June 25, 2015
GenealogyBank has a strong collection of Revolutionary War records. We have thousands of newspapers that were published before, during and after the war that permanently recorded the troops that served: their battles during the war, and their accomplishments throughout the rest of their lives.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded in 1890 and chartered by Congress in 1896. First Lady Caroline Lavina Scott Harrison, wife of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison, was its first President General. From the earliest days of the organization, the DAR has worked to document every person that fought in the Revolutionary War – and in particular, to document where each veteran was buried.
Because the DAR was chartered by Congress, their annual reports were published in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. GenealogyBank has the entire run of these reports in our Historical Documents section.
Here is a typical entry.
This example is the entry for Phineas Bronson (1764-1845) who died in Illinois.
This entry tells us that Phineas Bronson was born on 9 November 1764 and died on 25 October 1845; he “served in 3rd Company, 2d Regiment, under Maj. Benjamin Walbridge and Col. Zebulon Butler”; and he was a pensioner. The entry further informs us that he was buried in the Princeville Cemetery in Princeville, Peoria County, Illinois.
Phineas Bronson was born in Connecticut. See his birth record here. You can read more about the 2nd Connecticut Regiment in the Revolutionary War here.
An earlier DAR Report tells us that the Peoria Chapter of the DAR (Peoria, Illinois), under the direction of Mrs. James N. Butler, the chapter regent, had seen to it that Bronson’s grave was marked with a DAR memorial plaque.
That plaque still marks his grave.
Genealogy Tip: GenealogyBank is your go-to resource for your ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War. Like the example in this article, you can learn: what regiment your ancestor fought in; who his commanding officers were; his birth and death dates; the name of the cemetery where he was buried; and whether his grave was marked with a plaque by the local DAR Chapter.
Don’t let your ancestors’ stories be lost.
Find their stories – document them and pass them down.
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