Our United States of America is another year older with this Fourth of July weekend and it is a time to spend in celebration, with our family and friends. A time to remember those who are away serving our county and to remember that freedom is not free. As genealogists we can reflect on our ancestors who have served this country over the years of its existence. There are many patriotic lineage societies available in our state that are opened to those who are direct descendants of those who have participated in the freedom of our country in various wars.?

?The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolutionary War (NSDAR) and the National Society of Sons of the American Revolutionary War (NSSAR) are two of the largest patriotic organizations, with active chapters here in Norman. The membership consists of direct descendants of those ancestors who served this nation during that conflict. To be a member of NSDAR your ancestor did not have to have served in the military, but could have served on a jury during that period of time as did my Quaker ancestor, Elias Hollingsworth, from South Carolina. Jacob R. Compton served in the military from the state of New Jersey, and other ancestors were in the state militia from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The War of 1812, known as the second war for independence was won with the assistance of six of my ancestors. Their names are honored by my membership in the National Society of United States Daughters of 1812. I joined this society through application to the Eighteen Eighty-Niners Chapter, Norman, Oklahoma. My original application was completed, citing my descent from Captain Daniel Marker, Frederick County, Maryland who fought in the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland. Supplemental applications were submitted on my other ancestors who participated in the War of 1812 including Peter Kinder (Kentucky), Alexander Douglass (Tennessee), Joseph VanDoran Hatt (Ohio), Samuel Fletcher Barker (Kentucky) and Martin Life Jr. (Virginia).

Most of us have ancestors who have fought for our country from its beginning and are still serving today. Whether we serve on the front lines or here at home we must all do our part to preserve the freedom that we hold so dear. We must instill in our youth that the freedom they enjoy was not free and someone paid the price for us all,? throughout the history of our nation.

I am proud of my ancestors who served in the building of this great nation.

?Oklahoma Genealogical Society (OGS):

The Oklahoma Genealogical Society meeting for July will celebrate America by focusing on our immigrant ancestors. Sandi Smith, well-known to OHS Library patrons, will present "Our Early Immigrants: Records and Sources" at 6:00 PM on Monday, July 7, 2008, at the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird Ave., Oklahoma City.

Sandi will discuss the early immigrants who came to America, from where they came, their ports of embarkation, and their ports of arrival in America. She will also inform the audience about the sources available on early immigration, many of which are in the Oklahoma Historical Library.

Sandi Smith is no stranger to libraries, working in several Oklahoma libraries before coming to the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Library. She holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in Library Science.

This regular meeting of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society is open to the public and all are welcome. OGS members are admitted free while non-members pay $3 at the door. Help with your genealogy questions is available before the meeting at 5 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room. The OHS Research Library is open until 7:45 PM on the Monday evening that OGS meets.