How You Can Become a Member of the DAR or SAR
You must join as “Daniel Haston – a Patriot,” not as “Daniel Haston – a Veteran.”
What’s the difference? Read on.
Sons of the American Revolution
Since 1889, the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) has honored our Revolutionary War patriot ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving our communities and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our Country. Members (over 37,000) of the Sons of the American Revolution can trace their genealogy to a patriot who served in or supported the cause of the American War for Independence.
As of 2022, four men had joined the Sons of the American Revolution, one in 1960, one in 1974, and two in 2022. These men joined based on the claim that Daniel Haston was a Revolutionary War veteran based on a Revolutionary War land grant that has since been revealed to probably be fraudulent and invalid.
Consequently, the requirements to prove that Daniel Haston was a veteran in the War for American Independence have become much more stringent since 2022, requiring any applicant to prove that (1) our Daniel Haston truly fought in the Revolution and (2) that the applicant can provide documented proof of a lineal connection back to Daniel Hiestand/Haston.
The SAR no longer assumes that the evidence submitted by the existing four members is valid proof that Daniel Hiestand/Haston was a veteran of the American Revolution. New applicants will now be required to provide more convincing evidence based on unquestioned valid documentation. Based on what is now known about Daniel Hiestand/Haston, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be admitted to the SAR again through Daniel as a veteran.
However, if you can prove your direct ancestral lineage back to Daniel Hiestand/Haston, you can join the Sons of the American Revolution through Daniel as a patriot, who paid taxes that were used to support the Revolution. In 1782 and 1783, Daniel Hiestand paid Personal Property taxes to Shenandoah County, VA. These taxes were used to support the American patriot cause in the war. Look (below) at the Law of Virginia that was passed in the May 1782 Session of the State’s General Assembly.
Daniel Hiestand/Haston paid the 1782 Personal Property Tax mentioned in this Act of the VA General Assembly, as well as the similar 1783 tax.
Shenandoah County, VA Personal Property Tax List, Series 07770, Reel No. 89. (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library and Archives), image 422, page 11. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-2QL3-W?i=421&cat=695422
Shenandoah County, VA Personal Property Tax List, Series 07770, Reel No. 89. (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library and Archives), image 442, page 16.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-2QL9-4?i=441&cat=695422
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), founded in 1890, is a “non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership. The DAR boasts 190,000 members.”
Presumably, the same documentation as above (for the SAR) would suffice for membership into the DAR, through Daniel’s Patriotic Service demonstrated by paying the 1782 and 1783 taxes in Shenandoah County, VA.
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