Lineage Societies
The Hamilton County Genealogical Society (HCGS) sponsors four lineage societies:
- First Families honors the direct descendants of the pioneers who settled (or were born) in Hamilton County prior to January 1,1821.
- Settlers and Builders honors the direct descendants of the pioneers who settled (or were born) in Hamilton County between January 1, 1821 and December 31,1860.
- Century Families honors the direct descendants of the pioneers who settled (or were born) in Hamilton County between January 1, 1861 and 100 years ago.
- Civil War Soldiers honors the direct relative ascendency or collateral relative ascendency of a Civil War Soldier and certain civilian groups who served any period between April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865.
What's In It for You?
- The process of completing an application will make you a better genealogist and ensure that there are no gaps in your research.
- You will be recognized at our annual Heritage Luncheon held in the late-October/early-November time frame. Medals and certificates, specific to each lineage society, are awarded.
Application Process
You must be a current HCGS member to apply or send in your membership fee at the time you submit your application.
The First Families, Settlers and Builders and Century Families lineage societies use a common application. The Civil War Soldiers uses its own specific application. Carefully review the rules and application procedures before completing the application, taking care to document all sources. Submit a $30 non-refundable application fee with the application unless the application is Supplemental. Supplemental applications add additional ancestors to a previously accepted application and can be submitted at no charge.
Applications are due by August 31st of each year.
What Constitutes Proof?
The Lineage Societies Committee created an excellent PowerPoint presentation to assist applicants in identifying documents that could be used to support claims. You can view it here: Applying for a Lineage Group (7.4 MB, allow a couple of minutes for download).
Application Forms
To apply to a HCGS Lineage Society, review the rules and procedures and save a copy of the application, generations and documents forms to your computer. You may need to print multiple copies of the Documentation and Generations forms. Note: If you want to fill out the forms on your computer, it is ESSENTIAL that you download and save them to your computer BEFORE you fill them out.
page modified: May 2024
