Was spouse on DAR record the wife at time of application or wife during the war?

Question

I don't want to make any incorrect assumptions so I am asking what may seem like a stupid question.

I have seen a DAR record with the name of a spouse who was not the spouse at the time of the Revolutionary War. He was married to a different person at the time of the war and I cannot find evidence of his having ever been married to anyone else. If he had had a previous wife would her name be on the record?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Answer 1

The wife is whichever one someone descended from. That is, the Revolutionary War ancestor is what matters and that you can prove descent from him (or her in some cases). My Rev War ancestor didn't marry until after the war and has a number of DAR members who descend from him through a number of different children. You can't make any assumptions about the timeframe of the marriage so you would have to find evidence of a second marriage.

A previous or later marriage may or may not be associated with the DAR record. It would entirely depend on whether someone proved descent through a different wife.

Comments

You can purchase copies of  the DAR application and supporting documents from the DAR.  (Website is dar.org, look for the GRS tab)  I’ve looked at a lot of their applications, and most have little information on the wife of the patriot since it’s only his descendants who matter.  Pension applications (available on Fold3) may have more info since the pension often went to a widow (who had to prove the marriage).

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This makes sense, and is something I had considered. Thank you both for your responses.