General Society of the War of 1812

The General Society of the War of 1812, commonly known as the Society of the War of 1812, is a patriotic organization headquartered in Aberdeen, New Jersey. It was organized in 1814 at Baltimore.

General Society of the War of 1812

Seal
Named after	The War of 1812
Established	September 14, 1814 (210 years ago) (1814-09-14)
Founded at	Baltimore
Type	Patriotic organization
Tax ID no.	22-6042718
Legal status	Nonprofit corporation
Headquarters	Aberdeen, New Jersey
Region served	United States
Official language	English
Publication	The War Cry
Affiliations	Daughters of 1812
Website	gswar1812.org

History

Background

The Maryland Society of the War of 1812 was organized at Baltimore on September 14, 1814 (two days after the Battle of North Point), by veterans who had defeated Major-General Robert Ross's forces there.^[1]

The Pennsylvania Society of the War of 1812 was organized at Philadelphia on January 9, 1854 (one day after the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans), by a group of veterans who met in general convention at Independence Hall, having responded to a call issued by Joel B. Sutherland (himself a veteran and former member of Congress). Ostensibly called to draft resolutions pertaining to federal bounty land legislation, they acknowledged the need to organize at the national level for mutual support and to perpetuate the history of the War of 1812. They met again a year later in Washington, D.C., where they were received by President Franklin Pierce at the White House and lobbied members of Congress to secure the federal legislation, which was passed into law as the Bounty Land Act of 1855 on March 3.^[2]

Amalgamation

On April 14, 1894,^[2] the Maryland and the Pennsylvania societies met at Philadelphia to organize a general society. Being a federated society, they opted for the September 14, 1814, establishment date (the date the Maryland Society was first organized).^[1] The General Society has since increased to 33 State societies.^[2]

Membership

See also: National Society of United States Daughters of 1812

The society admits men who are lineal descendants of American veterans who served on active federal duty during the War of 1812.^[3][4]

Notable members

• Brigadier General Charles W. Abbot
• Major General John R. Brooke
• Major General John Cadwalader
• Brevet Major Augustus P. Davis
• Admiral of the Navy George Dewey
• Rear Admiral John D. Ford
• Major General Adolphus Greely
• President Benjamin Harrison
• Brigadier General Tiemann N. Horn
• Major General Marshall I. Ludington
• The Honorable Martin O'Malley
• Major General Theodore S. Peck
• Brigadier General Edmund Rice
• Brigadier General James M. J. Sanno
• Major General Joseph Wheeler
• Brigadier General William S. Worth

See also

• List of hereditary and lineage organizations in the United States

References

1. Browning, Charles H., ed. (1896). "The Society of the War of 1812". The American Historicial Register. Philadelphia: The Historical Register Co. pp. 124–125. LCCN 05006240. OCLC 70668222. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
2. "General Society of the War of 1812". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
3. American Orders & Societies and their Decorations. Philadelphia: Bailey, Banks & Biddle Company. 1917. pp. 22–24. LCCN 17013291 – via Internet Archive.
4. "Constitution". General Society of the War of 1812. September 4, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.

Further reading

• Society of the War of 1812. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812. Philadelphia: [Published by the Secretary-General, by order of the Society], 1895.
• Society of the War of 1812. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812 to Oct. 1, 1899: Organized September 14, 1814. Re-Organized January 9, 1854. Instituted in Joint Convention at Philadelphia, Pa., April 14, 1894. Philadelphia, Pa: Dewey & Eakins, makers, 1899.
• General Society of the War of 1812, and Frederick Ira Ordway. Register of the General Society of the War of 1812. 1972.
• Blizzard, Dennis F. The Roster of the General Society of the War of 1812. Mendenhall, Pa: The Society, 1989.
• General Society of the War of 1812. General Society of the War of 1812: Triennial Yearbook 1987–90. [Place of publication not identified]: General Society Of The War Of 1812, n.d.
• General Society of the War of 1812. General Society of the War of 1812: Organized September 14, 1814. [Place of publication not identified]: The Society, 1908.
• Society of the War of 1812. The Charter, Constitution and Rules of the General Society of the War of 1812: With the Register of Membership. Philadelphia: s.n, 1800.
• Society of the War of 1812. Society of the War of 1812 in the District of Columbia: Organized April 18, 1896 : Admitted to the General Society June 19, 1896. Washington, D.C.: [publisher not identified], 1934.
• Society of the War of 1812 in Virginia. The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812 to October 1, 1899. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Society of the War of 1812, 1899.
• Society of the War of 1812. Society of the War of 1812 in the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C.: [publisher not identified], 1900.
• Blizzard, Dennis F. Descendants of War of 1812 Veterans: General Society of the War of 1812 : Founders' Register, Commemoration, 1894–1994. Mendenhall, PA: The Society, 1994.
• General Society of the War of 1812. 1812 War Cry. Mendenhall, PA: General Society of the War of 1812, 1900.
• General Society of the War of 1812. Proceedings of the ... Biennial Meeting Held at. Philadelphia: General Society of the War of 1812, 1800.
• Biennial Conference of the General Society of the War of 1812. The 29th Biennial Convention of the General Society of the War of 1812 in Conjunction with the 142nd Annual Defenders Day Dinner of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Maryland. [Baltimore, Md.]: [General Society], 1956.
• General Society of the War of 1812. Proceedings of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Biennial Meetings: Held at Baltimore, Maryland September 12, 1928, Weymouth, Massachusetts September 13, 1930, Washington, District of Columbia October 1, 1932, Asbury Park, New Jersey September 22, 1934 and West Point, New York September 26, 1936. Philadelphia: General Society of the War of 1812, 1938.
• Society of the General War of 1812. Proceedings of the Tenth Biennial Meeting Held at Baltimore, Sept. 12, 1914. 1914.
• Society of the War of 1812 in the State of California, Dennis W. Simpson, and Lee E. Bishop. The 2002 California Yearbook. [Glendale]: Society of the War of 1812 in the State of California, 2002.

External links

Official

• Official website
• General Society of the War of 1812 on Facebook

General information

• General Society of the War of 1812 at The Online Books Page
• Society of the War of 1812 politicians at The Political Graveyard
• Works by or about General Society of the War of 1812 at the Internet Archive