Colorado Family History Expo June 12-13, 2009

FINDING, SEARCHING, AND USING DAR RECORDS
Presented by Patricia A Johnson
PO Box 1973
Fort Collins, Colorado 80522
busterb8805@msn.com

This class will demonstrate how to access three types of records at DAR. These are all accessible to the public, and are not dependent on joining DAR, however, the records at DAR are somewhat of a challenge to access.

A bit of history: In 1905, the DAR realized that prospective members were submitting excellent documentation that was not available elsewhere. These were Bible records, wills, deeds, tax records, oaths of allegiance, town records, personal diaries, etc etc. The Genealogical Records Committee (GRC) was created to collect those records and preserve them. Next, the DAR encouraged local and state chapters to submit sets of data to the GRC. That project is carried on today and is an important part of many local chapters’ activities.

The records I will discuss are: (1) DAR Patriot Lookup (2) DAR Record Copy Service (3) GRC National Index. My goal is to show you how to obtain these records and how to use them. The handout will help you follow along.

Conclusion: DAR records are not a “one stop, one button” solution to research. Accessing them definitely requires some old-fashioned patience. The vast amount of data to be found is well worth the effort. With practice, it becomes easy to do.



*************************************************************************************
This was an enjoyable experience. A day at the Colorado Family History Expo on June 13, 2009. It was fun to visit with other genealogists. I was on duty at the Larimer County Geneaological Society Booth for a 1/2 hour shift and that was fun. After a mix up on the room I was to use for my class was straightened out, things went smoothly. The overhead projector was repaired and I had the room set up before my first attendees arrived at 1:00. The room was filled to capacity which made me feel good. Nothing worse than an empty room for a presentation! The majority were ladies but there was a healthy attendance by men as well. I apologized for the antique technology I use and promised I would have a power point program next time. It went well and I had many good questions as we went. I met Holly Hansen and enjoyed getting to know her as she helped me make additional handpouts. I had severely underestimated the size of the crowd and needed more than what I had brought. Needless to say I was pretty well worn out at the end of the day, but I would do it again in a heart beat. patj