MEMBERSHIP

ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP

Any person, age 18 or older, able to document his/her lineal descent from one or more of the following Mayflower passengers is eligible to apply for membership in the NC Society of Mayflower Descendants. The fifty-one Mayflower passengers known to have descendants are listed below. Those in bold are the adult male signers of the Mayflower Compact.

John Alden
Isaac Allerton
Mary (Norris) Allerton
Bartholomew Allerton
Mary Allerton
Remember Allerton
John Billington
Elinor Billington
Francis Billington
William Bradford
William Brewster
Mary Brewster
Love Brewster
Peter Brown
James Chilton
Mrs. James Chilton
Mary Chilton
Francis Cooke

John Cooke
Edward Doty
Francis Eaton
Samuel Eaton
Sarah Eaton
Moses Fletcher
Edward Fuller
Mrs. Edward Fuller
Samuel Fuller (son of Edward)
Samuel Fuller
Stephen Hopkins
Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins
Giles Hopkins
Constance Hopkins
John Howland
Richard More

William Mullins
Priscilla Mullins
Degory Priest
Thomas Rogers
Joseph Rogers
Henry Samson
George Soule
Myles Standish
John Tilley
Joan (Hurst) Tilley
Elizabeth Tilley
Richard Warren
William White
Susanna (Jackson) White
Peregrine White
Resolved White
Edward Winslow

Eligible applicants of either sex may join the North Carolina Society without restriction as to residence.

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ELIGIBILITY FOR DUAL MEMBERSHIP

The Dual Member needs to be in good standing and current with dues in their home state society. The Dual Member will pay the year dues of $50 and a copy of the Dual Member's approved application is ordered from Plymouth. The Dual Member will be assigned a NC State Membership number which is registered with the General Society.

BECOME A PART OF OUR SOCIETY

PROCESS

Our application process is completed in two-steps. First, submit a Preliminary Application with very little basic lineage information, along with the application fee and first year's dues. Next, prepare and submit the detailed lineage information on the Application Worksheet (there is no additional fee for processing this). Once the Application Worksheet has been approved by the State Historian, it is sent to Plymouth, MA for approval by the Historian General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. After all approvals have been made, the State Historian assigns a State Number and prepares a certificate of membership. The membership certificate is presented at the next Annual Meeting.

APPLICATION FEES

The Application Fee is $200.00. This application fee applies to ALL applications (Supplemental and Silver Supplemental as well as Regular Membership Application). The fee is payable with your Preliminary Application and is not refundable, even if the line is rejected or the application forfeited. Applicants have three years from the time of approval of their Preliminary Application to send in their Application Worksheet and required documentation. After the expiration of the three-year period, anyone desiring to become a member must submit a new Preliminary Application along with another application fee in the amount applicable at that time. Make checks payable to “NC Mayflower Society”.

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Annual dues are $50 per year. The current year’s dues are to be paid along with the Application Fee for new members. Dues are not paid on the Supplemental Application or Silver Supplemental Applications for Members in good standing with up to date dues.

Please note, there will be a $25 reinstatement fee for lapsed and/or late dues.

DUES AND FEES MAY BE CHANGED BY THE SOCIETY AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

HOW DO I APPLY?

If you wish to submit a Preliminary Application, please click here for Editable PDF form. Complete the form and return it, along with a check for $250.00 made payable to “NC Mayflower Society”, to the Membership Chairperson.

Ray M. Maxson, PE
2506 Robin Hill Drive
Charlotte, NC 28210-7259
RayMaxson1@cs.com

You may also request a blank form from this address.

APPLICATION WORKSHEET <<<Click here to download the long application form.

HINT: Make copies to use as first drafts and for applications for Supplemental Lines.

After your Preliminary Application and fee have been received and approved by the Membership Chairperson, a copy of the Application Worksheet, together with detailed instructions for its, completion, will be forwarded to you. When you have completed the Application Worksheet please forward it, with your electronic documentation, to the NC Mayflower Society Historian.

