Sons of Confederate Veterans was created in 1896 by Confederate veterans concerned that as they aged and passed on, there should be someone to carry on the memory of Confederate soldiers and sailors. To better understand the benevolent, fraternal and heritage mission of SCV, please read the charge of Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee, given to SCV at the New Orleans reunion of United Confederate Veterans in 1906.

    Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces (soldier, sailor, marine, chaplain, surgeon, diplomat, teamster, cook or musician and others)  Membership can be obtained through either direct or collateral family lines, and kinship to a veteran must be documented genealogically. You will need you ancestor's name, unit, state of service, and information as to his honorable service: discharged, captured, wounded, killed. The minimum age for membership is 12.

Proving Ancestry
    Many members use family histories, Bibles and oral traditions as a starting point in their search for ancestor information. Proof of kinship to a Confederate soldier or sailor can take many forms. The easiest method is to contact the archives of the state from which the soldier fought and obtain a copy of the veteran's military service record. All Southern state archives have microfilm records of the soldiers who fought from that state, and a copy of the information can be obtained for a nominal fee. In addition, the former Confederate states awarded pensions to veterans and their widows. All of these records contain a wealth of information that can be used to document military service.

    Genealogical research help is also available. Our web site offers contact pointers to a number of resources that will help you establish proof of Confederate descent. The national SCV web site provides additional resources.

Joining the Virginia Division
    Application for membership is best accomplished through a local SCV "camp" in your area. The Virginia Division consists of over 70 camps located throughout the Old Dominion. The Virginia Division Camps page lists points of contact, web site URLs, meeting location and time, etc. Please contact the camp nearest you to inquire about membership. Genealogical help for Virginians is also available.