applications and supplemental applications. New records and information is added on a daily basis.

Descendants Database
The Descendants database is an index of the names found on the lineage page of DAR applications and supplementals. The purpose of this database is to help those looking for a DAR Patriot line to identify the best possible Record Copy to order.

Genealogical Records Committee Reports (GRC)
The DAR’s GRC began in 1913 and continue to arrive every year. The information in these 20,000 typescript volumes is predominantly Bible record and cemetery record transcriptions (along with other types of transcribed or abstracted genealogical sources.) The GRC Reports themselves are digitized. Researchers may view the digital images at the DAR Library’s Seimes Technology Center.

Bibles
The DAR has a collection of many family register entries from Bibles. At present, there are approximately 40,000 family register entries from Bibles that are not available as a subset of the national collection of the Reports. The GRC Reports were digitized over a few years enabling DAR volunteer members to study their content and to identify Bible register transcriptions that are present. The DAR Library is the only location where the complete set of GRC volumes is available for the entire country.

DAR Library Analytical Card Index
The Library began creating this index in the 1920s and additions continued until the early 1970s. The contents come from sources such as old county histories, many of the DAR’s own Genealogical Records Committee Reports (prior to the early 1970s) and a variety of other genealogical publications and periodicals.

Revolutionary War Pension Index
This collection consists of 340 typescripts volumes if pension abstracts. 233 of them cover the entire country and were compiled from 1927-1965. 101 of them specifically cover pensions for New Hampshire veterans (compiled from 1918-1933). There are 6 that cover pensions of Rhode Island veterans (compiled from 1918-1933).

Image by Sara on Flickr

Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:

* How to Become a Member of the DAR

* DAR Offers Free Genealogical Research System

* Bible Records Database – DAR

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