Anyone who has a better understanding than I do (which is most people), feel free to provide an opinion on the following:

My wife is descended from a Benjamin Marsh (DAR ID A074142). I was excited to learn that the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized him as a patriot. My records for my Benjamin Marsh indicate the same birth date, death date, and death location, all of which I can support with primary sources. DAR lists his birth location as New York which is incorrect (also I have primary sources from the town of Ware, Massachusetts listing his birth). So there would appear to be a mistake with the DAR record, which in and of itself is not a big problem. I think it is safe to say that my Benjamin Marsh and A074142 are one and the same.

There is a much bigger problem, however. I have located the primary source for Benjamin Marsh's service record. It is from the New York Militia Roll, dated October 9, 1775. That muster roll contains the same information that DAR provides: Under Captain Rufus Herrick and Colonel James Holmes, there listed on the muster roll is one Corporal Benjamin Marsh - 10 year-old Corporal Benjamin Marsh.

While I would love to tell my wife she is eligible to be a Daughter of the American Revolution, this doesn't appear to pass the "common sense test." Am I mistaken? DAR's records concur with the birth date for Benjamin Marsh, but I do not see any reference to the specific records they used to determine his service, but I would assume it would likely be this very same muster roll.

So, what are people's thoughts? I could imagine a 12 or 13 year old serving in the war (feel free to educate me on this point), but a 10 year old? And to hold the rank of corporal? This doesn't seem possible.

I looked into contacting DAR regarding possible errors, but the process appears to be a written one, and I truly don't feel the need or obligation to dash people's dreams who may be members, by invalidating their claims. But when it comes to referencing sources for my tree, I would prefer to lean on primary sources, as opposed to using DAR as a crutch. I don't want to assume that they confirmed that a 10 year old Benjamin Marsh was indeed serving in the war.

I often run into wishful thinking by individuals who ignore common sense details, and was surprised to see this mistake by DAR. Please correct me if I am wrong and explain to me why I might be mistaken, but I really am just trying to understand if I am misinterpreting the information I have found.

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

Andrew