General Society of the Sons of the Revolution

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The General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR) dates its founding from a meeting held on February 22, 1876 in New York City to found a patriotic society composed of lineal descendants of soldiers, sailors and noteworthy civilians who had served the United States during the American Revolution. The original organizer of the Sons of the Revolution was John Austin Stevens who had sought to form a new organization of descendants of Revolutionary War veterans due to the restrictive membership requirements of the Society of the Cincinnati.

Stevens held a preliminary meeting at the New York Historical Society in December 1875. The first constitution of the Society was adopted at a second meeting, in January 1876, and a circular letter was issued inviting membership. The formal, organizational meeting took place on February 22, 1876, at which the Sons of the Revolution was founded. The fledgling group languished for several years thereafter. On December 4, 1883, an elaborate dinner was held in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The occasion, a "turtle feast," was a commemoration of the farewell address of George Washington to the officers of the Continental Army, at a similar "turtle feast" held in the same room 100 years before.

At the close of this dinner, the original constitution of the Sons of the Revolution was brought forth. It was signed by more than forty men present who were eligible for membership and the organization was revived. This became the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc.

In the early years of the organization, much support and encouragement was given to the Sons of the Revolution organization by Hamilton Fish, President-General of the Society of the Cincinnati. He often referred to the Sons of the Revolution as the "younger brothers of the Cincinnati."

From the beginning, men from states other than New York had been members of the society. Recognizing that some of these men might eventually form societies in other states, the society made provision in its Constitution of 1884 for other state societies to organize as 'auxilliary branches.' In 1888, the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution formed and in 1889, the District of Columbia society was organized. At a meeting of members of these three societies in Philadelphia in 1890, the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution was organized. Over the next few years, several more state societies were founded and the Society took on a more national character.

The purposes of the GSSR are stated in the preamble of its constitution - "to perpetuate the memory of the men who, in the military, naval and civil service of the colonies and of the Continental Congress, by their acts or counsel, achieved the Independence of the country, and to the proper celebration of the anniversaries of the birthday of Washington, and of prominent events connected with the War of the Revolution; to collect and secure for preservation the rolls, records and other documents relating to that period; to inspire the members of the Society with the patriotic spirit of their forefathers; and to promote the feeling of friendship among them.

The GSSR is frequently confused with the larger and better known Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The SAR was founded by William Osborn McDowell who sought to expand the reach of the Sons of the Revolution by having more lenient membership requirements such as accepting most forms of public service rather than only those which contributed directly to the Revolution. The SAR was formed on April 30th, 1889 in New York city on the 100th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration as president.

Today the GSSR has state societies in 27 states as well as the District of Columbia, Europe and Mexico. The headquarters of the General Society is in Independence, Missouri. The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, headquartered at Frances Tavern, owns and maintains that historic site as a museum and educational center. Each of the state societies operates as a separate organization, and as an affiliated unit of the General Society, Sons of the Revolution. The GSSR Headquarters provides support services to and coordination among the state societies, and responds to membership inquiries.

The website of the GSSR can be found at http://www.sr1776.org . It includes links to the sites of many of the state societies.

Based upon: Kilbourne, John Dwight (2002). Sons of the Revolution, A History, 1875-2001. New York, NY: The General Society Sons of the Revolution. ISBN 0-9720005-0-X.