Order of the Crown of Charlemagne
in the
United States of America
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
ELIGIBILITY
Men and women who are lineally descended from the Emperor Charlemagne, his successors and their heirs shall be eligible for membership in this Order, provided, always, that such candidates are of excellent character and are considered worthy by the officers of this Order.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP PROCESS
A – MEMBERSHIP
Sec. 1 – Membership in the Order is by invitation only.
Sec. 2 – Life Member. All memberships are considered Life Members unless otherwise stated.
Sec. 3 – Honorary Member. Persons, who, because of their influence on behalf of, or goodwill toward the Order or its purposes, may be elected Honorary Members by the Executive Council. Honorary Members shall be nonvoting and pay no membership fees.
Sec. 4 – Each man and woman who shall be enrolled as a member of the Order shall agree to duly conform to the Constitution and Bylaws, and all Rules and Regulations established for the government of the Order.
Sec. 5 – Membership Directories shall not be made available to non-members, except to governmental departments and institutions if and when requested. Members shall not give their Membership Directories to non-members.
Sec. 6 – Resignations: No resignation or voluntary withdrawal from membership in this Order or of an officer of the Order shall release a member or officer from the obligations thereof, unless such resignation has been consented to by the Executive Council or the President General. Following acceptance of a resignation, no fees shall be returned.
Sec. 7 – Political Activity: This Order, having non-political functions, its activities being of a non-partisan and non-controversial nature, the members and officers must not, under any circumstances, use the name of this Order for or in any political activities whatsoever, nor at any time use the name of this Order for carrying on propaganda or for influencing or attempting to influence legislation.
Sec. 8 – In the event the Order deems a member to be unworthy of membership in the Order, after due hearing and inquiry, s/he may be dropped from membership at the order of the Executive Council.
B – MEMBERSHIP PROCESS
Sec. 1:1 - Interested prospective members shall be proposed by current members in good standing on a form approved by the Board. A proposing member may obtain a copy of the approved proposal form by request from the Registrar General. The completed initial proposal form shall be submitted by the proposing member to the Registrar General for all matters pertaining to the application. The completed proposal form must contain the address, telephone number, and email address of the candidate, as well as the lineage societies in which the applicant holds membership, any pertinent personal data, and the name of the proposed “gateway” ancestor.
Sec. 1:2 - The Registrar General then shall verify the acceptability of the proposed “gateway” ancestor with the Order’s Genealogist General.
Sec. 1:3 - If the “gateway” ancestor is found by the Genealogist General to be acceptable, the proposal shall then be presented to the Membership Committee for discussion and decision.
Sec. 1:4 - Upon a positive vote by the Membership Committee, the candidate shall be so informed by the Registrar General by means of an official invitation to apply, accompanied by instructions for payment of the application fees. Upon a negative vote, the proposing member shall be so informed of the decision.
Sec. 1:5 - The instructions provided to the candidate shall make it clear that: (i) payment of all fees and costs (Genealogist fees, administration fees, admission fees, and life membership fees) shall be made in one check, payable to the Order, at the beginning of the application process and that (ii) related documentation and all Genealogist General fees and administration fees are nonrefundable in the event the lineage is determined unacceptable by the Genealogist General.
Sec. 1:6 - Upon receipt of the candidate's check, payable to the Order, in the requisite amount, the Registrar General shall send to the candidate via email the Order's official computerized application form.
Sec. 1:7 - After completing the computerized form citing his/her complete lineage and documentary proof, the candidate shall send the completed form via email to the Registrar General who will make sure that it is complete and in order for the Genealogist General. The Registrar General shall email the application to the Genealogist General. The candidate also shall send at this time via US mail hard copies of all documentary proofs to the Genealogist General.
Sec. 1:8 - The Genealogist General shall conduct a preliminary review of the application and proofs submitted and may make corrections or augmentations of the application and approve it as so corrected/augmented; reject it; ask the candidate to provide further information and/or documentation; require the candidate to revise and/or augment the application; and/or take such other action as the Genealogist General deems appropriate.
