| Formation: | 1897 |
| Headquarters: | Plymouth, Massachusetts |
| The General Society of Mayflower Descendants | |
| Membership: | Over 31,000[1] |
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants — commonly called the Mayflower Society — is a hereditary organization of individuals who have documented their descent from at least one of the 102 passengers who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Society was founded at Plymouth in 1897.
A primary goal of the Society is to educate the public about the role of the Pilgrims in the early history of what would later become the United States of America. There are Mayflower societies in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada.
Today, it is estimated that up to tens of millions of Americans have at least one ancestor who was among this group of early settlers.[2] Any person able to document their descent from one or more of the Mayflower Pilgrims is eligible to apply for membership in the Mayflower Society.[3] The General Society of Mayflower Descendants is listed as an approved lineage society with the Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America.
This is a list of Mayflower Pilgrims who are known to have living descendants:[3]
In 1941 the Society purchased the Edward Winslow House in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The mansion home was originally built in 1754 by the great-grandson of Edward Winslow, third Governor of Plymouth Colony. The Society operates the home as the Mayflower House Museum, an 18th-century historic house museum with period decorations and furnishings. The offices and library of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants are located behind the mansion.