Plimoth Plantation Website

Our History

Mayflower Pilgrims and our Members

Mayflower Compact 1620

Mayflower Children

School Programs

Albany Colony - Compact Award Schools

The Mayflower Ship Explained

Mayflower 2020 Float in Rose Parade

Soule Kindred in America website

Mayflower History Website

NYACSMD VIDEO'S

The Society of Mayflower Descendants is a very special hereditary organization comprised of a diverse group of individuals who have documented their descent from one or more of the 51 surviving members of the original 102 passengers who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. Our ancestors were a very courageous group who, with strong convictions and determination, risked their lives to cross the Atlantic in a small, uncomfortable cargo ship and landed on unfamiliar soil in a wilderness. Half of them died during their first winter in America. The friendly and helpful natives played a vital role in the ultimate success of the Pilgrim colony.

We take great pride in the accomplishments of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrim leaders were passionate, Bible-reading, praying Christians who were unafraid to voice their great faith in God. These Separatists set the stage for religious freedom on the North American continent. Their goal was to worship God as they thought right, following God's Word and not the dictates of the established Church of England. In keeping with that tradition, one of our society's general officers is the Elder General, who leads prayer at the beginning of our meetings. However, we offer membership to individuals of all faiths who prove a line of descent from at least one of the Mayflower passengers. A list of the names of the 26 male passengers and 3 female passengers whose maiden name is known, currently known to have descendants may be found by clicking the "Membership" link at the top of this page.

Before landing, the Mayflower passengers developed the first written declaration of self-government. That document, the Mayflower Compact, was a precursor of the Constitution of the United States. Plymouth is the second oldest permanent English settlement on the American east coast.

A primary interest of our society is educating people about the role of the Pilgrims in the early history and development of what was to become the United States of America. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants is one of the three largest, most respected and prestigious hereditary organizations in America. Its members are fine, "everyday" folks. There are Mayflower societies in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada, and we have members living in many other countries.

We welcome your interest in the Society of Mayflower Descendants and wish you success in tracing your ancestry back to a Mayflower passenger.

The group of 102 passengers who crowded aboard Mayflower for the crossing was not homogenous. Many of the passengers were members of the Leiden congregation, but they were joined by a number of English families or individuals who were hoping to better their life situations, or were seeking financial gain. These two general groups have sometimes been referred to as the "saints" and "strangers."

Although the Leiden congregation had sent its strongest members with various skills for establishing the new colony, nearly half of the passengers died the first winter of the "great sickness."

Anyone who arrived in Plymouth on the Mayflower and survived the initial hardships is now considered a Pilgrim with no distinction being made on the basis of their original purposes for making the voyage.

Any person able to document their descent from one or more of the Mayflower Pilgrims is eligible to apply for membership in the Mayflower Society. The recognized Pilgrims are listed following the Mayflower Compact 1620 text below.

Agreement Between the Settlers at New Plymouth : 1620
IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.

IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.

Mayflower Children

There were a number of children among the passengers of Mayflower. This was of great importance to the survival of Plymouth Colony. Many of the children had become accustomed to hard labor since they needed to work in Leiden to help support their families. As with many immigrant families in 17th century Holland, the Pilgrim fathers were generally hired for the lowest paying occupations.

When the struggling group of colonists faced the cruelties of the first New England winter with its illnesses and deaths, it was the children who many times stepped in to assist the adults. Undoubtedly, brave young souls were kept busy tending the sick, fetching firewood and water, helping to prepare food and doing whatever was necessary.

There were fewer deaths among the children that first cruel winter, which ultimately increased the chances of survival for the struggling colony.

To help today’s young students learn more about the struggles and accomplishments of the Pilgrims, the Mayflower Society offers an educational packet called “Coming to America.” It is available from the General Society and may be ordered from their Books and More shopping page.

The charter of the Society states as its purpose, “to assist in the education of Americans to the great heritage of liberty and law exemplified by the founders of our country.” To that end, the New York Society funds two Educational Programs: Compact Awards and Educational Outreach. Note that at present no Albany Colony area schools are included in the New York programs.

The Compact Awards

In 1923, the Compact Awards Program was initiated. It began with the awarding of a medal to a recipient for an essay on Pilgrim history and five private schools participate. In the 1930's the recipient also received a copy of the Mayflower Compact. Today the Society awards more than one hundred $100 savings bonds and a personalized engraved Mayflower Compact each year to students from 45 public and 10 private schools throughout New York State. The selection is made by the school to a student who has exhibited a proficiency in the history of the U.S. and an understanding of the Constitution.

Educational Outreach

Our Educational Program was begun in 1993 as a direct way to bring the real story of the Mayflower Pilgrims to students in the 2nd to 6th grades. Through our association with Plymouth Plantation, we fund the visits of their museum instructors to New York schools twice a year. The instructors, who are certified museum teachers, dress in authentic clothing of the 1620's, speak in the native dialect, and bring artifacts and clothing for the students to touch and try on. These modern day “Pilgrims” give students a direct “eye-witness” experience of Pilgrim life in 1627.

Albany Colony - Compact Award Schools

This program is offered to the schools of New York State, upon request. The schools annually choose a student with outstanding scholarship in history and submit that name to the New York Society. The recipient then receives a US Savings Bond plus other material, as a reward.

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