AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L Archives

From: jalongley <>
Subject: [AM-REV] DAR tombstones
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 02:23:40 +0000

When a DAR member proved service of and ancestry from a Revolutionary War
Veteran *or* of and from a person in the category of <Patriot> (be they
male or female), the member was entitled to have a chapter install a **DAR
marker** for this person.

However, some major 'grains of salt' go with this.

1. Remember that the DAR was not founded until the late 19th century, and
that sure-and-certain records of death may not have been available, so
dates on these markers may not be accurate.

2. During the genealogical fervor at the time of the Bicentennial, it was
discovered that some researcher-members' conclusions were not accurate.
Persons identified with DAR markers may not in fact have been either the
claimed Veteran or Patriot by the same name (for instance). To its credit,
the DAR did take steps to strengthen its standards of scholarship, so more
rigorous evidence and proofs are required today than were required 20 to
100 years ago. However, members who entered under the old standards were
not 'expelled' or required to re-establish proof, and DAR chapters did not
go out en masse to remove mistaken markers.

3. In NJ I ran across a DAR marker memorializing a famous chaplain who
actually died elsewhere. The location of the DAR marker **may** not be the
actual place of burial.

If you are a seeker of truth, you will do your own research in actual
records to verify the claim or assertion of another person. Quite a few
useful research guides are now in print that will help you get started.
Consulting one of these will save you time, energy and expense. Confidence
in your own work and conclusions will be much more satisfying when not
sullied by nagging doubts about another person's accuracy.

Good hunting,
Judy

This thread:

• [AM-REV] Dar tombstones by paula j mellor <>

  • [AM-REV] DAR tombstones by jalongley <>