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Mayflower Descendants in the State of North Carolina
98th Annual Meeting – November 4 & 5, 2022
Was held at the Etowah Valley Golf and Resort
470 Brickyard Rd. Etowah, NC 28729
L: Previous N.C. State Governor Steve Pike passes the baton to incoming N.C. State Governor Jill Chapman. R: Previous Deputy Governor General the late Michael Keleher and previous Assistant Governor General Martha Ward receive certificates of recognition for all of their work on behalf of SMDNC.
In its first General Congress on Zoom, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) has elected Jane Hurt as Governor General for the 2020 - 2023 term. During her term, GG Hurt will work with the Society's Executive Committee and General Board of Assistants to govern the Society’s Plymouth, MA international headquarters and serve its 30,000 plus membership.
Governor General Hurt will lead a twelve-member Executive Committee that is tasked with setting policy and guiding the operation of the society through its Executive Director, Susan Belekewicz, and staff in Plymouth, MA.
“Jane brings a breadth of knowledge from her leadership in many other lineal societies as well as her years of experience with GSMD,” said former Governor General George P. Garmany. "She will lead the Society as the fifth woman elected to this office.”
Governor General Jane Hurt most recently completed a term at GSMD as Secretary General. A member of the Kansas Society, she has served as Governor, Historian, and Webmaster. She has served as State Treasurer and Chapter Regent of the Kansas Daughters of the American Revolution; State Regent of the Kansas Daughters of the American Colonists; State President of the Kansas Colonial Dames of the XVII Century; and is a life member of the Jamestowne Society. She is pleased to have proven her Pilgrim descent from William White, Susanna White, Peregrine White, Francis Cooke, John Cooke and Richard Warren of the Mayflower.
Meg Averett became a member of the North Carolina Society in 2016. She serves as Corresponding Secretary for the North Carolina Society and as Governor of the Central Colony. Meg is also a member of the GSMD Meetings and Events Committee, Scholarship Committee, and the 1620 Club. Her Mayflower ancestor is William Bradford.
Meg received a BA in Religion from Meredith College and later earned a Master in Education from there as well. She began her career as an
elementary teacher later becoming a literacy coach at the district level, mentoring beginning and veteran teachers. Meg was one of the first teachers in NC to earn her National Board Certification.
Meg is involved in several hereditary societies and has served as secretary and committee chair for her chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the NC Jamestowne Society, among others. In the community, Meg volunteers with the Raleigh Host Lions Club. She is an advocate for mental health and health care reform in North Carolina.
October 15, 2020
Transylvania County Board of County Commissioners read and acknowledged the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower and of the signing of the Mayflower Compact.
Chairman Mike Hawkins presented the document to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of North Carolina, Deputy Governor, Jill Chapman.
North Carolina State Senator Chuck Edwards and State Representative Jake Johnson presented a certificate from the House and Senate of the State of North Carolina in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower ship in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. They presented the certificate to NC Deputy Governor Jill Chapman of Transylvania County. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants has member societies in all states, districts, territories of the US and several overseas countries. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, GSMD, is committed to research on the lineal descent of the Mayflower Pilgrims and education about the Pilgrims who travelled aboard the Mayflower in 1620. The North Carolina Mayflower Society began in Asheville, NC in 1924. There are members in a number of western North Carolina counties. The Western Colony meets twice a year and a state annual meeting is held once a year.
