Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met at the Dorcheat Museum on Saturday, March 7th. Hostesses for our meeting were Katherine Coleman, Pam Mattox, and Nancy Procell, who provided sandwiches, snacks, and ice tea. Museum Director Jessica Gorman, who is our chapter Service to America Committee Chair, presented a genealogy workshop for our members. She explained the Genealogy Proof Standard and the importance of using primary sources such as courthouse records, old newspapers, and death certificates to connect one generation to another. She showed us how to locate many of these documents online at home and through websites available for patrons of the Webster Parish Library. She discouraged the habit of going to Ancestry.com and just hooking pedigrees together, because many of the pedigrees are incorrect. Chapter Regent Donna Sutton distributed DAR applications for the workshop attendees to give to friends and relatives who may be interested in joining our chapter. The applications included a list of primary documents that DAR requires for each generation.
Pam Mattox, our chapter Volunteer for Veterans Chair, distributed Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal applications. These are medals that are available from the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs for any Louisiana resident who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime or peacetime. They are also available for families of deceased veterans. A copy of the DD 214 / Discharge Papers or DD 1300 / Death Certificate is required for documentation. The medal can be mailed to the applicant, or awarded at a Veteran’s Honor Medal Ceremony. The applications are available online on the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs website.
DAR is a volunteer organization dedicated to education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Any woman age 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) is eligible to join DAR. For more information, contact us at dorcheatbistineau@yahoo.com