Sons of the American Revolution

Sons of the American Revolution
Named after	American Revolution
Established	April 30, 1889; (135 years ago)
Founded at	New York City
Type	Patriotic organization
Tax ID no.	53-0116355
Legal status	Federally chartered nonprofit corporation
Purpose	Fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, educational
Headquarters	809 West Main Street,; Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Coordinates	38°15′28″N 85°45′49″W / 38.25778°N 85.76361°W
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	38,323 (2022)
Official language	English
Publication	Spirit of '76
Affiliations	Daughters of the American Revolution; Children of the American Revolution
Website	sar.org

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, was formed on April 30, 1889, in New York City. Its objectives are to maintain and extend "the institutions of American freedom, an appreciation for true patriotism, a respect for our national symbols, the value of American citizenship, [and] the unifying force of 'e pluribus unum' that has created, from the people of many nations, one nation and one people."^[1]

The members of the society are male descendants of people who served in the American Revolutionary War or who contributed to establishing the independence of the United States. It is dedicated to perpetuating American ideals and traditions, and to protecting the United States Constitution; the official recognition of Constitution Day, Flag Day, and Bill of Rights Day were established through its efforts. It has members in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The organization is distinct from the Sons of the Revolution, a separate patriotic organization founded on February 22, 1876, by businessman John Austin Stevens and members of the Society of the Cincinnati. Sons of the American Revolution founder William Osborn McDowell disagreed with the Sons of the Revolution requirement at that time that all state societies were to be subordinate to the New York Society.

History

The first organization of descendants of Revolutionary War patriots was established in San Francisco, in 1876. A group of men who were descendants of American Revolutionary War veterans gathered to celebrate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. They also wanted to honor the men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes, and livelihood to the striving for independence from Great Britain. This group formed an organization called the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires. There is, however, no direct link between the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires and the Sons of the American Revolution except that members of the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires were permitted to join the Sons of the American Revolution after its founding in 1889.

The organization's founding can be traced to the Sons of the Revolution, a New York City society that was organized in 1876. Sons of the American Revolution was founded by John Austin Stevens, who envisioned an aristocratic social and hereditary organization along the lines of the Society of the Cincinnati.

In 1889, William O. McDowell, a New Jersey financier and businessman, organized the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the Revolution but was unwilling to accept the Sons of the Revolution's requirement that other state societies be subordinate to the New York society. McDowell also wanted the society to become more of a mass movement of descendants of Revolutionary patriots rather than an exclusive social club.

McDowell organized the Sons of the American Revolution at Fraunces Tavern in New York City, on April 30, 1889, the same year as the centennial anniversary of the first inauguration of George Washington as the nation's first president in 1789. McDowell was the organization's first member. In addition to organizing the Sons of the American Revolution, McDowell worked with six women to organize Daughters of the American Revolution, a national organization for women who descend from American Revolution era figures.

On June 9, 1906, Sons of the American Revolution was formally granted a congressional charter by an act of Congress under Title 36 of the United States Code. The act was signed by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a member.

Insignia

The society's insignia consists of a Maltese cross surrounded by a garland, with a relief of George Washington in a center circle. The Maltese cross used in the Badge of the Sons of the American Revolution draws its inspiration from the cross used by the Order of St. Louis of France. The wreath symbolizes the laurel wreaths presented to worthy individuals by the Roman Republic. Major West selected the Cross of St. Louis as his basis for the decoration because King Louis XVI of France, the Grand Master of the Order of St. Louis, provided badly needed aid to the fledgling Continentals. In choosing this cross, the National Society intended to recognize the French contribution to American independence.

History shows that the Maltese Cross was used by the Knights of St. John, a brotherhood of warrior Crusaders who represented all walks of life who banded together to fight for freedom and against oppression. The Knights of St. John, and other Crusaders, adopted the Maltese cross as their insignia because its eight points represented the eight Beatitudes prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount: blessed are (1) the poor in spirit, (2) the meek, (3) the pure, (4) the merciful, and (5) the peacemakers, (6) blessed are they that mourn, and (7) seek righteousness, and (8) blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake.

Surrounding the relief of Washington in the center are the words "LIBERTAS ET PATRIA", a reminder of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.^[2]

The insignia is normally worn suspended by a ribbon of blue, white and gold (buff) on the wearer's left breast. National officers and former state and chapter presidents wear the insignia suspended from a neck ribbon of the Society's colors. On other occasions a rosette in the Society's colors is worn on the wearers left lapel.

