Lineage Societies

A lineage society may be considered an "in-crowd" when it comes to genealogy. They are groups of people today who are able to trace their ancestry back to a certain person or group of people (usually of historical significance). Some lineage societies are pretty obscure and really only of interest to genealogists, but some are quite well-known and important among higher social circles.

Membership requirements are going to vary from one society to the next, but they are all going to require research and proper documentation of your ancestral links. Family tales handed down through the years aren't going to cut it. If you already have a well-documented connection to the historical group in question, there won't likely be any problems.

But if you are just starting to research certain ancestors in order to apply for society membership, make sure to find out beforehand what documentation you need. Some groups may only consider original vital records to be sufficient, whereas some groups may even allow newspaper sources or census transcripts. Know what you need before you begin.

So why join? Well, as I mentioned earlier, it might be a boost to your social standing to belong to a prominent lineage society in your area. But from a strictly genealogical viewpoint, being a member of such a group could be a way to get a little recognition and validation for all your hard work and research. Also, being a member of a large society that is based on ancestry and family trees is an excellent way to access hard-to-find research material.

There are too many lineage societies to list here, but I am including a few that you might want to look into for membership, particularly if you have ancestors involved in many early American events.

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) – This is a particular large lineage society, namely because it is open to female descendants of anyone who was considered a patriot of early America. That's a sizable pool of potential ancestors who you may find in your own tree. The DAR has more than 168,000 members, according to their website.

Jamestowne Society - You will need to trace your family back to one of the officially-recognized settlers of the Jamestowne colony (there are approximately 1,500 names). Jamestowne is considered to be the first permanent American settlement, founded in 1607.

The National Society Magna Charta Dames and Barons - This is a more exclusive group, consisting of the descendants of the "twenty-five Sureties for the Magna Charta or from a Baron, Prelate, Knight or other influential person present on the field of Runnemede in June 1215 on behalf of the Charter." There are only 16,500 members in this group. I may have a connection here, and will be doing further research about joining.

The Society of Mayflower Descendants consists of those who can connect their family tree back to those who made that historic trip on the Mayflower.