Becoming A Member

Joining the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution

 

We welcome your interest in joining the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, also known as the PSSR.

Membership in the PSSR begins with sponsorship by two (2) current members of the PSSR. If you know a current Society member, please reach out to them directly to ask them if they will sponsor you for membership. If you do not know any current members of the Society, please contact the Society office via email ([email protected]) to find out about upcoming events where you might be able to meet some of our current members.


ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Once a candidate has 2 sponsors for membership, the Admissions Process involves two steps:

STEP 1: Proposal for Membership form. Once a candidate for membership has secured two proposing sponsors, the candidate is asked to complete a short Proposal for Membership Form which includes basic biographical and contact information, as well as a top-level description of who your qualifying ancestor is, and why he qualifies you for membership in the PSSR. This form will need to be submitted to the Society office to begin the Admissions process.

Once this initial Proposal for Membership form is received by the office, the Admissions Committee and Board of Managers will endorse the candidate to proceed on to the next step in the process. Please click here to request a Proposal for Membership form.

STEP 2: Once the Proposal for Membership is submitted and approved, the candidate for membership will be sent a packet of information detailing what is required to be submitted with the long-form Application for Membership, which requires detailed genealogical information, including supporting documents (birth certificates, marriage licenses, death notices, grave markers, etc.). These are the “proof documents” that provide the proof of lineal descent from an ancestor who played a role in the American Revolution. The instructions provided to applicants clearly details what is needed and how it should be submitted. Once this is submitted to the Society office, together with the $200 check for the Application fees, the Society’s Verifying Genealogist will review the paperwork, the Admissions Committee will vote to accept the Application, and the PSSR Board of Managers will consider the candidate for election.

The PSSR Admissions Committee, Membership Committee, and our office staff stand ready to assist prospective members in answering questions and providing assistance in completing the Proposal and Application forms. If you believe you need the assistance of a profession genealogist, the office can provide you with a list of genealogists who can, for a fee, assist you in the collection of the documents that are required.

Lastly, prospective members who believe that a previous family member may have been a member of the PSSR are encouraged to contact the PSSR office to review the membership roll archives, and to learn if any existing records in the PSSR archival files might be of assistance in completion of the forms.  The office can be reached via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (215) 545-1888.


QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

Any male person of good character, and lineal descendant of one who, as a military, naval or marine officer, soldier, sailor, or marine, in actual service, under the authority of any of the thirteen Colonies or States or of the Continental Congress, and remaining always loyal to such authority, or a lineal descendant of one who signed the Declaration of Independence, or of one who, as a member of the Continental Congress, or of the Congress of any of the Colonies or States, or as an official appointed by or under the authority of any such legislative bodies, actually assisted in the establishment of American Independence by services rendered during the War of the Revolution, becoming thereby liable to conviction of treason against the Government of Great Britain, but remaining always loyal to the authority of the Colonies or States, or, who served honorably in a military or naval expedition against the British during the War of the Revolution under the authority of the French or Spanish Governments shall be eligible to membership in the Society. Both Senior and Junior (the latter under the age of eighteen years) memberships are available.

The Society seeks to enroll eligible males of good character with one or more ancestors who actively assisted in establishing American independence by their acts or counsel between April, 1775, when hostilities began, and April, 1783, when they ceased, in service of the military, naval or marine corps, as an official of the Continental Congress or of any of the 13 colonies.


PSSR MEMBER BENEFITS

– Opportunities to participate in the ongoing activities of the Society and to advance its ideals, which extend across a broad range of patriotic, historical, and educational outreach programs;

– Concurrent membership in the Society’s national organization, the General Society of Sons of the Revolution (GSSR);

– Invitations to attend the various social functions of the Society, including Washington’s Birthday Ball; the Annual Meeting; the Annual Church Service and reception, held in commemoration of the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge; the Independence Day Reception and Nationwide Bell Ringing Ceremony on Independence Square; and the Musket Celebration in commemoration of the victories at Saratoga and Yorktown.

– All publications of both the Pennsylvania and the General societies, including Pennsylvania’s digital Newsletter and annual Proceedings and the General Society’s quarterly Drumbeat and semi-annual Flintlock and Powderhorn. Benefits to Candidates for Membership: Assistance in preparing your lineage papers, including: – professional advice on potential sources of documentation, – definitions of genealogical ‘proof’, and – verification of the service records of eligible ancestors.


Fees Related to Admissions Process:

$200 Application Fees (check must be submitted with the Application for Membership form – see above). This covers the Genealogist Verification Fee and PSSR Application Processing Fee.

Upon “provisional election” to our membership, candidates will also be required to pay:

$100 Initiation Fee
$25 GSSR Application Processing Fee (for registration with our national governing organization)

Lastly, to officially become a member of the Society, dues must be paid (either annual dues or Life Membership) – see details below:

 

Membership Dues:

Annual Dues, $92 for members residing within 50 miles of City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Annual Dues, $64 for members residing beyond 50 miles of City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Annual Dues, $64 for all younger members aged 30 and younger (as of Jan 1)

Adult Life Membership Fee: $1,400.00.

Junior Life Memberships are available, depending on age, prorated up to $1,400.00