Plymouth · 1620 Maryland · 1938
Member Sign-In Newsletter Archive Contact
Society of Mayflower Descendants — Maryland

What the General Society requires

Documentation, in detail.

The applicant must demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that a bloodline exists between the applicant and a Mayflower passenger arriving at Plymouth in December 1620. The Society’s standards for the records that prove that line are below — every one submitted digitally through the online application.

Every gen.
Documented, link by link
18 mo.
To complete the application
PDF · JPG · PNG.
Uploaded with your application
Submit online.

A standing rule

Upload a clear copy of every record.

Records are submitted digitally through the online application. Attach a clear scan or photograph of each record — one legible, full-page image is enough. Keep your originals; the Society works from your uploaded copies.

Worksheet format

Three small rules.

  1. Full names. Provide full names, dates, and places. Avoid abbreviations.
  2. Dates. Numerals for the day, letters for the month — e.g., 12 Oct. 1788.
  3. Places. Include the city, town, or village and the state or province. For unknown towns, give the county and state.

Accept

Primary records

  • Birth, marriage, and death certificates (long-form for births showing parents)
  • Family records (Bibles, letters, diaries) — must identify author and owner
  • Church and town records
  • Probates and deeds
  • Federal and State census records
  • Published vital records (Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850)
  • Genealogical periodicals with source citations

Do not accept on their own

Insufficient sources

  • Mayflower Index Numbers
  • DAR Patriot Indexes
  • The International Genealogical Index (IGI)
  • Family group sheets and pedigree charts
  • Undocumented internet family pages
  • Social Registers
  • SSDI indexes (unless with a “no record found” letter)

Secondary support

Compiled genealogies & obituaries.

Acceptable as supporting evidence when accompanied by primary records:

  • Compiled genealogies, histories, biographies
  • Newspaper articles and obituaries (include the publication name and date)
After 1 January 1900 — for all line carriers and their spouses, the General Society requires certificates of birth, marriage or divorce, and death to establish parentage connections.

Preparing your files

How to upload.

  • Attach a clear scan or photo of every reference
  • Save as PDF, JPG, or PNG
  • Capture the full page so it is legible end to end
  • One copy of each record is enough
  • Name or organize files by generation where you can
  • Keep your originals — you are uploading copies

Special case

“No record found” letters

If a government authority documents a failed records search, upload that letter too. The evidentiary standard for that part of the lineage changes accordingly.

A word on the internet

Useful for leads, not proof.

Online research is useful for leads, but family records found there must be independently documented through primary sources. See the Research Links page for the repositories the Historian uses most.

Research links Application process