The General Society Sons of the Revolution—a fraternal society of certain Revolutionary War descendants—has relocated to Williamsburg and will be recognized Friday for its relocation.
The Sons of the Revolution formed in 1876 and has 30 state societies in the U.S., with one society in Europe. Members of the society are descendants who can trace and show proof of their relationship to a man who fought in the Revolutionary War, signed the Declaration of Independence or served in a Continental Congress.
The society will accept a House of Delegates joint resolution, sponsored by Del. Mike Watson (R-93rd District), at 2 p.m. Friday at the society’s new headquarters location on Francis Street. Watson, whose district includes parts of the Historic Triangle, will present the resolution, and City of Williamsburg Mayor Clyde Haulman and Vice Mayor Paul Freiling are expected to attend.
The General Society is the national headquarters and was previously located in Missouri. The organization has moved its headquarters to 412 W. Francis St. for a few reasons. The largest societies are in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee; the Williamsburg location is “closer to the geographic center” of membership, said Jeff Lambert, executive director of The General Society Sons of the Revolution.
The society also is undertaking an effort to create partnerships in education efforts with Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the College of William and Mary and National Park Service overseeing the Colonial National Historic Park.
“Basically to promote the growth and research and make the awareness of the principles and the sacrifices of our patriot ancestors are some things we want to accomplish here … and I think we’re well underway,” Lambert explained.
Lambert was living in Winston-Salem, N.C. until he moved to Williamsburg early this year. In addition to his affiliation with the Sons of the Revolution, he has been a re-enactor since 1976 and said he has a number of friends and colleagues who work in the Williamsburg area.
“What’s not to like? My love for history and Williamsburg … even if it didn’t have ‘Colonial’ in front of it, just engenders the history and the time period that this area is so rich in,” Lambert said.
Lambert is an ancestor of Edward Seagrave who was captain of the Uxbridge Militia in Massachusetts. Seagrave’s militia was called to Lexington-Concord but didn’t participate in the fight; the militia was eventually folded into the 13th Continental Regiment, which fought in the Battle of White Plains and responded to the Tiverton alarm.
“It’s obviously a source of pride to have somewhere in my soul somebody who was instrumental in creating this great nation,” Lambert said. “… So by being a part of this organization, I feel that it is instrumental in continuing that legacy and with gratitude we are thankful for what our ancestors did.”
People interested in joining the Sons of the Revolution, seeing what they do or tracing their family lineage are invited to visit the new headquarters. The society can help put people in contact with a genealogist – who would need three generations of birth or death records — to trace the lineage.
“It’s fun to start going into one family’s history, sometimes it may not be as glorious as you’d like it to be but it’s amazing when you find out how these individuals, these patriots, sacrificed for us today,” Lambert said.
For more information, visit the society’s website.
