NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR or SAR) was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. SAR is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and promoting education to our future generations. SAR members volunteer untold hours of service each year in their local communities. SAR is very active in supporting active duty military personnel and assisting veterans as well. We proudly assist classrooms with living history interpreters, lesson planning materials and reenactment events for school aged youth to attend.

As the largest male genealogical societies in the country, SAR boasts tens of thousands of active members in over 550 chapters across the United States and internationally. Any man 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove blood lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership. We are on the razor’s edge of allowing DNA proof to be used to prove descent for those with unclear roots. SAR National Headquarters houses one of the nation’s premier genealogical libraries which is fully staffed with graduate level professionally trained genealogical librarians. NSSAR is exempt from Federal income taxes under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and receives no government funding, despite being a Congressionally Chartered Organization.

We seek to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom, patriotism and respect for our national symbols, including but not limited to promoting pride in being American citizens and the unifying force of e pluribus unum. In 1876, there were many celebrations to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As part of this patriotic fervor, a group of men in the San Francisco, California, area who were descendants of patriots involved in the American Revolution, formed an organization called the Sons of Revolutionary Sires. Their objective was to have a fraternal and civic society to salute those men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the battle for independence from Great Britain. The Sons of Revolutionary Sires desired to keep alive their ancestors’ story of patriotism and courage in the belief that it is a universal one of man’s struggle against tyranny – a story which would inspire and sustain succeeding generations when they would have to defend and extend our freedoms.

Out of the Sons of Revolutionary Sires grew the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, which was organized on April 30, 1889, the one hundredth anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as our nation’s first president. We have used the acronym SAR to identify ourselves for over one hundred years. The SAR was conceived as a fraternal and civic society composed of lineal descendants of the patriots who wintered at Valley Forge, signed the Declaration of Independence, fought in the battles of the American Revolution,