Sec. 1:9 - If the Genealogist General approves the application as submitted or as corrected/augmented, s/he shall email the approved final application form back to the Registrar General who will then forward it back to the applicant. At this time, the applicant shall make no further changes to the application. If the Genealogist General rejects the application, s/he shall so inform the Registrar General who will notify the applicant. The Registrar General shall also advise the Treasurer General, who shall send a check from the Order to the rejected candidate refunding the life membership fees minus the Genealogist fees and administration fees.
Sec. 1:10 - The approved candidate shall print two copies of the approved final application form, sign and date both, and shall send one to the Genealogist and one to the Registrar General.
Sec. 1:11 - Upon receipt of the signed and approved final application form, the Genealogist General shall so notify the Registrar General via email. The Registrar General shall then assign a membership number to the new member and so notify via email the officers as necessary and/or appropriate. The Registrar General shall have the necessary officers sign the final approved application. The Registrar General shall preserve the application on a hard drive and/or CD, or other appropriate "permanent" form of archival preservation.
Sec. 1:12- The Registrar General will then forward the necessary documents to the new member and make arrangements for a certificate of membership is provided to the new member.
Sec. 2 – An invitation not accepted within six (6) months of issue shall be null and void, and thereafter, the candidate’s name shall not again be presented until the expiration of one (1) year from the date of the first invitation. If a second invitation is not accepted within three (3) months of issue, the candidate’s name shall not again be presented.
Sec. 3 – All lineage forms are to be completed and submitted to the Registrar General within six (6) months of issue. If the applicant needs more time, s/he must have written permission from the Registrar General. If the lineage forms cannot be completed by the end of the extension, they are to be returned to the Registrar General and a new invitation issued if the applicant wishes to join the Order. Administrative costs will not be returned if an application is not completed within the designated time period.
Sec. 4 – Instructions for Applicants:
COMPLETENESS AND UNIFORMITY in the preparation of the Preliminary Application and Final Application, both original and supplemental, will facilitate examination, appraisal and approval of them. Specific instructions will be given by the Registrar General at the beginning of the membership process.
References to membership in other societies are not acceptable as proof. All proofs for each generation must be examined by the Genealogist General.
The following books are not accepted as proof:
1. Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne’s Descendants, Vols. I, II or III. Though these sources are an excellent road map, they do not reflect the proofs that are necessary for membership.
2. Magna Charta Barons and Americans of Royal Descent, by Browning.
3. Magna Charta, by Wurts.
4. Compendium of American Genealogy, by Virkus.
Sec. 5 – The Genealogist General of the Order will make the ruling and the final decision concerning all lineage claims.
ARTICLE III
FEES AND DUES
Sec. 1 – The fee for Life Membership in the Order shall be established by the Executive Council. Life Members are entitled to a Certificate of Membership and a Rosette. There will be no annual dues.
Sec. 2 – Supplemental Lineage Claims, and accompanying proofs, may be filed for an additional fee which shall be established by the Executive Council.
Sec. 3 – Should a candidate be found to be ineligible due to an insufficiently proven lineage claim, upon examination by the Genealogist General, the President General will authorize the Treasurer General to refund the candidate a portion of his/her Life Membership fee, with a portion being retained to cover the costs associated with examining the submitted lineage claim.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Sec. 1 – The elected Officers of the Order shall be as follows:
President General
1st Vice President General
2nd Vice President General
3rd Vice President General
Chaplain General
Recording Secretary General
Corresponding Secretary General
Treasurer General
Registrar General
Archivist General
Chancellor General
Historian General
Curator General
Chirugeon General
Assistant Treasurer General
Assistant Registrar General
Editor General
Councilors
Sec. 2 – The appointed Officers of the Order shall be as follows:
Genealogist General
Auditor General
Registered Agent, Washington, District of Columbia
ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Sec. 1 – President General: The President General shall preside at all meetings of the Order and of the Executive Council, and shall perform the duties of a presiding officer. S/he shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. S/he shall authorize the call for all meetings of the Order of the Executive Council. S/he shall sign all written contracts and obligations of the Order and of the Executive Council. The President General, together with the Registrar General, shall sign the Certificates of Membership.
The President General shall appoint the official Genealogist General, one or more (1+) Associate Genealogists, Registered Agent, Washington, District of Columbia, Auditor General, Admissions Committee, and any further appointments as necessary.
