Sons of the American Revolution Make Major Donation to the Archives

Date Posted: Friday, August 16th, 2013

On August 7, the Delaware Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (DESSAR) donated to the Delaware Public Archives seven hundred completed applications for membership to their organization which preserve records related to the events leading up to and during the American Revolution.

Delaware Public Archives Director Stephen M. Marz added, “This will be a heavily used collection because it contains so much information on Delaware families.  The DESSAR deserves a tremendous amount of credit for donating these records to the Archives because the documents trace back to the beginnings of the organization. To have this collection at the Delaware Public Archives is truly an honor.”

Since 1891, many Delaware men have honored their patriotic ancestors by joining the DESSAR.   Each applicant is required to research and prove through documented evidence that an ancestor provided assistance during the American Revolutionary War period.  These findings are submitted onto the DESSAR membership application.  Dating from 1891 to 1976, these original documents are a wealth of family history information and will be instrumental in helping the genealogy community make connections to their Revolutionary War roots as well as historians as they capture Delaware’s  personal connections to this historical time.

After the applications have been processed by the Archives staff, the full collection will be available for research by the public in the fall of 2013.

 

Related Topics:  American Revolution, Birth Records, Family History, Genealogy, Marriage, Marriage Records, Probate Records, Sons of the American Revolution