Application Requirements

THE WORKSHEET APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

  • Make sure you read all of the requirements.
  • Applications that do not follow the examples for citing proofs will be returned to be corrected.
  • You need to highlight or underline in red names, dates and place  on all proofs submitted.
  • Each generation should be segmented. Use only paper clips. Do NOT use staples.
  • All proofs should only be on 81/2 by 11 paper.
  • Print application and proofs on one side only as we will be scanning all documents.
  • Please submit a signed application with your proofs.

The applicant will fill out the preliminary application and will email it to: bomcmoc@gmail.com

 

HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICANT’S LINEAGE WORKSHEET

  1. The worksheet is in Microsoft Word format and must be completed with this software.
  2. Please fill in all blanks. Move from blank to blank by hitting the “TAB” key
    • Blanks will expand as needed.
    • List whether or not a first, second or third marriage.
    • If more than one date for an event list all.
  3. In filling out the Work Sheet, lineage data should be as complete as possible to the best knowledge of the applicant. Names of all persons should be in full (not initials).
  4. Dates are to be shown with the day of the month, then the month, then the year (18 March 1882).
  5. For the first three generations you should provide birth, marriage and death certificates where applicable.
  6. For each NAME, DATE, and PLACE your must provide documented proofs.

References cited MUST PROVE the applicant’s claim for each generation. Proof of parentage for each generation, including the applicant, is essential, i.e., that the person named first in a generation was the child of the couple named in the following generation.

  • Published records are to be entered as follows:

(Author)  Last Name, First name; (Book Title in quotes) “Full Title of Book” (Publisher) Place, Name, Date, volume, page (you may use Ibid and Op.cit when applicable)

  • References to Membership in other societies are not acceptable as proof.
  • All proofs for each generation must be filed with the Work Sheet for examination by the Genealogist.
  •  If the Genealogist in checking the Work Sheet finds that he requires certain references and authorities to accompany a submitted pedigree, to be examined or verified, he shall notify the applicant of this requirement and obtain from him permission to incur such expense on his behalf, which shall be paid by the applicant.
  • Where proof is found in unpublished records, such as certificates of birth (BC), baptism, marriage (MC) or death (DC), records in family Bibles, wills, deeds, census records, sworn statements of parents, grandparents, etc., each shall be listed in the references for the generation to which it pertains. On each such photocopy the name(s), date(s), etc. Shall be underscored and the generation for which it is submitted as proof shown as, “Gen. 1, 2, 3 etc.”

          7. Documentary proof or legible photocopies of same must be supplied.  Each must               be properly identified.

          8. Please note that all material submitted becomes the property of the Order.                          Do not send original documents. Applicant should maintain the originals.

DOCUMENTARY PROOF

The responsibility for proving all statements pertaining to genealogy and service rests with the applicant.  Documentary proof must be provided for each entry in the Candidate’s Lineage Worksheet.  Each document must be labeled in red with the Generation No. and the initials of the individual to whom the document applies. In the body of the document, the name of the individual to whom the document applies must be underlined in red.  For example, the first entry, which would be the applicant, must have proof such as birth certificate or a baptismal record.  The proof must show his parents’ names.  This proof would be labeled in red “Generation 1” and the candidate’s initials.  Where it appears in the document, the applicant’s name would be underlined in red.

Proofs must conform to present-day genealogical standards.  Unfortunately, not all applications from previous membership generations meet these standards, and continuing research has exposed many errors. Acceptable references by today’s criteria would include:

Birth records, marriage and death records:

A birth record proves who the parents of an individual are, while marriage records prove only the legitimacy of the birth.  A death record, if it is a long form, can sometimes substitute for a marriage record if it states that the man and woman were husband and wife.

Published material:

  1. Published family genealogies, but only those generations where statements are documented by reference to primary source material and where the quality of work is acceptable to the Order’s genealogist.
  2. County histories published prior to 1880 may include records no longer extant. These may be acceptable to the Order’s genealogist.  Later county histories are not acceptable unless adequately supported by additional evidence.
  3. Newspaper items reproduced by photocopy must show the masthead, date, and page on which the article appears.  Newspaper items are not always in themselves sufficient and may require supporting evidence.

