Membership Requirements

The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia, like its counterparts in the other original states, generally adheres to the 1783 Institution of the General Society, which stipulated that membership be confined to officers who served for not less than three years in a Continental Army unit and “resigned with honor,” were rendered ‘supernumerary’(extra) due to rearrangement of the Line, or if enlisted ‘for the war’. There were 302 Original Members of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia, all of whom are eligible to be represented, and many are. In 1854 the General Society resolved to admit descendants of officers who had the service criteria to have joined the Society but did not, enlarging the potential membership beyond descendants of Original Members. Officers in the Virginia State Navy have been represented since the Virginia Society was reconstituted in 1889. 

Specifically, an officer is eligible to be represented in Virginia if he meets the requirements as laid out in the Institution by serving in the Virginia Continental Line, the Virginia State Line, or the Virginia State Navy during the years 1775 to 1783. Officers who died in service in those units are also eligible. A limited number of officers who were Virginians served in Continental units that were not state specific. Almost all of these officers or their heirs received military bounty warrants for land from the Commonwealth, in the amount of 2666 2/3 acres or more, and only those who received a warrant are eligible.  Militia service does not qualify, with rare exceptions, as such units were called out for limited periods, were not regular troops, and not eligible for bounty land. Militia officers who died while serving under Continental or State Line command may be considered on a case by case basis. It is noted that officers are represented in the constituent State Society of the state in whose troops they served, and each of the fourteen constituent societies is the sole judge of the criteria for admission to their Society. 

The Virginia Society admits the direct descendant of a qualified officer, or a descendant of one of his siblings, preference being given to those who are direct. A first cousin may be considered if it is proven to the Society’s satisfaction that neither the officer or his siblings had descendants. Only one member may represent an officer, although a son or grandson may join a father in membership during his lifetime. Representation is for life for active and contributing members, with preference given to descendants of the member. Membership is limited to gentlemen aged twenty-one and older. 

Individuals seeking to represent a Virginia officer are requested to research the service of their officer ancestor to determine if he might meet the requirements noted above. Men with the same name as a qualified officer and living at the same time can be confused with the person who served, as well as men of the same name but of a previous generation. Any potential applicant is expected to be able to provide full documentary proof of each generation of his descent from the officer, starting with himself, which is reviewed by our consulting genealogist upon submission. Inquiries are welcome from persons who seek to participate and contribute to the Virginia Society as members.