Is finally finishing your application to the Sons of the American Revolution or the Daughters of the American Revolution on your New Year’s Resolution List? Has the cost been leading you to put it off?
There are things you can do to make the application more affordable.
- Apply strategically: Work together with your family members who are also interested in applying. If you have multiple family members interested in SAR, take advantage of their family plan (found on page 6), which allows for a slight application discount. If you have family members interested in both DAR and SAR and want to hire help assembling the application, plan to take advantage of SAR’s policy that allows the use of a DAR record copy as “proof.” It will save time in assembling the application.
- Be realistic about your membership: Both SAR and DAR use chapter (local) level organization. If you’re too far from a chapter to attend or be involved, it might be worth considering an “at large” membership (available at least for DAR). Those applications need to be processed through a state registrar. They only allow participation in state level events, but they are less expensive.
- Use what’s already on file: Once you know who is interested and what societies they’d like to join, reach out to the society. DAR especially prefers that you do not submit information that is already on file. A chapter registrar should be able to review the line you’ve identified and tell you what’s needed to submit it for review. To reach DAR, go to https://www.dar.org/national-society/become-member/chapter-locations. For SAR, go to https://www.sar.org/find-your-contact/.
- Get what records you can online: If you’ve never used FamilySearch, now is the time to start!
- Know where to go for help: DAR and SAR both have options for help from volunteers. DAR will connect you through the chapter. SAR contacts are available here. These volunteer options are typically best suited for less complex problems. For complex problems or if you want assistance completing the entire application, consider hiring a professional who specializes in lineage society applications.