Richmond Chapter Constitution

The purposes and objects of this Chapter, which is formed as a local chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution, are declared to be patriotic, historical, and educational, and shall include those intended or designed to perpetuate the memory of the men who, by their service or sacrifices during the war of the American Revolution, achieved the independence of the United States of America; to unite and promote fellowship among their descendants; to inspire them and the community at large with a more profound reverence for the principles of the government as founded by our forefathers; to encourage historical research in relation to the American Revolution; to acquire and preserve the records of the individual services of the patriots of the war, as well as documents, relics and landmarks; to mark the scenes of the Revolution by appropriate memorials; to celebrate the anniversaries of the prominent events of the war and of the Revolutionary period; to foster true patriotism; to maintain the institutions of American freedom, and to carry out the purposes expressed in the Constitution of the United States and the injunctions of Washington in his farewell address to the American people.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

(1) Any man eighteen years of age who may be found worthy, shall be eligible for membership, provided he is a lineal descendant of an ancestor who was at all times unfailing in his 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 any 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. Every member of the Richmond Chapter shall be subject to all the rules and regulations of the Virginia Society and the National Society.

(2) Every member of this Chapter shall become at the same time a member of the Virginia Society and of the National Society and shall be subject to all the rules and regulations thereof.

ARTICLE IV

FEES AND DUES

The admission fee shall be those charges in effect at time of application, which shall cover membership in the National and State Societies and in this Chapter. The annual dues shall be those annual fees charged by the State and National Societies as well as Chapter dues established by the membership, excluding special charges for meetings, banquets and other such functions. Life membership shall be established by the Virginia State Society. All current admission fees and dues are to be listed in the annual roster of members.

ARTICLE V

OFFICERS

The officers of this Chapter shall be a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Third Vice-President, Secretary, Registrar, Chaplain, Surgeon, Treasurer, Chancellor and an Historian, who with nine other members shall constitute the Board of Managers. The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Chapter to serve for one year or until their successors shall be elected, and the Board shall have the power to fill any vacancies in its body and to manage all the affairs of the Chapter. Ten members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

(1) There shall be at least four (4) meetings of the Richmond Chapter each year, one of which is the annual meeting, and another the “Yorktown Day” meeting, which shall be as near as possible to October 19 of each year.

(2) Special meetings may also be held at the call of the President or Board of Managers at any time; and shall be called whenever requested in writing by two-thirds of the members. Such special meetings may transact any business specified in the call.

(3) Twenty members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business at any general or special meeting.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

Amendments of this Constitution may be offered at any meeting of the Chapter but shall not be acted upon until the next regular general meeting. A copy of every proposed amendment shall be sent to each member, with a notice of the meeting at which the same is to be acted on, at least one week prior to said meeting. A vote of two-thirds of those present, provided there is a quorum, shall be necessary to its adoption.

This Constitution adopted by vote of the membership, as specified in the prior Constitution, the 9^th day of October, 1973.

This Constitution amended by vote of the membership, as specified, the 13^th day of September, 2007.

BY-LAWS

OF THE

RICHMOND CHAPTER OF THE VIRGINIA SOCIETY

SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

ADOPTED SEPTEMBER 13, 2007

SECTION I

ELECTION OF MEMBERS

(1) Applications for membership in this Chapter shall be made in duplicate on the printed forms furnished by the National Society, and shall be verified by affidavit. Each application must be endorsed by two members and approved by the Registrar.

(2) The admission fee and annual dues shall accompany each application, and shall be returned to the applicant should he be rejected.

(3) The names of all applicants shall be submitted to the Board of Managers of the Virginia Society who may vote thereon in person or by letter, a two-thirds vote being necessary for election or rejection.

(4) A member may be suspended or expelled for sufficient cause by a vote of two-thirds of the Richmond Chapter, Board of Managers, provided that at least two week’s notice shall be given him before any such action shall be taken; and any member so suspended or expelled shall have the right of appeal to any general or special meeting of the Virginia Society.

SECTION II

FUNDS, DUES, ETC.

1) The admission fee shall be those charges as set by the National and State Societies and the annual dues as established by National and State Societies and the annual dues as established by National and State Societies plus the current fee for the Local Chapter dues. All current admission fees and dues are to be listed in the annual roster of members. These fees and dues must accompany the application; provided that a male applicant from the organization’s Children of the American Revolution, Children of the Revolution, or Washington Guard who shall apply for membership in the Society, not later than one year after his twenty-first birthday, may present a transfer card with his application to the Registrar in lieu of admission fees; and provided also that a son of a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, or a son of a member of the Sons of the Revolution, or a son of a member of the Daughters of the American revolution who presents application for membership to the Virginia Society before attaining the age of twenty-five years may be admitted without payment of said admission fee to the National and State Societies. Satisfactory evidence of the membership status of the parent must accompany the application and the relationship must be clearly indicated on the application paper. All such applicants shall pay to the Society $2.00 for Certificate of Membership. Also, the payment of a sum established by the Virginia State Society shall constitute life membership, with exemption from dues thereafter, with the exception of Chapter dues for any life member admitted as such after the adoption of these By-Laws.

The admission fee shall be sent with the application to the Treasurer of the State Society, and all National and State Society annual dues shall likewise be regularly sent to him; and in every case of life membership such sum as specified by the State Society shall be so sent.

