A Guide to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas Records, 1931-2003

Historical Note

The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas, a state chapter of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, was founded in San Antonio, Texas on December 24, 1931. Membership in the Society is open to any individual who can document his or her descent from one of the twenty-nine passengers on the Mayflower who are known to have produced heirs. The goals of the Society are to join together people who share a common ancestry and to educate the public about the role of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact in the early history and development of the United States.

The Texas chapter began when fourteen members convened the first meeting in San Antonio in December 1931. In 1945-1946 the first "Colonies", or local chapters of the state organization, were formed in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Abilene and San Antonio. As the population of Texas has continued to grow over the intervening decades, so has the number of Colonies; in 2006, new Colonies were founded in Central Texas and Tyler. The Colonies and the state Society have governing bodies of officers who perform specific duties within the organization, such as the Governor, Treasurer, Historian and Recording and Corresponding Secretaries. In addition to holding meetings and events and producing publications for members, the Mayflower Descendants have found ways to reach out to the community at large, notably through a Scholarship Fund for high school seniors graduating in Texas.

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Scope and Content Note

The collection spans the years 1931 through 2003 and documents the activities of the state chapter and the duties performed by the Society's officers. Records from several of the Colonies are also present in the collection, with a particularly large number of items pertaining to the Houston and San Antonio Colonies. Specific officers of the state Society, such as the Governor, Historian, Newsletter Editor, Corresponding and Recording Secretaries and Treasurer, are represented in the collection through correspondence and other documents pertaining to their duties. Minutes, programs and reports from the statewide meetings convened annually by the Governor are filed with that office's papers. The Governor's files also include news clippings about the Texas Society and programs from memorial services and other events. The Historian's records encompass scrapbooks, yearbooks, monthly reports, a genealogical index, a pamphlet, History of the Society of Mayflower Descendants (1981) and Vol. II of the book Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas (1971). Newsletters from the 1960s, the 1980s and the years 1993-2000 inclusive can be found among the Newsletter Editor's files.

The collection also includes the Texas Society's Corresponding Secretary's membership activity reports and the Recording Secretary's meeting minutes. The Treasurer's files include several ledger books from the 1980s and 1990s in addition to actual and projected budget reports, balance sheets from the Society's investment accounts, expense reports from other officers and tax preparation records. An investment survey prepared by then-state Treasurer Bart Henson and distributed to all of the state Societies in 1996 is also among the Treasurer's papers.

In addition to records generated by the state Society's officers, the collection contains legal documents, including articles of incorporation, constitution and bylaws, and membership ledgers and index cards. A small collection of photographs includes portraits of Society officers. The Amarillo, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio Colonies have contributed correspondence, meeting minutes and scrapbooks. Correspondence regarding the Scholarship programs in Houston and San Antonio can be found in the collection, along with some of the winning essays from years past.

The collection also contains two newsletters published by the Connecticut Society and some material connected with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Correspondence from the General Society, minutes from its Board of Assistants meeting in 1987 and other documents produced by the national organization are filed together. There are also fifty-six issues of the General Society's journal, Mayflower Quarterly, dating from the years 1968-1990. A selection of articles, poems, prayers, songs and even comic strips relating to the Pilgrims and the Mayflower completes the collection, contributing some historical background and a touch of whimsy.

The collection also includes a wooden chest used by the Texas Society to display its charter, the names of the charter members and other historical items.

The additions contain much of the same material as the other series.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Photographs of the Display Chest in this collection are available in Box 3, Folder 4, which is located with the collection at UTSA's Main Campus. The original Display Chest is housed at UTSA's Hemisfair Campus and must be accessed via the Institute of Texan Cultures Special Collections reading room.

Usage Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas Records, MS 62, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Materials in the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas Records, 1931-2003 were donated by Mary Eck in July 1997, April 1998, September 1999, May 2006, February 2007, and August 2007 (Acc. 1997-018, 1998-011, 1999-029, 2006-021, 2007-020, 2007-105).

Processing Information

Processed by Ancelyn Krivak, Archives Intern, August 2006.

Additions encoded by Tatina Wulzer, Collections Assistant, April 2009.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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