What is a lineage society? There
are many views, opinions, and thoughts on the subject and each will be
different depending to whom you speak. In a nutshell, a lineage society is a
group of people who are descended from a person (or group of people) who have come
together to celebrate their ancestors.
Sounds simple, right?
Anyone who can trace their
ancestry back to a qualified ancestor may join a lineage society. Most are open only to adults, with junior
memberships available for youths. There
are some children specific societies which are sponsored by adult branches which
those youth may join when they reach the age of majority. However, be aware that there are a handful of
societies that are only open by invitation.
Make sure you know if the society you are interested in is open to
unsolicited inquires before you contact them.
The cost for membership varies from
group to group. There is usually an
application fee and after admittance an annual membership fee. Each group is different though, so you will
need to make sure to check the details for each one you would like to join. Once you are a member the benefit
possibilities are numerous: networking, research partners, access to their
private archives and libraries, plus satisfaction that your research has been
put to good use.
If you are still deciding what
society you might like to join, or if you are just curious about what is out
there, here are several places you can learn more.
·
Family
Tree Magazine, various articles
·
Who Do You
Think You Are Magazine, various articles
·
Going
In-Depth, and online magazine from The In-Depth Genealogist http://theindepthgenealogist.com/
Besides those location don’t
forget that word of mouth is also a great resource. Talk to people you know at other clubs and
organizations you belong to.
Particularly at genealogy and historical societies. Many members of those groups are also members
of lineage societies and can give you more details on any group you may be
interested in joining.
Many groups have a “contact us”
button on their websites. Electronic
correspondence is preferred by most large organizations in today’s world so
this should be your first line of communication. If you don’t hear back from them, and a physical
address is given, you can try to correspond with the group through the postal address. In addition, some organizations are large
enough to have a national headquarters and state or regional recruitment
officers. If written correspondence does
not work, you have a lot of questions, or you just prefer a more personal
connection look for a phone number. Make
sure you are calling the person responsible for recruitment, usually the
registrar, when placing the call
The most important step in the
entire process is the application. It doesn’t matter that you have all the
proof in the world if your application is wrong. Make sure you receive a copy of the
organizations submission guidelines and/or handbook. While you may be working with a chapter or
state registrar, knowing what is expected of you can make the work easier on
both of you. The registrar will be your
guide through the process so feel free to ask them lots of questions.
Some important questions you should know the answer to
before you start are:
·
Is it a direct line ancestry society or will
they accept collateral lines?
·
What types of records do they accept? Many
groups will accept applications from other lineage societies, but many more
will not. Some will request copies only
of original records but a handful will require the records you submit to be
certified. Make sure you know what is
expected!
·
What is the application process? Read
all the materials you are given very carefully.
One of the main reasons applications are rejected is because a person
did not fill out the forms how the society requested.
·
Do you need a sponsor? Even if the group you are applying for is not
a by invitation only group, they may ask for you to be sponsored by another
member. If this is the case, make sure
you questions about how you get a sponsor if you do not already know someone
who is in the organization.
As you start the application
process, and work your way through the paperwork, I suggest you create a
checklist for your ancestor. Keep each generation’s paperwork together, and not
mixed in with the others, as you work backwards from yourself. If you need to keep a separate folder for
each generation that’s fine. Some people
keep them binder clipped together or the whole application in an organ style file
folder.
If
you really want to be loved, make sure you have complete source
citations written on each document. The registrar and the genealogists at the
national office will thank you. Also, type
a transcript of any documents that are handwritten in your file. It is a great
thing to have for your personal file, but many organizations require this is
done before you submit an application. Make your registrar love you a little
more by doing it for them already. Most
importantly, make a copy of the entire packet for your records. You never know
when something may get lost in the mail.
Further Resources:
FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/
Ancestry https://ancestry.com
Heritage Quest Online http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index
MyHeritage http://www.myheritage.com/
FindMyPast http://www.findmypast.com/
Google Books http://books.google.com/
JSTOR http://about.jstor.org/
World Digital Library http://www.wdl.org/en/
No comments:
Post a Comment