Michigan Society, Sons of the American Revolution

Contact Detroit Metropolitan

Detroit Metropolitan Chapter

The Detroit Metropolitan Chapter (DMC), nominated on March 13, 1913, and chartered on November 1, 1913 at a meeting held in Detroit, has provided patriotic service and support to the Detroit Metro area for over 100 years. The Detroit area figured prominently in the establishment of the Michigan Society of the SAR, and for many years, state society meetings were held in our city.

The DMC is an inclusive organization. Members and non-members alike are invited to participate in any of our events and activities, or bring something of their own for us to share in and support. We are fully willing and able to help with and support projects that involve promoting patriotism, especially with our Veterans and with our youth.

Come join us! To learn more, please use the form provided above and a DMC representative will contact you promptly.

President, Genealogist/Registrar

Michael Jones was born in Louisville, Kentucky and grew up in Detroit MI. Mike served in the U.S. Army in Fairbanks, Alaska. After serving his country he attended both Oakland Community and Oakland University where he graduated. Mike retired from The Detroit News Circulation Department after 33 years. He is married with two children and six grandchildren. Mike also is an avid sailor, and a member of the North Star Sail Club. Mike became interested in genealogy after receiving an email that stated "I think I am your sister!" His genealogy search led him to discovering several of his g-g-great-grandfathers were Patriots. That then led him to the SAR. Mike also belongs to the Englewood Genealogical Society of Florida. Mike is currenty enjoing his second term as DMC President!

Mike, is a proud descendant of Samuel Davis and James McGinnis. Both Patriots were privates in the Virginia Militia. Samuel was under both General Anthony Wayne and General LaFayette! He was at Williamsburg, took ill and did not march to Yorktown. Was then discharged from service. James Mc Ginnis served in the 10th Virginia Regiment and participated in the Battle of Brandywine and Battle of Germantown.

Vice-President

Mark Nesbitt was born in Detroit and has lived in southeast Michigan his entire life. He currently resides in Sterling Heights Michigan. He has lived there for 39 years with his wife of 47 years Debra. They have two children and three grandchildren. Mark spent 43 years in manufacturing retiring in 2021. Most of his career was spent in management either in Plant, Operations, or Quality. He still runs a property management company with his wife Debra. Mark Joined the Blue Water Chapter, MISSAR in October of 2024. He became interested in the Color Guard in the early spring of 2025. He participated in his first Color Guard event on June 22, 2025, at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Parma MI. He is currently a Vice Commander with the MISSAR Color Guard. “Joining the Color Guard has been a great way to honor my ancestor patriot. I am very grateful to all those who risked it all for liberty and freedom. I am proud to be a descendent of a revolutionary war veteran. I am looking forward to serving this way for a long time.” Mark transferred to the Detroit Metro Chapter in October of 2025 to be closer to home. In January of 2026 he started working with the chapter on a DMC Chapter Color Guard. In April 2026 the DMC CG had its first event at the DMC Annual meeting. The DMC Color Guard is the first Chapter in the state to have a Chapter Color Guard. Mark is the Commander for the DMC CG. On April 18, 2026, Mark was also installed as the Vice President of the DMC. Patriot Ancestor- John Reeder is Mark’s 4th great grandfather. Born Bucks County PA November 29, 1761. John Reeder was a private in the 1st Battalion; 9th Regiment out of Newtown County Pennsylvania. He served under Colonel Kirk Bride and Captain Murray. He died in May of 1813 near Allegheny mts., PA.

Secretary

Alex Thacher was born in Pomona, California and raised in San Francisco. He earned his bachelor's degree from Boston College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and is admitted to practice in California, New York, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia.

Alex serves as Partner-in-Charge of State & Local Tax Services at Armanino Advisory LLC, a top 20 U.S. accounting and business consulting firm, where he leads a national practice advising clients on complex multistate tax matters.

Alex and his wife, Brooke, are the proud parents of four daughters. The Thacher family are members of the Birmingham Athletic Club. Alex enjoys golf in his free time and, in a prior chapter of life, completed 23 marathons as a dedicated endurance athlete.

