How to Become a Member of the DAR



The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded in 1890, with the simple mission of promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism. It is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization. Those who wish to join must meet certain criteria.

The DAR has 180,000 members. It has 3,000 chapters that are located in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and internationally. Membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution honors and preserves the legacy of your patriot ancestor.

Any woman who is 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence is eligible to join the DAR. She must prove documentation for each statement of birth, marriage and death, as well as of the Revolutionary War service of her patriot ancestor.

Fill out the Membership Interest Form on the DAR website. It is a fill-in-the-blank form that asks for personal information (such as your email address, name, etc.).

Part of this form asks you to list the name of the Patriot that you are related to, and the Revolutionary War service that ancestor was involved in. There is a box where you can add further comments about your Patriot ancestor. The form also asks when you are available to meet.

Ideally, a woman who wants to join the DAR would have done her “homework” first. In other words, you have done enough genealogy research to discover that there is a strong likelihood that you are a lineal, bloodline descendant of a specific ancestor who aided America in achieving its independence. Take the time to gather up what you know about your connection to that person.

DAR volunteers in chapters can provide guidance and assistance with the application process. The DAR website also has some good information for those who are interested in joining.

Print out a Pedigree Chart (or several copies of it) from the DAR website. You must be able to prove the Revolutionary War service of your ancestor. The DAR website has a complete list of accepted Revolutionary War service that you can consult. Accepted Revolutionary War service includes: signer of the Declaration of Independence, military service, some types of civil service, and a wide variety of patriotic service.

Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:

* DAR Offers Free Genealogical Research System

* Bible Records Database- DAR

* Using DAR Databases

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