PROCEDURE FOR PROPOSING A PROSPECTIVE MEMBER FOR THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF COLONIAL DAMES IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK

The NSCDA Corporate Societies’ members are women lineally descended from a colonial ancestor who actively served in government institutions or contributed significant service to the founding of our nation prior to July 5, 1776. This date shall be held to include all signers of The Declaration of Independence for eligibility claims.

1. Identify a Prospective Member’s Eligible Ancestor(s): 

   • A prospective member may search ancestor eligibility through NSCDA’s Register of Ancestors or by contacting the New York Headquarters Office at office@nscdny.org or 212-744-3572.

   • Any prospective member unaware of her ancestry can explore her eligibility with the assistance of a genealogist. Please contact the New York Headquarters office for a list of our approved genealogists.  

2. Proposing Requirements 

   • Applications for membership, including all proposer and seconder letters, should be submitted to the Corresponding Secretary.  

   • Proposer and seconder letters must be from current NSCDA members. 

   • Proposer and seconder letters should adhere to the “letter writing guidelines for prospective member letters,” available by clicking HERE.

       

3. Corresponding Secretary

   • Upon submission of the application packet (application, proposer and seconder letters), the proposer will then hear from the Corresponding Secretary as to any additional documents required, such as additional letters of endorsement.

   • The completed application is then reviewed by the Prospective Members Committee at its next letter reading meeting. The Corresponding Secretary will notify the proposer of her prospective member’s status.

4. Meet the Board

   • Upon approval of a prospective member’s application and letters, the prospective member will be invited to meet the Board of Managers. 

   • The Corresponding Secretary will coordinate arrangements for the prospective member to meet with members of the Board of Managers. 

   • A proposer should prepare her prospective member for meeting the Board by bringing her to Society events, helping her understand our mission statement and discussing how she would like to contribute to our Society.  

   • The prospective member will be invited to become a member by a majority vote of the Board of Managers, pending genealogy verification.  

5. Genealogy Verification 

   • The Corresponding Secretary will notify the Registrar that a prospective member has been approved by the Board of Managers. 

   • The Registrar will send the lineage worksheet for genealogical verification to the prospective member for completion. The Proposer is encouraged to support her prospective member during this time, ensure lineage worksheets are completed in a timely manner.

   • If the prospective member requires assistance completing her lineage worksheet, a list of approved professional genealogists is available by contacting the New York Headquarters Office. 

6. Welcome to the NSCDNY 

   Once the prospective member’s lineage worksheet has been approved by our verifying genealogist and she has been admitted to membership, she is asked to attend the Annual Meeting at Headquarters to be presented to the membership and to visit the Van Cortlandt House Museum within twelve months of her approval as a member.