Genealogical research
Additional Information
Applications for SAR membership utilize genealogy to establish “the lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all times unfailing in loyalty to, and rendered active service in the cause of American Independence.” Many SAR members also enjoy pursuing genealogical research on their families and others who participated in the American Revolution. One of the first things many members do after joining is write a short description of their ancestor’s service during the Revolution. We provide the research resources below to get you started. As you dig, these resources will lead you to others.
Learn More
The National SAR maintains “how to” instructions so you can learn more about conducting genealogical research. They also offer professional genealogical research services for a fee.
Genealogical Resources
SAR Patriot Research System
The SAR Patriot Research System is the SAR’s repository database of members, their Patriot ancestors, and Patriots’ burial information.
SAR Revolutionary War Tax Research
The National Society SAR Genealogy Committee established the Subcommittee on Revolutionary Taxes to “examine evidence and determine whether or not particular tax laws and lists provide a basis for Patriotic Service and make that information available to the SAR staff and members.”
DAR Genealogical Research System
The GRS is DAR’s online genealogical portal. Here you will find collections of databases DAR has made available online. These include our Ancestor Database, Member Database, Descendants Database, DAR Library Catalog, DAR Genealogical Records Committee database, The Revolutionary War Digital Library and corresponding index, and a couple of others. The databases are arranged on separate tabs to make navigation easier.
Fold3
Fold3® features premier collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military. Many of the records come from the U.S. National archives, The National Archives of the U.K. and other international records.
Ancestry
Curious about your family history but not sure where to start? Find insights, inspiration, and inroads to help you make your own discoveries. Ancestry.com is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.
Find A Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present final disposition information as a virtual cemetery experience." Volunteers can create memorials, upload photos of grave markers or deceased persons, transcribe photos of headstones, and more. As of 2022, the site claimed more than 210 million memorials.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all people discover their family story.