My experience of the DAR is that they are very hierarchical. As in, your standing in the group is based on who you were related to in the Revolution. Through my mother, we descend from one of Nathaniel Greene's brothers (he has no direct descendants) so my grandmother was a v.i.p. in her chapter, and told us we should join to continue for the family. I've never had anything to do with 'em.
One the Mayflower, I had three relatives. The only one to show up in the history is a fellow who is often called "argumentative." He fought in the colony's first and only duel, and was sentenced to be tied up, "heels to neck" for I can't remember how long.
Family legend has it that we're realted to Daniel Boone on my father's side.
On my mother's side, my grandfather always claimed we were descended from *those* Scottish Stewarts, but he was kind of crazy.
I just come from long line of farmers. Both my parents grew up on farms, and so on back in Germany and Finland. No one's fought in an American war.
We have more Czech peasants?
:: raises hand ::
I could be in the DAR courtesy of one Lt. Ezra Tucker, who was a fourth-generation American. It's never seemed worth the trouble, except when I have the urge to snoot it over some of these anti-immigration people and point out how much better things would be if my ancestors had restricted immigration before their ancestors came over. One problem with this argument is that the Bushes are Mayflower descendants and the Tuckers arrived about 15 years later.
too many newbies in my family, no revolutionary war fighters here
On my mother's side, my grandfather always claimed we were descended from *those* Scottish Stewarts, but he was kind of crazy.
We're Stuarts (Scottish) on my mother's side.
The Halloweenie will be eligible to joint the D.A.R. as Johan Schmeh fought in the Revolutionary War
I'm totally going to call you David Schmay from now on.
Wait, maybe it was that spelling of Stuart...?
Oh crap. The Ick has eaten my brain. Someone pass the Fernet...
They spell it both ways, Amy.
I have no Revolutionary War relatives that I know of. The Humes branch of my family fought on both sides of the Civil War (courtesy of living in different counties in Tennessee at the time), and one of my ancestors had the distinction of being the youngest Confederate General. Yay?
[And, oddly tangential to this conversation, E and I just finished watching The Americanization of Emily, which was produced by a relative on the other side of my family.]
