Society of Mayflower Descendants
In the State of Rhode Island
and Providence Plantations
Organized 1901
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Act of Incorporation
Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode
Island and Providence Plantations at the
January Session, A. D. 1916
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As Amended Through March 31, 2012
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Nathan W. Littlefield, Addison P. Munroe, Wilfred H. Munro,
Norman S. Case, Richard M. Bowen, Charles W. Bowen, and their associates and successors, are
hereby made a corporation by the name of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, for the purpose of perpetuating to a remote posterity
the memory of the Pilgrim Fathers, and of maintaining and defending the principle of civil and
religious liberty as set forth in the Compact of the Mayflower, with all the powers and privileges,
and subject to all the duties and liabilities set forth in Chapter 213 of the General Laws, and in
any acts in amendment thereof or in addition thereto.
SEC. 2. Said corporation may take, hold, transmit and convey real and
personal estate to an amount not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars.
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
PREAMBLE
Whereas, Our Ancestors, passengers on the Mayflower, landed in December, 1620, on
Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.
Therefore, This Society is formed by us their descendants, to honor their memory and
to preserve their records and their history for ourselves and for posterity.
Constitution
ARTICLE I. - NAME
The name of this Society shall be the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
ARTICLE II. - OBJECTS
The objects of this Society shall be:
SECTION 1. To perpetuate to a remote posterity the memory of Our Pilgrim Fathers; to
maintain and defend the principle of civil and religious liberty as set forth in the Compact of the
Mayflower, "For the glorie of God, and advancemente of the Christian faith and honor of our
countrie."
SEC. 2. To cherish and maintain the ideals and institutions of American freedom, and to
oppose any theories or actions that threaten their continuity. To transmit the spirit, the purity of
purpose and steadfastness of will of the Pilgrim Fathers to those who shall come after us, an
undiminished heritage of liberty and law.
SEC. 3. To discover and publish original material in regard to the Pilgrims, together with
existing data known only to antiquarians, and to authenticate, preserve and mark historical spots
made memorable by Pilgrim association.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Any direct descendant of any passenger on the Mayflower on the voyage
which terminated at Plymouth, New England, in December 1620, over eighteen years of age, of
good character and reputation, shall be eligible to regular membership in this Society: Provided,
however, that no person shall be eligible for membership who is pledged to, or advocates the
overthrow, by force or violence, of the Government of the United States, or that of any State or
Territory, or who has been gui1ty of other treasonable practices; and provided further that no
person may become a member of the Society unless acceptable to the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 2. All applications shall be sent to, and investigated by, the Committee on
Membership with respect to the provisions in SECTION l of this Article. Applications approved
by this Committee shall be reported at a meeting of the Board of Assistants, at which meeting the
proposed candidate shall be voted upon. The Board of Assistants may, at its discretion, extend
the time for voting upon any application. If elected, the member shall be subject to proper
compliance with SECTION 3 of this Article. Lineage blanks shall be at once sent by the
Secretary to every member so elected.
SEC. 3. Every application shall give in detail the proofs of eligibility with complete
references to authorities quoted, and shall be accompanied by the entrance fee and dues for the
current year All the lineage papers shall be examined by the Historian, and on his report to the
Board of Assistants that he has found the lineage papers of any applicant to be correct and that
the Historian-General has approved the same, the Board of Assistants shall declare such
applicant elected a member of the Society. If the lineage papers of an applicant are not filed with
the Secretary within nine months from the date of the election of a member, such election shall
be void. However, the time may be extended at the discretion of the Board of Assistants If a
lineage paper is rejected, one half of the entrance fee shall be retained by the Society.
SEC. 4. Any member who can trace descent from more than one Mayflower ancestor,
or more than one line from any Mayflower ancestor, may file supplementary lines of descent,
and shall pay an examination fee for each supplementary line so filed, as shall be established
from time to time by the Board of Assistants upon recommendation by the Finance Committee
and with the approval of the membership of the Society.
SEC. 5. Applicants for life membership may be admitted to the Society upon payment
of a life membership fee and an entrance fee, as provided hereinafter, and upon approval of the
Historian and Historian General, the Board of Assistants shall declare such applicants to be life
members.
Any member of the Society in good standing may become a life member at any time
upon the payment of a life membership fee, as provided hereinafter. Life members shall be
members in the Society without the further payment of annual dues.
The life membership fee shall be computed as follows:
A. Applicants and members who have not attained the age of fifty-five (55)
years shall pay an amount equal to twenty (20) times the then annual dues.
