How To Join the SAR

You can find out more about the process by looking at the following documents, presented in the suggested sequence.

  1. Guide to Completing the SAR Application
  2. Most Commonly Used Documents to Support SAR Applications
  3. Repositories for most commonly used sources of documents to support SAR Applications
  4. Preparation of Application Requirements
  5. Application Worksheet

To become a Regular Member of the Sons of the American Revolution, you must be:

  1. A citizen with a good reputation in the community.
  2. Not an advocate to overthrow the government of the United States by use of force or violence.
  3. The lineal descendant of an ancestor who was loyal to and rendered active service in the cause of American Independence, either as an officer, soldier, seaman, marine, militiaman, or Minuteman, who served in the armed forces of the Continental Congress or any of the several Colonies or States; or as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence; or as a member of a Committee of Safety or Correspondence; or as a member of any Continental, Provincial, or Colonial Congress or Legislature; or as a recognized Patriot who performed actual service by overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain.

Don’t give up the search even if you aren’t sure whether any of your ancestors lived in the United States during the Revolution. 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 subsequent descendants returned to America unaware of their ancestors having lived here earlier.

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. Remember to consider all possibilities. Your search is a fun way to learn more about your family tree.

The SAR does not restrict membership based on race, color, religion, national origin, or nation of citizenship or residency. Marriage (and its documentation) for the several generations going back to the Patriot Ancestor may be required. Legitimacy in any generation is not a requirement. Descendants of plural marriages are not excluded from SAR membership. Bloodline descent — legitimate or illegitimate — from a Patriot Ancestor is what is required and must be documented. You must also have two members recommend you for membership.