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Membership/Eligibility 

Any man shall be eligible for membership in this 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 or Minuteman, in the armed forces of the Continental congress, or of any one 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 legislature, or as a recognized patriot who performed actual service by overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great Britain. The applicant must also be personally acceptable to the Society.
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was incorporated January 17, 1890, in Connecticut and chartered by the United States Congress on June 9, 1906. A number of state societies were formed prior to this date during the 1880's. These were organized under The Sons of Revolutionary Sires organized in San Francisco on July 4, 1876. The first Congress of the National Society took place in Louisville, Kentucky on April 30, 1890, on the 100th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration to the office of President of the United States.
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On April 30, 1990 The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution celebrated the bicentennial of Washington's becoming President and the centennial of the NSSAR.

The Tennessee Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was chartered on December 8, 1889, in Nashville, TN. The Society currently has 1400 active members in twenty-two Chapters located throughout the state. Our state society is a part of the Southern District.
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In December 2014, the TNSSAR celebrated it's 125th Anniversary.
Our Society is dedicated to the purposes and goals that through our enduring effort we inspire the community with a reverence for the principles of the government founded by our forefathers and recognize individuals who demonstrate timeless qualities of these men and women by endeavoring to:
  • Honor individuals for outstanding patriotic achievement on a national, regional and local level.
  • Honor persons for outstanding bravery and self sacrifice in the face of imminent danger.
  • Honor outstanding high school students annually with presentation of a Good Citizenship Award.
  • Honor outstanding Junior & Senior ROTC cadets with presentation of the ROTC Award.
  • Honor Law Enforcement officials for outstanding service with a Law Enforcement Award.
  • Select outstanding Eagle Scout annually at the chapter for state scholarship competition.
  • Assist veterans in Veterans Hospitals.
  • Conduct an historical orations contest annually to select a state competitor.
  • Place SAR Markers at the grave sites of Revolutionary War Patriots and SAR Members.
  • Commemorate Revolutionary War Patriots with appropriate ceremonies.
  • Participate in new citizenship swearing-in ceremonies.
  • Observe patriotic anniversaries.
  • Cooperate with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Children of the American Revolution and other hereditary organizations in the promotion of patriotism.