B. Applicants and members who have attained the age of fifty-five (55)
years shall pay an amount equal to fifteen (15) times the then annual dues.
Anything to the contrary not withstanding, any member who attains the age of 85 and has
been a dues paying member for at least 35 consecutive years shall be granted a Life Membership.
Any member in good standing who attains the age of 100 shall be granted a Life
Membership.
SEC. 6. A member of this Society may make application for life membership only, in
behalf of any person under eighteen (18) years of age; and the application may be granted by the
Board of Assistants on the payment of a fee as herein stated in Section 5 and the production of
the usual lineage papers executed by the member in behalf of the applicant and approved by the
Historian and the Historian General. Provided, however, that such Junior life members shall not
have voting power until they arrive at the age of eighteen (18) years.
SEC. 7. Admission of members transferred from affiliated Societies of Mayflower
Descendants in other States shall be subject: to the provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of Article VIII
of the Constitution of the General Society. Such transferred members shall not be required to pay
the entrance fee. The Board of Assistants shall have the power to make such arrangements as to
the payment of current dues as it may deem equitable.
SEC. 8. A member who has resigned from the Society - being at the time of such
resignation in good standing - may apply for reinstatement at any time, such application to be
acted upon by the Board of Assistants at a regular meeting. If accepted the applicant will resume
membership on payment of annual dues, as per Article IV, and a reinstatement fee of $10 - no
entrance fee being required.
SEC. 9. The name of any member whose annual dues shall remain unpaid for six months
may, after due notice, be dropped from the roll of membership, at the discretion of the Board of
Assistants. However, any member so dropped from membership may be reinstated by the Board
of Assistants upon payment of the amount which was due at the time of his being dropped in
addition to the current dues and a reinstatement fee of $10.
SEC. 10. Any member for cause or conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Society
may be suspended or expelled by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Assistants: Provided,
however, that the accused member shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard before the
Board of Assistants.
SEC. 11. Every direct descendant under eighteen years of age, of any passenger on the
Mayflower on the voyage which terminated at Plymouth., New England, in December, 1620,
whose line of descent is already established through family membership approved by the State
Historian and the Historian-General of the General Society, shall be eligible for enrollment as a
Junior Mayflower Descendant of this State Society. Every candidate for enrollment shall furnish
proof satisfactory to the State Historian of descent, direct or collateral, from a member of the
General Society whose line of descent has been approved by the Historian-General of the
General Society. Other than as above set forth, applicants for enrollment shall not be required
to complete lineage or prove descent, but otherwise all provisions concerning applications for
an election to membership as set forth in the Constitution of this State Society shall apply.
A Junior member upon reaching the age of eighteen (18) and prior to attaining the age of
twenty-five (25) years, shall have the privilege of becoming a regular member of the State
Society without payment of the usual entrance fee.
An enrollment fee as shall be established from time to time by the Board of Assistants
acting upon the recommendation of the Finance Committee shall be paid for each Junior
Mayflower Descendant enrolled and until the enrolled descendant becomes a regular member
of the State Society, no further payment shall be required of said enrolled descendant.
ARTICLE IV. - ENTRANCE FEE AND DUES
The entrance fee and annual dues shall be established from time to time by the Board of
Assistants acting upon the recommendation of the Finance Committee and with the approval of
the membership of the Society. Dues for the current year are due and payable as of the date of
the Annual Meeting. The payment of dues by a member elected after January 1st and prior to the
Annual Meeting shall constitute his membership until the end of the following fiscal year.
Anything to the contrary not withstanding, the annual dues will be waived for any
member that is serving on Extended Active Duty in the U S Armed Services. Members of the
US Armed Services will certify to the Treasurer each year that he/she is serving on active duty on the dues notice and return it to the Treasurer - in lieu of the dues payment.
ARTICLE V. - PERMANENT FUND
All moneys received from life memberships together with all donations, legacies and
other gifts, the objects of which are not specifically indicated, shall constitute a Permanent Fund.
That Fund shall be invested by the Treasurer, with the approval of the Finance Committee. Of
that Fund the income only may be used for current expenses, when absolutely necessary; and
when it is not absolutely necessary to use said income, it shall promptly be added to that Fund.
The principal of the Permanent Fund or of any portion thereof, including any portion thereof
added from unexpended income, may be used for the purpose of promoting the objects of this
Society upon, and only upon, a four-fifths vote of the members present and voting in favor of
such proposed use. Notice of the meeting at which such vote is to be taken shall be mailed by
the Secretary to all members of the Society, at their last and usual places of abode, at least three
weeks prior to the date of said meeting, and such notice shall state the object for which it is
proposed to use said Fund or any portion thereof.
