The Kentucky Society of Mayflower Descendants was organized on 27 October 1943 and Incorporated on 17 October 1944. The Articles of Incorporation were Amended and Restated on 26 April 2008. The current active membership roll consists of about 220 adult members and 10 or so junior members.
The total membership meets twice each year. The annual Compact Day meeting is held in November and the spring meeting in April. These meetings with speakers are open to all members and their guests. The Board of Assistants meets prior to the meeting, or upon notification by the Governor.
Mayflower Compact
When the Mayflower was safely anchored at Cape Cod, the Pilgrims drew up a declaration which established the basis for an eventual and unprecedented democratic system of self-government. This document has become known as The Mayflower Compact.
The Compact states that they would choose their own leaders and make their own laws. It also stated there was to be equal justice for all. This Compact became the constitution of the Plymouth Colony. It was the first document of American democracy to establish "government of the people, by the people, for the people." (Source: Duane A. Cline)
Most people know the story of the Mayflower which set sail from England in 1620 for the northeast coast of America. It carried 102 passengers of English origin. Some of the passengers came from Holland where they had been living to escape the religious persecution they had experienced in England. They were now leaving Holland for economic reasons and for the welfare of their children who would otherwise lose their identity in this foreign country.
They sought a place where they could continue to have the same religious freedom they had enjoyed in Holland. The remainder of the passengers, who had still been living in England, were simply seeking a new home for the betterment of their personal situations. Together, these two groups were later to be known as Pilgrims.
Mayflower Descendants
In remembrance of those early settlers and founders of democracy, descendants formed a Society in 1897 for the purposed of (1) perpetuating the memory of the Pilgrim Fathers, (2) maintaining the democratic principles of civil and religious liberty as set forth in the Mayflower Compact, and (3) fostering the ideals and institutions of American freedom. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants is a federation of 54 regional societies, consisting of 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Europe, and Australia.