The Origins of the SAR

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 story of man's struggle against tyranny -- a story that 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 patriots 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 9, 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 various states and territories and authorizes state societies to charter chapters within their borders.

For more information on the Sons of the American Revolution, please visit www.sar.org.

The Origins of Merchandise Direct

In 1981 the Society determined there were problems for our membership in dealing with various vendors for SAR memorabilia, so they decided to create Merchandise Direct.  At that time there were approximately 50 items available, including various forms, medals and awards, jewelry, and personal items.

Since that time Merchandise Direct has steadily increased the quality and quantity of items available to the members along with improving customer service.  Profits generated by Merchandise Direct also provide additional revenue for the operations and missions of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The Merchandise Direct mission is to provide quality membership and promotional materials to the Society's members, along with providing historical and educational materials to the general public.  This is to be done with the highest standards of customer service while providing a reasonable net profit contribution to the Society.