The President General, may, from time to time during his/her term of office designate recipients of the Distinguished Service Award. A suitable framed certificate is to be prepared and presented at the Annual Meeting. Presidents General and Honorary Presidents General are not eligible for this award.
The President General, may, from time to time, during his/her term of office designate recipients of the “Timothy Field Beard Award” in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of medieval royal and noble genealogy. The award may be presented no more than once per year. A suitable framed certificate is to be prepared and presented at the Order’s Annual Meeting.
Sec. 2 – Vice Presidents General: The Vice Presidents General in their order, in the absence of the President General or at his/her request, shall exercise the usual duties of the President General. They may also have other duties assigned to them by the President General.
Sec. 3 – Chaplain General: The Chaplain General shall perform such religious services as may be called for by the President General, and shall conduct a short Memorial Service at each Annual Meeting for the members who have died during the past year. S/he shall keep a record of all deceased members and shall send a note of sympathy to the family of said deceased member.
Sec. 4 – Recording Secretary General: The Recording Secretary General shall perform the usual duties and functions of his/her office. S/he shall keep minutes of the Executive Council and of the Order and keep a permanent record of the same. S/he shall send copies of these records to the President General and to the other officers.
Sec. 5 – Corresponding Secretary General: The Corresponding Secretary General shall notify each officer of the date and place of all meetings of the Executive Council and of the Order, giving the time and details of the same. S/he shall conduct the correspondence of the Order upon the request and direction of the President General. S/he shall maintain a complete mailing list of all members.
Sec. 6 – Treasurer General: The Treasurer General shall perform the usual duties and functions of a Treasurer of the Order and for the Executive Council with or without security or a bond as the Executive Council may determine. Any check exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), would hereafter require two (2) of the three (3) signatures of President General, Treasurer General or Assistant Treasurer General. The Treasurer General is to obtain and file an appropriate resolution form from the bank. S/he shall be the custodian of all funds of the Order, deposit all money in the name of the Order, in such bank or banks as may be designated by the Executive Council or the President General. S/he shall collect the revenue of the Order and shall pay out money and make all disbursements only upon the order or approval of the Executive Council or the President General. S/he shall keep, as property of the Order, regular and usual accounts of all receipts and expenditures, which books shall be subject to audit annually by the appointed Auditor General.
Sec. 9 – Registrar General: The Registrar General reviews all proposals, initially verifies the validity of all “gateway ancestors,” submits applicants to the membership committee, collects application and membership fees, and issues all instructions, data and lineage papers to potential candidates. S/he maintains an informational database of all applicants and shall receive and transmit to the Genealogist General, for verification, the original applications as well as other papers (proofs) submitted by candidates for membership. The Registrar General notifies officers of new members, transmits all final approved applications to the appropriate officers, and sends a welcome packet to new members that include: letter of welcome, membership certificate, rosette, roster, and other pertinent materials. The Registrar General maintains the integrity of the Order, answers all queries and forwards information to appropriate officers of the Order. Permits for Insignia are issued only by the Registrar General. S/he may also serve as Webmaster.
Sec. 10 – Archivist General: The Archivist General shall preserve such records as are placed in his/her care by the President General or other designated officer.
Sec. 11 – Chancellor General: The Chancellor General may be a legal advisor to the President General and to the other members of the Executive Council. Preferably this person shall be a member of the Bar in his/her state of residence and shall serve as Parliamentarian as needed.
Sec. 12 – Historian General: The Historian General shall keep a record of all celebrations of the Order, which record shall be the property of the Order.
Sec. 13 – Curator General: The Curator General shall hold any property belonging to the Order which the Executive Council designates, provided that property is not cared for in the duties of the other officers.
Sec. 14 – Chirurgeon General: The Chirurgeon General shall be a doctor of medicine, osteopathy or dentistry in good standing who shall render professional advice to the President General and the Executive Council when called upon.
Sec. 15 – Assistant Treasurer General: The Assistant Treasurer General shall serve as an assistant to the Treasurer General as needed and shall exercise the usual duties of the Treasurer General in the absence of the Treasurer General.
Sec. 16 – Assistant Registrar: The Assistant Registrar shall serve as an assistant to the Registrar General as needed and shall exercise the usual duties of the Registrar General in the absence of the Registrar General.