Within the SAR, Alex serves as Secretary of the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter and Chancellor of the Michigan Society. He is also Treasurer of the Michigan Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America.

A passionate genealogist, Alex is a member of 21 hereditary societies, including the Society of the Cincinnati (admitted June 2026), the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Revolution, Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, Winthrop Society, Mayflower Society, Elder William Brewster Society, Winslow Heritage Society, Jamestowne Society, Baronial Order of Magna Charta, Military Order of the Crusades, Knights Templar, and the Order of Americans of Armorial Ancestry, among others.

Alex descends from Patriot Captain John Thatcher (1742–1805) of Norwalk, Connecticut, who fought at the Battle of Lake Champlain (Valcour Island) in October 1776 under Brigadier General Benedict Arnold and was taken prisoner of war—a legacy that continues to inspire Alex's service to the Society.

Treasurer

Mike Meskill was born in Oceanside, CA and grew up across several states as the son of a 39-year Navy veteran. He followed in his father’s footsteps, serving in the U.S. Navy as an Electronic Technician and deploying to the Persian Gulf aboard USS Mahan (DDG-42) during Operation Desert Storm. Mike holds a BFA in Technical Design and Production from the North Carolina School of the Arts and has completed advanced business and management studies through the University of Phoenix, Upper Iowa University, Madison Area Technical College, and UW-Madison. He is currently the Global Technical Service Manager at Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), where he oversees Technical Support, Field Service, Repairs, and Special Projects across ETC’s global operations. With nearly 30 years at ETC, Mike has held leadership roles in both the U.S. and Europe.

In 2021, Mike joined the Nathaniel Ames Chapter of the Wisconsin Society and currently serves as Treasurer of the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter. His family has a proud military legacy, with veterans in every major U.S. conflict from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror—except Korea.

Mike's Patriot ancestor is John Catt from Virginia. Read about John here.

Historian

Gregory Winters joined the SAR in 2015. He comes from a family who had many members serve in WWII, and who subsequently joined a number of patriotic organizations and involved Greg in many of their activities when he was younger, including the VFW, the American Legion, and the the Society of the Forty & Eight. Greg is a graduate of Indiana University and is a retired technology process analyst from General Motors. He is a member of a number of genealogical associations and is a working professional musician.

Greg's Patriot ancestor is Andrew Wayt from the Pennsylvania Militia. Read about Andrew here.

Chaplain

Larry Carr grew up in Ferndale, Michigan. Around the supper table with his family, his favorite childhood memory was listening to his father describe his experiences as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot during WWII. Larry is a retired Chief Financial Officer from the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit. Larry is a U.S. Navy Veteran and served onboard the USS John F. Kennedy CV-67 aircraft carrier as a Machinist Mate stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. He graduated from Central Michigan University in Management and Supervision and is married with four children. He is a member of the American Legion and has served as the Finance Officer and member of the Patriot Team Honor Guard performing funeral services for Veterans. Larry has worked at several automotive companies during his career in the finance and management areas in the Detroit Metropolitan area. He is also an ordained minister. Larry’s patriot ancestor is Samuel Carpenter who was born in New York state and served in the Battle of Minisink during the American Revolutionary War at Minisink Ford, New York on July 22, 1779.

Genealogy Researcher

Barbara Reardon has lived in Michigan all her life. She holds a Music Education Degree from Eastern Michigan University, but after teaching for four years, changed careers and worked as a logistician in Foreign Military Sales at the US Army Tank-Automotive Command in Warren, Michigan, where she met husband, Tom. She retired in 2008 after 30 years service. Shortly afterwards, she caught the “genealogy bug” when their daughter, Kristine, became interested in joining the DAR and proving the Reardon family story that she was descended from a Patriot who served in the American Revolution. Since then, Barb has assisted over 100 applicants who have been approved for membership in the SAR.

Pictured are Thomas and Barbara Reardon with their son, Jonathan, at his SAR induction with past Michigan Society President Rodney Wilson.

Chapter Officers