HOW TO JOIN THE WELCOME SOCIETY

Step 1 - Download and 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. NOTE: The following documents are in Microsoft Word 97-2003 format. They may be edited in Microsoft Word and Office products, free office packages like OpenOffice and LibreOffice, and Apple Pages.
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.
candidate_working_sheet.doc
File Size: 119 kb
File Type: doc
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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.
candidate_proposal_short_form.doc
File Size: 318 kb
File Type: doc
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Instructions for Completing Application:

  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 bylaws. (15 December 1681 and 31 December 1682 in company with William Penn).
  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 would 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.
    • Primary documentation1 “one that was created in near chronological proximity to an event by someone who had reasonably close knowledge of the event.” This includes but is not limited to, birth certificates, birth registrations, marriage license, death certificates, deeds, Bible records, wills, and letters of administration.
    • Secondary documentation2 “one that was created by someone removed from the event in questions; it represents editorial conclusions based on primary records.” This may be a death record used for the birth date, parents, and/or birth place.
  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, nor 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 $110.oo 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.

1 Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Ancestry,1997, pg. 1

2 Szucs, pg. 1

Further Instructions:

  1. The application must be typed, written legibly in ink or using the application on-line.
  2. When beginning an application, your name should appear in generation one. Subsequent generations always indicate the male first, whether this is the direct line or not. Women are listed in the second position for all generations beyond number one and use only the maiden name.
  3. Only send copies of documents, not originals. They will not be returned. When submitting your application, any documents attached will be held until the final application is submitted, do not send additional copies.
  4. All documentation should be underlined in red pencil or red ink to indicate what information is being provided for the application and a citation listed beside in the reference section. An example, if you are using a birth certificate for proof of birth and parent connection; underline name, date of birth, place of birth, parent’s names. The listing may look like “Birth certificate, Mary Jane Jones”.
  5. Document on the back or upper right hand corner on the front, what generation this is proving, such as Generation 1 and 2. Indicate by writing Gen 1, 2. Place documents in order that as referenced on your application.
  6. For records such as family genealogies, only send one copy and indicate which generations you are proving by that document. Not all family histories are adequate proof and will be judged on the documentation of that record. If it doesn’t say where the information was acquired, it probably will not pass for proof. This information may be provided in the Introduction of the book and must accompany the proofs to be considered.
  7. All references, except birth certificate, death certificate and marriage license, should be fully cited the first time it is used then a brief citation following with pages used. Example: 1930 US Federal Census, Troy, Bradford County, PA, ED 24, p. 3; (second reference) 1930 census Troy, PA; Shoemaker, Thomas, The Shoemaker Family, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1893, pg. 56; (second reference) Shoemaker, Pg. 56. For appropriate references refer to “Evidence: Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian” by Elizabeth Shown Mills
  8. All generations must have definitive proof of connection. Records that do not indicate relationship by stating son/daughter/wife are not acceptable.
  9. Indicate in the Name fields the exact information proven by the reference. If it only gives a middle initial, that is what should be written in the box. Date shown as 7 day 9th mo. 1704 must be written as such. If the actual day, month, year is shown, use the European method of d/m/y rather than the usual American English method. Personal knowledge of middle names, etc. if not proven with some form of documentation is not to be used.
  10. Only send one source for each item being documented. If you have a birth certificate that contains all the necessary information, do not send any additional records. However, if the birth certificate does not indicate connection to parents you will need to send another document or additional documentation to prove the information.
  11. Include city, county and state for places. Do not include information you do not have a document to prove, such as a marriage license that only indicates the city and state, do not add the county. Counties should be written as they are on the form you are providing. If the county has been changed, use the county on the documents, not the new county. Records are usually kept in the old county and not transferred to the new county.



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.

Email for Candidates and Membership Questions: Contact Us Page
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