Sec. 17 – Editor General: The Editor General shall perform the duties for the preparation and publication of the Membership Roster. The Editor General shall also prepare and publish the Order’s official newsletter, “Jewels of the Crown”. The President General may assist, oversee, or assume responsibility for the preparation and publication of the Membership Roster and/or the newsletter “Jewels of the Crown” at his/her discretion.
Sec. 18 – Councilors: There must be at least six (6) Councilors and as member of the Executive Council they shall perform any duties assigned to them by the President General.
Sec. 19 - Genealogist General: The Genealogist General shall examine and approve or reject all lineage claims and supplemental lineage claims for membership in the Order. S/he shall be a recognized authority on medieval royal and noble genealogy. Ideally, although not required, s/he shall be a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists.
Sec. 20 – Auditor General: The Auditor General shall make an annual audit of the finances of the Order and present his/her report at the Annual Meeting of the Executive Council. S/he may attend meetings of the Executive Council as a non-voting member.
Sec. 21 – Registered Agent: The Registered Agent shall be a resident of the District of Columbia and shall prepare and ensure the filing of the papers necessary to maintain the Order’s continued existence as a District of Columbia private, non-profit, 501(c)3 organization as provided in 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. S/he may attend meetings of the Executive Council as a non-voting member.
ARTICLE VI
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Sec. 1 – The Executive Council shall consist of the elected and appointed officers and Honorary Presidents General.
Sec. 2 – The entire management of the affairs and interests of the Order shall be vested in the Executive Council.
Sec. 3 – The Executive Council shall revise, alter and amend the Bylaws and make additions thereto.
Sec. 4 – The Executive Council shall manage and control the property and funds of the Order and shall have the authority and power to deal with all business pertaining to the Order.
Sec. 5 – Five (5) elected officers shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Executive Council.
Sec. 6 – The Executive Council shall fill all vacancies occurring in the Council during an administration and the member elected shall hold office until the end of the term.
Sec. 7 – The term of office shall be three (3) years and the officers may be reelected. The Treasurer General and the Registrar General may be held in office until a qualified successor is chosen and elected. No one person may serve in the position of President General for more than two (2) terms.
Sec. 8 – At the close of an administration the President General may be elected Honorary President General for life in recognition of distinguished service to the Order.
ARTICLE VII
ELECTIONS
Sec. 1 – A Nominating Committee must be designated by the President General and approved by the Executive Council at the Annual Meeting previous to Election Year.
Sec. 2 – Nominations may be made from the floor.
Sec. 3 – Election of Officers shall be by ballot by the members present at the Annual Meeting.
Sec. 4 – If there is only one (1) candidate for an office the vote may be taken viva voce.
Sec. 5 – Elections shall take place every third (3rd) year beginning with 2006 and proceeding as follows: 2009, 2012, 2015, etc.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS
Sec. 1 – Meetings of the Executive Council shall be called by the President General at least once a year, at such time and place as is deemed best and most convenient. Meetings of the Executive Council may not be held by mail, telephone, or e-mail.
Sec. 2 – There shall be a meeting for all members once a year, unless otherwise ordered by a two-thirds (2/3s) vote of the Executive Council. The time and place for such meetings to be designated by the President General. There will be no votes by proxy.
ARTICLE IX
NOTICES
It shall be the duty of all members to keep on file with the Corresponding Secretary General or the Registrar General an address to which any and all notices may be sent.
ARTICLE X
PUBLICATIONS
Sec. 1 - A Membership Roster will be published within the three-year term of each newly elected slate of officers to include the names and offices held of each elected officer, names and addresses of all members of the Order, items of historical interest including names and photographs of former Presidents General, the Constitution and Bylaws and other items of historical interest as is traditional with the Order. Routinely, a Membership Roster will be published every three (3) years.
Sec. 2 – A newsletter of the Order, “Jewels of the Crown,” will be published once during the Fall of each year beginning in 2006. Editorial policy concerning matters for inclusion will of necessity be developed as time and circumstances dictate. The newsletter may include a message from the President General, approved actions of the Executive Council, items of historical and genealogical interest, articles by the Genealogist General about new lines or ones that are no longer acceptable, or other items from his/her perspective, announcements, items of personal interest about members, births, necrology, and current addresses unknown.
