TO MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY MAGNA CHARTA DAMES AND BARONS
FROM LEWIS L. NEILSON JR., CHANCELLOR
DATE: DECEMBER 25, 2000
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Last night my family and I enjoyed a Christmas Pageant in a beautiful New England Church. The excitement and enthusiasm of young children brings a sense of hope and optimism to a complicated world. On behalf of the Officers and Council of the Society, I express best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. I am delighted to report that our Society is doing extremely well and to present our sixth Electronic Newsletter, a Christmas Newsletter. We continue to develop awareness of Magna Charta and its message. We ask each of you to participate with us in continuing the long tradition of friendship and fellowship which has continued over many years.
We express special appreciation for our State and Local leaders throughout the United States who maintain the vitality of their Divisions, Colonies and Chapters.
Please visit our WebSite News Page and Table of Contents. Please E-mail us using the Feedback Page. The link to the Newsletter on the WebSite is: http://www.magnacharta.org/enews82000.htm.
If you are not a member of our Society and are eligible I hope that you will join. If you are not eligible but share our interest in history and genealogy we encourage you to remain on our Email list. We also welcome your participation in our ongoing genealogical research projects. In particular, this next year we will be emphasizing the immigrant ancestor pages on our WebSite. Our members’ immigrant ancestors, descendants of the Barons, have made a dramatic impact on our Country and this biographical project could provide a significant historical resource. Please look at the Immigrant Ancestor Index Page on the WebSite for an explanation of the project.
We have almost caught up with our incoming Email. If you have any unanswered questions please let me know. I particularly thank each of you who have helped with the ongoing lost member project; we are delighted to locate lost members. I also particularly welcome new members who have joined as a result of the WebSite. For the future, please propose new members for our Society. Please also attend your local meetings and include your children and grandchildren. We have a very special organization and I hope that you will help us to maintain its traditions.
We rely on member contributions for our Society operations and we plan to build our endowment in connection with the 100th Anniversary of the founding our Society in 1909. We hope you will consider year end contributions, including contributions of appreciated securities. Our Society is a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
We will shortly finalize the mailing list (using regular mail) for our Newsletter. If you are not a member of our Society, have recently changed your address or are otherwise interested in receiving the Newsletter please let me know promptly, providing your name and address. The importance of our Newsletter is emphasized by the fact that we send over 20,000 Newsletters yet have only 1,350 email addresses.
We are pleased to announce that our Washington, DC luncheon will be held on Monday, April 16, 2001 at the Mayflower Hotel. We are delighted that Arabella Churchill, granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, is our planned speaker. More information about the luncheon will be forthcoming, however, if you would like to receive an invitation and have not attended a prior Washington luncheon please tell us that you would like to be added to the invitation list, providing your name and address.
We are planning to schedule an informal luncheon or dinner on Saturday, April 14, 2001 in Philadelphia when Arabella and her husband are visiting. Please let me know if you would like to be invited, providing your name and address.
We will shortly schedule our Barons’ Luncheon in Philadelphia. Traditionally this luncheon has been held in February. This year the topic should relate to historic and culturally significant homes in the Philadelphia area which have been owned by members of our Society. More information will be forthcoming.
Our June England Educational Tour scheduled for June 11 - 20, 2001 to Dorset, Windsor and London continues our tradition of excellent Educational Tours. We have already received deposits and commitments from the minimum necessary and look forward to an outstanding Tour, however, we need more participants to increase the fellowship as well as to reduce the price. The deadline for applying to receive vouchers for Royal Ascot is March 31, however, the applications are considered in order of receipt and the applications may be closed prior to March 31. Please consider participating in our Tour and call our Office or send me an Email if you have any questions. The details of the Tour are on the WebSite and the Terms and Conditions will be sent on request. The link to the June Tour is: http://www.magnacharta.org/june01.htm
A Ten Day Charlemagne Tour is being planned (in coordination with the Colonial Order of the Crown) by an expert on Charlemagne and his area of Germany. The Tour will have visits to historic and culturally significantly locations including Aachen, Cologne, Limburg, Goslar, Heidelberg and Worms. More details will be presented shortly on the WebSite, however, we would welcome input from potential participants suggesting whether we schedule the Tour in the Spring or the Fall.
Our last Newsletter was in August. At the time we were planning our Fall 2000 activity, the celebration of the Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday on September 10, 2000 in Philadelphia. We were hoping for 250 participants and we pleased that over 600 attended the Church Service at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. Arranged by Mr. Oliver St. C. Franklin, Honorary British Consul in Philadelphia (our speaker in Washington, 2000) the outstanding address during the service was presented by Dr. Ray Raymond, MBE, of the British Consulate (our speaker in Washington, 1999). It was a splendid day.
As mentioned in prior E-Newsletters, membership continues to be of vital importance to our Society. If you wish to speed up or facilitate the membership process, please include with the Proposal Form a well documented lineage (including copies of the documentation) to either a known ancestor or to one of the qualifying Barons. If you have sent lineage information
without the copies you may also speed up the process by sending copies of the documentation. Lineage Forms are provided on the WebSite.
Our E-mail listing has had a net increase of 150 since August, currently over 1,350. We need to significantly increase the number of members and friends on our email listing. Please ask your relatives or friends to send us their E-mail address. Please also send us the E-mail addresses of friends who are interested either in lineage societies or in memorializing Magna Charta.
Should you have any questions concerning membership, you might call the Society Office for forms or procedures at 215-836-5022.
Our E-mail list is made up of who have sent us E-mail, of members and friends of the Society who have responded to our Newsletter request for E-mail addresses and others who we believe might be interested in our Society or mission. If you would prefer not to receive future Electronic Newsletters, however, please let us know. If you have friends who you believe might be interested in our Society, please forward this E-mail. If you have received this as a forwarded email, please visit our WebSite at for more information about our Society. You may also contact our Society Office at 215-836-5022 between the hours of 9:30am and 3:00pm.
Best Christmas wishes.
I hope that each of you are well. Do not hesitate to contact me with questions or suggestions. Chancellor@magnacharta.org