Our forefathers...

All my life my grandmother had told me that we have a rich lineage of patriots.  Well, of course, I didn't realize how cool it was & how much I would like to ask her until she was gone. She died in May 2007 and it was too soon, too fast.  However, I kept thinking & thinking about the heritage she told me about and decided to research it.  After a bit of research in 2009, I fizzled out.

But in early 2011 a cousin brought it up & I was ready to go again!  I started with an ancestry.com membership (free at first).  Then after I told my aunt I would do her application too, she paid for me to have a 3 month membership.  That's really important in the end because you can access information others have already worked on & get the 'proofs' you will need for applications.  Proofs include birth & death certificates, census records, marriage licenses, grave markers, etc.

Luckily, my mom found a document from the '70s sent to my grandmother with information to use for our application to Daughters of the American Revolution.   Since a relative had already applied, we used her application number as our 'proofs' on our connected relatives and provided proofs for the newest generations only.  This was super easy!  Okay, it was sorta easy.  I also did the applications for my mom, sister, another aunt, and a cousin. So a total of 6 applications.  And the proofs have to be printed a certain way with info on the back and kept in order. You also have to have the application printed on special paper that is signed by your local registrar.  Phew!  We submitted the app & it took 2 months to become approved.  The DAR also has a fabulous online library to use for free when researching your ancestors. 

After becoming approved for DAR, I wanted to become a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. I was originally told that my family was part of the Old 300 who first settled Texas. Although I couldn't find any proof of this, I did find atleast 3 Texas settlers who also fought for the Republic of Texas and had first-class land grants. La tee da!  The coolest part is that once my family came to Texas, they never left.  I am an 8th generation Texan and my kiddos are 9th gen.  And ALL of these generations were born in Texas and married Texans!  That makes me so happy & proud!  This application took a lot longer.  Not only did I have to search, search, search to find our non-existent Old 300 connection, but once I gave up on that, I had to figure out which patriot I could prove! Thank goodness for the internet! I found the Texas General Land Office which offered free searches & document proofs.  I also ordered another proof for $2 from Austin.  In the end, I could not find everything on Ancestry.com.  I had to order items from Arkansas, and several TX counties. These cost from $2 - $23.  Some items are free online or can be emailed to you. Others are hand-photocopied and take a week or two.  It can be mentally exhausting to keep all this info in your head.  ESPECIALLY because all these ancestors liked to share names, so good luck keeping all of the Williams and Marys straight.  Once all documents were submitted to the Registrar General, it took 2 days to be approved. Yay!

And just because I am a glutton for punishment want a nice looking resume, I have applied for the United Daughters of the Confederacy.  This is actually the oldest patriotic lineage organization in the United States.  Now, can I confess something? I want to be a member, but I'm not sure I will pay the yearly dues EVERY year.   It can add up quickly!  And by the way, all of these ancestors are on my maternal side!  I haven't even touched the ancestor from my dad's side who was a Civil War doctor & member of the House of Representatives! That'll have to be next.  And not to go overboard here, but the hubs has lineage all the way back to the Mayflower!  I don't qualify, but my kiddos do & that makes me happy!

So- do you know your heritage?  Is it dumb to say that I learned SO much more about the history of my country by learning about my ancestors & what they were doing at that point in time? It really put things in perspective!

Randomly- Allison