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Finding a Patriot |
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Module II - Finding a
Revolutionary Patriot |
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Module I "Getting Started"
discussed how to identify the dates and places of birth,
marriage, and death for your parents, grandparents, and
great-grandparents. After completing this step, you should have enough information to
begin looking for a Revolutionary War patriot in your
lineage. |
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RootsWeb's WorldConnect
Project |
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The best free site for quickly working your way back to the
Revolutionary War period (1775-1783) is RootsWeb's
WorldConnect Project. Millions of amateur and
professional genealogists have made their research available
here. Although there are MANY ERRORS in the
information at this site, it is still much easier to use
other people's research and gather the documentation needed
to validate the research than it is to try to research
something entirely from scratch.
NOTE: When
searching at this site, type ONLY the Surname and Given Name
of the person you are searching AND one of the following in
the Spouse box: 1) spouse's first name only, 2) spouse's
maiden name only, or 3) spouse's first and maiden name.
Do NOT fill in any other search boxes unless you are
researching an extremely common name.
It is very important that all names are
spelled EXACTLY the same way as the person who uploaded the
information. If your spelling is different, you will
not find their file. If your search fails to return
any results, try a different spelling (e.g., Sarah or Sara,
Philip or Phillip, Whitmer or Witmer, etc.) and search
again.
Once you reach the Revolutionary War period (1775-1783),
look for direct ancestors born between 1710 and 1765 who
were living in 1775-1776. Anyone meeting these
criteria might be a Revolutionary War patriot ancestor.
Click
here
for a demonstration on how to search
RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project.
To search RootsWeb's
WorldConnect Project, click the link below. Follow the
instructions in the left-hand frame while conducting your
search in the right-hand frame.
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ROOTSWEB'S WORLDCONNECT PROJECT |
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Take Notes |
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After clicking on a result in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project,
you will be reviewing a file about your ancestor. At
this point, you have three options for moving further back
in time. You can click on either the:
Each option (father, mother, or spouse) may provide a
line to a Revolutionary War patriot. Thus, each option
should be thoroughly investigated. However, because
only one line can be investigated at a time, things can get
very confusing when working in a WorldConnect file.
To keep track of where you have researched and where you
have not, it is important to take notes. One example
of an efficient note-taking strategy is displayed below. |
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The above example shows that for grandparents Thomas Fletcher
and Rhoda Southworth, the researcher clicked on Thomas'
father David Fletcher. The researcher did NOT click on
Thomas' wife Rhoda Southworth or Mary Gould his mother.
At some point in the future, the researcher will need to
come back and investigate Rhoda Southworth's line and Mary
Gould's line.
Likewise, for great-grandparents David Fletcher and Mary
Gould, the researcher clicked on David's mother Esther Hill.
The researcher did NOT click on David's wife Mary Gould or
David's father Henry Fletcher. Later, the researcher
will need to investigate Mary Gould's line and Henry
Fletcher's line. |
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Census Records |
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If you did not connect to anyone's research by searching on
your grandparents or great-grandparents in RootsWeb's
WorldConnect Project, the next step is to search the federal
census records to get back one generation in time.
Search for your grandparents or great-grandparents.
The goal is to find them as children living in their
parents' household. If you are successful in
identifying an earlier generation in your lineage, return to
RootsWeb's
WorldConnect Project and enter the names of the
newly identified couple in the Search box.
If
you have a subscription to the fee-based site
Ancestry.com,
you can search all the census years at one time.
There are also a few FREE sites where you can search
various census years.
FamilySearch continues to
add census records to its collection. Currently, you
can search and view images for the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1900 and
1940 censuses as well as indexes (no images) for the 1880,
1910,
1920, and 1930 censuses. For a demonstration of FamilySearch,
click here. For instructions on using
FamilySearch, click here. (NOTE: This site also provides
free access to vital records for many states.)
Census
Online provides links
to census records transcribed by volunteers for a large
number of counties in the United States. Click the
link and then select a state of interest. |
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DAR Patriot Index |
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If you have identified an ancestor born between 1710 and 1765
who was living in 1775-1776, check the online DAR Patriot
Index to see if your ancestor is listed. If the answer
is yes, someone else has submitted an approved DAR
application for your ancestor. If the answer is
no, your ancestor could still be a Revolutionary War
patriot. However, no one has submitted an approved DAR
application for him/her.
