About Us

The object of this Society shall be:

  • Patriotic, Historical, and Educational;
  • to make research as to the history and deeds of the American colonist and to record and publish the same;
  • to commemorate deeds of colonial interest;
  • to inculcate and foster love of America and its institutions by all its residents;
  • to obey its laws and venerate its flag—the emblem of its power and civic righteousness.

NSDAC Headquarters

Headquarters, NSDAC
2205 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20008-2813
Telephone: (202) 667-3076
Email: admin@nsdac.org

The National Society Daughters of The American Colonists has an excellent genealogical library with many hundreds of books and manuscripts at National Headquarters, located at 2205 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.

This handsome building is furnished with authentic period pieces and has the air of a gracious private home. There are small meeting rooms, an office, and comfortable quarters for the National President and other officers during National Board meetings. This building is ably maintained by the National Headquarters Committee and is opened to members during the General Assembly, held yearly in April and attended by members from across the country.

Founded: December 9, 1920, by Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell Guernsey (Mrs. George T.)

Incorporated: April 25, 1921. Federal Charter was granted the Ninety-eighth United States Congress as Public Law 98-561 on October 30, 1984.

Object of the Society:

The object of this Society shall be Patriotic, Historical, and Educational; to make research as to the history and deeds of the American colonist and to record and publish the same; to commemorate deeds of colonial interest; to inculcate and foster love of America and its institutions by all its residents; to obey its laws and venerate its flag—the emblem of its power and civic righteousness.

Motto: Past, Present, Future

Theme: Working together to promote lifelong learning.

Colors: Colonial Blue & Yellow

Emblem: Oak Leaf

Seal:

The Seal of this Society shall be composed of an open wreath of acorns and oak leaves measuring 1 9/16 inches in width and 2 inches in height. In the center of this wreath shall be a shield measuring in width, 1 inch, and in height, 1 4/16 inches. The border of the shield shall bear the name of the Society, “National Society Daughters of the American Colonists.” In the center of the shield shall be an oak tree in full foliage.

Management:

The National Society is led by the National President and an Executive Committee consisting of all of the National Officers, all Honorary National Presidents, and three Honorary National Vice Presidents selected by the National President. In addition to rulings by the Executive Board, policy for the Society is made by the National Board, a body composed of the National Officers , the Honorary National Officers, and the State Regents. The Chairmen of National Committees are National Board members without a vote.

The National Board meets prior to and after General Assembly, and in October. Ballot votes are cast in January and June for specific purposes authorized in the National Bylaws, Article XI, Section 2. Elections are held every third year.

The constituent bodies of the National Society are chapters, states societies (states having two or more chapters), and state societies without chapter; which are grouped into five geographical sections.

Lineage Books:

One of the foremost objects of the organization is to search out and preserve records of the Founders and early settlers of our country. Lineage Books containing the colonial services of the ancestors and lines of descent of members of the organization are published for each 1,000 applications approved. The first lineage book contained numbers 1 to 1000, the second volume covered 1001 to 2000, and so forth. Currently, the 40th lineage book is in progress.

 

Magazine:

The DAC magazine, “The Colonial Courier”, is the official publication of the Society and is published three times a year. It contains articles relating to the activities of Chapters and State Societies, and of historical and genealogical interest. Copies are purchased by members and given to school, public, and university libraries.

 

 

Yearbook:

A comprehensive National Yearbook is printed each year which includes the National and State Officers, Chapter Regents, National and Sectional Committee Chairmen, current National Bylaws, Annual reports by National Officers, and National Committee Chairmen, and State Regents. Also included are the guidelines for processing applications, reinstatements, and transfers; regulations for submitting annual reports; and instructions for ordering supplies and publications.

