The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (OFPA) is a non-profit, hereditary organization based in the United States that is dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving historical records of the first colonists and their descendants. The Order is made up of "Associates" who trace their ancestry back to those first colonists and who have forefathers in the same male ancestral line who served in the American Revolution. Today, as in the past, it is composed of a wide range of individuals, all linked by a common heritage and dedicated to American ideals. The Order has relatively strict bloodline mandates that have earned it a reputation as the most exclusive lineage society in the United States. However, unlike the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, membership eligibility does not descend through family lines to a single eligible male for each ancestor, meaning that more than one member of the same family can simultaneously hold membership.

History

Founding

The OFPA was incorporated in New York state on March 17, 1896. The first meeting at which all the Charter members gathered was on 17 April 1896 at the Hotel Normandie in New York City. At that time, there were several hereditary organizations for descendants of Patriots of the American Revolution as well as for descendants of early American colonists (i.e. Founders). The OFPA is the only organization to require descent from both a Founder who was in the American Colonies by 1657 (50 years after the founding of Jamestown) and a Patriot in the same male line who was loyal to the cause of American independence during the Revolutionary War. The first Governor General of the Order was

Frederick Dent Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

, the first son of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

and

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

and

Julia Grant Julia Boggs Grant (née Dent; January 26, 1826 – December 14, 1902) was the first lady of the United States and wife of President Ulysses S. Grant. As first lady, she became a national figure in her own right. Her memoirs, '' The Personal Mem ...

. The first annual banquet of the Order was held on February 2, 1897 in the Hotel Manhattan in New York City with over 200 members and guests in attendance, as reported in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Membership

Membership in the OFPA is open to male U.S. citizens age 18 or more of "good moral character and reputation" who are directly descended in the male line of either parent from an ancestor who settled, prior to May 13, 1657, in the territory that would become the

thirteen colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centu ...

and one or all of whose intermediate ancestors in the same line, who lived in the period of the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, adhered as patriots to the cause of the colonies. In addition, if the father or either the paternal or maternal grandfather of the prospective member met these qualifications he would also be eligible. This means there are five of the eight potential great grandparent lines that are eligible for membership.

Societies

The OFPA is organized into state and regional chapters known as Societies. A new society receives a Charter from the Order once it meets certain conditions and the society is responsible for collecting national dues from its members that are paid to the Order annually. Each state society is headed by a ''Governor'' and individual members in the state societies are referred to as "Associates." These societies, together, comprise the general Order which is headed by a ''Governor General''. The Order is headquartered in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

Activities

The activities of the General Order and State Societies encompass:

Awards Program

The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America has a comprehensive Awards Program that provides for recognition of top-performing

U.S. National Guard The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions. The OFPA state societies present awards annually to outstanding college Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC cadets and midshipmen at universities within their state. The state societies also present separate awards to outstanding

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army N ...

units within their state. The National Order may also present an award to a single outstanding ROTC program at an American university. The "Order of the Founders and Patriots of America Award" has been called "the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

of Army ROTC" and is awarded based on criteria that include the number of

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

officers a unit commissions and the academic performance of cadets. The Order also underwrites individual annual awards to cadets and midshipmen at the four U.S. military academies that are named for past Governors General of the Order. The Admiral George Dewey Class of 1858 Award is presented to a

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

midshipman, the Lt. General Herman Nickerson Sword Award is presented to a United States Marine Corps midshipman at the

, the Lt. General John MacNair Wright Jr., Class of 1940 Award is presented to an outstanding

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

cadet and the Falcon Award for Physics is presented to a deserving

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...

cadet.

Archives and monuments

The OFPA and its member societies fund the erection and installation of monuments and markers at the sites of historical occurrences in early United States and colonial American history. The Order also sells an OFPA grave marker that can be used to mark the grave of a deceased member. The Order maintains genealogical archives on its members. This includes 162 boxes of material deposited at Langsdale Library at the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sc ...

that have also been digitized. Additional records curated by individual societies are stored elsewhere, including

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, and the Connecticut State Library.

