HOW TO JOIN
THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
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NOTE: This page is an overview of how to join the Sons of the American Revolution. For a more detailed explanation see the SAR "How to Join" Web Pages.
The Sons of the American Revolution is a "lineage" society, which means you must have an ancestor who supported the cause of American Independence during the years 1774-1783. What is meant by "supported the cause"? There is a long list of occupations, etc that define "supported the cause" but in general any one of your direct ancestors who was (a) in the military in any capacity (American military - not British) or (b) who held a civil office from 1774-1783 such as Selectman, Fence Rove, etc, etc of who (c) gave help to the American cause by donating military supplies such as guns and ammunition, or food to feed the troops, nursed the wounded, etc qualifies.
Direct ancestor means your g--g.grandfather or grandmother - great uncles or aunts don't qualify. Your 5,6 or 7th great grandmother who donated supplies or nursed the wounded or helped in other ways is as much a qualifying ancestor as her husband who fought at Bunker Hill or who acted as Selectman of a New England town.
Finding your qualifying ancestor is not very hard if you have done any family history. Simply trace your way back to a grandfather or grandmother who was alive between 1774-1783 and then check in the SAR Patriot Index CD or the DAR Patriot Index books to see if he/she was listed. Age during this period is not particularly important as Drummer Boys enlisted at a very young age and there were octogenarians who sign the Association Test in New Hampshire. If you are lucky enough to find a direct ancestor listed you should order a "Record Copy" from SAR using the form found at NSSAR Copy Request Form or from the DAR use the DAR Request for Record Copy.
If you are using a computer based genealogy program such as Personal Ancestral File (furnished free by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) you can easily print out a Ancestor Chart to show your line back to your Patriot Ancestor. If not you can download a Pedigree Chart from the DAR Web site designed to be filled in by hand.
Once you have figured out your line back to your Patriot Ancestor you need to think about assembling proof of your lineage. The first three generations (i.e. yourself, your parents and your grandparents require primary proof such as birth certificates (which should show parents names), marriage certificates or death certificates. You don't have to have each kind proof: for example a death certificate may show parents and date of birth as well as date of death.
Beyond the first three generations you may be able to use Record Copies of SAR or DAR applications - as a general rule SAR applications dated after 1993 may be used while those dated before 1993 may be used if the proof accompanying them was up to today's standards. Printed books containing genealogical information (not necessarily a lineage chart) may be used but typewritten or computer generated genealogies are normally not accepted as proof (they are, however, good sources of where to search). There is a wealth of information in any public library with a genealogy section. Starting with the 1850 the U S Census are a wonderful source of proof for your lineage as the 1850 Census and those following contain a listing of all members of a household together with an indication of their age.
Note that information found on the Web is not considered proof although it is a great source of leads.
Once you have all the information you feel is needed you should get in touch with a SAR Member who will help you complete your application including a review of your proof of lineage. Normally the Registrar of your local Chapter is experienced in this process.
To aid you in organizing your lineage and documentation there is a SAR worksheet that can be filled out on line.
If there is not a local Chapter near you the first stop should be the SAR State Society web pages. Almost all State Societies have their own web pages and they normally will contain e-mail addresses of those Compatriots who can help you.
If you have any difficulty with the above process please don't hesitate to let us here at the SAR Patriot Index web site be of help. We will be pleased to put you in touch with someone who can help you on the road to becoming a member. Just e-mail us here at the Patriot Index Committee.
join.htm:6/16/2003