Many Sources For Heredity Societies

Thanksgiving Day is past, but just as those wonderful calories are still present with us, so, too, are my feelings of connection to the Pilgrims.

William Bradford, who sailed to New England on the Mayflower and was appointed the second governor of Plymouth Colony, is one of my ancestors. I belong to two organizations dedicated to preserving his memory.

The reasons to join a heredity society might be to learn more about that ancestor, his accomplishments or his life and times.

Another reason might be to honor his or her memory by banding together to establish plaques or monuments, to publish materials pertaining to his life, and to educate others of this person’s contributions to America. Having a certificate to hang on the wall, is also fun.

Source material for more than 100 heraldic societies is scattered through a wide range of registers, journals, newsletters and membership rosters. Many of the sources needed to establish membership in a heredity society are the same as genealogists use to document their family history.

Each society has its own membership requirements, but all agree that you must trace your ancestry directly back to the person in question, and document that lineage. Most heraldic societies have people whose duty it is to help prospective members with their papers.

Here is a list of Pilgrim sources where you might write if you’re a descendant of the first immigrants or are interested in membership:

General Society of Mayflower Descendants, P.O. Box 3297, Plymouth, MA 02361; phone (508) 746-3188.

Isaac Allerton Society, P.O. Box 1111, Acworth, GA 30101.

Society of Descendants of Robert Bartlett of Plymouth, 98 Summersea, Mashpoo, MA 02649. (Bartlett was not a Pilgrim, but he married Mary Warren, daughter of Pilgrim Richard Warren.)

Gov. William Bradford Compact, 5204 Kenwood Drive, Chevy Chase, MD 20815.

Elder William Brewster Society, P.O. Box 1245, East Orleans, MA 02643.

Edward Doty Society, HCR 69, P.O. Box 675, Friendship, ME 04096.

Francis Eaton Society, 60 Sheridan, Brockton, MA 02402-2852.

Fuller Society, HCR 69, Box 675, Friendship, ME 04096.

John Howland Society, 65 North, Yarmouth, MA 04096 Thomas Rogers Society, 602 Charwood Court, Edgewood, MD 21040.

Soule Kindred of America, 53 New Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12005.

Warren Cousins, 189 Sherrin, Hyde Park, MA 02136.

Winslow Family Association, P.O. Box 474, Fairview, PA 16415.

The purpose of the Gov. William Bradford Compact, founded in 1946, is to cherish and honor the memory of Gov. Bradford, to foster fraternal relations among his descendants, establish a record of the accomplishments of these descendants, and maintain the ideals of American freedom.

The group meets annually in Plymouth where papers and programs are given on any topic relating to Bradford and/or the Pilgrims. Membership is $8 per year.