ANCESTRAL SERVICE
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In general, military or government service under
the Colonies from April 19, 1775 to November 26, 1783, inclusive, by your
ancestor, will qualify you for membership in the SAR. Additionally, certain
"pre-war" service is acceptable, such as participation in the
Battle of Point Pleasant (October 1774), the Boston Tea Party (December
1773), and others too numerous to list here. Certain civilian services,
such as supplying provisions, manufacturing war materiel, or membership
on Committees would also be acceptable. If there is any doubt about an ancestor's
service, your local chapter will be glad to help clarify your eligibility.
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HOW TO APPLY
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The first step is to determine what
membership option you are interested in pursuing. Selection of
this option will determine the application fee and annual membership
fee. Please click on the SAR logo immediately to the left to
review these options on the National Society website.
Application fees are $134. This covers
all National and State application fees and the first year annual dues
($20) for Fort Dearborn-Chicago Chapter. |
Instructions and a
Worksheet can be found on a separate page. Further
information can be obtained from the Registrar of the Ft. Dearborn - Chicago Chapter,
Bing Seibold,
through the Contacting Us page.
Once you have filled out the
worksheet
with information from your genealogical research, it should be reviewed
with the Chapter Registrar to identify possible problems in processing the
application, and to advise or assist you with them.
When the
worksheet appears
acceptable, the Chapter will prepare the formal application for submission
to the National Society.
When your
worksheet is accepted,
three checks will be needed, one for the National Application Fee, one for the
Illinois State Society Fee, and another one for the Chapter Dues. The Registrar
will advise of the payees. We must have these before the final application
can be submitted. Reduced fees apply based upon the type of membership selected
as indicated above.
GETTING STARTED TOWARD MEMBERSHIP
The following pages contain a
worksheet
that has proven helpful to many applicants in organizing the genealogical
proofs necessary for membership. But, what are acceptable proofs?
Official copies of birth or baptismal records showing the
names of parents should be submitted wherever possible. When birth or baptismal
records are not available, a combination of the following may be substituted
therefore: photocopies of actual census records, land records that mention
relations, marriage records which show parentage, wills, probate court records
(or other court records in which relationships are mentioned, such as land
dispute or divorce matters), church records or Bible records (include a
copy of the title page).
Family histories and genealogies may be accepted as evidence.
If the family history or genealogy was authored by the applicant or a member
of his immediate family, copies of the sources used for the compilation
must be furnished.
You may rely on the application of an SAR or DAR relative
to gain membership, but you should be aware that many older applications
may have been based on proofs that do not meet modern genealogical criteria,
so you may be asked to provide additional documentation.
The record of the service of your Patriot Ancestor should
be as complete as possible. Dates of birth and death are especially important.
Indicate all sources of information regarding military or civil service,
with photocopies of each document relied on for the information. Indices
of patriotic service are not acceptable.
Last but not least, don't give up because some information
is questionable, or because you seem to have run out of places to look for
information or documents. Check with your local chapter for guidance over
the rough spots --
Our goal is to help you get in,
not to keep you out.
Also,
please consider your children for membership in the Illinois
Society Children of the American Revolution. Please click on the
following logo to see a list of local Chapters in the Illinois Society Children
of the American Revolution.
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