DAR Provides Contributed Supporting Documentation Online for Genealogy Researchers
The following announcement was written by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution:
The
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is pleased
to announce a new added feature to its Genealogical Research System
(GRS). This newSupporting Documents feature allows users to purchase
documents that were submitted with previously verified DAR membership
and supplemental applications. These documents may include family bible
records, deeds, wills and other various materials used to prove lineage
to a patriot of the American Revolution.
“The DAR is committed to making family
research materials more readily available to the public,” said DAR
President General Lynn Forney Young. “Genealogy is such an exciting
passion for so many and these newly added resources will expand
accessibility to family history documents.”
The Supporting Documents made available on
the GRS may prove to be very helpful to researchers who are looking for
a missing piece in their genealogy search. For example, if a researcher
is having difficulties connecting two generations or finding proof of
an ancestor’s military service, the needed documents could possibly be
included in the supporting documentation submitted for a common
ancestor.
The GRS is a free resource provided by the
DAR to aid general genealogical research and to assist with the DAR
membership process. The GRS is a collection of databases that provide
access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in
1890.
GRS users have long been able to purchase
Record Copies (previously verified DAR membership and supplemental
applications), which show the lineage going back to the ancestor who
contributed to the American Revolution, but before now the documents
which were submitted to support the Record Copy were not available for
purchase online. Now these supporting documents are available on demand
for the user to purchase either in conjunction with a Record Copy or
separate from the application with which it is associated.
“The addition of Supporting Documents to
the GRS may ease the difficulty of family research in some situations,”
said Eric Grundset, Director of the DAR Library. “Previously, you may
have needed to search through many resources in various locations to
find documents; now you may be able to find them in the GRS.”
These Supporting Documents have been
reviewed and indexed by DAR staff genealogists and DAR member
volunteers. More Supporting Documents will become available as more are
reviewed. Any documents that have not been thoroughly reviewed will not
be available for purchase on the GRS.
Record Copies and Supporting Documents are
now part of the DAR Online Library Documents Service. This service
allows researchers to select an application or Supporting Documents (if
they are available), pay by credit card, and instantly download the
document as an Adobe PDF document. It is important to note that any
applications or vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce or other
sensitive documentation) that are less than 100 years old will not be
available in an effort to keep personal information confidential.
A
newsletter reader sent an interesting question this week, asking where
to donate newly-found documents that may be of interest to many other
genealogists. Here is an excerpt from her message: