Colonial Dames of America: History and Membership

The Colonial Dames of America is one of the oldest and most selective hereditary societies in the United States, founded in 1890 to preserve the history and culture of the colonial period. Membership is restricted to women who can document lineal descent from an ancestor who resided in one of the original 13 colonies before July 4, 1776. This page covers the society's founding, organizational structure, membership eligibility criteria, and the documentation standards applicants must satisfy. Understanding the Colonial Dames requires situating it within the broader landscape of colonial-era lineage societies that emerged during the late 19th century.

Definition and scope

The Colonial Dames of America is a non-profit patriotic hereditary organization incorporated under New York law, with chapters distributed across the United States. It is distinct from — and frequently confused with — the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), a separate organization founded in 1890 by a different founding group. Both organizations share a colonial lineage requirement and a preservation mission, but they operate independently with separate governance, chapter networks, and membership rolls.

The Colonial Dames of America maintains chapters in approximately 14 states, concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and South. Membership is intentionally limited; chapters do not hold open enrollment drives, and prospective members must be sponsored by an active member in good standing. The society's primary institutional focus is historic preservation, educational programming, and the maintenance of genealogical records relevant to the colonial era.

As documented in its governance materials, the qualifying period for ancestral residence spans from the establishment of the first permanent English settlements through the eve of American independence — a window covering roughly 170 years of colonial history from the early 17th century to 1776.

How it works

Admission to the Colonial Dames of America follows a structured multi-phase process. The sequence below describes the standard pathway:

1. Identification of a qualifying ancestor. The applicant must identify at least one lineal ancestor — parent, grandparent, or direct ascending line — who resided within the colonial boundaries of one of the original 13 colonies prior to July 4, 1776.

2. Sponsorship. A current member in good standing must agree to sponsor the applicant. Chapters vary in their sponsorship norms; some require the sponsor to have personal knowledge of the applicant.

3. Lineage documentation assembly. The applicant compiles a genealogical paper trail connecting herself to the qualifying ancestor. The documentation required for lineage society applications typically includes vital records, census records, probate documents, church registers, and military service files where applicable.

4. Chapter genealogist review. The submitted lineage papers are reviewed by a chapter-designated genealogist or genealogical committee. Standards applied align broadly with those recognized by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, which publishes the Genealogy Standards manual as the field's authoritative reference.

5. Chapter vote. Following approval of the genealogical record, the full chapter membership votes on admission. Negative votes from a defined threshold of members can block admission depending on chapter bylaws.

6. National registration. Approved members are registered with the national organization and receive a lineage number corresponding to their qualifying ancestor.

Common scenarios

Descent through female lines. Unlike some military lineage societies that historically restricted qualifying descent to male lines, the Colonial Dames of America accepts lineage traced through both maternal and paternal lines. A woman descending from a colonial-era female ancestor through an unbroken female line is equally eligible as one descending through a male line, provided the documentary chain is complete.

Multiple qualifying ancestors. An applicant may have more than one ancestor who meets the colonial residency requirement. In such cases, the applicant selects one ancestor for the primary application. Descent from additional qualifying ancestors can sometimes be noted in the application record but does not multiply membership standing. Researchers interested in dual membership in multiple lineage societies should be aware that the Colonial Dames of America and the NSCDA accept concurrent membership.

Immigrant ancestors who arrived and settled before 1776. Ancestors who immigrated from England, Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, or other countries and established residence in a colonial territory before 1776 qualify regardless of their national origin, provided residency is documented. This distinguishes the society from strictly English-descent organizations.

Gaps in vital records. For ancestors who lived in the colonial period, civil vital registration did not exist in most colonies. Applicants frequently must rely on church baptismal records, county court minutes, land deed grantee indexes, and estate inventories held at state archives or institutions such as the Library of Congress or state historical societies.

Decision boundaries

The most consequential eligibility question is the distinction between the Colonial Dames of America and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. The two organizations differ on at least 3 structural dimensions:

A second decision boundary involves the residency standard. The qualifying ancestor must have resided in a colonial territory — mere transit, military service in a passing campaign, or ownership of land without documented habitation is generally insufficient. This aligns with the residency-based standard used by comparable organizations discussed on the founding of major US lineage societies reference page.

Lineage verification standards also determine outcomes. The genealogical chain must satisfy reasonably exhaustive search standards — meaning applicants cannot simply assert descent; they must demonstrate that contrary evidence has been sought and addressed. This is the operative standard set out in the Genealogy Standards publication of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, 2nd edition (2019). Applications that present incomplete chains — for instance, skipping a generation because records "appear" to match — are typically returned for further documentation rather than approved with provisional standing.

For broader context on how hereditary societies classify eligibility and manage lineage proof requirements, the lineage society authority index provides a structured overview of the major organizational types and their respective documentation frameworks.