Documenting Your Line

Our application process is now electronic. We accept scanned copies of documents as individual .jpg files for each document. Create a folder numbered for each generation- Number one being the generation of the Mayflower ancestor. Each .jpg file should be numbered with the generation and abbreviation for the document. Example BC1 for birth certificate of the Mayflower line-holder and BC2 for birth certificate of the spouse. So, Generation 12 will have a 12-BC1 and a 12-BC2. Please use MC for Marriage certificate and add a number if there are multiple marriages: example 12-MC3 (for a third marriage certificate in generation 12); DC1 for Death certificate of the Mayflower line-holder and DC2 for Death certificate of the spouse. For other documents use the generation and a short name that indicates what the document is. For example, a gravestone photo for generation 9 of the Mayflower line holder: 9-g.s. photo1.

You can use DROPBOX, a free sharing tool available online, to share your documents once Ray Maxson assigns you to work with one of our historians.

If you have any further questions, or problems with your Application Worksheet, please contact our State Historian for suggestions or assistance.

Jackie LaMar jlamar1620@gmail.com

Good luck with your application!

Join your Mayflower cousins today and experience the world of your history.

PROOF OF LINEAGE

The applicant should start with his/her parents and then grandparents on the line which descends from the Pilgrim ancestor, going backwards to connect each generation by proving the parents of both the Mayflower line-holder and their spouse. By setting up a lineage worksheet, and documenting each statement of birth, marriage, and death as one goes along, the applicant is likely to find it all working out like a picture puzzle with a few missing pieces at first. Meticulous documentation is the key to success in proving a lineage. Family genealogies, town or county histories, are secondary source material, and are acceptable only when there are references to primary sources cited, or they are used only as back-up to primary sources.

Primary Sources consist of:

Vital Records of Birth, Marriage and Death
Bible and Church Records
Marriage Bonds or Licenses
Cemetery Records and Mortality Schedules (with some Federal Census Records)
Probate Records
Land Records: Deeds or Property Distributions
Guardianship & Orphans Records
Contemporary Family Letters, Diaries, Doctors' Day Books
Tax Lists
Pension and Military Records
Federal and State Census Records-showing the family relationships (1880 and after)
Gravestones and Mortician Records

Other documentation is only acceptable once it has been reviewed and the documentation must show the parents' names. You will need to submit Birth, Death and Marriage certificates wherever they are available (usually from the late 1800's on, depending on the state,) linking each person to their parents in the prior generation.

For the last three generations, yourself, your parents and line holding grandparents you will need to submit birth, death (where applicable) and marriage certificates all showing the parent's full names. This includes all multiple spouses to ensure accuracy of lineages for future generations! If you use popular genealogy websites, make sure that you download the actual document.

Warning: all documentation is NOT created equal. Tiny footprints on hospital birth certificate may be precious family keepsakes, but they are not acceptable for genealogy purposes. The same thing applies to decorative marriage licenses. Longform marriage licenses that include parent’s names ensures lineage accuracy. Also, note, that Find a Grave written bios or information not written on the grave stone are not acceptable as proof; Census records that do not show the relationships such as wife or son (prior to 1880) cannot serve as proof of parentage alone without some other Primary source of documentation, and approved DAR lineages themselves cannot be used as proof. Also and birth, death and marriage indexes are not accepted as the index indicates that the certificate is available and you are expected to get the actual certificate (remember to always ask for the Long Form version showing the parents' names.

Junior Membership

Purpose and Eligibility

The Constitution of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Article III, Section 6 states:

A member in good standing in any State Society may make an application for Junior Membership on behalf of any person under eighteen (18) years of age who has a Prima Facie proven lineage. The applicant must be a blood or adopted relative of the sponsor with the same Mayflower lineage.

Children can become Junior Members of the SMDNC from age birth – 18 years by having a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who is an Active member of the SMDNC (Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of North Carolina) in good standing. Sponsoring a Junior Member in the North Carolina Mayflower Society is a simple process that allows us to introduce our children to their Mayflower ancestry and encourage pride in this remarkable heritage. We hope that Junior Membership will encourage them to join our society in the future.

The Benefits of Junior Membership

All newly enrolled Juniors receive a certificate of Junior Membership, a pin and a bio of their Pilgrim Ancestor. When a Junior Member is 18-years old, we send them information about how to join as Full Members. Upon turning 18 years of age the Junior will remain on Junior roll until turning 25 years of age.

