MEMBERSHIP PROCEDURE
Step 1 - Complete the "Candidate's Proposal for Membership" form and return to the Secretary accompanied by letters of recommendation from two members of the Society as proposer and seconder. In the case of a candidate living one hundred miles or more from Philadelphia, who is not personally known to a member of the society but claiming the required descent, the Council may accept, at its discretion, three letters from well-known citizens of the community where the candidate resides, or letters from officers of like hereditary societies, without requiring proposal by a present member (Bylaw IV, Election of Members). Contact the Secretary for guidance about these recommendations if you do not know any current members. The Society will review the candidate's proposal and recommendations to initially approve the candidate's claim to a qualified ancestor. Once this initial approval has been given, you will be notified so that you may perform the next step.
After you have been informed that your application has been approved, you may then perform Step 2 to provide lineage information via the Candidate's Working Sheet.
Step 2 - Using the "Candidate's Working Sheet," complete a detailed genealogical trace for each generation leading back to the approved ancestor. Each generation's name, date, and place (birth, marriage, death) must be supported by reference to an acceptable source. The line of descent from the qualifying ancestor must be established through blood relationship.
Short Form Application for Membership - Do you have a family member who joined the Welcome Society between 1985 and today? If yes, you may be able to use this form in conjunction with your Candidate Working Sheet from Step 2.
Email: membership@welcomesociety.org
All persons seeking membership in The Welcome Society
of Pennsylvania please note the following:
1.
The by-laws
specifically require applicant to identify, citing proof acceptable to the
Committee on Ancestral Eligibility and to the Society’s Genealogist, the exact ship on which the ancestor arrived
(not simply a time frame of arrival),
which vessel and time of arrival must fall within the dates cited in the
by-laws.
2.
For the convenience of
the applicant, lists of passengers and of the vessels on which they came, proof
for which have been accepted by the Society are given in the quadrennial
booklet. However, evidences may
sometime be offered to eliminate any such passengers and check should be made
with the Secretary to be certain such names are still acceptable.
3.
Officers and crews of
vessels are not considered as eligible ancestors unless proof is offered the
Committee of Ancestral Eligibility and Lineage of leaving the ship and settling
within the year.
4.
The applicant must
supply adequate documentation with high quality primary or secondary
references, acceptable to the society’s Genealogist, for all statements
regarding parent-child relationships shown in the lineage, and for all dates
given.
5.
In no case will a
lineage be approved where such evidences are not provided. The Society does not undertake or finance
any research to support an applicant’s claim, not do the fees established in
the by-laws or by the Council of the Society cover such research. Any research required by the applicant in
order to satisfy the Society’s by-law requirements must be arranged for and
financed solely by the applicant.
Though members and/or officers of the Society may assist in such
research either as paid professionals or as a courtesy, subject to approval of
the Council, neither the Council nor the Society may or will accept any
liability for any such work.
6.
The Society employs a
professional genealogist to examine all lineages submitted and to certify to
the Council that all the citations of evidence necessary to prove the actual
arrival on the vessel named and that the descent and dates given are as
represented, correct, and in accordance with the strict requirements of the
Society. The genealogist’s fee of $60 is charged
to pay for this service, and does not
include additional research to support the lineage. Since the fee pays for the genealogist’s time consumed whether or
not the lineage is approved, it cannot be returned.
7.
Any lineage form
received in unreadable or carelessly prepared form obviously not conforming to
the Society by-laws and requirements will be returned without action for
correction and rewriting rather than processing.
While the Society welcomes the interest and application of anyone qualified for membership it asks all such applicants to read carefully the above statement and to agree to conform to it so that there will be no misunderstanding during the processing of the application.