     Some other acceptable material:

  1. Bible records, if photocopied, must include the title page so that the place and date of printing are clearly shown.  A statement as to the ownership and present whereabouts of the bible must accompany the exhibit.  As an alternative, a certified transcription may be offered, but it must be identify the owner and current location.
  2. Church records, if photocopied, must include the title page.  If in microfilm printout, it must be identified as to film number, institution where secured, and certified as being in that institutions’ collection.  A certified transcript of the original document may be submitted by a church official or church letterhead and with the appropriate church seal.
  3. Tombstone inscriptions may be submitted in photo form, or, if there is a Cemetery Association, a transcription of the records of the Association’s records on its stationery and with an authorized signature may be submitted.  If a photo, the photo should show the location of the cemetery (state, county, township, street) and the location within the cemetery.  It must be certified by the applicant ascribing his name to the back of the photo.
  4. Court records such as probate, orphans, land, common pleas, etc., which may pertain to the applicant or his ancestors may be submitted as certified transcriptions or photocopies.  These must identify the book, page number and/or document file number and the state and county location of the court.   The document (or photocopy) must show the official stamp of the court.
  5. Census records are normally acceptable from 1850 and later.  They must be clearly legible and state the copy or printout, the date of the census, state, county, township, reel number, page and line numbers. If a transcription is offered instead of a printout, it should include the same information as above, and it should be witnessed and signed by at least one disinterested person.  The Order’s Genealogist may accept records prior to 1850 when they pertain to a head of a household.
  6. Records of military service may be found at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. or at a local branch. State archives and libraries as well as libraries of counties and historical and genealogical societies frequently have published records of their militia rolls, muster rolls, payrolls, pension and bounty land applications. The applicant should indicate the source on proofs submitted.

Published material that is NOT accepted by the Order

  • Undocumented lineages and or group sheets found on the internet are not accepted.  They may act as a road map as to where the proofs may be located
  • References to Membership in other societies are not acceptable as proof. All proofs for each generation must be filed with the Work Sheet for examination by the Genealogist of the Order.

The following books are not accepted as proof:

  • “PEDIGREES OF SOME OF THE EMPEROR CHARLEMAGNE’S DESCENDANTS”  Vol. I, II , or III  (Though this source is an excellent road map, it does not reflect the proofs that are necessary for membership)
  • MAGNA CHARTA BARONS and AMERICANS OF ROYAL DESCENT by Browning.
  • MAGNA CHARTA by Wurts.
  • COMPENDIUM OF AMERICAN GENEALOGY by Virkus.

General:

While applications of other hereditary societies are not acceptable to this Order as proof of lineage, they do provide good clues to follow.

The Order’s Genealogist will be glad to help you with information as to sources you yourself may check. He can also recommend a professional researcher or offer his own research services on a professional basis.

References to Membership in other societies are not acceptable as proof. All proofs for each generation must be filed with the Work Sheet for examination by the Genealogist.

Understanding sources, proofs and citations:

Primary Sources:

·      Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period.  A primary source reflects the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer.

·     Vital Records of or information collected by government agencies.  Many kinds of records (births, deaths, marriages; permits and licenses issued; census data; etc.) document conditions in the Order.

·     Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, manuscripts and other papers in which individuals describe events in which they were participants or observers.

·      Memoirs and autobiographies. These may be less reliable than diaries or letters since they are usually written long after events occurred and may be distorted by bias, dimming memory or the revised perspective that may come with hindsight. On the other hand, they are sometimes the only source for certain information.

·     Records of organizations.  The minutes, reports, correspondence, etc. of an organization or agency serve as an ongoing record of the activity and thinking of that organization or agency.

·     Published materials (books, magazine and journal articles, newspaper articles) written at the time about a particular event. While these are sometimes accounts by participants, in most cases they are written by journalists or other observers. It is important to distinguish between material written at the time of an event as a kind of report, and material written much later, as historical analysis.

·     Photographs, audio recordings and moving pictures or video recordings, documenting what happened.

·     Physical objects (such as grave stones)

Secondary Sources:

A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an historical event or phenomenon. It uses primary sources and is at least one step removed from the event. If you were to look at the bibliography of this article you would see that the author’s research was based on both primary sources such as vital records; Examples:

  • Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry (5 vols., 2013)
  • Richardson, Douglas, Plantagenet Ancestry… (5 vols., 2nd Ed. 2011)
  • Richardson, Douglas, Magna Carta Ancestry…. (4 vols., 2nd Ed. 2011)
  • Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists (7th and 8th editions)

(when citing this book give the full citation and for subsequent generations cite as AR line#/gen#   ie AR 115/16

  • Weis, Frederick Lewis. The Magna Charta Sureties (5th edition)
  • Faris, David. Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth Century Colonists (GPC, 1996)
  • Roberts, Gary Boyd. Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants  (2004 and 2008 editions)using this book requires find the sources that are cited by Roberts as he does not provide dates or places.
  • Dorman, John Frederick. Adventures of Purse and Person. (3 vols., 4th edition)
  • Mayflower Families Through Five Generations  GSMD, (vols. 1-23)
  • Cokayne, George E. and Geoffrey H. White. The Complete Peerage (All vols.)

 

Reminders

  • Submitted proofs should have all pertinent information highlighted or underlined in red.
  • Do not use staples when submitting proofs
  • The use of IBID and op.cit. is preferred when listing citations.