Is there any benefit to joining SR or SAR besides a patriotic sense of pride in having a great (5)- grandfather that was in the war? What are the differences and is one perceived “better” than the other?
What sort of “benefit” are you looking for? Preference when applying for a federal job? Discounts at preferred retailers?
As far as status goes, the SAR broke off from the SR more than 125 years ago, so I don’t know if one would be perceived as more authentic than the other.
I guess in terms of scholarship opportunities for my child. I know it wouldn’t provide either type of benefit you used as an example.
I’m not seeing any mention of scholarships on their web site.
(I wonder what percentage of male Americans would qualify? I’m guessing a pretty large one.)
DAR and SAR are largely seen as bragging rights organizations, along with other so-called “blue-blood” New England societies like the Mayflower Society. The last person in my family to apply for any of those was my great-grandmother, who was accepted into the DAR. The DAR used to exclude African American women, but the civil rights movement caused them to revise their policies.
For the OP: you can’t just join any of these organizations. You must provide proof of lineage. For a lot of people, that doesn’t entail a huge amount of work if you have a relative or recent ancestor who already did the legwork on their family line. All you have to do in that case is prove your relationship to that same family line.
I’m good with the relative. He is in DAR’s database with a “patriot” number assigned to him. I just need to get copies of six birth certificates. It helps that it is paternal lineage through all the generations so no name changes.
Good luck with it. Birth certs can be a real PITA to find sometimes, with some states unwilling to release a copy, even to relatives. New York is particularly notorious for this.
Others have disappeared due to floods, fires, etc.
I’m meeting a few SAR members before their meeting later this week. Hopefully the process will be as easy as I think it will be.
They have extensive genealogical records, so if you’re looking for ancestors, they can help.
Such organizations as SAR and DAR are pretty meaningless because the odds are if you’re an American and your forebears came over in the 19th century or before you’re almost certain to be able to trace your ancestry right back to the Mayflower. It’s similar to England where 80 or 90% of English people will have royal ancestors. I found that hard to believe until a genealogist (who traced mine and my wife’s lines back to Edward I, me through one of his daughters, my wife through another) explained just how small the gene pool was back then.
They have a magazine. Meetings sometimes have interesting speakers . . . . their shop has a few snappy ties.
SAR can be a case of YMMV depending on your area. Some places, at some times, can be tough to join. Other places, at other times, can be easy. GAR (Civil War) runs about the same way.
Benefits vary. It can be a good networking thing like Lions or JayCees or any other kind of club. A lot depends on how much you want to invest in the effort and what your situation in life is.
Nice group of guys. Getting hard copy proof of lineage will be a challenge.