GENEALOGY WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION IS MYTHOLOGY
Heritage and Honor: Celebrating the Patriots who paved the way for our freedom!
DAR Approved💥: My Patriot Ancestors Have Officially Formed a Revolutionary Supergroup!
Well folks, hold your powdered wigs and brace your bayonets, because the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution just confirmed what I’ve suspected all along: I descend from a whole squad of Revolutionary War heroes.
It started with one. Now I’ve got four.
Introducing: The Bedford Battalion (plus a cameo from Montgomery County)
• James Trenor – My original DAR-approved ancestor, who wasn’t just in the fight—he was a Sergeant, likely barking orders, inspecting muskets, and giving serious “Get off my battlefield” energy. He lived in Bedford County and Montgomery County, which makes him both a leader and a commuter.
• Captain Thomas Logwood – A true patriot and leader in the Bedford County Militia. He brought the rank, the swagger, and (probably) the best hat in the company.
• John Chastain – The unsung hero who supplied beef from his land in Bedford County, ensuring that no Patriot ever fought on an empty stomach. Revolutionary logistics? That was his battlefield.
• James Buford – A member of the Virginia Militia’s Minute Company, always ready to roll at a moment’s notice. His motto? “Give me liberty, or give me a very fast horse.”
These men were out there leading militias, feeding troops, standing at the ready, and sergeant-ing/captain-ing their way through the Revolution. Meanwhile, I was just over here trying to decipher 200-year-old land deeds and wondering how every man in Bedford County in 1776 had the exact same name.
The Research Process: Somewhere Between a Mystery Novel and a Cry for Help
You might think that proving one Patriot ancestor would be enough. But no. I had to go full Revolutionary overachiever.🤣🤣🤣
I dug through marriage records, military rolls, court documents, wills written in ink that faded during the Adams administration, and at least one land grant that looked like it had been used as a coaster at a colonial tavern.
There were charts. There were binders. There was a spreadsheet labeled “Chastain Beef Evidence” and another called “Buford Minute Man or Just Fast Walker?”.
Honestly, there were many occasions during this process where I ALSO FELT LIKE I WAS FIGHTING A PART OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR🤣💥🤣!
The DAR Process: Now with Extra Supplements!
James Trenor was my golden ticket—my original Patriot ancestor. But once I got that first foot in the DAR door, it was game on. The supplemental applications followed.
Each one came with more documentation, more fact-checking, and more dramatic moments where I gasped, “YES! This is the right John Chastain! He did have five cows!”
(Just for fun, I asked MetaAI to "create an image of my Revolutionary War Patriot, John Chastain. He lived in Bedford, VA and supplied meat to the army.") Seeing these 2 created images gave me a strong sense of connection and belonging to the past. Boy, talk about stepping back in time😮😮😮!
Victory Is Mine (And Also Theirs)
And now? Now I get to stand tall (well, sit smugly at my computer) and say that I am officially descended from not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Revolutionary War Patriots.
I like to think of them all hanging out together in Patriot Heaven—Trenor, Logwood, Chastain, and Buford—drinking colonial cider, talking about the old days, and shaking their heads like, “She finally figured it out.”
To the average person, it’s just a stack of old documents.
To me, it’s a front-row seat to the birth of a nation—
—and a reason to wear a pin with extra sparkle.
God bless James Trenor and his Bedford & Montgomery County adventures.
God bless the beef of John Chastain.
God bless the militia grit of Captain Thomas Logwood.
God bless the rapid response of James Buford.
Photos below and throughout this blog are courtesy of AI's rendition of what I suspect my Patriots resembled:👇👇👇
And God bless my printer, which barely survived this paperwork marathon.
America: officially in my bloodline—and now, proudly, in my filing cabinet.