Provided however, that an amount equivalent to the regular annual membership dues in
effect from time to time on a per capita basis – for each life member – be taken from the income
and/or principal of the Permanent Fund each year and added to the operating account - to cover
current expenses of the Society.
ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS
SECTION 1. The Officers of this Society shall be a Governor, a Deputy Governor, an
Elder, a Captain, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Historian, a Surgeon, and a Counsellor. The Board
of Assistants shall comprise these Officers together with seven Assistants who shall be elected to
chair Standing Committees, and the following who shall serve ex-officio: (a) Past Governors of
the Society, (b) the Deputy Governor-General and Assistant-General from Rhode Island, (c) any
General Officers and members of the General Board of Assistants who are members of this
Society and (d) any Honorary Members of the Board of Assistants as provided in SECTION 2 of
this Article.
If the duties of the Secretary become too onerous or candidates for the office of full
Secretary are non-existent, then in the sole discretion of the Board of Assistants the office of
Secretary may be divided between two persons, one to be known as the Recording Secretary
and the other to be known as the Corresponding Secretary. The duties of these two types of
secretaries shall be formulated by the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 2. In recognition of conspicuous service to the Society, a member, upon
recommendation of the Board of Assistants, may be elected by the Society at any meeting an
Honorary Member of the Board of Assistants, for so long as he remains a member of the Society.
SEC. 3. The Board of Assistants shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Meeting, a
plurality of votes determining the choice. Of the seven Assistants there shall be elected at the
Annual Meeting upon alternate years, four members and three members, respectively. The term
of office for the elected members of the Board, who are not Officers of the Society, shall be for
two years, or until their successors have been elected and have accepted office.
SEC. 4. The Governor and Deputy Governor shall not hold office for more than three
consecutive one year terms, but shall be eligible for office after a lapse of one year. Members of
the Board not Officers of the Society shall be ineligible for reelection for one year following
expiration of their term, provided, however, that a member of the Board, elected to fill an
unexpired term of one year, or less, may be re-elected.
SEC. 5. The Governor, or in his absence, the Deputy Governor, shall preside at all
meetings of the Society and the Board of Assistants. In the absence of the Governor and Deputy
Governor, the Board of Assistants shall designate a presiding chairman pro-tempore. The
Governor shall, ex-officio, be a member of all committees.
The Governor shall have the power to approve all bills rendered to the Treasurer except
those incurred by authority of the Board of Assistants.
The duties of the Governor, during his absence or disability shall be performed by the
Deputy Governor. In the event of the death of the Governor, the Deputy Governor shall become
Governor.
The Governor shall propose a Nominating Committee to the Board of Assistants which
shall consist of five (5) members of the Society (one of whom shall be a Past Governor and one
of whom shall be a member-at-large). The Board of Assistants shall, in January of each year,
elect a Nominating Committee (one of whom shall be a Past Governor and one of whom shall be
a member-at-large) which shall compile a slate of candidates for the Society's offices and for the
Board of Assistants which shall then be voted upon by the members of the Society at its next
Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall report to the Board of Assistants at its
regular March meeting.
SEC. 6. It shall be the duty of the Elder to officiate when called upon at any meeting of
the Society. He shall have been ordained as an Elder, bishop, minister or deacon of a Christian
church.
SEC. 7. The Captain shall carry out all orders of the Governor, be the custodian of the
flags of the Society, and act as Marshal at parades and onoccasions of ceremony.
SEC. 8. The Secretary shall keep the minutes and have charge of the Seal and such
records as are not herein given specially in charge to other officers; shall, with the presiding
officer certify all acts and orders of the Society; shall give notice of all meetings of the Society
and of the Board of Assistants; shall conduct the personal correspondence of the Society, notify
candidates of their election; have the custody of all application blanks, and with the exception of
the annual dues, receive all payments from members to be paid over to the Treasurer. The
Secretary shall be, ex-officio, a member of all committees.
SEC. 9. The Treasurer shall have charge of the funds and moneys of the Society, shall
collect the annual dues and shall pay out only such sums as are approved in writing by the
Governor, or, in his absence or disability, by the Deputy Governor, unless otherwise directed by
the Board of Assistants or by the Society; shall keep a true account of his receipts and
disbursements and at each Annual Meeting shall make a full report to the Society and shall make
a report to the Board of Assistants at each regular meeting of said board. His books shall be
open at all times to the inspection of the Governor, the Board of. Assistants, and the Finance
Committee.
