Patriot Profiles

Verifying Revolutionary Service

How do we know these men truly served? The Sons of the American Revolution—founded in 1889—exists precisely to verify and document legitimate Revolutionary War service. SAR membership requires meticulous documentation: military records, pension applications, muster rolls, and genealogical proof connecting applicant to patriot ancestor.

Six of these eight patriots carry SAR verification numbers. These aren't honorary designations—they represent years of genealogical research, primary source documentation, and official validation by the National Society. When you see "SAR #28417" next to Michael Blue's name, you're seeing proof that his service has been authenticated by an organization dedicated to historical accuracy.

On January 29, 1901, more than a century after William Van Dyck stood at Monmouth, his great-grandson presented this certificate to preserve his Revolutionary War service for all future generations.

Benjamin Franklin Van Dyke—William's great-grandson and later warden of the Oklahoma Territorial Prison—received this certificate from the Iowa Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. State Number 171 documents the four-generation lineage from William Van Dyck through his service with Captain Abraham Vroom's Somerset County Company at the Battle of Monmouth. This certificate represents the kind of rigorous documentation that validates the patriots featured on this page.

Sons of the American Revolution Certificate

January 29, 1901

SAR certificate (Iowa Society, State #171) issued to Benjamin Franklin Van Dyke, documenting verified lineage from Revolutionary War patriot William Van Dyck. This certificate exemplifies the rigorous documentation required by the SAR to authenticate Revolutionary War service across generations.

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Source: Van Dyke Family Archives

Of the nine patriots profiled below, six carry SAR verification numbers. William Van Dyck's service is verified through Benjamin Franklin Van Dyke's SAR certificate (shown above). Joseph R. Rhoads and Captain Laboyteaux are documented through other military records and family archives, with SAR applications potentially in progress. Every patriot listed here has verifiable service—whether through SAR certification, pension records, muster rolls, or regimental rosters preserved in state and federal archives.