Jamestowne Society

What Jamestowne Society does

The Jamestowne Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1936 and headquartered at 3901 Midlands Road, Williamsburg, Virginia. Its core function is to verify, organize, and engage descendants of early English settlers who lived in or held colonial government positions in Jamestowne, Virginia prior to 1700, or who invested in its establishment. The Society maintains the official Register of Qualifying Ancestors and administers a lineage paper verification process that gates membership eligibility, producing proprietary genealogy records that are sold as published references and PDF copies.

The Society monetizes through three primary streams: (1) a one-time $525 lifetime membership application fee, (2) merchandise and publication sales (books $21-$27, commemorative ornaments $15, ties $55-$80, lineage papers $40, reference registers $18, a $20 annual magazine subscription for non-members), and (3) donations via an Annual Giving Campaign and planned giving programs. The organization operates with 1-10 employees, a volunteer Council, and elected officers (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Attorney General), supported by regional "Companies" (chapters) spanning the U.S. — including Tennessee Valley, New England, North Florida, Cape Fear, Natchez Trace, Bay of Naples, and Washington-Northern Virginia among others.

Distribution and engagement rely on a multi-channel model: a public website with online shop, a semi-annual magazine, semiannual membership meetings in Williamsburg and Richmond, an annual Heritage Week in Washington D.C., and organized heritage tours. Strategic partnerships anchor mission delivery — notably with Preservation Virginia (Jamestown Rediscovery), where the Society has pledged $90,000 for Critical Archaeology and $60,000 for women's programs development for 2024-2025, and with VA250 as a Commemorative Partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. The Society also funds an annual graduate research fellowship for Colonial Virginia studies prior to 1700 and supports historical record restoration (e.g., the Surry County 1834-39 Deed Book conservation via The Library of Virginia).

Name

Jamestowne Society

Legal name

Jamestowne Society, Inc.

Website

https://jamestowne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jamestowne Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1936 that verifies and serves descendants of early English settlers in Colonial Virginia prior to 1700, operating a lifetime membership model ($525 application fee), regional chapter network across the U.S., and preservation partnerships with Preservation Virginia and VA250.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage and Genealogical Society

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (519210), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Genealogical heritage society
• Colonial ancestry research
• Historical preservation society
• Lineage verification services
• Heritage membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Application Fees: The Society generates revenue through membership fees. The initial application fee is $525.00 as listed on their store. Membership provides lifetime benefits including magazine subscriptions at no additional charge.
2. Merchandise and Publications Sales: Revenue from selling historical merchandise including commemorative ornaments, ties, books about Jamestown history, lineage papers, and DVDs of events.
3. Annual Giving Campaign and Donations: The Society relies on philanthropy through its Annual Giving Campaign and planned giving programs to support restoration of historical records, documents, objects, and edifices of cultural value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jamestowne Society is a nonprofit membership organization for descendants of colonial Jamestown settlers. It provides lifetime membership with lineage verification, a semi-annual magazine, historical research fellowship, commemorative merchandise, books, and Heritage Week programming. The Society supports preservation of Colonial Virginia history through funding archaeological projects, restoration of historical records, and educational events.

