Application Procedure & Documentation Requirements

Application Procedure

 Contact our Membership Chairman, Lynne Webb, and ask for a worksheet with which to document and track your line of descent. An electronic copy can be sent to you in either WordPerfect or Microsoft Word format.  The non-refundable application fee is $75.00, with a reduced rate of $50.00 for additional family members. When you are ready to make your application to the society, this application fee must first be paid to our Membership Chairman. [Note that the family member rate is available for relatives of members who share the same parents or grandparents.]

 Complete the worksheet, citing the sources you presently have, then return a copy by e-mail, or a photo-copy by regular mail, to our Historian, Susan E. Roser.  (Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if corresponding by regular mail.) Don't worry if you are missing sources, the whole point is to show the Historian what you have and don't have. Our Historian will use the resources in her research library to check your line, add any missing data and/or sources for your first five or six generations (possibly more) and then advise you as to what is needed to complete the documentation requirements. The Historian is available to provide advice and assistance along the way should you require it.

Previously approved relatives

 If a relative previously joined the society based on your line, let the Historian know.  Prior to the early 1980's, full documentation was not a pre-requisite for membership, therefore some members who were approved before this time provided little or no documentation to prove their lines (although there were exceptions), therefore you may not be able to join based on your relative’s paper.  In the mid 1980's, the requirements were strengthened, therefore papers approved after this time are generally well documented and may be used to help with your application.  If you already have a copy of your relative's paper, a copy should be forwarded to the Historian for appraisal. If you are aware of a relative being a member but do not have a copy of this previously approved paper, let the Historian know and she will obtain a copy for you.

Checking for a previously approved line

 There is a way to find out if someone else has joined the society based on your line, you can send a synopsis of your lineage to the General Society and ask them to do a search for a well documented paper that matches yours.  A synopsis form can be filled out at the General Society’s site, with your Mayflower passenger as #1 and it can now be submitted online.  If a previously approved, well documented paper is found, you will be notified, and will be asked to submit the fee of $10.00 if you wish to receive a copy. You will be able to use the data and sources from that paper, up to the point where your lines branch off, which means your documentation efforts will begin at this point.  If the search proves successful, this could be extremely beneficial and cut down on the number of generations you will have to document. Note that our Historian, Susan Roser will also need a copy of the paper you receive.

Documentation Requirements

The documentation requirements are applicable to each State Society as they are those set forth by the General Society.  They include:

1.  References must be included for each and every event (i.e. each birth, marriage and death) for both persons in each generation, beginning with the third generation.  Due to the excellent work of the Five Generations Project of the General Society, and other researchers, all of the Mayflower families (with the exception of some Howland branches) are represented in print for the first four (MFIP) or five (MF) generations, so these early generations are easy to document.  If you do not have access to these publications, not to worry, the Historian does. Don't forget to check out Research Tips.

2.  Of the utmost importance is providing proof of the parentage of your line carriers.

3.  Please keep the originals of all of your documentation (birth/marriage/death records/ certificates, etc. ) and send only photo-copies.  Original copies are not required and since they belong to you (and you had to purchase the ones you didn’t have), they should stay with your records.  Note as well that the copies of your documents DO NOT need to be certified.

4.  Two photo-copies of all documentation and sources must be submitted to the Historian.  One set stays in the state Historian files while the other will eventually be deposited in the files of the General Society in Plymouth, Mass.

5.  When ordering vital records, always order the "long form" records. Short form birth, death and marriage records are fancy little typed certificates which contain the bare minimum of information; what you really want is the long form original hand written record which contains much more information.

6.  References are classified under two headings:  Primary and Secondary.  Primary documentation is expected whenever the year and geographic location you are dealing with deems them available. Secondary sources are to be used only when primary records are not available.  Examples of each follow.

Primary Sources

- vital records of birth, marriage and death (long form records!)

- church records

- family bible records (with name & address of owner)

- marriage bonds & licenses

- mortality schedules & cemetery records

- probate and land records

- guardianship records

- contemporary family letters & records

- tax assessments

- military or pension records

- federal/provincial/state census records showing family relationship

Secondary Sources

- town histories and family genealogies (with copy of title page)

- federal/provincial/state census records not showing family relationship

- newspaper obituaries and marriage accounts

- gravestone photos

- affidavits

6.  Events which ocurred before 1900 should be proven with primary sources where possible. If these sources are not available, secondary sources may be considered.

7.  Since records are generally available after 1900, all dates after 1900 will be expected to be proven with full vital records: birth/death/marriage records and these records should all be "long form" records.

8.  The Mayflower Index may not be cited as a reference as it is an index only, is not documented and is known to contain errors.

9.  The IGI files can be helpful for providing clues in your research, but may not be cited as a source.

10.  Printouts of records on the internet will be considered on an individual basis at the discretion of the Historian.

11.  Abstracts of records, such as typed or handwritten accounts of census records, are not acceptable - we need photo-copies of the actual records. On the other hand, handwritten family letters containing genealogical data could be acceptable if they are signed, dated and are within an early time period (i.e. pre 1900) when a primary record may not be available.

Approval Process

This is perhaps the only part of the membership process which may differ from each state society, therefore these comments pertain to the Canadian Society only.

Once the Canadian Historian is confident that you have completed the documentation requirements, she will complete your final lineage paper and mail it to you for your signature. When you return the signed application, we request that you include a photograph (head shot) of yourself along with a short bio which will both be deposited in our database of members.  We also ask for payment of first year's dues at this time. Your lineage is then approved by the Canadian Historian and mailed (along with one copy of all your documentation) to the headquarters of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth, Mass., for final approval by the Historian General.

In four to six weeks, Plymouth notifies the Canadian Historian by email, of the approval of the new member and responds by providing Plymouth with the Canadian Society membership number which is issued to the new member. The new member is notified of his/her acceptance. It takes about a week for the Historian General to email to the Canadian Historian, the new member’s General Society membership number and copy of their approved lineage paper. The membership package, including a copy of the approved lineage paper, membership certificate, newsletter and copy of the Canadian Society's constitution and by-laws are then mailed to the new member along with the official welcome from our Governor. This entire process can take up to three months.