Family History and Lineage Societies for those of American Descent

A passion for our ancestors is always something that needs to be shared

and there is no better way to share that interest across great distances than via internet-based societies. Better still if those societies organise social events which provide an opportunity to meet together and to discuss.

Researching our pedigrees is often a fascinating and joyful experience, now that so much is available online. With so much information available at the click of a button it is tempting to assume that most records are online, and it is all too easy to construct a family tree which links to the wrong person when the right person’s birth or marriage is missing from the record. Therefore, on sites such as ancestry.com, there is the risk of following another amateur enthusiast down a false trail.

Cultural and Ethnic Genealogical Societies

America being such a melting pot of different races and nationalities, some of those ancestral groups have their own distinct social structures of which the researcher needs to be aware. Among the more important ethnic and cultural societies which are open to all

Lineage Societies in the United States

With restricted membership, each celebrates a particular aspect of US history, and restrict its membership to those with proven descents from connected individuals, for which the support of a professional genealogist is often helpful. Although some have research libraries, most do not provide research assistance, and none provides a comprehensive genealogical service.

The IHGS offers a full genealogical research service

With a primary focus on England, Scotland and Ireland, but is also able to undertake research crossing national boundaries in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. Two other areas of particular expertise are coats of arms, and medieval European ancestry. IHGS is a not-for-profit educational body established in 1961.

Find An Expert

Open To All

The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), which focuses on African-descended family history and offers 37 chapters nationwide. https://www.aahgs.org/

The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) https://www.sar.org/ Dedicated to those researching ancestors who migrated from Germany to Russia before coming to America.

The Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA): Provides resources for researchers with Polish roots, including database access https://pgsa.org/

The Genealogical Hispanic Society of America (GSHA): Focuses on Hispanic and Latino family history in the U.S. and Mexico. https://www.gshaa.org/

For Jewish descents there are two excellent international sites https://www.jewishgen.org/ https://sephardicgenealogy.com/

There are many individual surnames for which study groups have been set up. A list of these can be found at the Guild of One-Name Studies https://one-name.org/

Guild of One-name studies https://one-name.org/surnames_a-z/

One-name studies linked to DNA samples can be accessed by registering your DNA with Familytreedna.com

Membership Required

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is open to any woman aged 18 or older who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided the American Revolution (a "Patriot"). https://www.dar.org/

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) is open to any male who is a lineal descendant of a Patriot who supported the American cause for independence (1775–1783). https://www.sar.org/

The Mayflower Society, or General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) is open to men and women aged 18 or older who can prove direct lineal descent from one of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower. https://themayflowersociety.org/

The Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (SDUSMP) is open to men and women aged 18 or older who can prove lineal descent from a man, woman, or child who is of African descent and was forced into slavery, including indentured servitude, in English colonial America and the United States of America up to the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, effective December 1865. https://sdusmp.org/

Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society with only 4,400 members, these being limited to male line descendants of the officers of the American Continental Army and Navy. https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/

National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA) is open to women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776. https://nscda.org/

The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is open to women who descend from an ancestor who lived in British North America between 1607 and 1775, and who aided the colonies in public office, in military service, or in another acceptable capacity. https://cda1890.org/

The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (OFPA) is open to male US citizens age 18 or older who are directly descended from an ancestor who settled prior to May 13, 1657, in the territory that would become the Thirteen Colonies with at least one intermediate ancestor who lived in the period of the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783. https://ofpa.org/

The Jamestowne Society is open to men and women who are descendants of stockholders in the Virginia Company of London and the descendants of those who owned land or who had domiciles in Jamestown or on Jamestown Island prior to the year 1700. There is an online list of qualifying named ancestors https://www.jamestowne.org/

General Society of Colonial Wars is open to men aged 18 and over male who are lineally descendant from a person who served either in a military capacity or held public office in one of the original 13 colonies prior to the American Revolution, that is, between 1607 and the Battle of Lexington on 19 April 1775. https://gscw.org/

In The United kingdom

There is a prestigious lineage society in the UK which is also open to US citizens:
The Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, based at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and open to men and women with established descent from one or more Knights of the Garter.

https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/friends-and-support/friends-descendants/descendants/