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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. They
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 Sires grew the National
Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, which was
organized on April 30, 1889 -- the 100th anniversary of the inauguration
of George Washington as our nation's first President. We have used the
acronym SAR
to identify ourselves for over 100 years. The SAR
was conceived as a fraternal and civic society composed of lineal
descendants of the men who wintered at Valley forge, signed the
Declaration of Independence, fought in the battles of the American
Revolution, served in the Continental Congress, or otherwise supported
the cause of American Independence. The National Society was chartered
by an Act of the United States Congress on June 6, 1906. The charter was
signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a member of the SAR.
The charter authorizes the granting of charters to societies of the
various states and territories and authorizes the state societies to
charter chapters within their borders.
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