This page provides links to other lineage societies and information on how to identify eligible ancestors.

List of All Lineage Societies

The Hereditary Society Community web site provides a complete list of all active lineage societies in the United States.  Lineage societies that have their own web sites are listed in alphabetical order here.  Please note that you should NOT contact those societies that state "membership is by invitation only."  To join these societies, you need to find a current member who is willing to offer you an invitation to join.

Order of the Crown of Charlemagne

Charlemagne lived from 742 to 814 AD.  Pope Leo III crowned him the first Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas night 800.  Although most people with European descent are probably descendants of Charlemagne, only a few people can prove it. 

The first step in proving your descent from Charlemagne or any of the Magna Charta barons (see below) is to identify a gateway ancestor in your lineage.  A gateway ancestor is the first person in the lineage to arrive in North America.  The Order of the Crown of Charlemagne has a list of gateway ancestors posted on its site.  You must provide documentation to link each generation from the gateway ancestor to yourself.  The lineage from the gateway ancestor to Charlemagne is documented through the sources listed below.  Although no additional documentation is required for the early generations, you will have to list names, dates, and locations for each generation in the entire lineage on your application.  That, in itself, is no small feat as it is more than 40 generations to Charlemagne.

Baronial Order of Magna Charta

Most people who can prove descent from Charlemagne through an English gateway ancestor are also eligible to join the Baronial Order of Magna Charta .  A partial list of gateway ancestors for this society is posted here. 

The Magna Charta resulted from the peace between King John of England and his rebelling barons in 1215.  On June 15th, the King met the barons in a meadow called Runnymede.  Twenty-five of the barons were elected "Sureties."  The Sureties held title to some of the King's properties in order to guarantee the King's compliance with Magna Charta. 

The Magna Charta gave protection to both nobles and common people alike against arbitrary actions toward their property or persons.  The modern concepts of free speech, free association, the right of due process, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances developed from the Magna Charta.

General Society of Mayflower Descendants

To join the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, you must prove your descent from one or more Mayflower passengers.   To help descendants prove their lineages, the Society has published a series of books called the "Mayflower Families Through Five Generations."  These books document the first five generations in the lineage from each passenger.  As a result, you do not need to submit documentation for the earliest five generations with your application.  Copies of these books can often be found at your local genealogy library.  The American Ancestors website offers a database of the names in the "Mayflower Families Through Five Generations" books.  By clicking the "Search Now" button at this link, you can search for a name in the database without a subscription.  However, you must subscribe to the website to view the images.  Finally, in order to assist DAR members interested in joining, the Mayflower Society has developed a database of Revolutionary War patriots with lineages to one or more Mayflower passengers.  To check to see if your Revolutionary War patriot is listed, click here.

Colonial Dames XVII Century

Lineal descent from an ancestor who lived and served in one of the original colonies before 1701 is required for membership in the National Society Colonial Dames of the XVII Century.  There are twenty categories of acceptable service including landowner, planter, tradesman, and all professions.  Colonial ancestors accepted by the Society from 1915 - 1975, 1975 - 1979, and 1979 - 1988 can be searched in 3 separate databases on Ancestry.com.  (Search on the last name only.)  If you do not find your ancestor using the search boxes at the links above, try browsing the pages in each of the three books for your ancestor. 

Jamestowne Society

To join the Jamestowne Society, you must be a direct descendant of an ancestor who either 1) lived or held colonial government positions in Jamestowne, Virginia prior to 1700 OR 2) invested in the colony's establishment.  For a list of qualifying ancestors as well as the specific criteria for establishing a new qualifying ancestor, click here.  For  information about the application process, click here.  Similar to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Jamestowne Society has compiled a list of people living during the Revolutionary War era who are direct descendants of a Jamestowne qualifying ancestor.  Click here for this list.

United States Daughters of 1812

Women who can prove lineal descent from an ancestor who rendered military, civil, or patriotic service from 1784 - 1815 are eligible to join the National Society United States Daughters of 1812.  To search the Ancestor Database, click here.   A free index to the War of 1812 pension application files is online here.  Service records for the War of 1812 are available on Ancesty.com.

Daughters of Founders and Patriots

It is a challenge to qualify for membership in the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America.  Either through your father's straight paternal line or your mother's straight paternal line, you must have 1) an ancestor who arrived in the colonies between May 13, 1607 and May 13, 1687 ("Founder") AND 2) in this same line an ancestor who served as a Revolutionary War patriot ('Patriot').  As the lineage is the straight paternal line of your father OR the straight paternal line of your mother, your maiden name is the same surname as the Founder and the Patriot (father's paternal line) OR your mother's maiden name is the same surname as the Founder and the Patriot (mother's paternal line). 

Flagon and Trencher

Flagon and Trencher started as a joke in 1962 when someone mentioned that there seemed to be societies for everyone except tavern keepers.  To join, you must be able to prove descent from a person conducting a tavern, inn, ordinary, or other type of hostelry prior to 4 July 1776 in one of the 13 original colonies.  Click here for a list of qualifying ancestors. 

Daughters of the Cincinnati

Membership in the Daughters of the Cincinnati is by invitation only.  To be eligible, women must have an ancestor who served as an officer in the Continental Army or Navy (not the militia).  Eligible ancestors are listed in "Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati" by Bryce Metcalf.  Click here to download this book from FamilySearch.  If a candidate for membership does not have a direct ancestor in her lineage, she may apply for membership if she is a direct descendant of a brother or a sister of an eligible ancestor.  Unlike the Society of the Cincinnati (the counterpart organization for men only), the Daughters of the Cincinnati allows more than one member to represent an eligible ancestor.