Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

In 1866, Union veterans of the Civil War organized into the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), which existed until 1956. In 1881, the GAR formed the Sons of Veterans of the United States of America (SV) to carry on its traditions. Membership was open to any man who could prove ancestry to a member of the GAR or to a veteran eligible for membership. Men who did not have the ancestry to qualify for membership, but who could subscribe to the objectives of the SUVCW, were admitted as associates. In 1925 the SV name was changed to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), and the organization's federal charter was issued in 1954. The Sons of Veterans Reserve (SVR) is the ceremonial uniformed military division of the SUVCW. SVR units participate in Civil War-related ceremonies, parades, living history programs, and re-enactments. The SV Owen Summers Camp No. 4, Department of Oregon and Washington, was chartered in 1913 in Portland, Or. In 1963 Claude R. Butcher, a member of the SUVCW, organized a local unit of the Sons of Veterans Reserve (SVR) in Lake Oswego, Or.

From the description of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War records, 1913-1978 (bulk 1962-1978). (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 63167352

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