March 31st, 2011 
The Spring meeting of Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI), was held on Saturday March 25th in historic New Bern, NC. Membership is reserved for individuals with genealogical links to one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
The group meets 3 times a year at historic sites within the original 13 colonies, including a July 4th event at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA.
The DSDI mission is “to strengthen in American life the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and to perpetuate the memory of those men who pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor for the cause of Liberty.” Detailed biographies of each of the signers can be found on the DSDI website.
Highlights of the weekend included a visit to Tyron Palace, built by British Governor William Tryon in 1770, and later recreated in the 1950′s from the original architectural plans.
The brand new interactive North Carolina History Center, also on the groups itinerary, delighted all ages with hands on activites which invite visitors to step back in history.
The organizations general meeting, and a delightful lunch took place at the Chelsea restaurant in New Bern’s historic district. The weekend concluded with a banquet dinner at the lovely New Bern Country Club, where Kay Williams, director of Tryon Palace was the guest speaker.
With genealogical records becoming more readily available due to web based search engines like Ancestry.com, it has become much easier to search for your families history. Who knows, perhaps you too are related to an important figure in American history?
Contact information for DSDI is on the organizations website.
A nice slice of Americana. And it happened right here in the Carolinas. I had no idea there was even a group of descendants of signers of the Declaration of Independence. A timely blog considering so many Americans are checking into their family tree and unsure what they’ll find!
My ancestry can be traced to the first Colonist’s in both my Mother and my Father.
Including: Mass. New Amsterdam, William Penn and the Quakers of Penna. Del. NJ., Maryland, and Jamestown. In my research I find that our family, in some way is related to 28 Signers. Is this unusual or is it typical for those Families that have been in America from the start, even before there were States? FB