Meetings

Each State Society holds annual meetings and other gatherings appropriate for carrying out their programs. The general Order holds an annual meeting, known as the General Court, each year in May–June. The 124th General Court of the OFPA in 2020 was originally scheduled to be held in Plymouth, MA to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing there. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this General Court was moved to The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV and held on June 10–12, 2020. The 125th General Court will be held May 14–17, 2021 in New Orleans, LA. Some of the other past General Courts of the OFPA were: * The 123rd General Court in 2019 at the Omni Hotel in

Richmond, VA (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

with tours of the

Jamestown Colony The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...

and th
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
* The 122nd General Court in 2018 at the Dearborn Inn in

Dearborn, MI Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States per ...

with tours of Greenfield Village, the

Henry Ford Museum The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains ...

and the Ford Rouge Plant * The 121st General Court in 2017 at the JW Marriott Atlanta-Buckhead in

Atlanta, GA Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

with tours of the World of Coca Cola * The 120th General Court in 2016 at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, CO with tours of th
American Museum of Western Art
the

Denver Mint The Denver Mint is a branch of the United States Mint that struck its first coins on February 1, 1906. The mint is still operating and producing coins for circulation, as well as mint sets and commemorative coins. Coins produced at the Denver Min ...

and the

Buffalo Bill Museum The Buffalo Bill Museum, located in LeClaire, Iowa, is focused on life along the Mississippi River and local history. One exhibit is the Lone Star, a wooden, paddlewheel steam-powered towboat that is housed in a special pier. Local history ex ...

* The 119th General Court in 2015 at Anderson House in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

* The 118th General Court in 2014 at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in

Louisville, KY Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. To commemorate the general court being held in Kentucky, all of its associates were commissioned as

Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...

s by the

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

Publications

The OFPA periodically publishes ''The Bulletin'', a semi-annual magazine for associates. The Order has also published multiple volumes of ''The Register'', an index of the genealogical pedigree of all associates. Volume Five of ''The Register'' is currently available for purchase on the OFPA website. The Order also publishes a book entitled ''Founders of Early American Families'', that contains historical information about the male heads of families who emigrated to the 13 original colonies from 1607 to 1657. The latest version is the Second Revised Edition that contains entries for 4,490 Founders plus a roster of current members, Governors, General Officers and a list of all past Governors General of the Order.

Notable members

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...

- recipient of the 1919

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

, descendant of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

* Herman Vandenberg Ames - dean of the graduate school of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

James J. Belden James Jerome Belden (September 30, 1825 – January 1, 1904) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from New York. Biography Born in Fabius, New York, Belden was the son of Royal Denison Belding and Olive Cadwell and attended the ...

- member of the U.S. Congress *

Thomas W. Bicknell Thomas Williams Bicknell (September 6, 1834 – October 6, 1925) was an American educator, historian, and author. Early life and career Thomas W. Bicknell was born in Barrington, Rhode Island to Harriet Byron Kinnicutt (September 1, 1791 – ...

- American educator, historian, and author and noted anti-segregationist * Lucius E. Chittenden - member of the Vermont Senate * Charles Gates Dawes -

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

* James D. Dewell -

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

- Admiral of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

* Ferdinand P. Earle - Brigadier General of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New Y ...

- Son of President

and U.S. Ambassador to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

* Ulysses S. Grant III - Grandson of President

and

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

general * Warren G. Harding - 29th

John Grier Hibben John Grier Hibben (April 19, 1861 – May 16, 1933) was a Presbyterian minister, a philosopher, and educator. He served as president of Princeton University from 1912–1932, succeeding Woodrow Wilson and implementing many of the reforms ...

- president of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

George Rogers Howell George Rogers Howell (June 15, 1833 - April 5, 1899) was an American historian, genealogist, and science fiction writer. Biography George Rogers Howell was born in Southampton, New York on June 15, 1833. A graduate of Yale College (1854), he ...

- American historian, genealogist, and writer * James Kneeland - founder of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company * Richard Worsam Meade III - U.S. Navy admiral * Robert Barnwell Roosevelt - member of the U.S. Congress and Minister to the Hague *

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

John Boyd Thacher John Boyd Thacher (September 11, 1847 – February 25, 1909) was the Mayor of Albany, New York and New York State Senator as well as an American manufacturer, writer, and book collector. He was the son of Albany mayor, George Thacher, and ...

- Mayor of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

* Chauncey Pratt Williams -

Adjutant-General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of New York * John B. Winslow - chief justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

References

{{Authority control Lineage societies Organizations established in 1896 Patriotic societies Fraternal orders 1896 establishments in New York (state)