My DAR Application is Accepted!

A journey I began two years ago is finally complete!  I received word this morning that my DAR application has been accepted!

After several starts and stops over the past two years I finally submitted my application (with lots of help from the local DAR Regent) about one month ago.  I needed to prove my lineage all the way back to my Revolutionary War ancestor (I couldn't just "tie in" to another application already approved) and while you would think the difficult part would be my early ancestors, that did not turn out to be the case.

My DAR brick wall happened to be my Great Grandfather, Pearl Stephens.

His parents did not marry until Pearl was about 19 years old.  Until then Pearl went by his mother's maiden name of Botkin.  There is no birth record for Pearl that may have listed his father.  In the census records he was listed as Pearl Botkin (not Stephens) and the obituary for his father did not list children. The only thing I did manage to locate was a small newspaper article stating that Pearl was in town for the funeral.  But even that didn't state he was the son.

There should be a record of Pearl's mother filing "Bastardly" charges against his father but locating those early records have been a challenge.

In the end the historical society in the town had a piece of paper stating that Pearl's father died Intestate and the heirs were his wife and his son Pearl Stephens.  That is the evidence I submitted to the DAR and thankfully it was accepted.

I'm grateful and so excited to cross this off my bucket list.  But I must admit.......I'd still love to locate those charges......I'm not ready to give up yet!