Record Copy Information
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General Information
Previously verified DAR membership and supplemental applications can be used as genealogical research tools as well as documentation for new applications. As long as there is no reason to believe that the lineage or service is incorrect on an older application paper, it can always be used as genealogical proof documentation. If DAR verified the lineage in the past, the applicant does not have to send documentation to DAR to prove her lineage, therefore expediting the entire process for the applicant and the verifying genealogist.
Copies of previously verified DAR membership applications (record copies) can be ordered for $10 from the Library Copy Services Office. Please note, record copies only consist of the application, and not copies of the supporting documentation that originally accompanied it.
DAR Library Copy Services Office
Effective March 1, 2006, the former Registrar General's Record Information Office has been divided into the Registrar General's Data Processing Office and the DAR Library Copy Services Office. Different functions of the old Record Information Office have been transferred to these two new offices. Please read the following information and choose an option that best suits the question you have.
Contact Information
Pending Membership Applications or Supplemental Applications
If you have a question relating to pending applications or supplementals, contact either the Registrar General's Data Processing office at rginfo@dar.org, or the Registrar General's Genealogy Department at genealogy@dar.org.
General Information Inquiries Relating to the DAR Application Process
Please send any general inquiries relating to the application process or the Genealogy Department (the Office of the Registrar General) to rginfo@dar.org or genealogy@dar.org.
New Requests for Application Paper Copies (Record Copy Orders)
If you need information on how to order a copy of a DAR membership application or supplemental application (i.e. a record copy), please click here to obtain the two page printable form:
Instructions for Ordering Application Record Copies and Request for Record Copy Form.
Pending Orders for Application Paper Copies (Record Copies Not Yet Received)
If you have an inquiry about a problem with an existing order you have placed for a record copy and for which the required pre-payment has been made, you may email the Library Copy Services Office at copyservices@dar.org. Requests for record copies of applications and supplementals are processed in the order in which they are received whether by mail or by fax. Processing times vary depending on demand.
Documentation Supporting an Application or a Supplemental Application
If you need information on how to order copies of the supporting documentation for approved (1890 to the present) DAR applications or supplemental applications, please contact the DAR Library’s Search Service. The Search Service handles all requests to have searches done to determine if documentation supporting an application or a supplemental application exists in the file collection. Many applications do not have this supporting material, and the only way to determine if documentation exists is for the Search Service to conduct research in our file collection. The telephone number for the DAR Library Search Service is (202) 879-3245.
General Information Inquiries Relating to the DAR Library
Please send any general inquiries relating to the DAR Library, and the genealogical research collections in it, to library@dar.org or call (202) 879-3229 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Instructions for Ordering Application Record Copies
Application papers of active, deceased, resigned, or dropped DAR members may be ordered for a fee of $10.00 per paper from the Library Copy Services Office (formerly the Registrar General's Record Information Office). The staff may need to perform considerable research to fill your request, so it would be helpful if you could provide as much information as possible to help them with this search. This $10.00 fee is for the searching and copying. If the requested paper is not available, the fee is not refundable. You will be notified if a problem arises with your order or if a paper is not available for some reason.
Instructions for Ordering Application Record Copies and Request for Record Copy Form
Mail Orders
Please complete one copy of the Request for Record Copy (PDF) form for each paper you wish to order. Include a check in the proper amount ($10.00 per paper) made payable to "Treasurer General NSDAR" with your order. If you are requesting a copy of more than one application or multiple copies of one application, you may pay with one check for the total amount.
Mail record copy orders to: Library Copy Services DAR Headquarters 1776 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-5303
Fax Orders
You may also order record copies by fax using the Request for Record Copy (PDF) form. Payment may be made with Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card. Faxed orders will be processed in order of their receipt along with mail order requests.
Fax record copy orders to: (202) 777-2372
Application Record Copy Limitations
The Daughters of the American Revolution, through the DAR Library’s Copy Services Office, provides copies of previously verified applications and supplemental applications, when available. DAR does not guarantee that the information found on any application is the most current or that it is now accepted by the DAR Genealogy Department. The record copies are sent as additional tools for use in your research.
Please note: DAR does not have information on every patriot serving during the American Revolution, only those established by our members.
When is an application paper not available for copying?
- When a member has requested that her papers not be shared. Members may no longer close their papers, but we still honor that request for those active members who did close their papers before the policy change in 1985.
- When the paper has errors in lineage or service that cannot be corrected. We cannot send copies of such papers.
- When the time frame for the requested information occurs before April 19, 1775 or after November 26, 1783. There are some exceptions for certain events in 1774.
- When a DAR member has not established an ancestor as a patriot, thereby creating a paper.
- When a patriot has only been established through a grave marking or a commemorative marker.
- When a paper is requested through a specific child that has not been established by a DAR member.
A paper may contain little or no information because . . .
- Older forms may be incomplete because certain information was not required or provided at the time the paper was prepared. DAR does not assume responsibility for the completeness of any application, so please be aware of this situation before ordering.
- Short form applications (two-page forms) may not contain full lineage, reference, and service information, because they only go back from a member a few generations and then tie in with another earlier paper that traces back to a Revolutionary War patriot ancestor. We only send copies of short form applications when the request is made for a specific member’s name or for a specific national number.
