Are you related to a Minuteman?
How about an officer in the Continental Army?
Those seeking to trace their lineage back to America’s War of Independence gathered at the Oxford Public Library Saturday for a genealogy workshop hosted by the John Crawford Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.
Using family records (birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, etc.), books listing the names of Patriots who fought in the Revolution and even the new-fangled Internet, DAR members gave aid and guidance to those tracing their family’s roots and wishing to join the organization.
Alice Funk, secretary of the DAR Crawford Chapter, said a person needs to be able to trace their family back at least seven generations or more in the United States to find relatives who may have fought in the Revolution.
It doesn’t matter what the distant relation did in the Revolution, just ‘as long as they did something in it, as long as they contributed,? said Funk, noting even being related to a ‘waterboy? on the battlefield can qualify a person for DAR membership.
Chapter Registrar Mary Kabat, of Addison, said there must be historical documentation of service in the war from a ‘recognized source,? such as a publication. Oral history passed down through the family is not considered a documented source, she said.
Bible records are another form of acceptable documentation, according to Kabat. Many families of the past used to record a written history of themselves (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) in the family Bible.
Kabat said the average descendent of a Revolution Patriot can trace their family’s history back nine to ten generations in the United States.
Mary DeWitt, of Lake Orion, attended the workshop hoping to get her lineage paperwork for the DAR completed. She has a cousin on her father’s side, who’s a member of the DAR with the Marie Jefferson Chapter in Florida.
DeWitt said she’s related to a Patriot soldier named Christian Ankney. She hopes to learn more about this relation and pass that knowledge on to her daughter.
Carol Vansickle travelled all the way from Almont to find her Revolutionary War roots.
‘I think I might have found one,? she said with a smile. However, because she’s not sure, she didn’t wish to divulge the name of her possible distant relation.
Vansickle said she’s been researching her family’s history since 1973 ‘trying to find Indians hidden in the family.?
‘I always felt I was Indian, but didn’t know where it came from,? she said. ‘My son was the in the movie Last of the Mohicans and the Indians (on the set) told him he was one.?
For more information about the John Crawford Chapter call (248) 628-9885.