We are very excited to announce a new database in time for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower: General Society of Mayflower Descendants Membership Applications, 1620-1920.
In 1620, a brave group of 102 men, women and children sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, searching for a life of religious and civic freedom. To honor Pilgrim ancestors and keep their story alive, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants was created in 1897. Membership requires proof of lineage from one of the passengers who traveled to America on this historic voyage in 1620.
Through the years, the Mayflower Society has established a network of more than 150,000 descendants all over the world who form lifelong bonds, cherish the sacred memory of our ancestors and continue on their legacy through purpose, preservation, and education. For more information about this society you can visit the General Society of Mayflower Descendants website.
This database includes all applications and supplemental applications to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) starting from their founding in 1897 and including only applicants who were born before January 1, 1920. The database index includes; the applicant, their ancestral Mayflower passenger, and the indexed birth, marriage and death information for each generation of descendants on the application. In addition, the membership number for the general society is provided. The dates of 93% the genealogical records indexed from these applications fall between 1620 and 1920. You may find marriage and death records for dates well after 1920.
The database is organized into 14 volumes, one for each family of passengers, and contains over 165,000 pages of applications with 4.5 million searchable names. Please note that all names are indexed to the first page of the application, and you can page forward to see the lineage details.
This database was created through a partnership of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, AmericanAncestors, and FamilySearch, and has taken more than a year to assemble. We thank the employees and volunteers of all three organizations for amazing work to make this information available online.
In addition to the searchable database of membership applications, there is a family tree constructed for each Mayflower Passenger that can be viewed in AmericanAncesTREES. The trees contain individuals from any application where the person was born before January 1, 1920.You must be signed into AmericanAncestors to view the trees. The links for each available tree appear in the database description at the bottom of the search page. A sample for Richard More appears below.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership. GSMD members may access this database free of charge through the GSMD website.
