John Dunham Society - Organization

The John Dunham Society was founded with an agreement among a round-table group of Deacon John Dunham descendants that a society should be organized to recognize John Dunham as one of the original religious separatists of England that later became the colonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.  Although John Dunham did not come to Plymouth Colony on the ship Mayflower, he did leave England to live in Leiden, Holland along with members of that early congregation led by Reverend John Robinson and included historic individuals such as the first Governor of Plymouth Colony, John Carver, the religious leader of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony, William Brewster, and long-term Governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford.

When John Dunham did arrive in Plymouth Colony in about 1632/33, he was immediately made a Deacon of the Church and was given land previously assigned to the original proprietors of Plymouth Colony.  Both of these actions clearly show that John Dunham had already been an established and prominent member in the leadership hierarchy of the original Pilgrim Fathers.

As our Society learned of several lineages from within the John Dunham family that connected to Mayflower Pilgrim families, we agreed that it would be advantageous to extend our collaboration to an online membership-based society and organization to assist our distant relatives and researchers in learning about John Dunham and possibly gaining their own approved applications to both the John Dunham and Mayflower Societies.  Our founding members, including our Director is a Mayflower Society member through a long line of Deacon John Dunham descendants.