Any person 18 years of age or older*, who is able to document their descent from one or more of the passengers aboard the Mayflower, the ship that landed in Plymouth, New England in December of 1620, is eligible to apply for membership in the Mayflower Society. The fifty-one Mayflower passengers with known descendants living today are:

*Junior Membership is available to those under 18 years of age. A member in good standing may request application for Junior Members they are related to by blood. Only previously approved lines qualify a Junior for membership. Membership may continue until the Junior turns 18. At which time, an application may be completed for Regular Membership.

To become a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, an applicant must document their lineage from one of the above individuals using as my primary documentation as possible To learn more about the process for genealogical research, as well as the nature of primary documentation, visit our research page.  For many people, the investigative work, as well as the documentation, has been accomplished, in whole or part, by another family member.  Utilize all sources at your disposal.

The process to become a member is outlined below and can be further explained by our Society Historian. This volunteer is ready to assist you and will work with you to complete the required lineage research. Please follow these steps:

Step One:  Contact our Historian by email and express your interest in membership.  You can reach the Historian by clicking here.

Step Two: The Historian will send you a Preliminary Application Form that includes a Synopsis of the Line of Descent. Complete and sign this document and return it to the Historian (the address is on the form). Once the Historian is confident that your application can be completed successfully, you will be asked to submit a check payable to the Colorado Mayflower Society for $200.00. This fee includes your first year’s dues of $50.00 which are refundable if your application is rejected.

Step Three: The Historian will use your Preliminary Application Form to request a lineage match from Plymouth. Once information from that match, as well as information from the appropriate Mayflower Silver Book, is entered into your work-in-progress application, the Historian will contact you to discuss which generations require documentation. While it is your responsibility to locate these documents, the Historian is there to assist you to various resources and can help with your research efforts.

Step Four: Once the application has been deemed complete by the Historian, it is mailed along with all supporting documentation and a check from the state Society to the Historian General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth for review and verification by a staff genealogist.

Step Five: Once Plymouth notifies the Historian of the verification of your application, you will receive an email notification from the Historian. The Historian will forward to you a copy of the verified application and your Membership Certificate – each will include your Colorado Membership number and your General Society membership number.

That may sound like quite a bit of work, and to some degree it is, but membership in the Society of Mayflower Descendants is very prestigious.  It is a great honor to obtain membership in our society, and part of the reason for that is the high standard we hold in verifying the accuracy of our candidates’ applications.

The contact information for our Society Historian can be found on our About Us page.  Good luck as you begin your research

Pay Membership Dues: Current Members may pay yearly membership dues below