Who is eligible to join the SAR?
Any man of age eighteen years or
over who is the lineal descent of an ancestor who supported the war for
American Independence, is eligible for membership in the Sons of the American
Revolution. These ancestors are referred to as a Revolutionary War
Patriot and include those persons who fought in the military and/or militia,
who provided supplies to the American cause, who served on political bodies
supporting the Revolution, who signed oaths of supports and similar acts.
Acceptable Service
- Signer
of Declaration of Independence.
- Battle
of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774.
- Ft.
William and Mary, December 14
/ 15, 1774
- Military
or naval service from April 19,
1775, to November
26, 1783
- 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 Congress.
- 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;
- Galvez 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.