Join the SAR!
The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) honors our Revolutionary War patriot ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving our communities, and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our Country. SAR is a non-profit, non-partisan community service organization. If you have an ancestor who lived in the United States before 1900, chances are you may be the descendant of a Revolutionary War patriot. Any male 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who meets any of the criteria listed below is eligible for membership. You can join the SAR by following these four easy steps.
DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY
To initiate the SAR membership process, you should begin by ensuring that you can satisfy the SAR membership requirements and that you are a direct descendant of a Revolutionary War Patriot. The SAR does not restrict membership based on race, age, color, religion, national origin, nation of citizenship, or residency. To establish eligibility, you must be able to confirm that you are a direct ancestral line descendant of a Patriot by providing appropriate SAR-acceptable documentation. Legitimacy through an ancestor's marriage is not a factor as long as proper proof of descendency is provided to confirm the applicant’s direct descent from their Revolutionary War Patriot. Plural marriage families are not excluded from SAR membership. Proving bloodline descent, whether legitimate or illegitimate, from a patriot ancestor to yourself is required for SAR membership and must be documented. Additionally, you must be sponsored by two current SAR members; your local SAR chapter can assist you in fulfilling this requirement.
To quote the SAR Bylaws, “Any male shall be eligible for membership in the SAR who is a citizen of good repute in the community; and a lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all times unfailing in loyalty to and rendered acceptable service in the cause of American Independence.” The SAR accepts patriotic service rendered, with some exceptions, for the period between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783.” Membership in the SAR requires documented, acceptable evidence that your ancestor participated in one or more of the following types of service. The patriot ancestor in question must have:
Been a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775, the Albemarle Declaration of 1779, or the Cumberland Compact of 1780;
Been a member of any of the Continental Congresses;
Rendered material aid, such as Furnishing supplies with or without remuneration; lending money to the Colonies, munitions makers, and gunsmiths; or any other material aid that furthered the Cause;
Served in the military or navy, including Service during the dates falling on or between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783, service at the Battle of Point Pleasant on 10 October 1774 (this location and date only), or furnishing a substitute for military service;
Been a participant in the Boston Tea Party, Kaskaskia Campaign, Galvez Expedition, Cherokee Expedition, or the Edenton Tea Party;
Been a defender of forts and frontiers or a ranger;
Been a prisoner of war, including those on the British ship Old Jersey or other prison ships;
Been a physician, surgeon, nurse, or otherwise rendered aid to the wounded;
Rendered civil service under the Colonies during the dates falling on or between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783;
Been a member of committees made necessary by the violation of colonial rights by England or the War, such as committees of safety, observation, inspection, and correspondence;
Pledged to support the cause of the Colonies, such as the Oath of Fidelity and Support, the Oath of Allegiance or the Articles of Association, or the Association Test;
Been a signer of petitions addressed to and recognizing the authority of the provisional and new state governments;
Accepted obligations or acted under the direction of the provisional and new state governments, such as persons directed to hold elections, oversee road construction, collect provisions, or similar responsibilities;
Been a clergy member or other recognized leader of any religion who performed overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain, which could only be performed by religious leaders.
Please note that family tradition regarding the services of an ancestor will not be considered proof. No preliminary decision will be given concerning a line of descent, service, or whether the proposed evidence is acceptable. Preliminary decisions might prove incorrect when examined adequately in context with all available evidence, and the SAR will not render improperly formed evidentiary decisions. We reserve the right to accept or reject any evidence submitted.
2. FIND YOUR CHAPTER
When you meet eligibility requirements, the next step is to click on this link to email your state “New Member Contact.” Your New Member contact will help guide you through the SAR membership application process. He can identify the local chapter in your state. Regardless of where your ancestors lived, SAR Members join the most convenient chapter to where they currently reside. The New Member contact or local chapter “Registrar” can also help review the data you must collect to include with your SAR membership application.
3. COLLECT YOUR DATA
Properly documenting a genealogical line to a patriot ancestor can often be accomplished with only modest effort, provided you know what to look for and where to find it. This material will help you get a basic understanding of how to look for genealogical information. Please note, however, that the primary focus of this resource is obtaining the documentation needed for a SAR membership application. Therefore, it does not cover other fascinating aspects of researching your ancestry, such as immigration records.
4. START YOUR APPLICATION
Congratulations, you are ready to begin preparing your SAR membership application. As an applicant, there are several membership options. While most individuals who join the SAR will do so as regular members, we also have a junior membership option for men or boys under 18 years of age. Your chapter contact will be able to discuss membership options and related costs with you. For example, if more than one eligible family members wish to join together simultaneously based upon the same Revolutionary War Patriot, the SAR Family Plan might be cost-effective. Membership costs vary between SAR chapters and SAR state level societies depending upon location; your chapter contact will be able to share those details with you as well.
OPTION #1 – SAR ONLINE APPLICATION…the best option!
This option captures your data for future supplemental patriot ancestor applications and allows the SAR application helper to access your application for real-time guidance and assistance electronically. It is the preferred method for most SAR membership applications.
2. Click the My Applications Link (Once Logged in)
OPTION #2 – ADOBE PDF APPLICATION This option is recommended for those with limited Internet access who don’t mind meeting with their helper in person to complete their application. Please make sure you download this to your local PC for data entry, or ALL data entry and/or changes will be lost. Click here for the PDF SAR Application.
OPTION #3 – MICROSOFT WORD APPLICATION
This option is recommended for those with limited Internet access who don’t mind meeting with their helper in person for assistance in completing their application. This application requires Microsoft Word or its equivalent. Click here for the MSWord.doc Application.
Finally…
If you followed all of the previous steps, this shouldn’t be very difficult. Your State or Chapter Registrar, your sponsor, or State’s New Member contact (click here) can be invaluable resources during the application preparation process.
Once correctly completed, submit your SAR membership application (with all related documentation) to your SAR chapter or state registrar for approval. The SAR State Registrar will then send your application to the National SAR Headquarters for final review and approval. Typically, the approval process takes approximately 12 weeks from local chapter review to issuance of a National Number. You will be contacted should any additional documentation be required.
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you find a local contact to guide and assist with completing the SAR membership application form and fulfilling the SAR application requirements. There are some nuances of this process that they can help navigate. The completed SAR membership application form and supporting documentation must be submitted to your local SAR chapter or, in some cases, the SAR State Society. There are options for completing the SAR membership application form.