Welcome !!!
Holding a Charter from the Congress of the United States, the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR): help in preserving the records of the Revolutionary War Patriots, encourage historical research about the American Revolution, mark the locations of Revolutionary events and its soldiers, and work actively in today's world maintaining and extending institutions of American freedom.
National and State SAR
The National Society is headquartered at 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40203. Telephone: (502) 589-1776. There are 50 State Societies including the District of Columbia. There are also societies in Canada and Europe. The SAR's current membership is approximately 27,000. Here in Illinois there are 19 local chapters. The Fort Dearborn-Chicago Chapter is one of them. Members in the National Sociaty can affiliate with one or more of these local chapters. Link to the Illinois Society (ILSSAR) here.
Chicago's Local Chapter
The Fort Dearborn-Chicago Chapter draws its members from the city and the greater metropolitan area. Many downstate Illinois members also affiliate with the Ft. Dearborn-Chicago Chapter in order to participate in its programs.
Members meet regularly for lunch on the third Thursday of every other month beginning in January. Members assembe between 11:30 AM-12:00 PM in Room 700 of the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Boulevard (Jackson between Clark and Dearborn), Chicago.
Prospective members are welcome!
Just call the Ft. Dearborn-Chicago Chapter at (312) 337-0832 as late as the day before the lunch to make a reservation. (On the practicle side, we need to know how many tables to set and how many lunches to order from the kitchen.) Lunch costs about $20 per person including tax and tip and is payable at the door.
NOVEMBER 1999 NEWSLETTER
Your Presence
The Chicago Chapter has two kinds of members. Regular Members have been accepted into the National Society and meet all membership requirements. Associate Members share an interest in the Revolutionary War period of our history and are often working towards completing their genealogies. Although Regular Members are not obligated to work on Associate Member genealogies, they are often able to point their associates towards historical records that Regular Members discovered in their successful membership applications. Associate Members are and have been elected chapter officers. Associate Members are our future growth!
Annual Ft. Dearborn-Chicago Chapter dues for both Regular and Associate Members are just $15. Non-resident dues for those living 100+ miles from Chicago are $8. Covering a twelve month period, they date from the time of original affiliation with or remittance to the Fort Dearborn-Chicago Chapter. (Most of your dues are consumed by postage and printing costs. The Fort Dearborn-Chapter is run on a very small budget.)
National and State dues are paid by Regular Members and cover a variety of publications and member services offered through those organizations.
More on Membership
ANCESTRAL SERVICE
Generally, either 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 legistative committees and/or committees of public safety 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.
HOW TO APPLY
Instructions and a Worksheet can be found on a separate page. Further information can be obtained from the Chicago Chapter Registrar, Charles C. Wells, 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 initially accepted, a check for eighty-two dollars ($82.00) is needed (National Dues are $20.00, Illinois State Dues are $18.00 and a New Member Application Fee of $44 is charged). The Registrar will advise of the payee. We must have the check before the final application can be submitted. Reduced fees apply to sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews and grand-nephews of a member of SAR, DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) or SR (Sons of the Revolution), if under 25, and to CAR (Children of the American Revolution) members under age 22, with transfer card. For our more mobile members, transfer of an existing Chapter membership is a simple process, and we also have dual membership status for those who move but like to maintain contact with friends they've made.
Once accepted as a member, annual National, State and Chapter dues thereafter total fifty-three dollars ($53.00).
GETTING STARTED TOWARD MEMBERSHIP
( or, Genealogy 101 revisited)
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.
For more complete information, see the Instruction page.
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.
Local Ft. Dearborn-Chicago Chapter Officers
BOARD OF MANAGERS
1997-1998
Ex-Officio:
- President/Secretary Bing Seibold
- Vice President
Dr. Mark Warden
- Vice President Reception
Joseph Smith
- Registrar
Charles C. Wells
- Chaplain
Rev. Edward Wells Curtis
- Treasurer
Vacant
- Genealogist
Alvin Eugene Collins
- Chancellor
Lewis Spencer
- Sergeant-at-Arms
Tim Naylor
At-Large:
- Edwin Clark II until March 31, 1998
- LTC James Mueting, USA (Ret.)
until March 31, 1999
- Charles C. Wells
until March 31, 2000
COMMITTEEMAN CHAIRMEN
Citizenship Lee B. Canfield
Eagle Scout Theodore Golab
Law Enforcement Vacant
Computer Applications Robert E. Allen
ROTC Awards Frederic Putz
NSSAR Liaison James A. Williams, Jr.
Newsletter Bing Seibold
Veterans Welfare Edwin Garver
Color Guard M. John Dyrud
Patriot Graves Randall Watkins
Newsletter Bing Seibold
Flag-Heroism-Medals & Awards Committee of the Whole
