Sons of the Revolution
An American hereditary patriotic society dedicated to preserving the memory and ideals of the American Revolution.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Sons of the Revolution, formally the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution, is a nonprofit hereditary and patriotic society headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in New York City on February 22, 1876, it brings together men who can document descent from people who supported American independence through military, naval, civil, legislative, or other qualifying service during the Revolutionary period. The society is not a commercial consumer brand; its identity is expressed through membership, historical stewardship, ceremonies, publications, awards, and public commemorations. The organization emerged partly from dissatisfaction with the restrictive membership rules of the Society of the Cincinnati, which generally emphasized eldest-male-line descent. John Austin Stevens Jr., a businessman and historian associated with the New-York Historical Society, helped organize the new society with the intention of creating a broader hereditary body honoring those who served the thirteen colonies and the Continental Congress. After an initially quiet period, a 1883 dinner at Fraunces Tavern in New York City commemorating George Washington’s farewell to his officers helped revive the organization and attract new members. The New York society was subsequently reorganized and became the foundation for wider expansion. During the late nineteenth century, affiliated societies appeared in other states. Pennsylvania organized a society in 1888, followed by the District of Columbia in 1889. Differences over the authority to establish and charter local bodies led to the creation of the General Society in 1890. The General Society provides an overarching framework, while state societies retain substantial responsibility for their own operations, programs, properties, and membership activities. The organization now comprises numerous state societies and chapters, including groups outside the United States, and has reported membership of approximately 5,000 in material dating from the mid-2010s. Its stated purposes include perpetuating the memory of the people who achieved American independence, encouraging appropriate observances of Washington’s birthday and major Revolutionary anniversaries, preserving rolls and historical documents, cultivating patriotic feeling, and promoting fellowship among members. Activities include dinners, lectures, exhibitions, grave-marker and wreath-laying ceremonies, historic-site preservation, educational awards, military and academic recognition, publications, and commemorative events. Members may receive the quarterly publication Drumbeat, invitations to society events, certificates, insignia, rosettes, and other regalia. Important affiliated activities include the New York society’s ownership and operation of Fraunces Tavern as a museum and restaurant since 1904; preservation work at Green End Fort by the Rhode Island society; and the Pennsylvania society’s Let Freedom Ring observance, which has connected bell-ringing ceremonies with the thirteen original states since 1969. The General Society and its constituent bodies also sponsor awards for citizens, students, cadets, and service members, including the Annapolis Cup and various state-level recognition programs. Governance is carried out through a board of managers, an executive committee, officers, standing committees, and staff. The society remains active as a historical, educational, ceremonial, and membership organization rather than a publicly traded or conventional commercial enterprise.
History
The Sons of the Revolution was established in New York City on February 22, 1876, during the centennial era of renewed interest in the American Revolution. John Austin Stevens Jr. was the principal founder. He had connections with historical and civic circles and sought to form a hereditary society that would honor Revolutionary service without the Society of the Cincinnati’s limitation based principally on eldest-male descent. A preliminary meeting took place at the New-York Historical Society on December 18, 1875. A further meeting in January 1876 adopted an initial constitution and issued an invitation for prospective members. The organization was relatively inactive in its earliest years. Its revival was associated with an elaborate dinner at Fraunces Tavern on December 4, 1883, marking the centennial of Washington’s farewell address to his officers at that location. The event helped recruit approximately forty members and encouraged the reorganization of the body as the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York. Hamilton Fish, then president-general of the Society of the Cincinnati, supported the developing organization and described its members as younger counterparts of the Cincinnati. As the New York society attracted members living elsewhere, the need for affiliated state organizations became clear. A constitutional amendment in 1884 authorized state societies to operate as auxiliary branches. The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution was organized on April 3, 1888, largely through the efforts of John W. Jordan and Josiah Granville Leach. The District of Columbia society was chartered by the New York society on March 11, 1889. These developments produced a dispute about whether new societies should be independently organized or chartered by an existing body. The dispute was resolved through the creation of a national coordinating organization. A constitution for the General Society was proposed in Philadelphia on February 12, 1890, adopted in New York on March 8, and formally inaugurated at a meeting in Washington on April 19. The resulting structure gave the General Society authority to charter societies while leaving state societies responsible for their internal affairs. Additional state societies followed, giving the organization a broader national character. Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the Sons of the Revolution developed a program centered on historical memory and public service. State societies organized dinners, educational events, exhibits, holiday observances, grave-marker placements, wreath ceremonies, and preservation projects. The New York society acquired and operated Fraunces Tavern as a museum and restaurant beginning in 1904. Its museum preserves Revolutionary-era artifacts, images, and material associated with the society. The Rhode Island society has maintained Green End Fort since 1969; the fort was once thought to have been built by British forces in 1777, although later interpretation has associated it more closely with French forces under the Comte de Rochambeau in 1780. The Pennsylvania society’s Let Freedom Ring program, begun in 1969, became one of the organization’s most visible recurring public observances. Bells are rung thirteen times at a specified time on Independence Day to represent the original thirteen states, with ceremonies involving the Liberty Bell, Revolutionary flags, music, processions, and wreath laying. Other state societies have maintained annual or periodic awards for military academy cadets, ROTC participants, students, citizens, and society leaders. The General Society has also established awards such as the Modern Patriot Award, Patrick Henry Award, Jay Harris Award, Richard Farmer Hess Leadership Award, Trent Trophy, Membership Achievement Award, and Presidential Commendation of Merit. The organization holds general membership meetings on a triennial cycle. The 41st meeting took place in Savannah in 2012, and the 42nd was held in Williamsburg from October 1 to 4, 2015. Governance is conducted through the General Society’s board of managers, executive committee, officers, standing committees, and staff, alongside the independently administered state societies and chapters. Eligibility generally requires an adult male of good character to document qualifying descent from a person who served the revolutionary cause, signed the Declaration of Independence, served in a colonial or Continental Congress, or otherwise performed qualifying service that aided independence. Junior, senior, and life memberships are also available. The society continues to operate as a nonprofit historical and patriotic association.
- 2015
42nd triennial meeting
[1]The 42nd triennial meeting was hosted by the Virginia Society in Williamsburg.
- 2012
41st triennial meeting
[1]The General Society held its 41st triennial meeting in Savannah, Georgia.
- 2005
Pulaski re-interment commemoration
[1]The General Society joined the Georgia society in a wreath-laying ceremony connected with Casimir Pulaski’s re-interment in Savannah.
- 1969
Let Freedom Ring begins
[1]The Pennsylvania society launched its nationwide Independence Day bell-ringing and commemorative program.
- 1904
New York society operates Fraunces Tavern
[1]The New York society began owning and operating Fraunces Tavern as a museum and restaurant.
- 1890
General Society established
[1]The General Society constitution was adopted and the national coordinating body was inaugurated in 1890.
- 1888
Pennsylvania society organized
[1]The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution became the first major new state society in the organization’s expansion.
- 1883
Fraunces Tavern revival dinner
[1]A commemorative dinner at Fraunces Tavern helped revive the organization, recruit members, and lead to the reorganization of the New York society.
- 1876
Sons of the Revolution founded
[1]The society was founded in New York City on February 22, with the purpose of honoring Revolutionary-era service and preserving the memory of American independence.
- 1875
Preliminary organizing meeting
[1]John Austin Stevens Jr. and associates held a preliminary meeting at the New-York Historical Society while developing a new hereditary patriotic organization.
Products and positioning
A lineage-based American historical and patriotic society combining hereditary membership with preservation, education, public commemoration, and civic fellowship.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008New York Evacuation Day observance
United States
The New York society organized a proposed procession commemorating the British evacuation of New York on November 25, 1783, with period reenactors, diplomatic guests, and a symbolic flag ceremony.
Outcome. City officials ultimately accepted the society’s parade application after an earlier denial.
- 2005Pulaski re-interment wreath ceremony
United States
The General Society and Georgia society participated in a wreath-laying commemoration at the re-interment of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski in Savannah.
Outcome. The event extended the society’s practice of honoring Revolutionary participants through public memorial ceremonies.
- 1969Let Freedom Ring
United States
The Pennsylvania society’s annual Independence Day program commemorates the thirteen original states through thirteen bell rings, ceremonies involving the Liberty Bell, Revolutionary flags, music, processions, and wreath laying.
Outcome. It became a recurring nationwide patriotic observance associated with the society and its public-education mission.
Brand decisions
1904
Take responsibility for Fraunces TavernStrategyBackground
Fraunces Tavern was viewed as an important site connected with the Revolutionary period and George Washington’s military farewell.
Action taken
The New York society began operating the property as a museum and restaurant and undertook preservation and interpretation work.
Aftermath
Fraunces Tavern became a continuing institutional and public-facing heritage asset associated with the society.
1890
Create a General Society frameworkStrategyBackground
The growth of state societies created uncertainty over who should establish and charter new branches.
Action taken
The organization adopted a General Society constitution and assigned the national body chartering authority while preserving state-level autonomy.
Aftermath
The arrangement enabled expansion into a federation of state societies and chapters with a common national identity.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sons-of-the-revolution · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled