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- National Index
The DAR's Genealogical Records Committee and Preservation of Historic Records
From its foundation in 1890, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has had as one of its primary purposes the preservation of historic sites and resources. The collection of genealogical records and their preservation for future generations of Americans has always been in the forefront of the DAR's efforts.
Beginning in the 1910s, the DAR made a concerted effort to have members transcribe previously unpublished records of genealogical value to assist both the staff genealogists, potential members and the public. In 1913, the DAR established the Genealogical Research Committee (subsequently renamed the Genealogical Records Committee) to coordinate this nation-wide attempt to save historical records. The result has been nearly 17,000 typescripts of records from across the country. These volumes are referred to collectively as the Genealogical Records Committee Reports, for the DAR's national committee responsible for their production. They represent one of the most important and unique segments of the collection of the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., where the entire "national" collection is located. State sets of these reports may be found in various libraries within each respective state. A portion of these volumes was microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1970-1972, but over half of the present collection has not been microfilmed.
These typescripts contain a tremendous amount of unique genealogical material, much of it gleaned from gravestones, family Bibles, and personal collections. Members gather together information accessible to them where they live, through family connections, or in their own genealogical papers. When a member has material she wishes to submit, she presents it to her chapter chairman, who in turn sends it on to the state chairman. The latter is responsible for assembling the report for that state each year incorporating materials which have come from the membership and chapters. Many states submit more than one volume each year. In the course of a year, approximately 300 new reports arrive at the GRC office of the DAR Library for addition to the collection.
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