Constitution of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio

(Amended April 2, 2022

Article I – Name and Founding

            Section 1.  The name of this organization shall be the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio.  It may also be known as the Ohio Society of the War of 1812.  It shall be referred to in this constitution and by-laws as “the Society” or “this Society”

            Section 2.  The founding date of this Society is January 8, 1895.

            Section 3.  The re-activation date of this Society is October 1, 1988

Article II – Purpose

            Section 1.  The purposes of this Society shall be:  1) to perpetuate the memories of the participants of the War of 1812 and their actions, as well as the battles of this war;  2) to collect, secure, and preserve any rolls, records, books, documents, or artifacts relating to the period of the War of 1812;  3) to encourage research and publications of the history of the patriots and landmarks of the era of the War of 1812;  4) to cherish, maintain, and foster the institutions of American freedom;  5) to foster patriotism;  6) to promote friendship among the descendants of the soldiers and sailors of the War of 1812;  7) to own property, or financial instruments, for carrying out the purposes of this Society.

Article III – Officers

            Section 1.  The officers of this Society shall consist of the following listed in descending rank: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, registrar-genealogist, judge advocate, chaplain, surgeon, historian, and marshal.

            Section 2.  The officers shall be elected for 3-year terms at an annual meeting of the Society.

            Section 3.  The Society may choose to combine any two elected offices except that neither the president nor the vice-president may also serve as the secretary or treasurer.  If two offices are combined, the person holding that office shall only have one vote in society affairs.

            Section 4.  In the event of the death or resignation of the president, the vice-president shall automatically assume the position of president.  In the event of the death or resignation of an officer other than the president, the membership shall be informed of the vacancy and asked for volunteers to fill the position.  It shall be the responsibility of the president to recommend a member to fill the balance of the vacant term at the next regular meeting of the Society and the position shall be filled following a simple majority vote accepting the presidents recommendation.

Article IV – Duties of Officers

            Section 1.  President – He shall preside at all meetings of the Society.  He shall appoint all committees.  He shall serve on all committees as an ex-officio member (except the nominating committee).  He shall represent the Society or send a representative for the Society whenever it is appropriate.  He shall submit an annual report of his activities to the Society at the annual meeting.  He shall perform such duties assigned to him by the Society.

            Section 2.  Vice-President – He shall preside over the Society in absence of the president and act as program chairman for the Society.  He shall serve as the Vice-President General for Ohio to the General Society of the War of 1812 unless prohibited by the General Society.  If the vice-president is prohibited, the Society shall elect a Vice-President General.

            Section 3.  Secretary – He shall conduct the correspondence of the Society and keep a record thereof.  He shall notify all accepted applicants of their election to membership.  He shall forward all monies to the treasurer.  He shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Society.  He shall have custody of the constitution and by-laws of the Society and any contracts or non-financial legal documents of the Society.  He shall give notice of meetings as required.  He shall keep a record of the names and addresses of the members of the Society.  He shall prepare a report of the membership, including new members and dropped members, for the Society’s annual meeting.

            Section 4.  Treasurer – He shall collect and account for all monies of the Society.  He shall deposit all monies of the Society for safekeeping.  He shall obtain approval from the Society for any account and for any institution used to hold society funds.  He shall keep a record of all account numbers and financial instruments of the Society.  He shall send out dues notices to all members by October 1 of each year.  He shall send delinquent notices by November 1 and, if necessary, again by December 1.  If dues have not been received by December 31, the treasurer shall notify the secretary to drop all unpaid members from membership.  He shall pay the Society’s dues to the General Society by January 15 of each year.  He shall prepare a statement of expenses and revenues for the Society’s annual meeting.

            Section 5.  Registrar-Genealogist – He shall screen all applications for membership to check their accuracy and completeness.  He may aid applicants in correcting deficiencies in their applications.  He shall check the adequacy of the documentation that accompanies each application.  He shall keep and file all duplicate copies of each application and its accompanying documentation.  He shall forward all fees to the treasurer.

            Section 6.  Judge Advocate – He shall be the legal advisor for the Society.

            Section 7.  Chaplain – He shall be responsible for the religious exercises of the Society including any memorial services.

            Section 8.  Surgeon – He shall be a licensed physician and shall serve as the medical advisor of the Society.

            Section 9.  Historian – He shall keep a detailed record of all historical and commemorative celebrations of the Society.  He shall keep biographical information on the members of the Society.  He shall keep copies of any publications of the Society.

            Section 10.  Marshall – He shall be the custodian of any standards, flags, or ceremonial equipment of the Society.  He shall be the official usher of the Society.  He shall be responsible for seating of members and guests at all society meetings.

