How To Join
Information on becoming a member of the Sons of the American Revolution can be found on the National web page at http://www.sar.org/membership/membership.html or click on our link: Steps to Become a Member of the SAR
Qualifications for Membership
Any male shall be eligible for regular 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 times 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,
- 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.
Family tradition in regard to the services of an ancestor will not be
considered as proof.
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.)
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Acceptable Service by a Patriot Ancestor
Participation in one or more of the following types of service is
required of an ancestor if a descendent is to be admitted into the
Sons of the American Revolution.
- Signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Member of any of the Continental Congresses
- Rendering material aid, such as
- furnishing supplies with or without remuneration
- lending money to the Colonies, munitions makers, and gunsmiths
- any other material aid which furthered the Cause
- Military or naval service:
- service at the Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774
- service from April 19, 1775 to November 26, 1783
- furnishing a substitute for military service
- Members of the
- Boston Tea Party
- Kaskaskia Campaign
- Galvez Expedition
- Cherokee Expedition
- Edenton Tea Party
- Defenders of forts and frontiers; rangers.
- Prisoners of war, including those on the British ship
"Old Jersey," and other prison ships.
- Physician, surgeon, nurse, or others rendering aid to
the wounded.
- Civil service under the Colonies from April 19, 1775,
to November 26, 1783, inclusive
- Member of committees made necessary by the war, such as
- Committee of Correspondence
- Committee of Inspection and Safety
- Committee to care for soldiers' families
- or any other Committees which furthered the cause of the Colonies
from six months before the Battle of Point Pleasant.
- Any pledge to support the cause of the Colonies, such as signing the
- Oath of Fidelity and Support
- Oath of Allegiance
- Articles of Association
- Association Test
- Signers of
- the Mecklenburg Declaration, 1775
- the 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.
- Ministers known to be in sympathy with the Colonies,
either by sermon, speech, or action.
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Documenting Your Line
Please understand that discovering and documenting a genealogical line to a Patriot
ancestor can often be accomplished with only a modest amount of effort, providing
you know what to look for and where to find it. If you have an ancestor
who lived in the United States prior to 1900 chances are likely that you could to
be the descendant of a Revolutionary War patriot.
The material presented here is excerpt from a talk given by William B. Neal (DESSAR),
who has chaired the National SAR Lineage Research and Workshop Committee for many years.
Mr. Neal has a quarter-century of experience in genealogy and he was the Founding President of
the Delaware Genealogical Society. His SAR credentials include receiving the Liberty
Medal with several oak leaf clusters (indicating that he has helped dozens of people
become members of the SAR thus far). He has held the National Office of
Genealogist General for several terms.
This discussion covers
NOTE: Please read through this material. It will help you get a basic
understanding of how to look for genealogical information and as you become more
experienced at finding information you will become a treasured resource
for your local Chapter and State Society. Enjoy the fastest growing hobby
in the United States.
NOTE: The primary focus of this resource is getting the documentation needed for
an SAR application, so it does not cover immigration records or many other fascinating
aspects of researching your ancestry.
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Find a Helper:
Contact the Redlands Chapter Sons of the American Revolution's Registar, Dan Hall, who is our New Member Helper.
Email, call or write him for assistance in getting
started with defining your lineage from a patriot ancestor and collecting the documentation
required for an SAR application.
Dan Hall
603 Palo Alto
Redlands, Ca 92373
909-798-1188
Collect and organize the documentation: Tracing your
lineage back to your patriot ancestor. Your helper is familiar with
Form #0912 "Preparation of Application Requirements" to help with this step.
Your Helper may also provide a copy or you can download one here of an
SAR Application Worksheet.
This allows you to collect the information before you prepare the actually application.
If you have a relative in the SAR, DAR, C.A.R., SR, or
a similar patriot descendency organization you may be able to save yourself a great
deal of effort by submitting their established lineage and documentation for the
part of your lineage where your ancestors are the same as your relative's.
If you know that an ancestor was cited in an SAR application or know the name and
SAR number of a relative, your Helper may obtain a "record" copy of that application
(marked up by the staff genealogist) for a modest fee.
You can request an Ancestor Search or a Member search from the NSSAR Headquarters
using the NSSAR Request Form
If NSSAR has applications on file, you will receive the newest application filed on
your ancestor. In case you have asked for an application through a
particular child of the Patriot, you will receive that application if available.
There is a similar procedure for requesting DAR application copies. Please
visit their website for instructions: http://www.dar.org
Please check out our Genealogy Resources
and SAR Resources
for other helpful information which may help you document your lineage.
Complete the formal application: On the official form provided by your
helper or your helper may offer to do this using data from the worksheet, using one of
the programs noted on our application
software page.
All applications are required to be printed on a special 8.5 by 14 inch SAR watermarked
paper. This paper is available from the SAR Merchandise Department and is
listed as catalog number #0917 Blank Archival Paper. Please visit the
SAR Merchandise
online catalog for a supply. The text format for the forms should be Times New Roman
in a normal print, NOT bold typeface. The data entered onto the form may be in Helvetica or
Times Roman or Courier and in either normal or bold typeface.
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a. a relative in the SAR or DAR or CAR