"The objectives of this Society shall be to collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records, the traditions and the antiquities of the Underhill Family; to widen public recognition of Captain John Underhill as an outstanding historical colonial figure and his achievements as such; to bring up to date and publish additional genealogical information of the family; to assist in providing funds for the preservation of Captain John Underhill’s monument in the Underhill Burying Ground at Lattingtown, New York; to promote interest and sociability among the members and the various branches of the family by observing anniversaries and holding meetings and social gatherings; to collect and to preserve whatever shall illustrate the history and promote interest in the Underhill family in the way of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, relics, charts, portraits, etc.; to provide a suitable place for keeping genealogical records and as a headquarters for the family; and to hold an Annual Meeting in the vicinity of Society headquarters or at other locales in order to bolster meeting attendance and increase membership and interest in the Society."
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How the Underhill Society operates
The Underhill Society of America is administered by an Executive Board consisting of officers and directors elected to one-year terms at each Annual Meeting. All of these individuals are volunteers who serve the Society without compensation.
The Annual Meeting is usually held in September or October. Until the 1980s the meeting was always held in or near New York City, but in recent years there have been meetings at Boson, MA; Williamsburg, VA; Louisville, KY; Charleston, SC; Mackinac Island, MI; Fredericton, NB, Canada; Santa Barbara, CA.; Savannah, GA.; Westchester County, NY; St. Louis, MO, Mystic, CT and several on Long Island, NY.
Some groups of Underhills also hold reunions for their branches of the family or for descendants of their region. These groups may apply for "chapter" status within the Society.
All members are urged to give some of their time to the Society, to build membership in their area or among their relatives, to organize reunions, to serve as officers, or to assist with research.
The Society solicits gifts of Underhill-related books, documents and photographs (originals or copies), and furniture, clothing, or household articles of historic significance, to add to the collection at Oyster Bay. It also welcomes the results of research into Underhill history and genealogy, for the collection and possible publication.
The Society’s income includes dues, donations, interest and dividends on investments, and sales of books and other items. These sources pay for the "News and Views" and the costs of administration and research. Other objectives of the Society are fulfilled through two affiliated organizations which have separate sources of income: The Education and Publishing Fund and the Underhill Burying Ground, Inc.