Purpose

The society is involved in historical research, raising funds for local scholarships and educational awards, and preservation of sites and documents related to the American Revolution. The Sons of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to store Revolutionary era documents in a fire-proof area and make them available to the public, leading to the creation of the National Archives.^[3] It is also active in cataloging and marking Revolutionary War patriot graves and conducts an annual Eagle Scout scholarship program. The society is active in promoting "patriotism", and was instrumental in the establishment of Constitution Day.^[4] Numerous Sons of the American Revolution societies and chapters have active color guard groups that appear in various public and private venues as a means of community outreach.

The Sons of the American Revolution hosts two Leadership Meetings and one National Congress every year. The two leadership meetings are held in the Spring and Fall in Louisville, KY at the Brown Hotel. The National Congress is held at a different location every year during the Summer. The 2021 National Congress took place in Renton, Washington, while the 2022 Congress took place in Savannah, Georgia. The 2023 National Congress will take place in Orlando, Florida.

Headquarters

The headquarters, located along Museum Row in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, contains the organization's administrative staff offices, Sons of the American Revolution Genealogical Research Library, and the future site of an American Revolutionary War Education Center. The Sons of the American Revolution is currently raising funds to finish the center's development. The building houses original and copied art that commemorates important people and events of the Revolutionary War, as well as historical uniforms, flags, documents, and other colonial era pieces.

The governance of the Sons of the American Revolution is made up of ten national officers, 15 vice presidents that preside over separate geographical regions, and one trustee, who is elected from each state and international society. The officers meet several times over the year to discuss business pertaining to the society. National Officers meet at least four times during their term of office, unless special meetings are called. Trustees meet twice annually at the society's headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. These meetings, known as the Fall and Spring Leadership Meetings, are normally held in late September and early March. During leadership meetings, committee recommendations and the society's budget are approved. While only national officers, vice presidents, and trustees have the right to vote on the floor, all members are invited to attend and may request appointment to committees.

National officers and trustees also meet during the National Congress, which is held in late June or early July of each year. Unlike the leadership meetings, which always take place at the Society's national headquarters, the National Congress is held in different locations throughout the United States. Locations are often selected in order to honor a historical event in United States history or in the organization's history, and there is an effort to alternate the meetings between the East and West coasts of the United States. The National Congress is responsible for electing national officers and approving changes to the society's constitution, along with any other motions brought before it.

The organization also maintains over 60 standing and special committees that Sons of the American Revolution members are appointed to in order to oversee the society's welfare, including committees on facilities, insurance, genealogy, library, merchandise, medals, and awards. All members are welcome to participate on committees and are appointed by the society's president general for a one-year term. There are no term-limits and all committee members have the right to vote on the committee's decisions.

The current President General is John L. Dodd, Esq., California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, who was sworn in as President General at the 133rd National Congress in Orlando, Florida. The organization's executive director is Todd Bale.

Genealogical library

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution has held a collection of genealogical reference dating back to 1889. Materials were originally kept by the Secretary General or Registrar General up until 1926, when the materials were moved to the Registrar General's office in Washington, D.C., in 1927, this collection was moved to the recently purchased Sixteenth Street Headquarters Building, and the collection had grown to 914 books by 1933. From this point until the move of Headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Louisville, Kentucky, the book collection grew at a rapid pace, growing to approximately 25,000 items by 1988. At this point, the Library was on the Second floor of the Headquarters building on South Fourth Street, and possessed a 544-square-foot vault for books not out in the library due to space.

Because of continuing growth, the Sons of the American Revolution Library was moved in 2010 to a renovated building on West Main Street in the heart of the Historic Museum District of downtown Louisville. By this point, the Library collection had grown to over 58,000 items, mostly covering the Revolutionary War period, but also containing other genealogical materials. The library collection includes family histories, state genealogy materials, federal censuses, Revolutionary War pension applications, and CD collections, and the library separates materials based on State. The library also provides access to online research databases, including Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, and Heritage Quest Online.

It was supported by several other patriotic societies, including the Society of American Wars and the United States Daughters of 1812.^[5]^: 115 The Daughters of the American Revolution stocked it in its library and even considered merging it with another of its own magazines.^[5]^: 115 It ceased publication in 1906.^[5]^: 115

Membership

Membership in the society is open to any male of "good repute"^[6] who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who actively supported the American Revolution.^[7] Acceptable ancestors include:

military veterans of the American Revolutionary War, including those who served in the Continental Army, Continental Navy, and state militias and navies
signers of the Declaration of Independence
members of the Continental Congress
civilians who provided arms or supplies to the American cause
people who served on political bodies supporting the American Revolution, signed oaths of allegiance, or those who gave similar support to the Patriot cause
Soldiers and sailors from allied nations such as France and Spain who fought in support of American independence.