 

She is a person who, first of all, shares the devotion to her country and the principles upon which it was founded, that inspired her ancestors. She is a person who believes that the gifts of the past, both spiritual and material, should be preserved, and who has deep concerns for the welfare of the nation’s government and its people. The object of the Society is Patriotic, Historical, and Educational: to research the history and deeds of the American colonists, and to record and publish them; to commemorate deeds of colonial interest; to inculcate and foster love of the United States of America and its institutions by all its residents; and to obey its laws and venerate its flag, the emblem of its power and civic righteousness.

The Society was incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia on April 25, 1921; and a Federal Charter was granted to the National Society by the Ninety-eighth United States Congress as Public Law 98-561 on October 30, 1984.

The objectives of DAC are fulfilled in many ways. Patriotism is shown through projects of the Flag of the United States of America Committee; the National Defense Committee; the Patriotic Education Committee, which works through schools and Naturalization Courts; the Veterans’ Services Committee which, among other activities, encourages volunteer service in veterans hospitals; and the National Awards Committee, which provides annual gifts for achievement at the United States Service Academies across the country. State Societies and Chapters also present ROTC, American history, and citizenship awards through the work of this committee. Historical objectives are supported through the Colonial and Genealogical Records Committee, which preserves original records; the Historic Landmarks and Memorials Committee, which is responsible for locating and marking sites of historical importance; the Yorktown Day Association Committee, which participates in the annual commemoration of the surrender of General Cornwallis to the American and French forces in 1781; and the Cape Henry Commemoration Committee, which has an important part in the observance held every year at the site where English colonists on April 26, 1607, erected a cross before establishing the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, on May 13, 1607, in the name of King James I of England. Education is stressed through the American Indian Scholarship Committee, which solicits funds for use by American Indian students at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Other scholarships are awarded by the National Society at Iowa Wesleyan College, and by State Societies and Chapters at a number of other schools and colleges. Scholarship funds are given through the College of the Ozarks Committee. The National Defense and Patriotic Education Committees are also active in the Society’s educational endeavors. DAC members give thousands of volunteer hours to all these fine committees each year.

Golden Acorn members are those who join the Society from the age of 18 through the age of 35. They remain Golden Acorns until their 45th birthdays. These members have the privilege of serving as Pages at State and General Assemblies. Benefiting American Indians has always been the special project of the Golden Acorns Committee, and significant contributions have been made to the Bacone College Library in recent years as a result of this endeavor.

A comprehensive National Yearbook is printed each year, and lineage books are published and placed in libraries throughout the country. The Society has an excellent genealogical library with many hundreds of books and manuscripts at National Headquarters, located at 2205 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. This handsome building is furnished with authentic period pieces and has the air of a gracious private home. Here are an office, small meeting rooms, and comfortable quarters for the National President and other officers during National Board meetings. This building is ably maintained by the National Headquarters Committee and is opened to members during the General Assembly, held yearly in April and attended by members from across the country. Elections are held every third year.

Each National President has a special project to enhance the objectives of the Society. Recent projects have included funding of videotape documentaries for the Patrick Henry National Memorial; renovation and restoration of the National Headquarters; a statues of William Penn; renovation of the Bacone College dining hall and kitchen; and financial assistance for the education of Indian girls in nursing. Earlier projects provided a gateway and marker at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia, site of the first authorized Thanksgiving Day in America on December 4, 1619; an endowment fund to maintain National Headquarters; scholarships; and a microfilm fund for preservation of members’ lineage papers.

The DAC magazine, “The Colonial Courier”, is the official publication of the Society and is published three times a year. It contains articles relating to the activities of Chapters and State Societies, and of historical and genealogical interest. Copies are purchased by members and given to school, public, and university libraries.

The National Society Children of the American Colonists was founded in 1939 to train young people of both sexes in leadership and patriotism.

New members become part of a local Chapter, a State Society, and the National Society, which is one of the largest of the nation’s hereditary organizations.

Every member’s interest and participation is vital to aid the Society in continuing to move ahead and to grow in strength and achievement, in love of country, in historic preservation of a cherished heritage, and in education of all citizens in what the real America is, and what America stands for.