Joining DAR group made quick work of finding family's roots

A discarded family Bible and a grandmother's funeral that she couldn't attend were the impetus of Nancy Hatmaker Ristau's search for her roots.

"My paternal grandmother passed away in 1990," said Ristau, who lives in Glen Ellyn with her husband, Bill.

"I realized then that any stories of her life were forever lost. I wrote to my uncle, my father's brother, to ask if he had the family Bible. He had no interest in the family's history and the Bible meant little to him, so he discarded it. That pushed me even harder to gather what information I could as quickly as possible."

To help in her genealogy research, Ristau turned to her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, then members of the Anan Harmon Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Ristau remembers them taking frequent genealogy field trips together, volunteering for community projects and attending many conferences with the group. Her mother-in-law has since passed away.

Ristau longed to be a DAR member but needed a link to her family member who served in the American Revolution. To Ristau's surprise, she found her link via her great-grandmother, Minerva Lord, in a distant cousin's family tree on Ancestry.com.

By researching this cousin's family tree, she was able to find the patriot she needed to become a member.

"I had a whimsical thought that they (her mother-in-law and father, who had also passed away) had gotten together up in heaven to point me in the right direction," Ristau said.

The NSDAR was founded in 1890 and promotes historic preservation, education and patriotism. There are more than 168,000 members throughout the United States, along with chapters in 11 other countries.

Potential members can find help with their own specific research using the NSDAR's lineage research, a special genealogical records committee and a membership committee.

Ristau knew being a member of NSDAR would help with her genealogy research. Besides, they seemed to be a great group of women.

Now a member, Ristau has been attending national conferences. She found the St. Louis conference, with speakers from the Volunteer Genealogist Training Program, to be some of the best information she has ever obtained.

Each year there is a state conference, as well as the national congress that allows members to network and share ideas.

Ristau used the NSDAR archives to review approved NSDAR applications. As documented and verified family trees, these resources save hours of research time for related family members.

"Without this information," Ristau said, "it would have been much longer before I found my way back to my Scottish Ross family roots, which then led me to investigate joining the Ross Clan at the Highland Games, held every year at the Oak Brook Polo Fields. I'd always wondered why the sound of bagpipes held such a warm place in my heart."

When she is not researching her own family tree, Ristau volunteers at the Wheaton Public Library's genealogy section from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays. Stop by to say hello and see if she can help with your genealogy questions.

"Helping friends, and even strangers, to further their familial understanding is a real kick. I assisted a friend of mine in locating the town her parents came from in Poland, and the joy in her face was enough to light up the whole county. I love it!" Ristau said.

For details about the Anan Harmon Chapter of NSDAR, e-mail Teri-Ellen Rogers at rogersdj-te@sbcglobal.net. The NSDAR national Web site is www.dar.org/.

• Have you found a unique solution to researching your family's roots? Do you belong to a genealogy group or organization that has helped your search? We would love to hear from you! Please contact me at JillGross840@yahoo.com