SEC. 10. The Historian shall examine and report upon all lineage papers of applicants.
He shall maintain a file of all documents pertinent to his office.
SEC. 11. The Surgeon shall have been duly admitted to the practice of medicine.
He shall be under the orders of the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 12. The Counsellor shall be an Attorney at Law. He shall render legal Aid and
opinions upon matters pertaining to the Society when requested to do so by the Governor or by
the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 13. The Governor, Secretary, Treasurer and Historian shall be exempt from
payment of annual dues while holding their respective offices. All reasonable expenses actually
incurred by the above Officers in connection with the duties of their respective offices may be
paid by the Society upon approval of the Board of Assistants. The Board of Assistants may, at
their discretion, grant a life membership to a Past Governor who has served three years as
Governor.
SEC. 14. The Governor, during his term in office as Governor of this Society, or his
designee, shall be the nominee of the General Society for the office of Assistant General for
Rhode Island. The Board of Assistants shall nominate a member of the Society for the nominee
to the General Society for the office of Deputy Governor-General for Rhode Island.
ARTICLE VII. - BOARD OF ASSISTANTS
AND STANDING COMMITTEES
The Board of Assistants shall have general charge and control of the affairs and property
of the Society. Five members shall constitute a quorum. If a vacancy shall occur in any office of
the Society, the Board may fill such vacancy for the remainder of the term. The Board may, in
the absence or disability of the Secretary, Treasurer or Historian, appoint an Acting Secretary,
Treasurer or Historian who shall have and exercise all the duties, powers and authority of
such absent or disabled officer for whom said appointee is acting. The said appointee shall serve
until his term of office is terminated by the Board of Assistants. It shall appoint Standing
Committees as follows: Genealogical Research, Membership, Publication, Finance,
Entertainment, Hospitality, Junior Membership and such others as may be established from time
to time by a vote of the Society. The Board shall fill all vacancies occurring in committees.
Each Standing Committee shall consist of three or five members, with one of the Assistants as
chairman. Each committee shall report through its chairman at each regular meeting of the
Board of Assistants.
ARTICLE VIII. - MEETINGS
SECTION 1. The Annual Meeting shall be held at a place designated by the Board of
Assistants, on the 2nd of April, the anniversary of the election of the first Governor of Plymouth
Colony, or on a day designated by the Board of Assistants within seventeen days of April 2nd.
Compact Day and Forefathers' Day shall be observed annually in such manner and place as may
be determined by the Board of Assistants. Divine Worship may be observed at a time and place
to be selected by the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 2. Special meetings of the Society shall be held at the request of ten members, or
by a vote of the Board of Assistants.
SEC. 3. The Board of Assistants shall meet in each month in the year, except July and
August, at a time and place designated by the Governor. Special meetings of the Board shall be
held at the written request of three of its members, or at the call of the Governor.
SEC. 4. Notices of all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Assistants shall be
mailed to each member respectively at least seven days before the meeting.
SEC. 5. At all meetings of the Society twenty-five members shall constitute a quorum.
SEC. 6. The following may be the order of business at all meetings of the Society.
1st.
2nd.
3rd .
4th .
5th .
6th.
Reading of the records.
Communications and action thereon.
Reports of officers.
Reports of committees.
Unfinished business.
New business.
SEC. 7. The most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the
proceedings of this Society in all cases not provided for in this Constitution.
ARTICLE IX. - SEAL
The seal of the Society shall contain a representation of a sailing vessel of the
seventeenth century, and around it the name of the Society and the words "Plymouth, 1620" and
"Rhode Island, 1901."
ARTICLE X. - ALTERATIONS AND AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be altered or amended at any annual or special meeting by a vote
of two-thirds of those present and voting, a quorum being present, but no alteration or
amendment shall be adopted unless such alteration or amendment shall have been stated in full in
the call for the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.
When an amendment to this Constitution is under consideration by the Society, such
amendment may be open to modification or change, provided that such modification or change is
germane to the purpose of the proposed amendment, and is adopted by a two-thirds vote of those
present and voting.
The Society may be dissolved by a vote of four-fifths of the members present at a duly
called meeting for that purpose. Notice thereof must be mailed by the Secretary to all members
of the Society at least three weeks prior to the date of said meeting. Upon such dissolution, the
Board of Assistants shall first provide for the payment of all outstanding debts and obligations of
the Society, shall deliver all books, records and genealogical papers of the Society into the care,
custody or control of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and shall turn over all
remaining assets to the Treasurer of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
No funds, assets or moneys shall at any time inure to the benefit of any individual
member of the Society.