Plan on four to twelve months
Five stages, two Historians.
From the day you submit your worksheet to the day you are elected, the application passes between you, the Maryland Historian, and the Historian General in Plymouth. Most candidates finish within a year.
The five stages
How an application moves.
Preliminary review worksheet
Complete the worksheet, either online or by mail. List the Mayflower ancestor you believe you descend from (a list of 51 Pilgrims is provided) and the multi-generational lineage data — up to 18 generations.
This is a worksheet, not the application. The Historian uses it to validate the first five generations before you commit and to collect the initial application fee.
Lineage validated
The Maryland Historian validates the first five generations of the proposed lineage. If approved, you are entered into the formal application process and given a two-year window to complete the work.
Prepare the full application
You then prepare the complete application with documentation for every generation: birth, marriage, and death certificates, probate records, church and town records. You will transmit electronic versions of these documents to the person assigned to supporting you through this process using an agreed-upon method.
Transmitted to Plymouth
Once the Maryland Historian approves your application, the non-refundable $150 GSMD review fee is due. Your documents are then sent to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth.
Elected to both societies
The Historian General reviews and makes the final membership decision. On approval, you are elected to the Maryland Chapter at the next Board meeting and become a member of both the Maryland Society and the General Society in Plymouth.
Filing fees
What it costs.
All filing fees are non-refundable.
- $200 — standard initial application (age 18+)
- $100 — family-member initial application (child, sibling, spouse, or line-carrying parent of an existing MD member)
- $75 — supplemental application (additional family members on the same lineage)
- $150 — GSMD review fee, due after Maryland approval
See the Fees page for the full schedule including annual dues.
By email
Request information
Write through the contact page and choose Membership inquiry as the subject — it reaches the Historian directly.
Checks payable to Maryland Mayflower Society.
A note on time
Four to twelve months
From preliminary review to election. Lines with prior family applications in the Society move faster.