July 3, 2026
With the 4th of July just a few days away, now is a good time to think about Revolutionary War ancestors. If you’re not aware of any, it’s time to do some research. Learning about ancestors who participated in that war is a way to connect more deeply with the Revolution – now 250 years ago.
For most of my life, I assumed that I didn’t have any Revolutionary War ancestors. After all, seven of my eight great grandparents were not born in the United States. Five of them arrived as emigrants in the mid nineteenth century. Two more never came to America at all. Their daughter, my grandmother, arrived at Ellis Island in 1914.
However, one of my great grandfathers, a man named Durbin Terry, was born in the United States. As I researched his lineage, I learned that he came from a long line of Americans. His earliest immigrant ancestors arrived in Boston in 1635.
Further research informed me that Durbin’s ancestors were still in New England in the 1770s. Several of them served in the Revolutionary War. After still more research I was able to prove my Revolutionary War lineage well enough to join the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Before I began doing genealogy, I had heard no stories of Revolutionary War ancestors. No one in my family had any artifacts or documents to prove this lineage. When I realized that I had ancestors who were in America during the Revolution, it seemed logical to assume that some of them might have served in the war.
My first step was to access the Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System (https://www.dar.org/research/genealogy-resources/using-genealogical-research-system-grs ). The GRS is a free site which allows you to search for an ancestor who may have served in the Revolution. The GRS is a quick way to find Revolutionary War ancestors.
If you find an ancestor’s name on the list, it means that someone applied for membership based on that Patriot’s service. Military service is not the only type of service documented in the GRS. Some Patriots provided supplies such as clothing, food, money and in other ways.
Not everyone who served in the Revolution is listed in the GRS. None of my husband’s Stetser ancestors are listed. However, I have found documentation showing that my husband’s fourth great grandfather served in the New Jersey militia, which fought against the British. He is not listed on the GRS because no one has ever applied for membership in the DAR using him as their Patriot ancestor.
If you believe an ancestor served, don’t give up just because you don’t find them in the GRS. You may have to dig into local histories, newspapers and other documents to find the proof you need.
Finding Revolutionary War ancestors is exciting and can help you feel more connected to the history of the United States. If your ancestors were in America by the time of the Revolution, they may have served. You may be surprised, like I was, to find you have deeper ties to the Revolution than you thought.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society