MAYFLOWER Mission STATEMENT
The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of California, Inc. is dedicated to preserving the history of our Mayflower heritage through education and research:
- To provide and maintain a comprehensive library for the purpose of research for our members and prospective members.
- To aid in genealogical research related to the descendants of the Mayflower passengers.
- To educate young scholars by providing scholarships, on a comprehensive basis, to our children and grandchildren.
- To preserve and protect documents and items related to our Mayflower ancestry as well as genealogical documents related to our members.
- To continuously educate and inform the general public of the Mayflower legacy by providing speakers to other organizations, schools and to individual Colonies.
Mayflower History
Was your ancestor one of the pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower? Are you one of the 70 million Americans who believe that they are descendants of those who did? According to an article published in Family Tree Magazine on September 28, 2009, fewer than half of those who think they are descendants of the original pilgrims can possibly be right. The best estimate by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants is that more than 35 million people worldwide can count at least one of the 51 Pilgrims who left descendants as an ancestor. If you think you are a descendant and want to learn more, read on, and review other pages on this website for information on how to take your first step to membership.
The Mayflower voyage began in 1620 with what must have been an atmosphere of expectation as well as fear. The backgrounds of those we today call the Mayflower Pilgrims were varied. They included entrepreneurs as well as evangelicals, political radicals as well as Christian idealists. It would take a decade before they had built a thriving settlement at New Plymouth based on beaver fur, corn, and cattle. In doing so, they laid the foundations for Massachusetts, New England and the new nation.
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship’s 102 passengers while the Mayflower was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod. It was signed aboard ship on November 11, 1620 by most of the adult men. The women, children under 18, the crew and adult male servants were not invited to sign the document. Although the original Compact is lost, perhaps falling victim to Revolutionary War looting by the British, a copy of William Bradford’s handwritten manuscript, Of Plymouth Plantation, which includes a copy of the compact, is kept in a vault at the State Library of Massachusetts. For additional information on the Mayflower Compact go to Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History website at www.Mayflowerhistory.com/mayflower-compact. The text for the Mayflower Compact is also on this website.
Several books written over the last decade provide rich narratives for those interested in the Pilgrims and the journey they took on the now famous Mayflower. We recommend two as credible accounts of what transpired those many years ago. The first recommendation is Making Haste from Babylon, The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World, A New History, by Nick Bunker (2010). A resident of England, Bunker provides us with a most rewarding and surprising view of the journey. The second recommendation is Mayflower, a story of courage, community and war, by Nathaniel Philbrick (2006). In his book, Philbrick evokes the drama of the voyage, the eerie emptiness of coastal New England in the fall of 1620. Both books offer readers new insights and are among the best fully researched written accounts of the journey.
The Mayflower voyage began in 1620 with what must have been an atmosphere of expectation as well as fear. The backgrounds of those we today call the Mayflower Pilgrims were varied. They included entrepreneurs as well as evangelicals, political radicals as well as Christian idealists. It would take a decade before they had built a thriving settlement at New Plymouth based on beaver fur, corn, and cattle. In doing so, they laid the foundations for Massachusetts, New England and the new nation.
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship’s 102 passengers while the Mayflower was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod. It was signed aboard ship on November 11, 1620 by most of the adult men. The women, children under 18, the crew and adult male servants were not invited to sign the document. Although the original Compact is lost, perhaps falling victim to Revolutionary War looting by the British, a copy of William Bradford’s handwritten manuscript, Of Plymouth Plantation, which includes a copy of the compact, is kept in a vault at the State Library of Massachusetts. For additional information on the Mayflower Compact go to Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History website at www.Mayflowerhistory.com/mayflower-compact. The text for the Mayflower Compact is also on this website.
Several books written over the last decade provide rich narratives for those interested in the Pilgrims and the journey they took on the now famous Mayflower. We recommend two as credible accounts of what transpired those many years ago. The first recommendation is Making Haste from Babylon, The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World, A New History, by Nick Bunker (2010). A resident of England, Bunker provides us with a most rewarding and surprising view of the journey. The second recommendation is Mayflower, a story of courage, community and war, by Nathaniel Philbrick (2006). In his book, Philbrick evokes the drama of the voyage, the eerie emptiness of coastal New England in the fall of 1620. Both books offer readers new insights and are among the best fully researched written accounts of the journey.
California Society History
On October 17, 1907, eleven years after the General Society of Mayflower Descendants formed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, thirteen Californians gathered at the Century Club in San Francisco to establish what is now known as the California Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Herbert Folger, born in 1888, a descendant of the Mayflower passenger, Degory Priest, initiated the October meeting. In addition to Herbert those in attendance were Frances Soule Campbell, Clinton Folger, Maria Freeman Gray, Mrs. Willard Mudgett Griffin, Laurilla Moore Hathaway, Sarah Louise Kimball, George Arthur Merrill, Mrs. Edwin White Newhall, Mrs. George Washington Percy, George Willig Spencer, Mrs. George Pierce Thurston and Seth Wilson Cushman.
Herbert Folger was elected chairman and Seth Wilson Cushman was the first secretary. During the evening, Herbert presented to the group a letter from Clarence E. Leonard, Secretary General of the General Society, stating that a charter had been granted to residents of the state of California who were members of the General Society.
The California Society of Mayflower Descendants has grown from the original thirteen members to a society that is second only in size to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Our total state membership is currently 2,410 members. There are 13 regional colonies throughout the state. Each Colony has its own government and meeting schedules. Be sure to check out the State Colonies page, in the "Contact tab" above, to find the websites for each of them so that you can get involved locally. The California State Board of Assistants meets five times a year to discuss state-wide business and is comprised of members from each of the State Colonies.
Herbert Folger, born in 1888, a descendant of the Mayflower passenger, Degory Priest, initiated the October meeting. In addition to Herbert those in attendance were Frances Soule Campbell, Clinton Folger, Maria Freeman Gray, Mrs. Willard Mudgett Griffin, Laurilla Moore Hathaway, Sarah Louise Kimball, George Arthur Merrill, Mrs. Edwin White Newhall, Mrs. George Washington Percy, George Willig Spencer, Mrs. George Pierce Thurston and Seth Wilson Cushman.
Herbert Folger was elected chairman and Seth Wilson Cushman was the first secretary. During the evening, Herbert presented to the group a letter from Clarence E. Leonard, Secretary General of the General Society, stating that a charter had been granted to residents of the state of California who were members of the General Society.
The California Society of Mayflower Descendants has grown from the original thirteen members to a society that is second only in size to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Our total state membership is currently 2,410 members. There are 13 regional colonies throughout the state. Each Colony has its own government and meeting schedules. Be sure to check out the State Colonies page, in the "Contact tab" above, to find the websites for each of them so that you can get involved locally. The California State Board of Assistants meets five times a year to discuss state-wide business and is comprised of members from each of the State Colonies.
