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SAR Application Formatting Guide

Summary: Official SAR guide for completing, reviewing, and submitting applications correctly. Covers field-by-field instructions, lineage data entry rules, the review process, and a submission checklist.

Sources: raw/SAR-Application-Formatting-Guide.pdf

Last updated: 2026-04-20

Overview

This document is aimed at Registrars and application preparers. Its most important contribution is clarifying the distinction between the service description field and the service proof field — two separate locations on the application that are frequently confused. It also adds several formatting rules not found elsewhere.

Key topics are expanded in their respective wiki pages:

  • Service description vs. proof field distinction → [[application-requirements]]
  • Bracketed/parenthetical data on record copies → [[application-requirements]]
  • Previously married woman's name format → [[application-requirements]]
  • Conflicting date slash notation → [[application-requirements]]
  • Marriage location split notation → [[application-requirements]]
  • DAR patriot search check → [[revolutionary-service]]
  • Proof of service inadmissible sources → [[inadmissible-sources]]

Key Rules Summary

Service description vs. proof of service

The application has two separate fields: - "Capacity" field (front): Description of service — rank, commanding officers, regiment, state, specifics of patriotic/civil service. - References field (back): Citation proving service — book author/title/page, pension number, muster roll, etc.

Do not enter the proof citation in the capacity field. Do not enter the description in the references field.

Bracketed data on record copies

When using a prior SAR or DAR record copy, data enclosed in parentheses was found incorrect or unproven by the reviewing genealogist. Omit it. Incorporate all corrections noted on the prior application.

NSSAR/NSDAR # field

This field is for listing any person in the lineage who is or was a member of SAR or DAR. It is not for listing the SAR/DAR application numbers on which proof is based.

Multiple applications for the same patriot

If multiple family members are applying simultaneously on the same patriot, submit only one set of shared documentation. Attach it to the primary family member (usually the oldest). All family members applying together must appear on a single transmittal sheet.

Membership certificate spelling

If the applicant's birth certificate spells his name differently from how he currently spells it, include an explanation. Otherwise, the membership certificate will reflect the birth certificate spelling.

DAR record copy completeness

A DAR application submitted as proof must: (1) be a record copy, and (2) include all four pages, printed in their entirety.

Proof of service — inadmissible sources

Not accepted as proof of service: - Family histories - County histories, unless quoting original "records of the day" (e.g., town/county court minutes) - Tombstones or grave markers, including VA-ordered markers - Memorial plaques - DAR and SAR patriot indexes, or online DAR GRS pages

DAR patriot search check

Before submitting, check DAR's patriot search pages. If DAR has flagged a lineage error that appears in the applicant's lineage, SAR will not approve it. If DAR has corrected or changed a patriot's service from what was previously approved, SAR will accept DAR's corrected determination.

Review Process

  1. Always construct the application from the documentation — not the reverse. Application data will then always match what is proved.
  2. Make a plain-paper copy of the application to mark up — do not mark on the original.
  3. Underline all pertinent names, dates, places, ages, and relationships in red; write generation numbers in the margins. Obscure all Social Security Numbers.
  4. Assemble documentation in generational order (generation 1 on top), starting with the applicant's birth certificate.
  5. Page by page, verify each name, date, and location on the documentation against the application.
  6. Watch for common errors on vital records: applicant may have entered the parents' residence as the location of birth instead of the actual birth location.
  7. Verify that each generational connection is proved. SAR staff marks a vertical line between generations when the link is verified.
  8. Verify the patriot's service: it must coincide with where the patriot lived during the war; the patriot must have been old enough to perform the service; and the patriot must have been alive at the time.
  • [[application-requirements]]
  • [[revolutionary-service]]
  • [[inadmissible-sources]]
  • [[record-copies]]
  • [[source-citation-format]]
  • [[lineage-proof]]