No state society or chapter may discriminate against an applicant on the basis of race or creed. The Sons of the American Revolution claims a membership of over 37,000 members in over 550 chapters representing all 50 states in the United States, as well as societies in Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Overall, about 200,000 descendants have been admitted since the founding of the S.A.R. in 1890.

Publication

The journal of the organization at the turn of the 20th century was the Spirit of '76 magazine, a little magazine published in New York.^[5]^{: 114–115} It was founded in September 1894, published by the eponymous Spirit of '76 Publishing Company and edited by Henry Hall, one of McDowell's associates.^[5]^: 114 In 1897 Louis H. Cornish, previously the editor of another magazine titled Suburbs that was about real estate in New York City, took over as both editor and publisher.^[5]^: 114 Cornish's opinion of McDowell, who in Cornish's words "came to us with various schemes of making the world better, and we entered into them and have since paid for it" was that McDowell's ideas for the magazine were enthusiastic but wildly impractical.^[5]^: 115^[8]^: 358

List of presidents general

Lucius Parmenias Deming, of Connecticut, 1889–1890
William Seward Webb, of New York, 1890–1892
Horace Porter, of New York, 1892–1897
Edward Shepard Barrett, of Massachusetts, 1897–1898
Franklin Murphy, of New Jersey, 1898–1900
Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, of Kentucky, 1900–1901
Walter S. Logan, of New York, 1901–1902
Edwin Warfield, of Maryland, 1902–1903
Edwin S. Greeley, of Connecticut, 1903–1905
James Denton Hancock, of Pennsylvania, 1904–1905
Francis Henry Appleton, of Massachusetts, 1905–1906
Cornelius Amory Pugsley, of New York, 1906–1907
Nelson Alvin McClary, of Illinois, 1907–1908
Henry Stockbridge Jr., of Maryland, 1908–1909
Morris Beach Beardsley, of Connecticut, 1909–1910
William Allen Marble, of New York, 1910–1911
Moses Greeley Parker, of Massachusetts, 1911–1912
James McElroy Richardson, of Ohio, 1912–1913
Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston, of Kentucky, 1913–1915
Newell Bertram Woodworth, of New York, 1915–1916
Elmer Marston Wentworth, of Iowa, 1916–1918
Louis Annin Ames, of New York, 1918–1919
Chancellor Livingston Jenks Jr., of Illinois, 1919–1920
James H. Preston, of Maryland, 1920–1921
Wallace McCamant, of Oregon, 1921–1922
W. I. Lincoln Adams, of New Jersey, 1922–1923
Arthur Preston Sumner, of Rhode Island, 1923–1924
Marvin Harrison Lewis, of Kentucky, 1924–1925
Harvey Foote Remington, of New York, 1925–1926
Wilbert Hamilton Barrett, of Michigan, 1926–1927
Ernest E. Rogers, of Connecticut, 1927–1928
Ganson Depew, of New York, 1928–1929
Howard Rowley, of California, 1929–1930
Josiah Alexander Van Orsdel, of Washington, D.C., 1930–1931
Benjamin Newhall Johnson, of Massachusetts, 1931–1932
Frederick William Millspaugh, of Tennessee, 1932–1933
Arthur Milton McGrillis, of Rhode Island, 1933–1935
Henry Fennimore Baker, of Maryland, 1935–1936
Messmore Kendall, of New York, 1936–1940
Smith Lewis Multer, of New Jersey, 1943–1946
Allen Laws Oliver, of Missouri, 1946–1947
A. Herbert Foreman, of Virginia, 1947–1948
Charles Bunn Shaler, of Pennsylvania, 1948
Benjamin Harrison Powell III, of Texas, 1948–1949
John Whelchel Finger, of New York, 1949–1950
Wallace Clare Hall, of Michigan, 1950–1952
Ray Omer Edwards, of Florida, 1952–1953
A. Alexander le Pelletier de la Houssaye, of Louisiana, 1953–1954
Milton Miles Lory, of Iowa, 1954–1955
Edgar Williamson Jr., of New Jersey, 1955–1956
Eugene Pendleton Carver Jr., of Massachusetts, 1956–1957
George Edward Tarbox Jr., of Colorado, 1957–1958
Walter Allerton Wentworth, of New York, 1958–1959
Charles Aubrey Jones, of Ohio, 1959–1960
Herschel Stratton Murphy, of New Jersey, 1960–1961
Horace Yeargin Kitchell, of Mississippi, 1961–1962
Charles Arner Anderson, of Ohio, 1962–1963
Robert Leon Sonfield, of Texas, 1963–1964
Harry Thomas Burn, of Tennessee, 1964–1965
