ABOUT US

The Society of Mayflower Descendants is comprised of people who trace their ancestry to passengers on the Mayflower, which landed at Plymouth Rock, Mass., in 1620. A total of 102 made the voyage. Half died that first winter. Only 26 have descendants.

The Oregon Society of Mayflower Descendants, founded in 1928, meets twice a year. One meeting is in late April or early May, the other in November, usually in the Portland area, occasionally in Eugene. Meetings normally are luncheons, held on a Saturday, with a speaker.

A branch of the state society is the Cascade Colony, based in Medford, launched in 1991. It meets three times a year, usually on the third Saturday of January, May and September. For information, contact Neil Watson at nashleyw@charter.net.

Another branch, the Mt. Hood Colony, holds meetings three times per year in the Portland area. For details, email Patrice Petersen at 2patriceroots@comcast.net.

The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, the national group, was founded in 1897 at Plymouth, Mass.

More than one hundred years ago, a group of descendants of the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620, saw the need for a national society to honor their memory. The intention was to remember these Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony.

Today there are tens-of-millions of individuals descended from these brave souls. It is the goal of The Mayflower Society to join together people who share this heritage and to carry on the memory of our Pilgrim ancestors. Societies exist in every state of the union.

For more information about the national group, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, click here.

OREGON OFFICERS, 2010-2013
(next election is November 2013)

GENERAL SOCIETY OFFICERS
Deputy Governor General....Gov. John W. Billington, nominee*
Asst. Governor General.......Deputy Gov. Terri Schieber, nominee*
*For election by General Congress, Sept. 2011

OREGON STATE OFFICERS
Governor..............John W. Billington
Deputy Gov..........Terri Schieber
Secretary.............Patrice Petersen, Lt. Gov. Mt. Hood Colony
Treasurer.............Toby Hurley
Historian..............Neil Watson, Lt. Gov. Cascade Colony
Elder....................Rev. Richard Bellingham
Surgeon...............Vacant
Counselor............Gov. John W. Billington
Captain................Paul Lawrence

BOARD OF ASSISTANTS
The above officers, together with the following, constitute the Board of Assistants:
Betsy Lanning, Past Governor
Cleve Twitchell, Past Gov. and editor of the Oregon Pilgrim
Theresa Boock and Cheryl Fitzsimmons

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Junior Membership.......Neil Watson
Publicity.......................
Education....................