Will you lift your voice in Remembrance of Initial Cause of Liberty?!
The SAR is a “genealogical lineage” society. This means that each member has traced their family tree back to a point of having an ancestor who supported the cause of American Independence during the years 1774-1783. You must be able to confirm that you are a direct ancestral line descendant of a Patriot by providing appropriate SAR acceptable documentation. Legitimacy through marriage of an ancestor is not a factor as long as appropriate proof of descendant ancestry is provided to confirm the applicant’s direct descent from their Revolutionary War Patriot (your Revolutionary War Patriot must be a Great x? grandfather or Great x? grandmother of some degree).
Properly documenting a genealogical line to a patriot ancestor can often be accomplished with only modest effort, provided you know what to look for and where to find it. If you have an ancestor who lived in the United States prior to 1900, chances are you may be the descendant of a Revolutionary War patriot.
Your application will be initially processed by the CFL Chapter Registrar to assure completeness and accuracy. We will forward the application to the Virginia State Society Registrar who acts as a check to the accuracy of the documentation. Finally, the National Society of the SAR approves all new membership applications. They have a staff of eight Professional Genealogists trained to help ensure your ancestry record is completely accurate. Upon acceptance, you will be inducted at the next Chapter meeting or CFL Chapter event. As of January 2022, it generally takes 3-5 months to garner final approval of your application.
In addition to our Chapter Registrar, several other members of the Chapter often volunteer to help with the process. There are also genealogy tools and websites that you can use to trace your lineage. To assist with the processing of your application, below are some resources to familiarize yourself with the steps to join:
