Become a Member
HOW TO JOIN
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA
IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND
Membership is based on lineage and dedication to the Society’s mission. 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, (this date shall be held to include all signers of the Declaration of Independence). Membership is by invitation and is managed at the state level.
An applicant first needs to identify an appropriate ancestor who gave official or professional service to the colony before July 4, 1776. A good place to identify a potential ancestor is to look on the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maryland web site: http://nscda.org/ancestorbibliography. Resources relating to an ancestor may be found by clicking on the name of the ancestor in the Index.
Please contact the Secretary of the Maryland Society (info@nscdamd.org) for more information if you are interested. If you are related to a Dame in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, please provide her name and Society of membership.
Proposed candidates for membership in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maryland must have a qualified ancestor.
The ancestor must satisfy the requirements set forth in the Bylaws, Article III, Section 1. Eligibility. “… direct descent from an ancestor who resided in an American Colony and who served his country in some official capacity before July 4, 1776; this date shall be held to include all signers of the Declaration of Independence. Satisfactory proof of this service and direct lineage are required.” Only one qualified ancestor is needed for the admission process. The ancestor can be from any of the original 13 colonies; the ancestor does not have to be from Maryland.
The candidate must be sponsored by 2 members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America and approved by the Maryland Board. The NSCDA Maryland has no restriction on close relatives sponsoring a candidate. The only requirement for sponsors is that they be members in good standing (i.e. they have paid their dues) in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. They do not have to be Maryland Dames. They can be National Society of the Colonial Dames of America Dames from any state.