THE NATIONAL SOCIETY

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was organized April 30, 1889, and was incorporated by Act of Congress of the United States of America on June 9, 1906.

By virtue of the authority granted the National Society by its Constitution and the charter issued by the Congress of the United States, charters are issued to the State Societies of the various States and territories. Each State Society is empowered to issue charters to chapters within the boundaries thereof.

The affairs of the National Society are administered by the Board of National Trustees, composed of the General Officers, all living Past Presidents General, one Trustee from each State Society, and any member of the Executive Committee not included above.

PURPOSES AND OBJECTS (Extracts from Constitution of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution)

The objects of this Society are declared to be patriotic, historical, and educational, and shall include those intended or designed to perpetuate the memory of those who, by their services or sacrifices during the war of the American Revolution, achieved the independence of the American people; to unite and promote fellowship among their descendants, to inspire them and the community at large with a more profound reverence for the principles of the government founded by our forefathers; to encourage historical research in relation to the American Revolution; to acquire and preserve the records of the individual services of the patriots of the war, as well as documents, relics, and landmarks; to mark the scenes of the Revolution by appropriate memorials; to celebrate the anniversasries of the prominent events of the war and of the Revolutionary period; to foster true patriotism; to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom, and to carry out the purposes expressed in the preamble of the Constitution of our country and the injunctions of Washington in his farewell address to the American people.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

Any man shall be eligible for membership in this Society who, being of the age of eighteen years or over and a citizen of good repute in the community, is the lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all thimes unfailing in loyalty to, and rendered active service in, the cause of American independence, either as an officer, soldier, seaman, marine, militiaman or Minuteman, in the armed forces of the Continental Congress, or of any one of the several Colonies or States; or as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, or as a member of a Committee of Safety or Correspondence; or as a member of any Continental, Provincial, or Colonial COngress or Legislature; or as a recognized patriot who performed actual service by overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain. The applicant must also be personally acceptable to the Socity.

Family tradition in regard to the services of an ancestor will not be considered.

No preliminary decision will be given on a line of descent, service or evidentiary value of proposed evidence. When examined with all available evidence, such preliminary decision might prove to be incorrect and the National Society cannot accept responsibility for such a decision.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

The application form authorized by the National Society must be used by all applicants for membership. The form may be obtained from either a Chapter or State Society and must be filed in duplicate with the State Society with both copies bearing the notarized signature of the applicant. After acceptance by the State Society, it must be signed by both the State Registrar and State Secretary. The original application (not a photocopy or a carbon copy) must then be sent to National Headquarters for acceptance and registration by the National Society. A check covering the National, State, and Chapter application fees must accompany the application. Each applicant must be sponsored by two members in good standing, whose signatures are clearly legible. If a signature is illegible, the member's National SAR number must be added to assure identification.

The application must be typed with a black ribbon. No handwritten applications will be accepted.

ACCEPTABLE SERVICE

• Signer of Declaration of Independence.
• Military or naval service.
  • Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774.
  • Service from April 19, 1775 to November 26, 1783, inclusive.
• Civil service under the Colonies from April 19, 1775 to November 26, 1783, inclusive.
• Patriotic service by men or women during the Revolutionary period, including -
  • Member of committees made necessary by the war, such as Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety; Committee to care for soldiers' families; including Committees from six months before the Battle of Point Pleasant which furthered the cause of the Colonies.
  • Any pledge to support the cause of the Colonies, such as signing the Oath of Fidelity and Support, the Oath of Allegiance, Articles of Association, or the Association Test.
  • Members of all Continental Congresses.
  • Furnishing a substitute for military service.
  • Signers of Mecklenburg Declaration, 1775; Albemarle, Virginia, Declaration; and similar declarations. Signers of petitions addressed to and recognizing the authority of the provisional and new state governments. Persons accepting obligations or acting under direction of the provisional and new state governments, such as persons directed to hold elections, to oversee road construction, to collect provisions, etc.
  • Members of Boston Tea Party; Kaskaskia Campaign; Galves Expedition; Cherokee Expedition; Edenton Tea Party.
  • Physician, surgeon, nurse, or others rendering aid to the wounded, and ministers known to be in sympathy with the Colonies, either by sermon, speech, or action.
  • Defenders of forts and frontiers; rangers.
  • Prisoners of war, including those on the British ship, "Old Jersey," and other prison ships.
  • Rendering material aid, such as furnishing supplies with or without remuneration; lending money to the Colonies, munitions makers, and gunsmiths; or anything which furthered the Cause.

