AAFA Membership Information

Although it was established primarily for Alfords (and spelling variations), Alford descendants, and Alford kin, membership is open to anyone interested in the family.

Dues are the same for all classes, except Honorary Life Members. Once an AAFA member, always a member. Members whose dues are current are considered "active members" and they receive all privileges. When dues are in arrears, a member is classed as "inactive" and does not receive the quarterly periodical nor do they have voting rights.

Membership Benefits

- AAFA ACTION, our outstanding quarterly containing member lineages, Alford biographies, research results, obituaries, census compilations, vital records, and other information on Alfords past and present.

- Access to our extensive computer database of information about Alfords, maintained at AAFA headquarters. AAFA tries to assist all members in learning more about their Alford forbears. Non-members are strongly encouraged to submit their Alford data and/or questions to AAFA -- our policy is to share information with everyone.

- A network of hundreds of Alford researchers, many on-line, willing to exchange information. Through our database, we are able to help Alfords connect with other descendants from the same ancestor.

- The annual AAFA Meeting and National Alford Family Reunion, which has become THE Alford event of the year. Members come from all over the nation to attend this event, held in a different state each year on the second weekend of October.

- A central repository for Alford records and photographs.

- Research projects, like the extraction and verification of all Alford census data and the compilation of the Master Booklist.

- Satisfaction from being part of the combined and organized effort to accomplish AAFA's purposes.

Join AAFA

The association gets its strength through the numbers and financial aid of the members.

How to Join -Print out our membership application, fill it out and send it to AAFA.
Or, provide your name, birth date, address, phone number, e-mail address and that of the members of your family who are to join in a letter to AAFA.

Provide brief information on "Alford" ancestry to include (to the extent known) parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. - name, date and place of birth and death. It helps if you also send information about how you learned about the AAFA.

Send that information and a check to cover the dues (currently $25 in U.S. and $35 U.S. dollars outside U.S.) to the treasurer or to the corporate address. Dues are subject to change by the Board of Directors and are based on receiving four quarterlies per each $25 paid and not on any type of calendar time frame.

Send Us What You Know - Members are encouraged to submit genealogical and biographical information on any and all Alfords family members, others they know, or those they read about. This information is added to the collection, entered in the database and published when appropriate.

Get Involved - Members can help by serving as an association officer or working on one of the many projects. Those who prefer not to be in a leadership role can help by collecting Alford information locally. Surveying local cemeteries and cemetery publications in local libraries and reporting Alford data to AAFA is an ongoing project and there are other similar projects. Some members do clerical work at home which we especially welcome and encourage-especially if they have a computer. Getting involved is voluntary, but helping the Association is really helping yourself. Remember the ancestor you find may be your own!

Classes of Membership

Membership is on an individual basis or, if all family members desire membership, on a family basis. Husband, wife, and children living at home under age 21, can be included in family membership; all names must be included in the application. (The cost for individual and family membership is the same)

Founding Membership:
Those who joined AAFA during its first two years, 1987 and 1988. Such members are identified as "Founding Member."

Charter Membership:
Those who joined AAFA between the years of 1998 - 2000. Such members are identified as "Charter Member."

Regular Membership:
Those who join AAFA after January 1, 2000.

Institutional Membership:
For genealogical libraries, societies, or organizations.

Honorary Life Membership:
Those bestowed by the Board of Directors under rare and unusual circumstances.