Why Join Us?
A Lineage Society
The SAR is a “lineage” society. This means that each member has traced their family tree back to a point of having an ancestor who supported the cause of American Independence during the years 1774-1783.
Do you have a patriotic ancestor?
If you already know that you have such an ancestor, then you may want to continue on to finding out how you begin to join the SAR, and what kind of eligibility you have.
Where to startNot sure?
If you aren’t sure whether any of your ancestors lived in the United States during the Revolution, don’t lose heart. Many people who never set foot in the United States supported the American colonists struggle against British domination — for example the king of Spain. Many patriots (or their descendants moved to foreign lands and their descendants moved back later, not knowing their ancestors were here before. Many French, German, and Spanish soldiers and sailors fought in support of American independence and returned home without making their descendants aware of their participation in gaining American independence.
Suppose you don’t
Even if you do not identify an ancestor who participated in the struggle for American Independence you can still have hours of fun searching for information on your ancestors. Getting involved in your genealogy usually produces interesting family stories and an improved appreciation for the problems and opportunities that your ancestors had to deal with.
While the lack of a documented patriot ancestor will prevent you from joining the SAR, there are many other societies that can help you explore your family history, meet other people of the same lineage that you have, and support the political institutions that make the United States a great nation.
What We Do
- Honor individuals for outstanding and unusual patriotic achievement on a national, regional and local level.
- Honor persons for outstanding bravery and self sacrifice in the face of imminent danger.
- Honor members of the United States Congress for outstanding service to the nation.
- Honor outstanding high school students annually with the presentation of a Good Citizenship Award.
- Honor outstanding Junior and Senior ROTC cadets annually with the presentation of the ROTC Award.
- And much, much more!
Many people think that in order to join the Sons of the American Revolution you must be descended through the male line from the soldier to the applicant. Not so. The soldier may be your mother’s mother’s mother’s father’s mother’s father, or any formula back and forth between male and female. Some of the patriots who served the cause were, in fact, women.
Not everyone who served in the American Revolution were soldiers. Many were too old to take up arms, and served instead by joining Committees of Safety, holding public office, supplying arms or food, serving as nurses and doctors, or serving otherwise in any of a hundred different ways.