Membership Process
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania membership is by invitation and is managed at the state level. It is based on two things: lineage and dedication to our mission of preservation, education, and service.
Our members are direct descendants of an ancestor who lived in an American colony and who rendered service to the colonies before July 5, 1776. Potential members should have an idea of their genealogy prior to 1776. To join the PA Dames, your ancestor might have been “in service” to any of the thirteen original colonies. It is useful to check the Register of Ancestors on the NSDCA website to see if your ancestor is already included.
If your ancestor is not listed, your next step is to review the List of PA Eligibility Characteristics. If you have a Pennsylvania ancestor and you believe they qualify to be added, please reach out to registrar@nscdapa.org to inquire. In some cases, we might also be of help if your ancestor served in a different colony. Just ask us!
While some of our members grew up with mothers, aunts, and grandmothers who were proud members of the NSCDA/PA, many others did not. Some of us only discovered our ancestry in recent years. Some members are attracted by the work we do and go digging for their ancestors once they decide they would like to join.
Once your colonial ancestor has been identified, you will meet with our membership chair and receive invitations to member events. We invite you to attend our public events at any time. If you do, please let us know you are thinking about membership! We would love to chat with you in person.
With your qualifying ancestor identified and after a meeting with the membership chair, if you decide the PA Dames is the place for you, you are officially proposed as a member candidate and voted on by the Board of Managers. This process includes a letter of support of a proposer and seconder.
After being invited to become a candidate, you are responsible for completing a lineage application, which includes providing the proper documentation to prove each family generation. Some candidates hire a professional genealogist to help with this work, while others enjoy the process of uncovering their family stories themselves. Once the lineage application is completed, it is turned over to our official in-house genealogist who reviews all documentation presented (i.e. birth certificates, marriage license, and similar, which prove each line.) Our registrar will help ensure your lineage documentation will meet the standards of our verifying genealogist. As a membership candidate, and while you assemble your lineage papers, we encourage you to take part in all our membership activities.