Membership

• Holland Dames Ancestor List

Eligibility and Membership:

Eligibility may be through any one of three avenues, or all three, if desired.

Any woman shall be eligible for membership who has reached the age of eighteen and is lineally descended from a person, male or female, who was born, prior to the Treaty of Westminster, 1674, either in the Netherlands or in New Netherland of Dutch parentage; or (ii), whose ancestor resided in New Netherland prior to the Treaty of Westminster, 1674; or (iii), whose ancestor was one of the following:

1. a Director General of New Netherland,
2. a member of the Council of the Director General of New Netherland,
3. a member of a governmental or religious body of New Netherland,
4. a patroon or freeholder of New Netherland,
5. a commissioner in New Netherland either of Indian Affairs, Boundaries, or Treaties, or
6. a commissioned officer, soldier, or sailor who served in defense of New Netherland.

Categories of Membership:

There are three categories of membership: Annual, Junior and Life. Each Annual, Junior, and Life member shall be entitled to all the privileges of the Society and to one vote at any meeting of Members, so long as she remains current in the payment of dues and is otherwise in good standing.

1. An Annual Member must be at least thirty-five years of age.
2. A Junior Member is a Member who is between eighteen and thirty-five years of age.
3. A Member may apply for Life Membership after having been an Annual Member for ten years. Upon payment of the applicable fee (which shall be thirty times the annual dues at the time of application for Life Membership), the eligible applicant becomes a Life Member. The fee is payable over three years in equal thirds.

Associates of the Society:

Associates of the Society include:

1. A woman who is in the process of becoming a Member, until accepted as a Member.
2. A woman who is interested in the Society and its purposes, but who is not eligible for membership.

Associates are entitled to receive Society of Daughters of Holland Dames newsletters, invitations and publications, but may not vote or hold elected office.

Supplementals:

Following admission to the Daughters of Holland Dames under one proven ancestor, a Member may submit Supplementals, which are papers that establish additional lines of descent from proven Dutch ancestors. The same application forms are used for submitting supplementals as for new member applications. Supplemental applications and guidelines are provided by the Registration Committee Chairman and a nonrefundable supplemental fee will be charged for each application.

Admissions:

The process to become a Member or Associate of Society of Daughters of Holland Dames is outlined below:

Step 1: The candidate requests a Preliminary Application Form from the Daughters of Holland Dames. The request may be made either through our website or by mailing a request to: Society of Daughters of Holland Dames, Corresponding Secretary, 308 Tunbridge Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21212.

Step 2: The candidate returns the completed Preliminary Application to the Corresponding Secretary, and a check for Associate Dues, in the amount of $75.00. The check should be made payable to "Society of Daughters of Holland Dames.” Upon receipt and review of the Preliminary Application form, the next step will take place: The applicant will be advised to submit Working Papers. An Associate may request Working Papers be sent to her electronically by email or by postal mail. Working Papers requested to be sent via postal mail will carry a fee of $10.00 payable in advance. All applications must be typed. The Preliminary Application must include the names of 2 current members of Holland Dames, who agree to Sponsor and Second the candidate's application.

Step 3: The candidate submits her completed Working Papers to the Registration Committee Chairman at the following address: Society of Daughters of Holland Dames, Registration Committee Chairman, P.O. Box 3088, Yountville, California 94599. A check in the amount of $125.00 to cover the non-refundable filing fee must accompany the completed Working Papers. The check will cover the Verifying Genealogist's fee. Working papers must include all proofs suporting dates, locations and lineage, the absence of which renders an application inadmissable.

Step 4: Upon approval by the Registration Committee Chairman that the information on the Working Papers appears complete, and that all necessary and appropriate proofs have been provided by the applicant, the applicant can then transcribe the information from the Working Papers via typewriter or online into the Final Application Form. The Final Form MUST be printed in duplicate. On the Final Form, all corrections made on the Working Papers must be incorporated and any missing documentation must be supplied before it willbe approved by the verifying genealogist and chairman of the registration committee.

Both copies of the Final Form must contain original signatures. The Working Papers with corrections noted must be returned with the final application to the Registration Committee Chairman. Credentials shall be filed with the Registration Committee Chairman.

Step 5: The Executive Board votes on the application either to accept a new member or, for reasons explained by the Board, to reject the final application or to return it to the candidate for additional work. When a candidate is accepted to membership, she is sent a letter of acceptance and an invoice for dues and the initiation fee, which is sent by the Corresponding Secretary.
Upon receipt of the dues and initiation fee, the Directress General signs the formal acceptance letter and sends the Membership Certificate. See list of fees and dues below.

Membership Fees:

No candidate will be enrolled as a member of the Society until she has paid the initiation fee in effect and the applicable dues.

Initiation fees and dues are as follows:

• Associate (Lady-in-Waiting) Annual Dues $75.00
• Membership Annual Dues: $75.00, (Junior) $50.00
• Verifying Genealogist's fee: $125.00
• Initiation Fee $100.00
• Supplemental Lines: Filing Fee $125