As a lineage society, the only requirement for membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is to prove that you are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolution. For anyone not familiar with American history, the patriots were those who fought for America's independence from Britain during the last half of the 1700s. The definition of "patriot" also includes a number of other roles a person may have had during the Revolutionary period, not just those famous few who actually fought.
The group was founded in 1890, and the purpose of the group is historical preservation, the promotion of national patriotism and education. The original four women all shared an ancestral line to an American patriot, and the core idea of the group was born.
Of all the historical lineage societies in the USA, the DAR is likely the most well-known if not the largest. Currently they have around 165,000 members around the world, grouped into 3,000 chapters. Since it was founded, more than 850,000 women have been part of the group.
Joining the DAR
Becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution can be a sizeable project, and has led many people to further genealogical interests once completed. You will need to identify your patriot ancestor, and then provide complete proof of your relationship to that person. This will include copies of all vital records for the first 3 generations going back. For the remaining generations, proofs can consist of less "official" documents, like cemetery records, census entries, or probate records. Full instructions on what is required, along with printable worksheets can be found at the DAR website. If you have a relative who is already a member of the DAR, you can use their approved lineage and documentation in your own application, which can simplify the process.
Benefits of DAR Membership
Many people join the DAR simply for the prestige of saying they belong to the DAR. But other reasons for joining the organization might be to get involved in national historical preservation, to gain access to a huge genealogical resource, to help promote national patriotism, and to just be part of a group that does a lot of charitable and volunteer work in the country.
The DAR Historical Library
You don't need to be a member of the DAR in order to use their library facilities, but you will have to pay a non-member fee to do so. The DAR library is a private collection, featuring hundreds of thousands of historical books, documents and records. This collection is of particular interest to genealogists, as all the vital records and other documentation provided by joining members is available through the library. Along with the vast genealogy resources, the DAR library has a considerable collection of American history material, the bulk of which is not surprisingly from the Revolutionary period. Unfortunately, the material is NOT available for loan and must be researched in person (the library is in Washington, D.C). They do have a search service that you access by mail only. Use the online search tools to find the books or documents you need, then send a letter to the library along with a search fee. They will copy the pages you request and mail them back to you. You can find more details on the search service on their website.
Sources:
Daughters of the American Revolution website
Genealogy.com
