Using the Resources of the DAR

If you have an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War, you might find genealogical information about your family in a DAR Application File at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. To join the Daughters of the American Revolution, applicants must trace their lineage to a Patriot one generation at a time, providing birth, marriage and death information on each generation.

A free index to those Application Files is available online at DAR.org. There is a $10 fee to view the actual Application File, which can include documentation of sources provided at the time of the application. If you can visit the DAR Library in person, you can view Application Files at no cost, and print copies for $.25/page.

Men in the US born 1872-1900 - WWI Draft Cards

All men living in the US in 1917 and 1918 (aliens as well as citizens) who were born between September 1872 and September 1900 were required by law to register for the draft unless they were already serving in the military. If you ancestor was born in that timeframe, check for a draft registration card. The cards include details like current residence, date and place of birth, name and address of nearest relative, and more.

Alabama, Washington county; Roll: 1473283; Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Until recently, the only way to find a draft registration card was to look at every card filed (either on microfilm or at the National Archives at Atlanta) by the Draft Board in the county and state where your ancestor lived. Thanks to digitization and indexing efforts, you can now quickly search by a person's name.

Draft registration collections are available on several genealogy web sites including FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. More than 24 million men registered, so you are likely to find a relation among them.