Welcome to The Augustan Society, Inc.

Our Mission

Historical preservation is the primary function of the Society, through a variety of programs including maintenance of a library and museum, publication of scholarly materials, and the presentation of these programs as an educational venue for members, subscribers, and the public. The Society also awards its honors for outstanding achievements; maintains registration of coats of arms, orders of chivalry, knighthood and merit; records family genealogies, lineages and pedigrees; the promotion and aid of education in the fields of interest to the Society; and the furtherance of chivalric ideals in society.

Membership

Applications for membership may be requested from the Society. The applications of all prospective members are personally examined by the Board of Directors who then vote upon acceptance. Membership is limited to 500 individuals. (Subscribers to The Augustan are not included in this number.)

Research

The Society’s Research Staff will undertake to conduct research surveys for members and non-members, checking occurrences of surnames for genealogical research, heraldry, and historical subjects. The Society also has available a list of recommended researchers for individualized research.

The Society as an Historical Society

The Society is an historical society, working in the areas of European history, heraldry, genealogy and related fields. The general scope is from ancient to modern times, with an emphasis on the subjects mentioned above. Much of the material published pertains to European history.

The Society as a Genealogical Source

The Society has an ambitious reprint program in the field of genealogy, including Colonial, Germanic, English, Spanish-American, Irish-American, Italian, Scottish-American genealogy, and also materials on Scandinavian, Be-Ne-Lux, Native Americans, French, Eastern & Central European, East Asian and related areas. All of these areas are presented in the Society’s Journals. In addition to the genealogical publications, the Society maintains emigrant card files and will make referrals to professional researchers.

The Society as a Heraldry Source

The Society maintains, as one of its collections, a Heraldry Collection including many rare books and pamphlets. In addition, the Society registers coats of arms and has a program of publishing a roll of arms. Heraldic articles are published in Heraldry and The Augustan.

The Society as a Chivalric Center

One of the longest standing areas of interest of the Society is that of Chivalry: orders and the related field of the Crusades and Knighthood. Articles in these subject areas are published in Chivalry and The Augustan. Qualifying individuals may petition for membership in the Noble Company of the Rose, a noble chivalric corporation, under the patronage of HSH Ernst August Prinz zur Lippe, which is part of The Augustan Society. In addition, the Society maintains cordial relations with many orders of chivalry, and advises its members about all aspects of the chivalric community and the activities therein. The Society has an extensive collection of books and pamphlets, manuscript materials and original documents, as well as insignia, pertaining to orders of chivalry and related groups.

Royal and Noble Genealogy

One of the primary areas of interest of the Society is in the field of royal and noble genealogy, which includes not only the royal families of Europe, but also those of earlier times. The Society’s project, “Descents from Antiquity,” is a genealogical research project showing a line of ancestry from the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt to the present day. A continuing interest is that of descents from Charlemagne and from William the Conqueror. Membership in two specialized groups within the Society is available for those with descents from William the Conqueror or from one of his Companions. The Society’s library is particularly rich in materials on royal lineages.