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Wiki Index

Purpose: This wiki is a structured knowledge base for preparing SAR membership applications and assisting the Registrar with questions about acceptable sources and proper source citations. Claude maintains the wiki; the human curates sources, asks questions, and guides the analysis.

Last updated: 2026-08-18

Core Policy Pages

  • Revolutionary Service — What qualifies as military, civil, and patriotic service; special cases (militia fines, desertion, children, tax payment, Spanish service)
  • Genealogical Proof Standard — The five-element GPS, direct vs. indirect evidence, strength of proof required
  • Proof Argument — When and how to write a proof argument; research tips for brick walls

Sources and Evidence

  • Acceptable Sources — Admissible documents for service and lineage (government records, church records, newspapers, Bible records, tombstones, published books, census)
  • Inadmissible Sources — Explicitly rejected document types (GEDCOMs, IGI, unsourced family trees, SAR/DAR system printouts, online transcriptions)
  • Record Copies (SAR, DAR, CAR) — Cutoff dates (SAR: 1 Jan 2012; DAR: 1 Jan 1985; CAR: 1 Jan 1985), submission requirements, what is not accepted
  • DNA Evidence — Scope restrictions (1500 cM threshold, gens 1–2 or 2–3 without professional), professional genealogist requirements for earlier gens, consent forms

Application Process

  • Application Types — New member, Family Plan, Junior, Grandfathered, Supplemental, Memorial
  • Application Requirements — Form format, watermarked bond paper, dates, place names, signatures, documentation presentation rules
  • Lineage Proof — Proving all generations, residence and identity of patriot and ancestor, maternal bloodline, remarried wives, initials/middle names
  • Source Citation Format — How to cite each document type on the application (birth/death/marriage certs, census, probate, Bible, newspaper, record copies, tombstones, proof arguments)
  • Citation Examples — Every worked citation example found across the wiki and raw sources, compiled by document type; flags document types with no worked example
  • Appeals and Pended Applications — 45-day priority rule, 2-year expiration, appeal to Genealogist General then President General, flags and corrections, expedited processing
  • Research Strategies for Difficult Cases — FamilySearch Catalog navigation, census search tips, city directories, mortality schedules, fraternal records, genealogy reference books, when to hire a local researcher

Supplementary Sources

  • Guidelines for Lineage Proof — General patriotic/hereditary society proof standards (Greenwood 1973); treated as supplementary SAR guidance; flags one conflict with GCP on 1850–1870 census
  • Documenting Difficult Cases — SAR practical research guide (Genealogist General Faulkinbury, 2020); census series detail, pre-1850 records, vital records, city directories, FamilySearch Catalog tips
  • SAR Application Formatting Guide — Official SAR field-by-field completion guide; service description vs. proof field distinction, lineage data entry rules, review checklist

Source Documents in raw/

File Description
# Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).md SAR Application Preparation Guide (03 January 2026) — practical how-to for preparing applications
National Society, Sons of the American Revolution.md NSSAR Genealogy Committee Policies (through 10 March 2026) — formal policy manual
guidelines-1.md General lineage proof guidelines (Greenwood 1973); supplementary SAR source
difficultcases.md SAR practical research guide — Genealogist General Jim Faulkinbury, 30 March 2020
SAR-Application-Formatting-Guide.pdf Official SAR application completion and review guide