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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1998-11 > 0911117973


From: "Jean W. Thwaits" <>
Subject: D.A.R. Lineage Books
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 03:19:33 -0500


I was recently appointed to a Membership Committee of our local D.A.R.
Chapter and still have much to learn, but would like to respond to
Bill's question as best I can.

I have used the D.A.R. Lineage books extensively and through them have
been able to sort out some of my more peripheral lines where I wasn't
exactly certain I had the correct sequence of lineage.

The earliest D.A.R. records, in the 1800's, were much less documented
than now.

A recent address by a lady who had been Membership Chairman for a number
of years included the fact that if you are applying for D.A.R.
membership now, and you are going in under an ancestor who has already
been documented, if the membership number is does not carry at least
three numbers in the thousands, ie, 333,333 - you may be required to
redocument some early ancestral lines.

That, to me, indicates a possibility of errors in the original records;
or possibly a desire to truly document later lines.

I know that my membership application, which was made only last year,
required birth, death and marriage certificates; where actual
certificates were not available, copies of published vital records were
accepted. I am advised that a newspaper article will possibly be
accepted, depending on the circumstances. Published obituaries are also
accepted.

I was stymied by a need for birth certificate of my great grandfather
who was born in either Massachusetts or New Hampshire. I have had
problems with his birth record. I was able to substitute an affidavit
which was submitted by my great grandmother for a widow's pension upon
the death of my great grandfather - this was acquired from the National
Archives in Washington, D.C. This was combined with a copy of his
original pension application - Civil War Veteran.

So there is much documentation involved in the membership process and I
would consider it a highly reliable source.

Incidentally, D.A.R. will not accept L.D.S. records as prima facie
evidence of an event.

Happy hunting.

Jean Marie Wright Thwaits
Adams Center, Jefferson County, New York

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