I have a direct Patriot Ancestor by the name of Thomas Ansley, and I hope to enter the DAR under his name as soon as I gather the appropriate records.

However, I am indirectly related to several other Revolutionary War Patriots, and I am wondering if I can somehow include them in my application. A few of these Ancestors are not yet listed in the DAR, that I am aware of, but their Revolutionary War Service is 100% clear cut and provable via Military Records. I think it would be nice to help keep their memories alive by entering them into the DAR, and I was wondering how to go about this, or if it is even possible to do so since they are not my direct Ancestors, but they are Collateral Ancestors.

For example, John Doss is my 6th Great Grand Uncle and I have a copy of his Military Record, as well as a letter from the War Department. I entered his name into the DAR Genealogical Research System online, and he was not listed.

Is there anyway that I could get him listed? What Ancestors can you enter the DAR under? Would I be allowed to purchase a state pin for my Collateral Ancestors?

I am new to all of this, and have many, sure to be redundant questions to ask.

Thank you for any help you can provide,

~ Katherine

Hi Katherine,

You can only apply for membership if you are a direct decendent of a patriot. You can have more than one patriot but they do have to be a direct line.

Something you might want to do is keep a tree on line that will include your indirect line. That way the info is out there and may help you make a connection to others.

Go to the DAR website to find a chapter in your area. They will contact you and help you through the application process.

Good Luck!

I descend through Thomas Ansley and Peter Rape II who are both listed in the DAR and are direct Ancestors. I plan on ordering their records and entering through them since their lineage is clear and easily proven.

However, I am interested in proving new Ancestors and relatives through the DAR where possible. The biggest barrier to those wanting to join the DAR is not having a Patriot already listed. People generally enter the name of their Ancestor and if they don't find them listed, they give up. I am interested in knowing if collateral family members can be listed on a supplemental application, or if there is a way to ensure that they are not forgotten. As time passes, records are lost, names are forgotten and proof is harder to locate. I want to make sure that my kin are never forgotten.

I am also wondering if there is a way to enter my Mother and my Sisters at the same time, or if individual applications for each of them must be sent. There are five of us altogether, so anything I can do to cut back on repetitive paperwork would be a blessing.

I am also curious if Benjamin Franklin Harrison Abt. 1754-1833, Johann Peter Rape 1724-1787 and Archibald Crawford ?-1821 are listed as Patriots. I don't believe that any of them have been proven as of yet.

I know that Archibald Crawford was the father of William Carroll Crawford, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and his wife, Nancy Elinor Carroll is allegedly related to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, although I have not been able to pinpoint the exact relation. While I wouldn't be able to enter the DAR under Charles Carroll, I can see from the DAR's GRS that Carroll's descendents are in doubt and by doing some research I might be able to help uncover new information and clarify some of the disputes regarding his lineage. Like you suggested, I am trying to put together extended family trees in the hope that they may be of use to others.

I have contacted my DAR Chapter here in Utah, and I have been sent my DAR Application Working Papers. I am still working on gathering my records as I want to submit the most complete application possible.

Thank you very much for your time and efforts, they are truly appreciated!

~ Katherine

Hi Katherine,

You can submit all of the applications (you, your mother and sisters) at the same time with one set of proof/papers. The fee would be the same, but it does cut down on copying all of the records.

There are a number of Benjamin Harrisons listed, but none with those dates.
There is a Peter Rape, but not with those dates.
Quite a few Crawfords, but no Archibald.

You can easily access the GRS system and look up patriots on the DAR website.

The easiest way to check where you are missing proof is to complete the worksheet, then match up/check off all of the dates with the proof you have. That will show you what you are missing.

Good luck!

Laura Bowden, Registrar
Col. Andrew Lynn Chapter, PA

Hi Laura,

Thank you very much for letting me know, I just had to be certain I am doing things right the first time around.

Benjamin Harrison is such a tricky name, as there are several Benjamin Harrisons in my tree. Unfortunately I have not yet been able to locate his grave. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is located in the Ansley Family Cemetery and is likely unmarked. He had a daughter by the name of Rebecca Harrison, who married James A. Ansley.

I know that Johann Peter Rape is the father of Peter Rape II who served during the Revolutionary War as part of a militia in the Salisbury District. The source of this information is from the NCDAR, Roster of Soldiers From North Carolina In The American Revolution, P. 358. He achieved the rank of Soldier. His DAR Patriot Ancestor Number is A094585. I'm curious if his father served, and if I can use his Son's information as a starting point to locate his potential location of service, but I am unsure of where to look for such records, if they still exist.

I have been unable to verify if Archibald Crawford served during the Revolutionary War, or that he has any immediate family who served and I am at an end for him at the moment but hope springs eternal!

I did indeed check the GRS system for these Patriots prior to asking, but I thought perhaps I might have overlooked something in my inexperience with the system that an experienced user might not have.

I truly appreciate the assistance you have given me, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy the holidays.

Thank you once again,

~ Katherine

My Father is not listed on my birth certificate. My Mother was also married to another man while I was conceived, and the man she was married to is not my biological father. Neither of those men were involved in my life, and it is my Mother's family lines I plan to enter on. Is it necessary to have a copy of either of their birth certificates for my application? Particularly since there is no one listed as the Father on my birth certificate?

The man my Mother was married to at the time is a dangerous, no good individual who no longer has anything to do with our family, and my biological Father was not a part of my life, although I was able to talk with him once and I know that he is still alive as of the mid 2000's, which may complicate me being able to get a copy of his birth certificate. He is not a well man through no fault of his own, and since I no longer have his contact information, getting him to furnish me a copy of his birth certificate is also an unlikely option. Since neither of them are listed as my Father on my birth certificate, and it is not their lines I am entering on, I am not sure if either certificate would be required.

If the father's name is not listed on your birth certificate, just put "unknown" on the application.

Thank you. :)

But she DOES know and could list the correct birth father and attach a notarized affidavit explaining the situation. That is what I'd do under the circumstances. It isn't relevant to the lineage so the staff genealogist is unlikely to make an issue of it either way...but in my opinion it is best to include the accurate information.

Let's take a hypothetical situation where the actual BIRTH father turns out to have a DAR patriot ancestor...she may want to use him at a later time for a supplemental or someone else may want to use him in their papers. You just never know...so always best to present the complete information.

Joan

I know for fact that I have several other step-sisters and probably a few step-brothers via my biological father, so that is a very valid point about including at least a letter. I don't believe that the DAR accepts DNA testing as of yet, if ever, but I would be willing to have it done for the sake of a more complete application for someone else down the line.

Paternity was never an issue and he has always acknowledged me as his daughter. I would never be willing to have him placed as the father on my birth certificate, just because it is my step-father who raised me as his own and was there for me, and it is him that I call my dad, so it is a matter of respect for him that I would never have that done.

However, personal feelings don't count for DAR lineage, and it is only the biological ancestry that counts.

I have at least three Patriot Ancestors, Thomas Ansley, Peter Rape II and Samuel Carrol Handley Sr. that I am aware of currently, and I likely have a few more via my mother's side of the tree. While that wouldn't prove direct lineage for my step-siblings, since they descend through my biological father's side of the tree, my main interest is to submit the most complete paperwork possible and as such I think a letter would be a good idea.