Revolutionary Service

Summary: Defines what qualifies as acceptable Revolutionary service for SAR membership, covering military, civil, and patriotic categories with examples and special cases.

Sources: National Society, Sons of the American Revolution.md (GCP Sections 2.0000–2.5000), # Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).md (APG, Patriot Ancestor and Proof of Service), raw/SAR-Application-Formatting-Guide.pdf

Last updated: 2026-04-20

Overview

An applicant must prove lineal descent from an ancestor who provided service to the cause of American Independence. Service must generally have been rendered between 19 April 1775 and 25 November 1783, with exceptions noted below. (source: National Society, Sons of the American Revolution.md, GCP 2.0000)

Any act of disloyalty to the American cause of independence disqualifies all service rendered prior to that act. (source: National Society, Sons of the American Revolution.md, GCP 2.5000)

Military Service (GCP 2.1000)

Service in the army, navy, or marines at the Continental, provincial/state, or local level. Both active duty and inactive duty service is acceptable.

Includes: - Service in the 13 original states and frontier actions (Quebec invasion, Cherokee Expedition, capture of Vincennes/Kaskaskia/Cahokia, garrison duty at Ft. Laurens and Ft. McIntosh) - Special exception: Service at the Battle of Point Pleasant, 10 October 1774 (that day and location only)

Civil Service (GCP 2.2000)

Conduct of public business under government authority — elected or appointed, with or without pay — for a Revolutionary government (not an occupying British government).

Excluded positions (GCP 2.2001)

Fiduciaries (bondsmen for marriages), executors/administrators of estates, conservators, guardians, and witnesses do not qualify — unless the position required swearing/affirming allegiance, which may serve as indirect proof of patriotic service.

Examples by level (GCP 2.2002)

Continental: Members of the Continental Congress (including the First Continental Congress, Sep–Oct 1774); diplomatic service for Congress.

Provincial/State: Members of provincial/state legislatures (as early as 19 April 1774); governors; any position elected or appointed by a state executive or legislature (tobacco inspector, paymaster, state land office employee, tax commissioner).

Local: County/township/city/town governing body members; town treasurers, tax collectors, constables, road crew members, harbor masters, jurors (including juries to appraise estates, lay off a widow's dower, or assess a mill dam).

Other: Participation in forming a Revolutionary government, such as signing the Cumberland Compact of 13 May 1780 or serving as a delegate to the Vermont Constitutional Convention of 1777.

Patriotic Service (GCP 2.3000)

Service to the cause that is neither military nor civil. Can be material support or by word, with or without remuneration.

By material support (GCP 2.3001)

Serving on committees of safety, observation, inspection, or correspondence (as early as 19 April 1774)
Furnishing a substitute for military service
Rendering aid to wounded/sick soldiers, sailors, or marines
Manufacturing or repairing munitions (gunsmiths, arms factories, gunpowder mills)
Providing storage or transportation for public property
Furnishing supplies
Donating or loaning money to support the war
Paying taxes, provided no penalty was assessed and payment was not made to a British-controlled government (see GCP 2.4004; a tax record, assessment roll, or receipt is required — mere legal obligation is not sufficient)
Owning or serving on a vessel sailing under letters of marque
Defending frontiers and forts (combatants regardless of age/gender; males 12+ who manned forts; scouts, rescue parties, messengers, guides, armed escorts)
Participants in the Boston Tea Party, 16 December 1773 (that day only)
Taking of gunpowder from Ft. William and Mary, 14–15 December 1774 (those two days only)
Being taken prisoner of war by British authorities or their Indian allies
Service by French nationals within the 13 states
Spanish military/militia service in support of Gálvez; residents of Spanish territories who contributed to the donativo of 1780

By word (GCP 2.3002)

Pledging to Articles of Association or similar documents (Edenton Resolves, Fincastle Resolutions) — as early as 19 April 1774
Swearing/affirming allegiance to Revolutionary governments
Signing the Declaration of Independence, Mecklenburg Declaration, or Albemarle Declaration
Clergy performing overt acts unique to religious leaders: serving as civilian chaplain, supporting the American cause from the pulpit or in published writings
Petitioning Revolutionary governments (Continental, provincial/state, or local) on any subject

Special Cases

Militia Fines (GCP 2.4001)

A fine alone is not evidence of service. However, a fine is evidence of service if the record shows the soldier must have been on duty to commit the offense, and the offense was not an egregious failure of duty (e.g., clear desertion).

Desertion / AWOL (GCP 2.4002)

Soldiers listed as deserters, absent without leave, or having missed a muster do not qualify — unless evidence exists of qualifying service after the date of absence (e.g., a later muster roll, pay stub, pension, or bounty land warrant). Context matters: a single missed muster after Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, or deserting a French/Spanish force to remain in the US, may be acceptable.

Patriotic Service by Children (GCP 2.4003)

Persons aged 12 and over are considered adults for purposes of Revolutionary service. Children under 12 are considered case-by-case, weighing age, nature of activity, and understanding.

Tax Payment (GCP 2.4004)

Payment of a tax to a state or local jurisdiction qualifies as patriotic service by material aid, provided: - The taxpayer was not charged a penalty rate - The payment was not a license or fee for personal benefit (marriage license, writs, commodity inspection/storage) - A record (tax roll, payment list, or receipt) exists — obligation alone is not sufficient

DAR Patriot Search Check

Before submitting an application, check DAR's patriot search pages: - If DAR has flagged a lineage error that appears in the applicant's lineage, SAR will not approve the application. - If DAR has corrected or changed a patriot's service from what was previously approved, SAR will accept DAR's corrected determination.

(source: raw/SAR-Application-Formatting-Guide.pdf)

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