I have been working on my DAR membership for the past few months.  The patriot I chose was Nathaniel Brittain, my 5th great-grandfather.  He was from Virginia, and served in B. Company of the 8th Virginia Infantry during the Revolutionary War.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that his unit fought in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, SC on June 28-29, 1776.  Of course I had to make a road trip!

After the War, Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie after Colonel William Moultrie, who fought during this battle.  Today, it is a part of the National Park Service.

So, we piled all of the kids in the car and drove to Charleston.  It’s only about 2 hours away, but it’s kind of a boring drive – not much to see on the way.  They grumbled a bit, but were fine after we stopped for food.   We took them to the aquarium first, and then headed across the bridge and over to Sullivan’s Island.

I think that we must have chosen the windiest day of the year to visit.  It wasn’t super cold, but we were being blown away. Two of my kids finished the Junior Ranger programs, so they had to fill out their booklets and learn about the fort.  They had a hard time keeping hold of their papers with all of the wind!

I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more exhibits geared towards the Revolutionary War period, but I should have known there wouldn’t be much.  The fort was in use through WWII, so a lot of the exhibits were geared towards that and the Civil War.  The Palmetto Fort that was used during the Revolution is of course, long gone.

I’m still glad we made the trip.  It’s always nice to walk in the footsteps of your ancestors.

I also was able to give the kids a great history lesson!

Here are some pictures from our visit:

(The first few were taken at Battery Park in Charleston, where there is a memorial to those that died or were wounded at this battle.)

I now have the paperwork I need to fill in for my application – and I have a lot of work to do.

I’m realizing that there are many simple documents that I don’t have.  Things I’ve overlooked because I already had the date.

I called my mom and asked her to look through her things to see if she had certificates for her parents, since she ended up with my grandma’s papers.  I may have to order them instead…

I have been on an ordering frenzy.  Birth certificates.  Marriage certificates.  Wills and Probate Records.  I can’t wait until the documents start appearing in my mailbox.  It’s kind of like Christmas.

I’m hoping that I’m able to find everything that I need to prove my line.  Luckily, I have two ancestors that are fairly close on my tree, so if I can’t find the documents for one, perhaps I can do the other instead.

A very sweet and helpful 91 year old lady contacted me and I will be meeting with her in the next couple of weeks so that she can go over the paperwork with me.  I can’t wait to meet her!

I have at least 5 ancestors that qualify (and I’m sure more that I don’t know of yet). So, I have to decide which ancestor to use for my application.

I had originally thought that I was going to use Patrick Cavit, on my father’s side, but I recently changed my mind and have decided that I’m going to go with Nathan Britton/Nathaniel Brittain – on my mother’s side.

Just this past week, another Brittain researcher contacted me and she happens to be going through the DAR application process also.  So, I’m happy to have someone else who is using the same line as I am (at least for a few of the generations.)

Here is my DAR line that I will be using:
Nathaniel Britton/Brittain (who died in 1776 in VA while in service)
Parks Brittain
Milton Price Brittain
Mathilda Jane Brittain
Theodore Francis Sanchez
Donald Arthur Sanchez (my grandfather)

Have any of you joined the DAR?  How long did the process take before you became a member? I know that it’s going to take some hard work getting all of the copies of needed proof, but it will definitely be worth it in the end!!