Here is the link (https://www.youtube.com/DARCongressOnline/live) that allows you to bypass the members-only login requirement and take part in some of the official events through this coming Sunday the 28th. I just watched an hour and twenty minutes that was actually very interesting considering it was all recorded earlier. This is the first-ever virtual national convention of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Tonight's presentation highlighted much of what the DAR actually does (vs what many people think they do), in particular their dedication over the past 2-3 decades to expanding public awareness of the diversity of the American participants in the Revolutionary War. If you are not familiar with this, start by checking out the Forgotten Patriots section of their website. The entire 700+ page guide to researching Native American and African-American ancestors who took part in the war is there for the free downloading. Whether you are a member or not, or a genealogist or not, you are welcome to dheck out the DAR this Wed-Sat at 7 pm EDT (4 pm AZ time) and Saturday at 1 pm EDT and Sunday at 10:30 am EDT by clicking on the link above. (Note: If you are a member go to the members-only section, search for "continental congress 2020" and click on the schedule to see presentations that are upcoming or that you missed. Most are on YouTube and can be viewed any time thanks to the posted link. The site is a bit sluggish this week due to the volume. I recommend today's presentations on finding a female patriot and finding qualifying nonmilitary service.)

With the addition of Hannah T. (Munroe) Bliss and her two sons, Richard Warren's descendants have made it to 400. That is Try as I might to let some of the other pilgrims catch up in numbers, he has consistently led the pack for the past 8 years. That is 28% of the Faces on this site; or roughly one in 3 or 4. Congratulations to the Warrens.

George Soule has finally made it across the "100 Descendants" finish line! This was courtesy of 4 Crapo (pronounced "CRAY-poe") descendants of neighbors to my North Dartmouth-Freetown ancestors, who are also descendants of the White family. Soule descendants have the extra challenge of no GSMD silver book, which means no "hits" on the NEHGS for Generation 5 descendants so database users may not realize they qualify for Mayflower Society membership. Other good news is that Soule Kindred in America (SKIA) has stepped up and offered to make a George Soule silver book finally happen. It will take years of research and teamwork to turn the pink "in progress" books into a silver book (more likely several silver books) because so many of the footnotes in the pink books say "best guess" or "guess" or are a blank space. I have signed up as a volunteer but have not heard anything yet about the work actually commencing, so cross your fingers and wish us luck.

I've added an "updated" date so you can see that I do add to this section, which contains photos of Mayflower descendants who have pictures on a findagrave.com writeup but no picture from a public domain source that I can use. (Not all findagrave images are public domain.) An interesting Gen 8 Doty descendant just posted today is Albert Remington, killed in an on-the-job accident in 1901 at age 40, leaving a widow and 5 minor children in Marquette Co, MI. He was the son of a Civil War Union soldier, making his descendants eligible for Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) or Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) and he is also a Gen 8 descendant of a Native American ancestor from Martha's Vineyard in MA. The noteworthy aspect of that is that I found this information in an NEHGR article correcting misassumptions and misidentifications made by Charles Banks in his 3-volume History of Martha's Vineyard, including the identity of an as-yet unidentified Native American woman who married the son of English immigrants John & Alice (Brotherton) Daggett, Joseph Daggett, who was born in MA in the 1640s. The article, available on the NEHGS site (americanancestors.org) is in volume 161, published in 2007. The citation is given in my "Findagrave Mayflower Descendants" section (on your left) in the Albert Remington writeup. The article brings the line forward to the mid 1700s so is very useful for your own SE MA genealogical research.

The Postal Service will be releasing the new Mayflower 400th anniversary postage stamp this September, in plenty of time for all your Compact Day correspondence and Thanksgiving cards. In case you missed my earlier posts on this, you can see the picture below. A thank-you for everyone out there who heeded the call to petition the U.S.P.S. to create and issue a commemorative stamp.

I just saw this today... the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, which has a pretty impressive collection for anyone researching Cape Cod history or genealogy, is offering FREE membership for calendar year 2020. Although my planned Sep. trip to Massachusetts has been cancelled due to Covid-19, the GSMD anticipates celebrating the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving in 2021 to make up for it, so I have joined. Also, I will be in other parts of New England later this year and will be doing some research for myself, friends, and clients. If I get to HSOY, I will post some pictures & more info here.

