What's In a Lineage Society?

Lineage societies provide invaluable resources for obtaining family history documentation.  Many of the societies are based on military service or a specific family name or a specific place of residence.

 

Harvesting the information of those who have walked the research pathways before us can be very rewarding when looking for that one or those elusive document(s).  Possibly, someone years ago knew just the right place to look and saved the document(s) in a lineage society archives for us to utilize years down the line.

 

One of the oldest lineage societies in the US is the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).  The DAR headquarters is in Washington DC with sub-organizations in every state and chapters in many communities.  The DAR offers Volunteer Genealogists who are schooled in genealogical research and are willing to assist with building a family line back to the time of the American Revolution.  DAR was established by Congress and has stringent guidelines for lineage documentation.  Linking back to the records of the DAR gives one a sense of the time-honored tradition of loyalty and honor to our nation's beginning.  The Sons of the American Revolution is a brother organization to the DAR, with their own requirements and documentation.  Both of these societies welcome researchers and encourage the study of our country's historical and family information.

 

There are several lineage societies which reach farther back into the beginning of our nation.  These include the National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, Daughters of American Colonists, National Society of Colonial Dames, Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century, and many more.  Each society has its own documentation requirements and registrars who are helpful with guidance to gather the information which proves your own lineage.

 

 

 

 

The United States has been involved in many conflicts throughout its history, both on American soil and abroad.  There are lineage societies for every military conflict, such as:  National Society US Daughters of the War of 1812, Daughters of French and Indian Wars, Continental Society Daughters of Indian Wars, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of the Confederacy, Descendants of Confederate Veterans, San Jacinto Descendants, Descendants of World War I Veterans, Descendants of World War II Veterans and more.

 

There are lineage societies for those living in particular locations such as Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Sons of the Republic of Texas, Descendants of Jamestown, First Families of Virginia, First Families of Tennessee, Texas First Families, Gone to Texas Pioneers, First Families of the Twin Territories (Oklahoma), First Families of Van Zandt County, Texas, and more.

 

 

 

There are lineage societies which focus on a particular surname, such as The Burleson Family Association and the Doan Family Association, the Ogilvie Family Association.

 

Many lineage societies focus on an occupation such as Descendants of Texas Rangers, the societies for descendants of lawyers, judges, pub owners, and more.

 

 

 

All of these societies have a web presence and may be located by a web search.  Information on groups which are pertinent to an area may be found at the local genealogical library or society.  Most counties have local genealogical and historical societies which have information on lineage society chapters in their area.

 

For more information and particular links to lineage societies, please contact Carrie at honeycrek2 @ aol.com.

 

Or you may contact Carrie on her Facebook page:  Family Tree Productions.

 

Happy researching!!