THOMASVILLE — The John Lee of Nansemond Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century held its May meeting with a very special guest present, Lynne Allen Tate, 46th Georgia Society President from Columbus, Georgia. Tate is a member of the Major Peter Field Chapter, NSCDVIIC. She has served her chapter by holding many officer positions and the Georgia Society as First Vice President and is now serving a two year term as State President. She is an active member of multiple lineage societies and holds state offices in most of them. Tate has served as First Deputy Governor of the Georgia Society, National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, State Governor of the Continental Society Daughters of Indian Wars, State President National Society Daughters of 1812, and Past Georgia Society President, National Society Southern Dames of America. She is also a member of the National Huguenot Society, the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, and Daughters of American Colonists.

Her goals for the Georgia Society are to make contributions to Warrior Outreach for veterans, to the Washington Library for genealogy research, and offer three $500 grants to chapters for marking historic places in their communities.

Two other special guests were Whitney White, Executive Director, Pebble Hill Plantation, and Lillian Wingate, Executive Director, Thomasville Genealogical Library.

President Jinanne Parrish was pleased to announce that four members of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter have been appointed or elected to serve the  Georgia State Society. Kathy S. Mills has been elected to serve as State Historian, Pamela F. Tucker, appointed Flag Custodian Chair, Anita D. Ward, appointed National Defense Chair, and Jinanne B. Parrish, appointed State Marking Chair.

Lois F. Hand was installed by State President Tate as the new Chapter Registrar. All other officers were previously installed. Lois and outgoing Registrar Nancy J. Pyle, announced two new members and four prospective members.

Linda M. Solana, CPA, presented the Colonial Minute on the nine colleges established in Colonial America, ending at the beginning of the American Revolution.  The first college established was Harvard (Congregational Puritan) in 1642, followed by the College of William and Mary (Church of England), 1694, Yale College (Congregational Puritan), 1702, followed by Princeton (College of New Jersey, Presbyterian), 1747, Columbia (Kings College, Church of England), 1754, University of Pennsylvania (College of Pennsylvania, Church of England), 1755, Brown (Rhode Island College, Baptist), 1765, Dartmouth College (Congregational Puritan), 1768, and Rutgers (Queen’s College, Dutch Reformed), 1771.

Anita D. Ward gave the National Defense report reporting on what the United States Department of Defense does and the Secretary of Defense is the primary representative of the Department of Defense.

The National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century is a lineage and heraldry society, founded inn1915 at the International Genealogical Congress in San Francisco, California. Today the National Society has a membership of over 11,000 in 45 states. To become a member, a lady must prove her ancestor(s) came to America or resided in America in one of the 13 Original Colonies before 1701. The ancestor must have performed a service to the colony. There are eighteen categories of service.