Do family stories say that you qualify for Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Colonial Dames or another lineage society?
While they won’t identify every qualifying line – and may identify a few that no longer meet the society’s requirements – a few societies have systems set up to check.
- The Mayflower Society: “Lineage match” allows you to check your ancestry against what the society already has on file. After review, GSMD will send you a list of what they’ve found and an explanation of what you’ll still need to document.
- DAR: The “GRS” (“Genealogical Research System”) will allow you to search through previously submitted applications and, theoretically, check to see if your ancestry is already on file. BEWARE – many of the applications in the system no longer meet the society’s standards. Although someone familiar with the society can “read” the site well enough to tell if a line still qualifies, that is not a judgment you want to make on your own.
- SAR: Still being built, the “Patriot Research System” will eventually allow you to search through SAR applications and to identify what is already on file. At this point, only a small number of applications have been attached. BEWARE – currently, this system is underdeveloped and should only be used for hints.