Sons of the American Revolution

Texas Society

Who Are We?

Nationally -

The Sons of the American Revolution was incorporated on January 17, 1890, in Connecticut and later chartered by the United States Congress on June 9, 1906.  Prior to this date a number of state societies were formed in the 1880s.  These were led by The Sons of Revolutionary Sires, organized July 4, 1876, in San Francisco.  The first Congress of the National Society was held in Louisville, Kentucky on April 30, 1890 - the 101st anniversary of George Washington's taking the oath of office of President of the United States.

Any man shall be eligible for membership in the Society who, being of the age of eighteen years or over, and a citizen of good repute in the community, is the lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all times unfailing in loyalty to, and rendered active service in the cause of American Independence, either as an officer, soldier, seaman, marine, militiaman, in the armed forces of the Continental Congress, or of any of the several Colonies or states; or as a signer of the Declaration of Independence; or as a member of a Committee of Safety or Correspondence; or as a member of any Continental, Provincial, or Colonial Congress or Legislator; or as a recognized patriot who performed actual service by overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain; provided, however, that no person advocating the overthrow of the Government of the United States by use of force or violence shall be eligible for membership in this Society.

Texas Society -

On December 9, 1896 The Galveston Daily News announced the organization of the Texas Society of Sons of the American Revolution.  At the organizational meeting on December 8th there were men from Galveston, Austin, Dallas, Weatherford, Eagle Pass, Fort Clark, and other Texas cities.  They formed the Bernardo de Galvez Chapter and selected the Honorable Ira H. Evans as the first state president.  The first annual meeting of the Texas Society SAR (TXSSAR) was held on February 22, 1897 with fifteen members in attendance, and by March the membership was up to twenty.  As of March of 2006 there have been sixty-four Chapters formed in the state of Texas with forty-eight still active.  Membership has grown from the original fifteen to 2,500, and as of 2008, 9,760 men have joined the Texas Society over the past 110 years.