Greetings on Memorial Day, when we honor our deceased military, not to be confused with Veterans Day in November, when we honor the living. If you have trouble telling the two apart, it might help to think of Memorial Day by its earlier name, "Decoration Day." Americans in both the North and South decorated graves of Civil War soldiers, feeling fortunate if their fallen one had a grave to decorate. Many did not, or their family did now know where they lay, and hoped that a kind person somewhere faraway would lay a wreath or flower on their loved one's grave or memorial. They in turn decorated the graves of strangers. Next year, 2021, is the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, and plans are underway to commemorate this event. In the meantime, fly your flag and say a prayer for the fallen. In honor of the fallen Union soldiers in my family I have posted a photo of Gen. U.S. Grant's father, Jesse R. Grant, in the Richard Warren section and explained the family's link to the Mayflower.

If you are a DAR member, normally you would have to get yourself to Washington, D.C. in late June to take advantage of their "Balcony Volunteer" service at the Continental Congress. This year, the Congress will be virtual, and I just learned, as a first-time Balcony Volunteer, that the service will be open to ALL DAR MEMBERS. All you need is Zoom videoconferencing capability (which is free and easy to use) and an appointment. To book a time slot, email Allie Golon at agolondar@gmail.com. The time slots are Tues June 23rd - Sat June 27th, from 10 am to 7 pm Eastern Daylight Time (7 am - 4 pm Mountain Standard Time). You get an hour and will be able to share documents with the Volunteer Genealogist you are teamed up with. The Volunteers are DAR members who have completed at least the first two of the three DAR Genealogy Education Program (GEP) courses. Undoubtedly some, like me, have a lot more experience and training than that and also like me, would charge you something like $50 an hour for consultation or research. As a two-term DAR Registrar I can tell you that not only is this once-in-a-lifetime for its accessibility (anywhere) and cost (free), it is also a rare DAR opportunity to get help with a SUPPLEMENTAL. Normally you are on your own for those and may not ask a chapter registrar to request help from the national organization for lookups or advice, as their time is reserved for new member applicants only. I do not know if you can request someone or something specific, like help with the Midwest or the 1800s or female ancestors, for example, or if it is potluck but no matter, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

This from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants....

Join the Virtual Mayflower EventTo commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's historic journey to America, Leiden in Holland – where the Pilgrims started their famous voyage – will be launching the opening ceremonies for its 400th-anniversary commemorations on Saturday, May 16th, 2020. 
 
Through Facebook, you can participate in a unique virtual tour of the city, incorporating all the key landmarks and stories around Pilgrim life in Leiden. The tour will start at 4 pm (3 pm UK and 10 am EST in the US). Over the next four hours, viewers will have the chance to experience this beautiful city using computer-animated reproductions to bring to life existing buildings and landmarks as they would have looked 400 years ago when the separatists lived in the Netherlands prior to leaving for a new life.
 
This guided tour will be hosted by an English speaking expert from the city and will be accompanied by the chance to ask live questions about the different historical landmarks you see during the event and learn detailed information about the "Leiden Pilgrims."

While staying home and safe, enjoy the Opening Ceremonies LIVE! 

The Mayflower Society is delighted to host this special commemorative event, right from our Facebook page!
Join the livestream Saturday, May 16th, 10 am EST: 
Facebook.com/TheMayflowerSociety 
Be sure to follow Leiden400 and Mayflower400 UK on Facebook!

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE - I posted here on May 5th about the hearing being scheduled for May 7th. It has been moved to Wednesday, May 20th and per the latest update will include public access through "the Court's public teleconference." Action on the Tribe's land has been frozen until June 5th.


If you were interested in the April 4th post about the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD), aka The Mayflower Society, supporting the Wampanoag's fight against federal "disestablishment" - and especially if you signed the online petition to make your own support known - here is the latest update and request for action, courtesy of the tribe's Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project:

"Thank you to everyone who has signed the Land is Sacred: Stand With the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe petition.  As an update, this Thursday, May 7th, there will be a hearing in the U.S. District Court in Washington DC to hear the Tribe’s Motion for an injunction against the attempt to remove their land from trust. For more information, here is a link to a recent article: https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20200413/mashpee-tribes-request-to-halt-land-order-to-be-heard-may-7
If you'd like to do even more to support the Tribe, here are two more action steps to take:
1) Contact Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt and/or Senator Hoeven, Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, and let them know directly that you oppose this action against the tribe.  You can find their contact information and respective scripts HERE.
2) In advance of the May 7th court hearing, join in the virtual Sacred Fire Prayer Protest where prayer fires and candles are being lit nationwide in support of the Tribe and to denounce the Trump Administration for attempting to disestablish their reservation. Light your candle/fire, let it burn 1-4 days, and post a picture with the hashtag #StandWithMashpee.  More information can be found HERE.
Thank you for all you are doing!"


In short, you have today and tomorrow to register your support in time for it to make an impact at the U.S. District Court hearing on Thursday.