Craig Daily Press

Craig — Peggy Clopton Gonzales’ doesn’t need a genealogy expert to tell her where her roots lie.

That’s all been done for her.

“Other people have done a lot of work on genealogy in our family,” she said.

A product of that labor: A book that sits in her house documenting the Clopton family history in America from the late 1600s to the early 1900s, she said.

Clopton estimates that 13 early Americans who helped the nation sever ties with England are nestled somewhere in the branches of the family tree outlined in its pages.

Those names grant her access to a group Craig resident Shannan Koucherik is attempting to resurrect.

In time, Koucherik hopes to restart the David Moffat Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a national nonprofit group that aims to further patriotism and preserve American history.

The local chapter formed in 1926 and disbanded in 1961, according to Museum of Northwest Colorado records.

Lagging membership was the cause behind the group’s disintegration, Koucherik said.

Gonzales has expressed interest in joining the group.

“I’ve wanted to do it for years,” she said. “I just always thought it would be an interesting thing to do.”

The local chapter must collect 12 members in order to regroup, Koucherik said.

New members such as Gonzales must meet several criteria in order to join the organization, the foremost of which is implied by its name.

DAR members must be at least 18 years old and prove they are directly descended from early Americans who, through a variety of occupations and activities, helped the nation earn its independence between 1775 and 1783.

Eligible ancestors can range from a signer of the Declaration of Independence to a town clerk under one of America’s provisional or new state governments, according to the DAR eligibility form.

Potential members must provide documentation to verify each statement of birth, marriage and death in the bloodline tying them to American patriots.

The fledgling group is offering free help to women who desire to trace their ancestry and find out whether they are eligible to become a Daughter of the American Revolution.

Group members also have duties.

According to the organization’s Web site, DAR members volunteer upwards of 60,000 hours to veteran patients and give out more than $150,000 in student financial aid each year.

Although DAR membership is restricted by applicant’s genealogy, Koucherik doesn’t believe the group is tailored solely to the choice few.

“I don’t think of it as being elite,” Koucherik said. “I think it’s a privilege that we can trace our lineage back to patriots.”

Gonzales agrees.

“I’m proud to be a daughter of the American Revolution,” she said.