Hereditary Societies and Sandra MacLean Clunies

This week on The Forget-Me-Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told, Sandra MacLean Clunies talked about hereditary societies. It’s interesting how many different types of hereditary societies are out there–from lineage societies like Daughters of the American Revolution and Descendants of the Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of the Kings of Britain, to societies that focus on ethnic origins like Italian or Polish, to societies that focus on trades or occupations like Flagons and Trenchers: Descendants of Colonial Tavern Keepers, to one of the newest called Sons and Daughters of World War II Veterans (which I just learned about and can join–my dad served in the 16th Armored Division (tanks) during WWII).

You can find out what other hereditary societies are on-line at the Hereditary Society Community web site: http://www.hereditary.us/

Hereditary societies seem to be uniquely British in origin and came to America with the British in the 1600s. The first hereditary society in the U.S. was founded in New England in 1638 with the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. With more and more diverse immigrants coming to the U.S. over the centuries and leaving their families and genealogies on other continents, hereditary societies were formed so that these immigrants and their descendants could connect socially with others of similar origins.

Hear more about what Sandy Clunies told us about hereditary societies here.