TO APPLY FOR A JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP:

Junior Membership does not require "proof" that the Junior is a descendant. Once the child becomes 18 years of age, he/she will need to fill out a Membership application, pay the application fees current at the time of processing and submit all primary source documentation to prove the Mayflower lineage from his/her self to the last well proven generation.

COSTS:

As of August 1, 2021, the Junior Membership Fee is $35.00 per child. This is a one-time registration fee which includes the cost of the pin and certificate. Junior Members pay no annual dues and are not considered full members of the Society for voting purposes at any Membership Meeting.

HOW TO SPONSOR A JUNIOR TO "JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP":

Sponsors, simply download the Junior Membership application. Please fill out the form completely, sign and date it.

All Sponsors must be a current member in good standing of the North Carolina Mayflower Society and General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Your GSMD number and North Carolina State Number must be on the Junior Application form. You, as the "Sponsor", must have direct blood-lineage or adoption with the Junior(s) you sponsor. Typically, we expect a parent or grandparent to sponsor the child. All information must be completely filled out, signed, and dated before sending the application to the Junior Membership Chair.

Once the Junior Application is approved, the sponsor will be notified and asked to send payment to the State Treasurer. Once this step is complete and the Junior Membership Chair is notified that payment has been received, the Junior Membership Chair will send the Welcome Packet to the sponsored Junior. Within the packet will include a Welcome Letter, a JUNIOR CERTIFICATE with their name, Ancestor Bio and North Carolina pin.

Link to Junior Membership Application:

Junior Membership is valid from age birth – 18 years. Upon turning 18 years of age the Junior will remain on Junior roll until turning 25 years of age. It is our hope that the Junior will apply as an adult to become a full member (please note that adopted juniors who do not have a direct blood connection to the Mayflower ancestor will not be able to become full members at age 18 due to the lineage qualifications.) by providing the same rigorous documentation adults are required to provide for application to The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of North Carolina and General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth, MA.

Please remember, Junior Membership is not Full Membership in The General Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of North Carolina, nor a prerequisite for Full Membership.

For additional information, please contact:

Laurel Siviglia- Junior Membership Chairwoman

laurel@siviglias.com

Junior Application

MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE

Q: My grandmother joined the Mayflower Society in 1950. Can I just reference her linage paper and then complete the remainder of the application?

A: You must complete the entire form and supply documentation to support all entries. Requirements before 2016 were weak and were strengthened in 2016.

Q: Can I use the LDS Ancestor File and IGI files to support entries?

A: No, they are unacceptable as proof. They may be used to assist you in finding supporting material.

Q: Can I use my DAR lineage paper to support entries?

A: No. They are unacceptable as proof.

Q: My complete Mayflower line was available on the internet. Can I use that as proof?

A: No. It will serve only as a guide as to where you may locate the proof you require.

Q: My grandfather was not a Mayflower descendant but did marry my grandmother, who was a Mayflower descendant. Am I required to prove who his parents were?

A: No. You need only to provide two copies of his birth certificate.

Q: I am a current member of the North Carolina Mayflower Society and live in another state. How do I transfer my membership to that state society?

A: Contact our state society historian and he will assist you with the process.

Q: Can I have a professional genealogist prepare my application for membership?

A: Yes, as long as the entries are supported with two copies of documentation and you sign the application worksheet.

Q: Is a copy of the application that my brother submitted acceptable as proof?

A: No. Only copies of the lineage papers that were approved by Plymouth are acceptable.

Q: I know the date and place that my great-grandmother died, but can not locate a reference. Can I just put in the date and place and leave the reference blank?

A: No all entries must be supported with proof.

Q: Is it really necessary to follow the worksheet instruction exactly?

A: Yes. Failure to do so will only cause your application to be delayed.

Q: How long do I have to complete my application from the time my Preliminary Application was approved?

A: You have three years. If not competed than you must pay an additional application fee. It is advisable to complete your research before applying for a preliminary application.

Q: Can the State Mayflower Historian look up proof for me?

A: No. The State Historian will only check records and files that he has readily available in our rather small reference library. He will advise you where you may locate the necessary material.

Q: How long does it take from when I submit an Application Worksheet until my application is approved?

A: If your application has been well researched and properly documented it should take about 6 Months. If you have not completely gathered your supporting material in advance and did not complete the worksheet according to the instructions provided it can take from one to two years or longer.