Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Lineage Society Honoring Soldiers Who Fought for the North
Oct 7, 2009
The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865 was incorporated in 1885 in Massillon, Ohio, as the National Alliance Daughters of Veterans, and was endorsed by The Grand Army of the Republic at its annual Encampment in 1900. The name was changed to the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 1925; and in 1944 it became the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865.
Organization and Membership
The DUVCW is a national organization made up of local groups called Tents, which are named to honor Army nurses and other women whose patriotic deeds during in the Civil War were recorded. States with three or more Tents have a State Department. The State Departments, along with members-at-large and Detached Tents (located in states that have fewer than three Tents), make up the national organization.
Membership is open to direct line female descendants of veterans of the Union Army and Navy who fought for the preservation of the Union during the American Civil War. This includes all descendants of honorably discharged soldiers and sailors who served in the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Revenue Cutter Service from 1861 to 1865, and those who died or were killed while serving between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. Members must be at least eight years old.
Like most lineage societies, applicants must provide documentation that includes birth, death, and marriage dates and places of all direct ancestors, as well as proof of relationship between the generations. In addition, documentation must be provided of the war service rendered by the individual upon whom the application is based. Local chapters often provide assistance in preparing the paperwork, and the DUVCW museum, which houses research material, may also be consulted. Applicants may also hire a professional genealogist to trace ancestors and find documentation.
Headquarters and Museum
The current national headquarters building was dedicated in Springfield, Illinois, home city of Abraham Lincoln, in 1969. The headquarters building also houses a free public Civil War Museum.
The Museum displays Civil War era books, artifacts and records, and is open to members every day. It is also open and free to the public on specific days, but the museum staff suggests that non-members call ahead to be sure that it will be open on a particular day. The Museum accepts donations from both members and non-members of Civil War memorabilia, making this material available for research or display. War records and genealogical materials are welcome.
DUVCW Projects
The society publishes books, lineage booklets, and informational pamphlets. It also sponsors a college scholarship for students who are lineal descendants of Union veterans. The organization seeks out “Real Daughters,” or those whose fathers were Civil War veterans, to honor.
Members help preserve Civil War battlefields, historic sites, and monuments to Union troops, and seek out grave sites of Union veterans for placement of historic markers. Members may volunteer at VA medical centers and nursing homes, and support awards programs at military academies. They often participate in local ceremonies honoring veterans, and place flags on the graves of soldiers. Tents may cooperate with other organizations, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, at ceremonies to honor all Civil War soldiers.
Those interested in U.S. history may also wish to consider joining other lineage organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the American Revolution, or The General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
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