On the 19th of September 2026, I was sworn into the Gadsden Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution — a journey that began nearly two years ago in Tallahassee, Florida.
With just over 35,000 members, the Sons of the American Revolution or S-A-R for short exists to “honor our Revolutionary War patriot ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving our communities and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our Country.”
Apart from the many civic causes they champion, SAR has an extensive medal program which honors the service of members and those in the local community. While I was going through the application process, the chapter asked me about my military service. I shared that I was a war Veteran and that I had served 12 years in the United States Air Force.
Apart from earning the S-A-R Membership Medal(picture coming soon), the chapter also completed the necessary paperwork to award me the War Service Medal.
In addition to the medals and citations, a member handed me this coin.
These small tokens of appreciation may not seem like much but they carry a lot of weight in the hearts of men and women who sacrificed so much for our country.
BACK TO THE STORY
This road started when I wanted to learn more about my biological father Franklin Lee Hollida. In the course of my ancestry research, I discovered my great great grandfather George William Holliday fought for the union during the civil war. This ancestral connection allowed me to join the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). Not long after joining SUVCW, I wondered what other interesting things I could learn about my ancestry. 🧐
I kept digging. Months and months of research and cross referencing led me all the way to William Holliday ~1730-1796, son of John Holliday “the Pioneer,’ who emigrated from Northern Ireland (Ulster) to Pennsylvania ~1730-1740.
A key early settler and frontiersman, our family is associated with frontier defense during the French & Indian War and the American Revolutionary War era. The town of Hollidaysburg was later named in honor of William and his brother Adam. William died in 1796 and is buried in the Holliday Burial Ground, Gaysport, Pennsylvania.
I was not able to join SAR under the Holliday line because I do not have the documentation linking George William Holliday to his father. My SAR genealogist asked me to research my maternal line and that is when I discovered Hezekiah Bell. Under Hezekiah Bell, I had the documentation needed to join SAR.
The hunt continues for people or documentation I need to link George William Holliday to his father. If you or someone you know is related to my Holliday bloodline,please send me a message.
I will update this article as more information comes available.
Thank you for reading