The Forgotten Lineage Societies

Society of the Charlemagne Ancestry, Society of the Magna Carta Ancestry, Society of Royal Bastard Ancestry, and National Societies of Royal and Noble Ancestry

We all know probably one or two members of an American Revolutionary War society, but what about the other lineage groups and societies like the Society of the Charlemagne Ancestry, the Society of the Magna Carta Ancestry, the Society of Royal Bastard Ancestry, or the National Societies of Royal and Noble Ancestry? It may not be fair to say they are “Forgotten Lineage Societies,” but they aren’t as often the goal for even possible descendants. Perhaps it is because, for lineage society membership, you have to trace back forty or so generations to reach royalty like Charlemagne in around 742. Using some of the available databases of these lineage societies, you may be able to shorten your trace by matching surnames.

I find royal descent research to be fascinating. It is said that more than half of the Presidents of the United States (or their wives) can be traced to being of royal descent, as did many colonists from Virginia and Massachusetts.

For a recent project dealing with the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, I had to brush up on “Charles the Great,” and his many name references. Here is a great brief on this emperor: http://www.charlemagne.org/krslch.html. He was quite popular with our American ancestry.

I found the Society of Royal Bastard Ancestry as comedic, as it is one big oxymoron. But, true enough there is such a society and proud descendants of illegitimate English royalty are members. Why not? It is about the bloodline.

And, who wouldn’t want to trace their ancestry to 1215? This was the year that 25 barons witnessed King John “set” his seal on the Magna Carta. Of the twenty-five barons, seventeen have descendants.

If you are almost there, maybe stuck on generations thirty- five or so, you may wish to contact the society; they may be able to assist you in connecting those final dots. Otherwise, there are genealogists who specialize in Royal connections for lineage society memberships.

Happy Royalty Researching!

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy

Accurate, Accessible Answers

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