Howard Emerson Coe, of Connecticut, 1965–1966
Kenneth Godfrey Smith, of Pennsylvania, 1966–1967
Len Young Smith, of Illinois, 1967–1968
Walter Gage Sterling, of Texas, 1968–1969
James Bronson Gardiner II, of New York, 1969–1970
Walter Reville Martin, of Rhode Island, 1970–1971
Eugene Clifford McGuire, of Ohio, 1971–1972
Ryall Stapleton Morgan, of Alabama, 1972–1973
Marion Howard Crawmer, of Michigan, 1973–1974
M. Graham Clark, of Missouri, 1974–1975
Robert Duval Savage, of Pennsylvania, 1975–1976
Matthew Bacon Sellers III, of Florida, 1976–1977
Wilson King Barnes Sr., of Maryland, 1977–1978
Calvin Ellsworth Chunn, of California, 1978–1980
Arthur Mansfield King, of Kansas, 1980–1981
Richard Henry Thompson Jr., of Florida, 1981–1982
Howard Laverne Hamilton, of Virginia, 1982–1983
Warren Griffin Hayes Jr., of Pennsylvania, 1983–1984
Carl Francis Bessent, of Maryland, 1984–1985
Benjamin Hume Morris, of Kentucky, 1985–1986
Clovis Hunter Brakebill, of Texas, 1986–1987
Nolan Wendell Carson, of Ohio, 1987–1988
Charles Francis Printz, of West Virginia, 1988–1989
James Roger Westlake, of Georgia, 1989–1990
James Robert Calhoun, of New Mexico, 1990–1991
George Henry Brandau, of Texas, 1991–1992
Paul Howard Walker, of Massachusetts, 1992–1993
Robert Bell Vance Sr., of Georgia, 1993–1994
Stewart Boone McCarty Jr., of Washington, D.C., 1994–1995
William C. Gist Jr., of Kentucky, 1995–1996
Reon Glessner Hillegass Jr., of Virginia, 1996–1997
Carl K. Hoffman II, of Florida, 1997–1998
Russell Duff Page, of Illinois, 1998–1999
Howard F. Horne Jr., of Delaware, 1999–2000
Bruce Baird Butler, of Louisiana, 2000–2001
Larry D. McClanahan, of Tennessee, 2001–2002
B. Rice Aston, of Texas, 2002–2003
Raymond G. Musgrave, of West Virginia, 2003–2004
Henry N. McCarl, of Massachusetts, 2004–2005
Roland G. Downing, of Delaware, 2005–2006
Nathan E. White Jr., of Texas, 2006–2007
Bruce A. Wilcox, of Virginia, 2007–2008
David N. Appleby, of Missouri, 2008–2009
Edward F. Butler, of Texas, 2009–2010
J. David Sympson, of Kentucky, 2010–2011
Larry J. Magerkurth, of California, 2011–2012
Stephen Arthur Leishman, of Delaware, 2012–2013
Joseph W. Dooley, of Virginia, 2013–2014
Lindsay C. Brock, of Florida, 2014–2015
Thomas E. Lawrence, of Texas, 2015–2016
J. Michael Tomme Sr., of Georgia, 2016–2017
Larry T. Guzy, of Georgia, 2017–2018
Warren M. Alter, of Arizona, 2018–2019
John T. Manning, of New Hampshire, 2019–2021
Davis L. Wright, of Delaware, 2021–2022
C. Bruce Pickette, of Alabama, 2022–2023
John L. Dodd, of California, 2023–2024

List of honorary presidents general

Adolphus Skinner Hubbard, of California
Harold Lee Putnam, of California
Albert Maver Winn, of California

References

^ "OKSSAR – Purpose". okssar.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
^ "Suggested Induction Ceremony for New Members No. Two". The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Official Handbook Volume II: History, Organization and Protocol. The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
^ Charles B. Schweizer. "SAR New Member Information" (PDF).^{[dead link]}
^ Williams, Winston C., ed. (1991). Centennial History of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1889–1989. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company. p. 9. ISBN 9781563110283. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Davies, Wallace Evan (1955). "The Patriotic Press". Patriotism on Parade: The Story of Veterans' and Hereditary Organizations in America, 1783–1900. Harvard historical Studies. Vol. 66. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674658004. ISSN 0073-053X.
^ Media, Blackstone. "Sons Of The American Revolution". NSSAR – National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
^ The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Official Handbook. September 2012. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^ Cornish, Louis H., ed. (August 1898). "editorial". The Spirit of '76. Vol. 4, no. 48. New York: Spirit of '76 Publishing Company.