Colonial Dames

Is it possible to honor an Indigenous ancestor through lineage society membership?

The short answer: yes! Historically, racism has limited the number of Indigenous ancestors documented by lineage societies. That is beginning to change. The Daughters of the American Revolution has made a concerted effort to document new patriots of all backgrounds. The society now offers a “Patriots of Color” database that provides resources to identify serviceContinue reading “Is it possible to honor an Indigenous ancestor through lineage society membership?”

Grandma belonged to the Colonial Dames?

Yes, the fact that Grandma belonged the Colonial Dames may allow you to be considered a legacy candidate when you do your own membership – provided you’re applying to the same Colonial Dames. This issue comes up far more frequently than one would expect. There are three societies who are sometimes referred to as theContinue reading “Grandma belonged to the Colonial Dames?”

How do I find Revolutionary War service for an ancestor from Connecticut?

Updated 2023. Documenting a new ancestor can be one of the more challenging – but also most fascinating – parts of completing a lineage society application. Many societies prefer that you use an ancestor who is already on file for ease of review. However, most will allow you to add someone if you do notContinue reading “How do I find Revolutionary War service for an ancestor from Connecticut?”

I want to join The Colonial Dames of America. How do I start?

The Colonial Dames of America (CDA), one of the three groups referred to as “Colonial Dames,” is based in New York but has chapters in locations as diverse as Melbourne, FL and Rome, Italy. To see if there’s a chapter near you, visit https://cda1890.org/cda-chapters/. Although all chapters support the mission of the organization, each chapterContinue reading “I want to join The Colonial Dames of America. How do I start?”

Want to join the Colonial Dames? Which one?

If the time at home has you thinking about finally joining the Colonial Dames – like your friends have been urging – there’s one question you need to ask first. Which one? There are three societies that go by “Colonial Dames.” All require an invitation but the difficulty in obtaining such an invitation varies byContinue reading “Want to join the Colonial Dames? Which one?”