When researching for my Bolch/Bolick ancestor's Revolutionary War service for my DAR application I was fortunate to find a distant relative who had already "proved" Casper Bolch's service. She graciously passed her data on to me and pointed me in the direction of further information. It was up to me however, to prove my direct line which took time, trips to NC, payment for copies of birth certificates, marriage license, photos of grave sites (due to a divorce some info was hard to get so I had to use photos), letters to the NC Archives which are available for a fee. A wonderful lady gave me information on one of my relatives buried at her church. I just happened to be visiting the cemetery looking for a grave site when I came upon her trying to straighten a marker that had tipped over in the soft soil. My husband, bless his heart, rushed over to help her and we started talking. This lead to a photo of my great-great grandmother's grave site. What a bit of luck this was! The DAR does have a wonderful collection of information and the members are so much help. But it must be remembered that the DAR is there to protect the history of the Revolutionary War, its service members and their descendants. Information on living people is included in the data which is why the DAR does not open the records to non members. The DAR website can direct you to researching your ancestor even if you don't know if they served. This is a great experience in genealogy research and even thought I've had to let my local membership lapse due to work restraints I'm proud to have gone through the process. Don't forget that there is a Sons of the Revolution and a Children of the Revolution. Good luck to anyone going this route. Cynthia Bolick Gilbert **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15?ncid=aolhom00030000000001)