Click here for a demonstration
on how to search the DAR Patriot Index.
To search the DAR Patriot Index,
first print out the instructions
at this link.
After printing the instructions, click the link below to
search the DAR Patriot Index. |
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DAR PATRIOT INDEX |
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If you find a DAR application that
interests you, you may order a copy of the application.
Click here
for the order form and instructions. |
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For more information about the
online DAR Patriot Index as well as other databases
available through the DAR Genealogical Research System,
click here. |
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To search an SAR Patriot Index,
click here.
Another index of patriots for
the Florida Society SAR is
listed here. |
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DAR Descendants
Index |
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Rather than starting with a
Revolutionary War patriot ancestor as is required when using
the DAR Patriot Index, the DAR Descendants Index allows you
to check the DAR database starting with your
great-grandparents. This can be the easiest and most
effective method for identifying the proven
Revolutionary War patriots in your lineage. The DAR
Descendants Index is a
database of all lineages that appear on approved DAR
applications. To protect the privacy of DAR members,
the lineages begin with members' great-grandparents
(generation 4) and end with the Revolutionary War patriot.
Because the Descendants Index begins with generation 4, you
will need to know your great-grandparents (at a minimum)
before a match can be made in the database. If you
know your great-great-grandparents (generation 5) and their
parents (generation 6), you will be more likely to find
a match in the database if one exists.
The best strategy for using the
DAR Descendants Index is start by identifying all 8 of your
great-grandparents. You will search the DAR
Descendants Index using the last name of the husband and the
maiden name of his wife for each set of your 4 sets of
great-grandparents.
NOTE: Be sure to
follow the instructions carefully in the demonstration
below. The best search method is to use the Advanced
Search form. With the Advanced Search form, the
husband's last name MUST be in the top field and the wife's
maiden name must be in the Spouse - Last Name field.
If nothing is found after
searching on your great-grandparents, the next step is to
identify as many of your 16 great-great grandparents as
possible. Search the DAR Descendants Index using each
of the 8 husband-wife sets in your family tree.
Once you have checked all of
your great-great-grandparents (generation 5), move back yet
another generation to check as many of your 32
great-great-great-grandparents (generation 6) as possible.
Assuming that a match exists
in the DAR Descendants Index, the likelihood of discovering
a match increases the further back in your family tree that
you go. This is because the number of ancestors that
you share in common with others increases as you move
further and further back in your lineage.
Click here for a demonstration
on how to search the DAR Descendants Index.
To search the DAR Descendants Index,
first print out the instructions
at this link.
After printing the instructions, click the link below to
search the DAR Descendants Index. |
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DAR DESCENDANTS INDEX |
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If you find a DAR application that
interests you, you may order a copy of the application.
Click here
for the order form and instructions. |
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For more information about the
online DAR Descendants Index as well as other databases
available through the DAR Genealogical Research System,
click here. |
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Revolutionary War
Service |
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If you did not find your ancestor
in the DAR Patriot Index, it is still possible that your
ancestor was a Revolutionary War patriot. In order to
submit a DAR or SAR application for your ancestor, it will
be necessary to provide documentation regarding your
ancestor's Revolutionary War service. In addition to
military service, DAR also accepts a wide variety of civil
and patriotic actions.
Click here for
a list of the types of acceptable
service. To access free
books and resources for documenting Revolutionary War
service, click the link below. |
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SOURCES OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE |
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FamilySearch |
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Like RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project, FamilySearch also
provides access to research by amateur and professional
genealogists. If you do not connect with any files at WorldConnect, try searching for your
grandparents or great-grandparents at FamilySearch. Be aware that
the information here also contains MANY ERRORS.
Thus, it is important to gather records to validate the
information found in databases and on personal home pages.
To print out instructions on
using FamilySearch,
click here. After printing the instructions,
click the link below. |
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FAMILYSEARCH |
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Google |
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In addition to the online
databases, the open Internet may provide considerable
information about your family.
Thousands of people have posted their family histories on
personal home pages, transcribed information from headstones in
local cemeteries, and researched the histories of their
communities.
Searching
Google effectively for family history information involves
several special search techniques.
Click here for
instructions on these techniques. After reviewing the
instructions, click the link below to search Google.
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GOOGLE |
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Continue to Module
III |
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Continue to the next module "Documenting
the Lineage." |
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