Product overview

The Jamestowne Society operates as a membership-based genealogical and historical preservation organization. Its core offerings include membership services for descendants of early Jamestown settlers (application fee $525), a lifetime magazine subscription (Spring and Fall issues), and a Lineage Paper Project documenting qualifying ancestors. The Society supports its mission through the sale of historical publications (books on Jamestowne archaeology and history), commemorative merchandise (bell and barracks ornaments, apparel accessories with three ships motif), and media products (1619 Remembered DVD). Revenue generation supports archaeological funding, restoration of records, and preservation of Colonial Virginia sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jamestowne Society Lifetime Membership Lifetime membership for descendants of colonial Jamestown settlers, including Spring and Fall magazine subscriptions, eligibility to attend membership meetings and Heritage Week events, and access to genealogical support services. Application fee of $525.
• Jamestowne Society Annual Magazine Subscription Subscription to the Spring and Fall issues of the Jamestowne Society magazine containing historical articles and Society news. Available to members at no charge as part of lifetime membership, or to non-members at $20 per year.
• Jamestowne Society Lineage Papers Jamestowne Society approved application lineage papers available as PDF copies for members researching qualifying ancestors. Priced at $40 per copy.
• Annual Graduate Research Fellowship Annual research fellowship awarded to a graduate student for research on Colonial Virginia prior to 1700, administered by the Jamestowne Society.
• Jamestowne Society Three Ships Tie and Bow Tie Apparel accessories featuring the Society's three ships motif: a 58-inch burgundy silk necktie and a 34-inch burgundy silk bow tie, both made by Peter Blair exclusively for the Jamestowne Society. Priced between $55 and $80.
• Jamestowne Society Commemorative Ornaments Pewter commemorative ornaments depicting the replica Jamestown Church Bell and the 1607 James Fort Barracks (rebuilt in 2020). Priced at $15 each.
• Jamestowne Society Historical Books Published books on Jamestown archaeology and history, including 'Church & State: The Archaeology of the Foundations of Democracy' (104-page book on excavations around the Memorial Church), 'A History of the Jamestowne Period 1607-1700' (400th Anniversary Edition), and 'The Life and Times of the Jamestowne Colony 1607-1699'. Priced between $21 and $27.
• 1619 Remembered DVD DVD documenting the July 28, 2019 ceremony at Historic Jamestowne commemorating the 1619 first General Assembly in America.
• Heritage Week Events and Membership Meetings Annual heritage event programming for members, including Heritage Week dinners and luncheons in Washington D.C., Spring and Fall membership meetings in Williamsburg and Richmond, and heritage tours to colonial sites and museums.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Society has provided $90,000 for Critical Archaeology for 2024-2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• APVA-Preservation VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Partnered during the 400th Anniversary Celebration in 2007. Queen Elizabeth II visited Historic Jamestowne accompanied by APVA-Preservation Virginia Executive Director Elizabeth S. Kostelny.
• VA250 - Virginia American Revolution 250 CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jamestowne Society is a Commemorative Partner of VA250 — The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. This partnership supports commemoration of Virginia's role in the founding of America, marking 250 years of Independence.
• Preservation Virginia (Jamestown Rediscovery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society works closely with Preservation Virginia on the Jamestown Rediscovery Project, providing funding for critical archaeology, women's programs, and restoration of records. The Society pledged $90,000 for Critical Archaeology for 2024-2025 and $60,000 for women's programs development.
• The Library of VirginiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society funded restoration of Surry County, VA 1834-39 Deed Book 10 through Elizabeth B. Wingo Restoration of Records funds. The Library of Virginia describes the conservation process.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Preservation Virginia: The Society's primary preservation partner and operator of Jamestown Rediscovery. A larger, established heritage organization with overlapping mission, broader programming, and direct recipient of Jamestowne Society's preservation funding.
• Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation: Virginia state agency operating the Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, directly tied to the historical subject matter of the Jamestowne Society and its membership audience.
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: The dominant historic preservation and living-history organization in Williamsburg, Virginia. Shares the Jamestowne Society's geographic base, educational mission, and audience of colonial heritage enthusiasts, but operates at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• National Genealogical Society: A broader genealogical society serving family historians across all American lineages. Overlaps with the Jamestowne Society's research and lineage-verification activities but without the pre-1700 Jamestown constraint.

Direct peers

• Sons of the American Revolution: Male-lineage counterpart to DAR with a parallel hereditary society model: documented descent, application fee, regional chapters, historical preservation focus, and publications. Highly comparable structure and member experience.
• National Society Colonial Dames of America: Hereditary society focused on Colonial-era American ancestry with comparable membership mechanics, regional chapters, historic house museums, and preservation programming — directly parallel to Jamestowne Society's mission.
• National Society Daughters of the American Revolution: A hereditary patriotic lineage society with a similar membership-fee model, volunteer governance, magazine publications, and focus on historic preservation and genealogy. Comparable in structure and mission, though broader in eligible lineage (Revolutionary era rather than Jamestown).
• Order of First Families of Virginia: A closely related lineage society representing Virginia's earliest colonial families, sharing the Jamestowne Society's Williamsburg focus, Virginia-based operations, and overlapping pool of qualifying ancestors.
• National Society of the Colonial Dames of XVII Century: Hereditary society focused on 17th-century colonial ancestry — the closest temporal peer to Jamestowne Society's pre-1700 qualification window — with a parallel membership, lineage-verification, and historic preservation model.

Regional players

• First Families of Ohio: A regional hereditary society focused on Ohio's earliest settler families. Comparable in lineage-society mechanics and regional chapter structure but geographically distinct from the Jamestowne Society's Virginia concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JamestowneLSC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jamestowne-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jamestowne Society