As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of our independence, many Americans are showing an increased interest in honoring those ancestors who fought to gain our liberty.
We strongly believe that every citizen should make the conscious effort to remember and honor those who struggled to secure the freedoms that we enjoy today. Our patriot ancestors, and the sacrifices they made for us, must never be forgotten. One way to honor these ancestors is to join a hereditary society. There are several hereditary societies in the U.S. which promote educational, historical and patriotic activities. The following are some of the most respected organizations which focus on patriot ancestors of the American Revolution, listed in the order of their founding: 1783 Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is the nation's oldest patriotic organization, founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts who served together in the American Revolution. Their mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of the achievement of American independence and to foster fellowship among its members. Hereditary members are qualified male descendants of commissioned officers who served in the Continental Army or Navy and their French counterparts who had either served until the end of the war or had resigned with honor after a minimum of three years' service. Most constituent societies limit hereditary membership to one current member for each eligible officer. 1876 Sons of the Revolution The Sons of the Revolution was founded in 1876 by John Austin Stevens. He was a patriotic historian who descended from Ebenezer Stevens, who did not meet all of the strict requirements for membership in the Society of Cincinnati at that time. The society founders wished to broaden participation in preserving American Heritage of the Revolutionary War on the eve of the centennial of the Declaration of Independence. The society’s mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of the achievement of American independence, and to foster fellowship amongst its members. Members are male lineal descendants of a military, naval or marine officer or enlisted person, who was in military service, or who otherwise actually assisted in the establishment of American Independence by services rendered during the War of the Revolution. Both Senior and Junior (under eighteen years) memberships are available. 1889 Sons of the American Revolution Founded in 1889, the SAR is a congressionally chartered male lineage society with sixteen U.S. Presidents and more than two-dozen Medal of Honor recipient Compatriots on their member rolls. Members are devoted to serving their communities, supporting educational outreach initiatives, and generally promote American patriotism. Members are male lineal descendants of an ancestor who, in the cause of American Independence, rendered service in the period between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783. Membership requires documented, acceptable evidence. 1890 Daughters of the American Revolution The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education for children. Members are female lineal descendants of an ancestor who helped contribute to securing the independence of the United States of America. Any adult woman who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join. 1896 Founders and Patriots of America Founded in 1896, members trace their ancestry back to those first colonists and who have forefathers in the same male ancestral line who served in the American Revolution. Today, as in the past, it is comprised of a wide range of individuals, all linked by a common heritage and dedicated to American ideals. Members are descendants of an ancestor who settled in any of the U.S. colonies prior to May 13, 1657 and who adhered as patriots to the cause of the American Revolution between 1775 and 1783. 1907 Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence The Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was founded in 1907 “to strengthen in American life the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and to perpetuate the memory of those men who, in signing that Declaration, mutually pledged their Lives, their Fortunes, and their Sacred Honor in the cause of Liberty.” Members are direct lineal descendants of the men who inscribed their names upon the first page of the history of the United States of America should form an association devoted to the promotion of the ideas expressed in the Declaration.
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Michael WoodHistorical milestones in our fight for liberty 1765-1783 Archives
February 2022
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Jnn13 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] |