TRANSFERS FROM THE CAR

Male members of the Children of the American Revolution may apply for membership in the SAR after reaching the age of eighteen. A transfer card, available from the National Society, CAR, will be accepted in lieu of the usual admission fee, provided that the application is submitted not later than his twenty-second birthday.

Anyone who is a present or former member of CAR on a line that is currently acceptable may fill out application papers for SAR and give National Number CAR. All generations back to the patriot ancestor must be shown on the application.

The CAR Membership Transfer card, the birth record of the applicant naming his father and mother and a reocrd copy of the supportive CAR or DAR paper must be submitted.

RELATIVES OF SAR, DAR, AND SR

The son, grandson, bother, nephew, or grand-nephew of an SAR or DAR member, or the son of and SAR member, may be admitted upon payment of a certificate fee after his 18th and before his 25th birthday, provided that his blood relative is a member in good standing or, if deceased, was in good standing at the time of death; and furth provided that the same established lineage be submitted.

When preparing application papers, lineal (direct) descendants of an SAR member or former member need only furnish documentation back to the member or former member, provided that proofs satisfactory to the Registrar General are in his files to establish the line of descent from the ancestor to the present or former member. The other generations back to the Revolutionary War ancestor and the references shown on the SAR papers should be types onto the applicant's application.

An applicant who is a lineal descendant of a DAR or SR member or former member shall complete his application all the way back to the Patriot ancestor's generation. A record copy of the SAR's or SR's approved application used as a reference shall be submitted with the applicant's papers. Because of the lack of documented information on some SR and DAR Approved Application papers, these papers when used in support of an application ofr membership in SAR will be judged on their merit and the applicant may be asked to furnish further data or documentation.

SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Members having more than one qualifying ancestor may file supplemental applications. Since one of the SAR's objectives is to acquire and preserve the records of the individual service of patriots of the war, all members having more than one qualifying ancestor are strongly urged to prepare and file supplemental applications.

Supplemental applications must be submitted in duplicate, in exactly the same way as original applications, but on the Supplemental Application form, not on the original application form.

REINSTATEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP

Former SAR members may reinstate directly into the State Society of their choice, subject to the acceptance of that body. Applications for reinstatement are available from State Societies and National Headquarters. The cost of such reinstatement will be set by the accepting State Society, but it should be noted that the fee immediately payable to the National Society by the State Society is the annual National dues for such member for the then current year.

PHOTOCOPIES OF APPLICATIONS

Photocopies of SAR membership applications are available from National Headquarters for a fee. When ordering, prepayment is required, and the member's full name must be furnished. If available, the SAR National Number should be included.

APPLICATIONS FEES - SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION - ANNUAL DUES

State Society and Chapter fees and dues vary. Membership in State Scoeity is mandatory. In some States, Chapter affiliation is mandatory; optional in other States.

The Sons of the American Revolution currently has about 25,000 members. The DAR, with similar requirements has about 130,000 members. Since organization, these two societies have probably processed more than 750,000 applications. No doubt, the number of qualifying ancestors is in the hundreds of thousands.

If you have any question as to whether you have a qualifying ancestor for the Sons of the American Revolution, contact the Society.

The number of qualifying ancestors that Freeman Family Lines identifies may be in the hundreds, including direct line ancestors, their siblings and spouses, their nephews and spouses, and their nieces and spouses. Freeman Family Lines direct ancestors known to be qualifying ancestors are:

Charles Andrew, John Belden, Benjamin Biggerstaff, Christian Dappen, Howell Freeman, William Hazelrigg, Thomas Highsmith, Josiah Holcomb, George Holloway, George Kelsey, Samuel Kelso, David Kerby, Elijah Mason, Sylvanus Massie, Thomas B. Massie, Nathaniel Merrill, Benoni Morey, George Painter, Pariss Sims, John Stephens, Michael Tanner, George Turman, William Wallace

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