Daughters of the American Revolution
Hey, I'm a Jewish woman who is eligible from at least two ancestors, according to my genealogist grandmother.
Haven't chosen to look into it, but glad that my religion doesn't exclude me (or people of color descended from patriots, of whatever race). In our melting pot, how can you possibly imagine that colonial soldiers DON'T have descendents of every race, religion and ethnicity imaginable??
When I was working in a library that was heavily into genealogy, the requirements for being a DAR member were that you had to be able to prove, using original documents,that you were a descendant of someone who had served honorably on the side of the rebels during the American revolution Additionally, all of your ancestors had to have been legally married, which automatically disqualified the descendants of African American slaves, who were not usually permitted to marry.
From what I could determine, many of the "sources" that these ladies used stretched the truth quite a bit.
One formidable old lady, who did not qualify for the DAR because her ancestors didn't serve in the colonial military, started her own society of descendants of colonial tavern keepers, which she made as exclusive as the DAR. And then there was another society, called the Daughters of Colonial Wars, or something similar (I have blessedly forgotten after 20 years), which may have been in competition with the DAR.
I found all of these ladies delightful, if mystifying to work with. Their library collections are spread around the state. Try the Newark Public Library, Morristown PL, or the state library in Trenton for more information.
I've always told ctrzwife she should join the DAR, being able to prove connections... if only because they've got a helluva building in DC.
I tried to see if she qualified for the GSMD (born 350 years to the day after the landing), but apparently ship#2 (the Fortune) doesn't count, (for obvious reasons I guess). The GSMD claims tens of millions are direct descendants of the Mayflower today, so I can't imagine all shapes and sizes aren't widely represented in the DAR too... that's a LOT of lower branches on family trees.
lizziecat: The Flagon and Trencher Society is the colonial tavern crew.
Per US Government Archives, "In a dramatic and celebrated act of conscience, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) when it barred the world-renowned singer Marian Anderson, an African American, from performing at its Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. Following this well-publicized controversy, the federal government invited Anderson to sing at a public recital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, some 75,000 people came to hear the free recital. The incident put both the artist and the issue of racial discrimination in the national spotlight."
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/eleanor.html
Yeah, in 1939 that was incredibly tactical and moral for Eleanor Roosevelt to do. Rare I would think. The DAR historically seemed snooty. I am happy to see that it has evolved like many of the institutions in this country.
My aunt used to be into genealogy (she was mobility challenged and it was a great hobby for her) and the family went through a period when she was joining organizations for me and my brother. She signed us both up for The Denison Society (our CT forebears who lived in the 17th century), the Mayflower Society, and so on. She also signed me up for the DAR and the Magna Carta Dames. At the time I was a teen so had little interest. Now, I wish she had left out the DAR.
I was reading about the Daughters of the American Revolution and this has to be one of the funniest things I've read in a while:
"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 for membership."