Article V – Term of Office

         Section 1.  The term of office shall be three consecutive years with terms commencing at the adjournment of the election meeting.  Retiring officers shall turn over to their successors all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after the election.

            Section 2.  The first term of office since the re-activation of the Society shall end March 31, 1990.  Thereafter, terms shall end every three years.

            Section 3.  Any member serving as president of the Society shall not succeed himself unless he is filling out an unexpired term of his predecessor.  Only then can he succeed himself for one three-year term as president of the Society. A member may serve more than one non-consecutive three-year term.

Article VI – Nominations and Elections of Officers

            Section 1.  A nominating committee may be used to select a slate of candidates for office.  When a nominating committee is used, the committee shall attempt to propose two candidates for each office.  Any person presenting himself as a candidate for office, or nominated from the floor, shall be placed on the ballot.

            Section 2.  An officer must be elected by a majority vote.  If no majority exists in an election, the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and the vote taken again.

Article VII – Removal of Officers

         Section 1.  Any officer may be removed from office for nonfeasance, misfeasance, or malfeasance in the performance of his assigned duties.  Any society member may present the name of the officer for removal to the Society at any meeting.  After the presentation of the name of an officer for removal is presented, a two-thirds majority vote of those present shall be necessary to remove the officer.

            Section 2.  The president or secretary may be removed for absence from all meetings for any twelve consecutive month period.

Article XIII – Committees

            Section 1.  The president of the Society, or the Society itself, may set up any committee as deemed necessary.  The committee may be designated as standing or ad-hoc.  Those committees established by the Society can only be dissolved by the Society.

Article IX – Membership

            Section 1.  There shall be three classes of membership: lineal, collateral, and junior.

1812. A lineal member shall be a male of direct blood descent (not by adoption) from a person who served in the military during the War of 1812 and can offer proof of such service.  He must be of the minimum age as prescribed by Article VI – Membership in the constitution of the General Society of the War of 1812.

1812. A collateral member must follow the same criteria as a lineal member except that a collateral member shall be admitted upon proving his blood descent from the brother or sister of a person who served in the military during the War of 1812.  The collateral member must prove that the collateral ancestor had no direct descendants.  He must be of the minimum age as prescribed by Article VI – Membership in the constitution of the General Society of the War of 1812.

1. A non-voting junior membership may be granted to a male descendant of a lineal member under the following conditions:

1812. The junior member is a least 14 year of age and less than the minimum age as prescribed by Article VI – Membership in the constitution of the General Society of the War of 1812.

1. The junior member must submit an application, with genealogical documentation, accompanied by the regular application fee and one-half of the lineal member dues.

Section 2.  The following service, and no other, shall be regarded as satisfying the requirements of the proceeding sections:

1815. Service as an officer, warrant officer or enlisted man in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Revenue Marine, Flotilla Service or Voluntary Corps at any time between November 7, 1811 and July 18, 1815.

1. Service at any time between November 7, 1811 and July 18, 1815, as a member of the ship’s company on any public armed vessel of the United States or any vessel sailing under Letters of Marque and Reprisal issued by the United States.

1815. Service in the militia of any state or territory or the District of Columbia duly called out for service against an armed enemy or for coast or border defense between November 7, 1811 and July 18, 1815.

1811. Service in the forces of the United States at the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811.

1815. Service as the President of the United States, Secretary of War or Secretary of the Navy between November 7, 1811 and July 18, 1815.

1815. Service as a Governor of a state or territory of the United States between November 7, 1811 and July 18, 1815.

Section 3.  No service, however, shall be regarded as qualifying if the person who rendered such service voluntarily bore arms against the United States at any time between the aforementioned dates.  Nor shall it be regarded as qualifying if such person’s latest service between the aforementioned dates was terminated by a separation from the service under conditions other than honorable.

Article X – Membership Applications

            Section 1.  Applications for membership shall conform to the specification of the General Society of the War of 1812.  Each applicant shall submit two typewritten or computer generated applications, with one accompanying set of documentation and the appropriate fees. The registrar-genealogist shall check the application for genealogical accuracy and that the applicant’s ancestor’s service qualifies him for membership.

            Section 2.  At the next society meeting, the registrar-genealogist shall present the names of all qualified applicants to the Society.  Each applicant shall be approved by a majority vote of the members present.  Upon approval, the registrar-genealogist will assign an Ohio Society membership number to the applications, sign them, and have the secretary sign them.  The registrar-genealogist will then send one approved application to the Registrar General of the General Society of the War of 1812 and keep the other on file.  He shall forward a copy of each application to the secretary.

            Section 3.  A member in good standing may file one or more supplemental applications based upon the service of another direct or collateral ancestor.

Article XI – Meetings

            Section 1.  The annual meeting shall be held in the spring on a day and at a place previously chosen by the Society and publicized to the membership.

