An often overlooked resource for research is lineage societies. Find fellow descendants of your ancestors, share research, or find that missing link through lineage societies. There seems to be one for every war or important event in history.
There are several major lineage societies that have specialized collections of genealogical information. It is worth investigating them for those hidden clues plus you may find stories about your ancestors to add to your family history. I’ve listed contact information in case you want to consider a membership to any of these popular societies, but the main focus of this article is research.
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution: Many records of the DAR are available to the public. Go to www.dar.org and select Genealogy and Online Research. The three local DAR Chapters are Cache la Poudre Chapter in Fort Collins at info.cachelapoudredar@yahoo.com; Friday’s Council Tree Chapter in Windsor atskkoleber@skybeam.com, and Namaqua Chapter in Loveland at theklusmanfamily@hotmail.com. For more information about these Chapters, please email the addresses above.
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is the male version of DAR. Go to www.sar.org/genealogy/patriot-records-search to search their database. The local SAR Chapter is Longs Peak Chapter, which covers this area. For meeting and membership information, please contact 303-464-9400 or email milehighgeorge@aol.com.
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants has a Colorado organization. To see if your ancestor arrived at Plymouth Rock, visit the Mayflower website at www.themayflowersociety.com, then select Contacts and Proposed Lineage Review Form. Another good research resource, The Mayflower Library, is at www.themayflowersociety.org/visit/gsmd-library.
~ Pat Johnson is the registrar of the NSDAR Friday’s Council Tree Chapter in Windsor and vice president of Larimer County Genealogical Society. Please visit the society’s website at www.lcgsco.org for more information.