(2) The fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January, and annual dues shall be payable on the 1st day of February in each year.

(3) A reserve fund may be established which shall consist of such funds and of donations other than those designated for special purposes; and this fund shall be invested by the Board of Managers and the interest only devoted to payment of the current expenses of the Society Sons of the American Revolution – Richmond Chapter.

(4) Whenever a member becomes three months delinquent in dues, the Treasurer

shall notify him in writing at the address of record, that he is in arrears, instruct him of the current membership reinstate policy and fees, and if not paid in 30 days will be dropped from the Chapter memberships roster.

(5) The President shall submit a balanced fiscal year budget to the Board of Managers for approval prior to March 1. The President shall report prior year fiscal budget variances to the Board of Managers at that budget approval meeting.

SECTION III

THE PRESIDENT

The President, or in his absence the First Vice-President, or in his absence the Second Vice-President, or in his absence the Third Vice-President, or in his absence a Chairman pro tempore, shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and Board of Managers and shall have a casting vote. He shall exercise the usual functions of a presiding officer and shall be ex officio a member of all committees.

SECTION IV

THE SECRETARY

The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Chapter and shall keep a record of the election, death, resignation or expulsion of all members. He shall have charge of the records of the Chapter. He, together with the presiding officer, shall certify all acts of the Chapter or of the Board of Managers. He shall, under the direction of the President, give due notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Chapter and attend the same, unless the President designates otherwise. He shall keep fair and accurate records of all the proceedings and orders of the Chapter and shall give due notice to the officers and members of all votes, orders, resolves and proceedings of the Chapter affecting them or appertaining to their duties.

SECTION V

THE TREASURER

The Treasurer shall collect all fees and dues and shall have the care and custody of all the funds of the Chapter. He shall deposit same in any bank or savings institution in this City covered by the F.D.I.C. or the F.S.L.I.C. to the credit of “Richmond Chapter, Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution”, and shall draw them thence for the purposes of the Chapter only, as may be ordered by the Chapter or by the Board of Managers, upon approval of the President. He shall keep a true account of his receipts and disbursements, and at each annual meeting shall make report and submit his accounts for audit. The Treasurer shall have authority to make expenditures in conformity with the annual budget, once authorized by the Board of Mangers. Expenditures exceeding $100 of any budgetary line item must be submitted to the Board of Managers for further review and approval. The Treasurer shall report variances to the Board of Managers prior to February 1 each year. He shall perform such other duties and make such returns as may be prescribed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the State Society.

SECTION VI

THE REGISTRAR

The Registrar shall have charge of the membership records, and the historical, genealogical and biographical collections of this Chapter, manuscripts or other, and shall arrange and index the same and place them for security in a fireproof repository. He shall verify all statements of the Revolutionary services of ancestors that may be made in the application for membership and make report to the Board of Managers. He shall perform such other duties and make such returns as may be prescribed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the State Society.

SECTION VII

THE CHAPLAIN

The Chaplain shall, where possible, be a regularly ordained minister of a Christian denomination, and he shall perform such duties as ordinarily appertain to his office.

SECTION VIII

THE SURGEON

The Surgeon shall be a licensed doctor of medicine of this Commonwealth and shall perform such duties as ordinarily appertain to his office.

SECTION IX

THE CHANCELLOR

The Chancellor shall be a licensed member of the Virginia State Bar in good standing and shall render an opinion on such questions of law involving either the National, State, or Chapter Constitution and By-Laws as may be referred to him by any officer of the Chapter or Board of Managers.

SECTION X

THE HISTORIAN

The Historian shall keep a detailed record to be deposited with the Secretary of all historical and commemorative celebrations of the Chapter; and he shall edit and prepare for publication such historical addresses, essays, papers and other documents of an historical character, other than a Register of Members, as the Secretary may be required to publish; and at every annual meeting, if there be a necrological list for the year then closing, he shall submit the same, with carefully prepared biographies of the deceased members, when practicable.

SECTION XI

BOARD OF MANAGERS

The Board of Managers shall have the general superintendence of the interests and business of the Chapter; they shall perform such other duties as may be committed to them by the Chapter; and shall have power to make such rules and regulations not inconsistent with the Constitution, By-Laws, and resolutions of the Chapter as may be necessary for the government of the Chapter. At each annual meeting they shall make a general report. Ten members will constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Board.

SECTION XII

DECEASE OF MEMBERS

Upon decease of any member, notice thereof and of the time and place of the funeral shall be given by the Secretary, if practical, by publication in two prominent newspapers; and it shall thereupon become the duty of the members, when possible, to attend the obsequies.

Any member having knowledge of the decease of a member shall promptly notify the Secretary and furnish him, when possible, such information as the Secretary shall need for publication. A notice of the decease of a member shall be communicated to the Chapter at the succeeding meeting.

SECTION XIII

AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these By-Laws may be made at any meeting of the Chapter by a vote of the majority of the members present, provided there is a quorum (twenty members) and that a notice of the meeting and a copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed to every member at least one week prior to such meeting.

These By-Laws adopted by vote of the membership, as specified in the prior By-Laws, the 9^th day of October, 1973.

These By-Laws amended by vote of the membership, as specified, the 17^th day of September, 1980.

These By-Laws amended by vote of the membership, as specified, the 13^th day of September, 2007