How to Become a Member of Today’s DAR
Facts About NSDAR
Eligibility
A Personal Message from our
Membership Chairman . . .
Welcome! We are delighted that you are interested in the
Daughters of the American Revolution. Those of us who claim
Revolutionary Patriots as our ancestors are richly blessed,
and participation in this organization helps us to honor and
remember the courage and sacrifices made for our benefit by
men and women we never knew, but whose blood flows in
our veins. This article will provide some basic information
about our wonderful Society. View the video “Today’s DAR”
to see for yourself who we are, and you may also want to take
a look at the DAR website at www.dar.org for additional
information.
How Many Members Does the National Society Have?
The DAR was established in 1890, and has grown to a
membership of over 165,000 women in 3,000 chapters in all
50 states and 12 foreign nations. More than 800,000 women
have joined DAR since it was founded. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join DAR. We are a non-profit, non-political, volunteer women's service organization, dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education.
Where is National Headquarters? The Society Headquarters complex occupies an entire city block near the White House in Washington, DC, and includes three adjoining buildings, two of which are Registered National Historic Landmarks. The DAR Library is one of
the largest genealogical research centers in the United States. The DAR Museum has thirty-one Period Rooms as well as permanent and changing exhibitions that showcase American furnishings and decorative arts.
How is Work Accomplished? Most of the volunteer work of DAR is accomplished under a committee system which promotes the mission of the Society in Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism. For example, Historic Preservation includes committees such as "American Heritage," which promotes preservation of historic sites and American cultural traditions, as well as "Genealogical Records" which encourages the accumulation and protection of unpublished source records. The President General's Project has been an ongoing effort to digitize the genealogical records and other valuable documents held by DAR, and it is now focusing on preservation of our historic buildings in Washington, DC.
The Education committees include "American History," which, among other things, sponsors Essay Contests for students in grades 5 - 8; "American Indians," which contributes financial and scholarship aid to Native Americans; "Literacy Promotion," which promotes adult literacy; plus "Children of the American Revolution," founded by DAR in 1895 to be a training ground for patriotism and leadership development in our youth. Under the Education Committee umbrella also are the DAR Schools: Kate Duncan Smith DAR School in Alabama and Tamassee DAR School in South Carolina; as well as Berry College in Georgia, Crossnore School in North Carolina, Hillside School in Massachusetts, and Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky. Each of these institutions receives support and funding from DAR, and the members of our Society have an opportunity to serve children with unique needs in specific and gratifying ways.
Our Patriotism Committees give "Community Service Awards" to local citizens who have made outstanding achievements in cultural, educational, humanitarian, patriotic, and citizenship work in their communities. We also promote "Constitution Week" September 17-23 each year to inform and educate the public about our United States Constitution. We work with and recognize others who volunteer their service to our Military Veterans, and we also provide support to our active duty troops through our "DAR Project Patriot" committee. We promote the proper care and respect for the Flag of the United States of America; and through our "National Defense" committee, we recognize good citizenship in elementary and high school students.
How is the Chapter Involved? All of this work is done through our individual chapters, which receive direction and ideas from the National and State Organizations. The Tennessee Society DAR has over one hundred chapters. There are five chapters located in the Chattanooga area; ours is the Judge David Campbell Chapter, and our local leaders are a Regent, 1st Vice Regent, 2nd Vice Regent, Chaplain, Recording Secretary, Registrar, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Historian, and Librarian. Our chapter was organized on May 12, 1915, and named for David Campbell, a major in the Virginia militia who later served presidential appointments to the bench as the State of Franklin and the State of Tennessee were being formed. As of January 2009, we had 97 members. We meet at 11:00 A.M. (Eastern) on the second Wednesday each month, except in January, July, and August. Our luncheon meetings are held in member homes or in private rooms of clubs and restaurants. We have local members from Hamilton, Bradley, Franklin, and Marion counties, from Soddy-Daisy to Lookout Mountain and from Cleveland to Sewanee. Our dues are $50 total ($30 National dues, $5 State dues, $15 Chapter dues). Each member is also responsible for acting as "hostess" and paying her share of one of the luncheon meals each year. Prospective members are asked to pay $20 for their lunch during the time they are working on their application, and until they are admitted as members of NSDAR.
How Do We Get Acquainted? We encourage prospective members to attend as many of our meetings as they are able. Our chapter bylaws require that new members be recommended by two current chapter members, and a chapter meeting is a good opportunity for us to meet you. You must e-mail a week or so ahead if you would like to attend, to secure a reservation.
Where Do I Start On My Lineage? To join DAR you must prove your lineage to an ancestor who served in the cause of the American Revolution. The proof must be actual documentation (such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, Bible records, wills, newspaper clippings, published records) of each generation from you to the patriot, specifically showing the relationship of each generation to the next. The very first thing you should do if you are interested in joining DAR is to get together your own birth and marriage documents, plus your parents' and grandparents' birth, marriage and death documents. Be sure that you have birth certificates that show the names of the parents of the newborn child (many of them omit that information, and it is essential to our documentation). All other data that you have regarding your lineage is helpful, so get it together also. If you know who your Revolutionary War ancestor was, it is very helpful to have his/her name, dates of birth and death, the spouse name, where they lived and where he/she served. There is a $75 application fee that must be paid along with your first year's dues at the time you submit your application.
How Do I Know if it is Correct? When a prospective member decides to join us in the Judge David Campbell Chapter, our Registrar or Membership Chairman helps complete the application. You would be provided a copy of our Application Worksheet, and all you need to do at first is complete and return it to our Registrar with a copy of the required documents for you and your husband (if applicable), your parents and your grandparents. After review, someone will be back in touch to tell you what other documents you will need.
We Look Forward to Hearing From You! Again, we are glad you are interested in DAR and look forward to your participation with us. If you have any questions about DAR or our chapter, feel free to email us at judgedavidcampbell@tndar.org.