            Section 2.  The Society may hold other regular meetings.  The total number of meetings per year may not exceed three including the annual meeting.  These meetings shall be set by the Society at the annual meeting.

Article XII – Quorum

            Section 1.  A quorum for a meeting shall consist of three members of the Society when the Society membership is less than 25.  A quorum for a meeting shall consist of five members of the Society when the membership is 25, or more, and less than 50.  A quorum for a meeting shall consist of seven members of the Society when the membership is 50 or greater.

Article XIII – Parliamentary Authority

            Section 1.  ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER, NEWLY REVISED shall govern the operations of the Society when not in conflict with the constitution or by-laws of the Society.

Article XIV – Standing Rules

            Section 1.  Any motions passed by the Society, which legislate actions of the Society on an ongoing basis, shall be considered standing rules.  All standing rules shall be compiled from the meeting minutes into one volume.  Each standing rule shall be dated for reference to the meeting at which it was passed.  The compilation of the standing rules shall be a function of the secretary.  The standing rules shall be reviewed each year at the annual meeting for continuation, elimination, or inclusion in the constitution or by-laws.

Article XV – Funds of the Society

            Section 1.  Postage, stationary, and telephone costs associated with the normal operations of the Society shall be considered normal expenses of the Society.  No vote shall be needed to authorize the payment of normal expenses.  However, the Society may limit expenses due to the lack of funds available by a vote of the Society.  A motion to this effect must state a specific time period of such a limitation.

            Section 2.  All funds of the Society are to be deposited into institutions whose accounts are insured by either the FDIC or the NCUA.

            Section 3.  Each account of the Society’s funds shall have two members authorized to make withdrawals on the institution’s signature card.  The primary signer shall be the Treasurer and the secondary signer shall be the President.

Article XVI – Non-Profit Status

            Section 1.  This Society is organized solely for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes and shall not afford monetary gain to it any of its members.

Article XVII – Fiscal Year

            Section 1.  The fiscal year of the Society shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 each year.

Article XVIII – Dissolution

            Section 1.  In the event of the dissolution of this Society, all property of the Society remaining after the payment of its debts and obligations, shall be paid over and distributed to the General Society of the War of 1812, a non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Article XIX – Amendments

         Section 1.  Amendments may be made to this constitution at the annual meeting without previous notice to the membership.  Such amendments must then pass by a two-thirds majority vote of those attending the annual meeting at the time the vote is taken.  If 30 days previous notice is given, a 60% majority vote is required to amend.

Article XX – Adoption of Constitution

            Section 1.  This constitution shall take effect on April 2, 2022 and thereby revoke and nullify any and all previous constitutions of the Society.

Article XXI – Agreement

         Section 1.  This constitution shall in not be in conflict with the Constitution, By-Laws, and regulations of the General Society of the War of 1812.

By-Laws of the

Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio

 

Article I – Fees

         Section 1.  The annual membership fee of the Society shall be $15 plus the per capita fee of the General Society of the War of 1812.  The annual membership fee for those having a life membership in the General Society shall be $15. The annual membership fee for those having a life membership in the Ohio Society shall be $0.  The annual membership fee for a dual member whose primary membership is with another state society shall be $15.  The annual membership fee for non-voting junior members shall be $7.50.

            Section 2.  The transfer fee from at-large status, or from another state society, to the Ohio Society shall be $10 plus the current year’s membership fee.

            Section 3.  The fee for a supplemental application shall be $35.

            Section 4.  The fee for Life membership in the Ohio Society shall be 21 times the annual membership fee for those under age 70.  The fee for Life membership in the Ohio Society shall be 11 times the annual membership fee for those aged 70 and older.

            Section 5.  The fee for reinstating a lapsed membership shall be $7 plus the current year’s membership fee.

            Section 6.  The application fee for membership in the Ohio Society shall be $25 plus the per capita fee of the General Society of the War of 1812.  This fee includes the current year’s dues.

Article II – Meetings

         Section 1.  The secretary shall notify the membership of the time and place for all meetings by electronic means or U.S. Mail.  The notices shall be postmarked at least 15 days in advance of each meeting.

Article III – Amendments

         Section 1.  Amendments may be made to these by-laws at any meeting without previous notice to the membership.  Such amendments must then pass by a two-thirds majority vote of those attending the meeting at the time the vote is taken.  If 30 days previous notice is given, a majority vote is required to amend.

Article IV – Adoption of By-Laws

            Section 1.  These by-laws shall take effect on April 2, 2022 and thereby revoke and nullify any and all previous bylaws of the Society.

 

Article V – Agreement

         Section 1.  These by-laws shall in not be in conflict with the Constitution of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio or the Constitution, By-Laws, and regulations of the General Society of the War of 1812.