ISister Rain’s Note:
This is the seventh story in a series about my search for an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War. To read the previous posts, click on the following:
“Historical Society Of Pennsylvania“
“The Search Heard Round The World”
“The Son-In-Law Of Liberty”
“This Colonel Is My Truth“
“Family Rarelooms”
“Coat Tales“
I have been a daughter all my life and although my childhood left a lot to be desired, I never wanted to be anyone else’s offspring. And as much as I hoped to find a Patriot, I didn’t think about being a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Once there was no doubt in my or my researcher / genealogist / husband, Mister Rain’s, mind that Colonel Augustine Willett is my 5x great-grandfather, it became important to me to have our relationship registered. I have no children, so this wasn’t for them. It was for me, certainly, but it was for Augustine as well.
A false alarm had me reaching out to my local DAR chapter about a different ancestor, but that lead didn’t get very far before we understood that they were not my tie to the Continental Army. However, once Grandpa Auggie was mine, and I his, I already had the forms to start the process of applying to DAR. Using the instructions provided by Susan, the Registrar and my sponsor, my husband began to assemble the supporting – the PROVING – documentation the organization would require to submit my application. Susan had warned us not to be overwhelmed by the process, but it was difficult not to be. Birth, marriage, death. Dates. Names. Locations. Official records of all of the above. The criteria is very strict, lending a gravity to each necessary step. Serious business calling for serious Daughters.
After compiling everything we could, we met with Susan. As we presented each generation’s corresponding corroborating papers, working our way back to my 5x great-grandfather, she entered names and dates into my application via her laptop. Once we arrived at 1751, the year Augustine was born, Susan had a small list of information and records that were still needed before we could submit everything to the DAR headquarters in Washington, DC. Now that I had made the decision to pursue this recognition of my 5x great-grandfather by the Daughters of the American Revolution, there was no turning back. Not my style. And I’m pretty sure it was not Grandpa Auggie’s either.
To be continued . . .
“Becoming A Daughter In My Fifties”
“My 5x Great-Grandfather Is An Exhibitionist”
“Certifiably Framed”
“Valley Forging Our Bond”
“Over The River And Through The Woods To My 5x Great-Grandfather’s Tavern I Go“
#sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindwriter #ushistory #genealogy #colonelaugustinewillett #grandpaauggie #dar #daughtersoftheamericanrevolution #provingmydnatothedar
