Patriot Ancestor Biographies
One of the cornerstones of our mission is to honor the past of our ancestors. The Patriot Research System (PRS) is one way that each of us as members can help achieve this very mission. The Patriot Search Index page has recently been updated by NSSAR so now is a great time to update the biography of your patriot ancestor. The NSSAR offers some great resources for becoming familiar with the Patriot Search Index.
Members have two ways to go about updating your patriot's biography: 1) using the offline Adobe PDF form and send the completed form to National or, 2) work with your local chapter and they can make those submissions on your behalf. Doing these updates at the time of submitting your primary or supplemental application is a great time, while it is still fresh.
Completing the Form
You can download the form from http://sarpatriots.sar.org/pdfs/PatriotGravesAndBioReport.pdf or by using the button above. The top of the form is basic name, birth and death information of your Patriot. If you don't have your patriot's Patriot number, you can locate it by going to the Patriot Search Index and put in the surname of your ancestor. Let's search for Henry Tolles:
Completing the Form
You can download the form from http://sarpatriots.sar.org/pdfs/PatriotGravesAndBioReport.pdf or by using the button above. The top of the form is basic name, birth and death information of your Patriot. If you don't have your patriot's Patriot number, you can locate it by going to the Patriot Search Index and put in the surname of your ancestor. Let's search for Henry Tolles:
In the example above, we were fortunate that there was only one Patriot with the full name 'Henry Tolles'. You may have to input the different first and last name and/or spelling variations in order to find your Patriot. In this case, our Patriot Number would be P-305802.
The other item of information that you may not have readily available is the Pension Number under Service Information. During the war, pensions were used to incentivize officers and enlisted to serve for the duration of the war and avoid desertion/resignation. After the war, pensions were a way to recognize and reward those that served. Unfortunately NOT all patriots had a pension file. If they do have a pension number, it will be in the citation details of the first tab (Patriot Details). The pension number may be start with an 'S' for Survivor or 'W' for Widow. Also under Service Information you can enter how the patriot served in the war and references to service information.
The other item of information that you may not have readily available is the Pension Number under Service Information. During the war, pensions were used to incentivize officers and enlisted to serve for the duration of the war and avoid desertion/resignation. After the war, pensions were a way to recognize and reward those that served. Unfortunately NOT all patriots had a pension file. If they do have a pension number, it will be in the citation details of the first tab (Patriot Details). The pension number may be start with an 'S' for Survivor or 'W' for Widow. Also under Service Information you can enter how the patriot served in the war and references to service information.
While we may not have photos of our ancestor, we may have a picture of their headstone and have burial information. You will need to attach the photo to the email when you submit the form. A completed form may look something like this for General George Washington:
Once you have completed all of the sections on the form, it's time to submit your form. You have three options to complete your form:
- Print - useful if you want to sent your updates via postal service
- Save - to save a copy of the form that you completed for future reference
- Email - send the completed form directly to NSSAR (be sure to include your headstone photo)