ARTICLE XI
COLORS OF THE ORDER
Sec. 1 – The colors of the Order for Ribbons and Rosettes and all other uses shall be white banded with red on each side.
Sec. 2 – The flag of the Order shall be the Flag of the United States of America as regulated by Act of Congress.
Sec. 3 – The Standard of the Order shall be a banner of pure white with red bands, one on each side, bearing in the center the Crown of Charlemagne in red.
ARTICLE XII
SEAL OF THE ORDER
The Order shall have a corporate Seal which shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Order with a reproduction of the Crown of Charlemagne in the center. The President General or Registrar General shall hold the seal.
ARTICLE XIII
COMMITTEES
The President General shall appoint the following committees:
Sec. 1 – Admissions Committee. The President General shall designate no less than three (2) and no more than five (5) Life Members to serve as members of an Admissions Committee. The responsibility of designating members of the Admissions Committee may be designated by the President General to the Registrar General as a matter of convenience and expediency. The purpose of this Committee is to consider and approve/disapprove the names of individuals who should be invited to join the Order. The names of the members of this Committee shall not be disclosed to the general membership or to prospective members so as to allow members of this Committee to perform their duties freely and with complete anonymity.
Sec. 2 – Nominating Committee. The President General shall designate no less than three (3) and no more than five (5) Life Members to serve as members of a Nominating Committee, to be approved by the Executive Council, the year previous to an election year. The Nominating Committee shall be charged with selecting a slate of individuals to serve in each of the elected offices for the following three (3) -year term.
ARTICLE XIV
INSIGNIA
Sec. 1 – The Insignia of the Order is an octagonal gold cross coated with white enamel. The center of the cross is also white enamel, ringed heavily with gold. The middle of the circle contains a raised reproduction in gold of the Crown of Charlemagne. The reverse of this center is gold bearing the inscription CAROLI MAGNI CORONA and a minute cross. The octagonal cross is surmounted by a golden laurel wreath. The cross is worn suspended from the ribbon of the Order on which is surmounted a rosette of red and white. A gold Bar bearing the name of the American Ancestor surmounts the Insignia.
Sec. 2 – The miniature insignia is an exact reproduction of the center of the large insignia of the Order, suspended by a smaller and narrower ribbon of the colors of the Order. The miniature may also be worn by members instead of the regulation sized insignia.
Sec. 3 – The President General wears three (3) items of regalia that serve as his/her badge of office. The first is the broad ribbon in the colors of the Order, four (4) inches wide, worn across the right shoulder hanging loosely at the left hip. Suspended from this broad ribbon is a 2 ¾ inch reproduction of the member Insignia which is surmounted by a gold double laurel wreath. The second is a star, 3.5 inches across, worn on the left breast. The star has a large reproduction of the obverse of the members’ Insignia center mounted on the obverse of the star. The third is the President General’s neck badge which is worn around the neck suspended from a ribbon, 17 inches in length and 1- 3/8 inches in width, of the Order’s colors. It consists of a red enamel cross heavily banded by gold in which its center is mounted a slightly smaller version of the members’ insignia. Surmounted to the cross is a gold stylized, scrolled banner with the words “President, Order of The Crown of Charlemagne” in red letters. Center mounted on this banner is a minute gold cross with five (5) rubies encircled by laurel wreaths. Surmounted to the banner is a reproduction of the Great Seal of the United States of America. This badge is worn around the neck suspended from a ribbon of the Order’s colors. The President General’s regalia were made by Artists Emblem Company in 1962 during the Presidency of Mrs. Harry Clarke Boden, IV. The regalia are the property of the Order and must be passed from one President General to the next.
Sec. 4 – The insignia for Honorary Presidents General consists of a large silver/gilt Order Insignia suspended from a neck ribbon in the Order’s colors. A gold bar engraved with the words “Honorary President General” is affixed to the ribbon at the “V” of the neck ribbon. This Insignia may only be worn by an Honorary President General and is a permanent gift from the Order.
Sec. 5 – Rosettes for the lapel buttonhole of the coat, made of ribbon in the colors of the Order, may be worn by members. Rosettes may be worn at all times in the buttonhole of the left lapel of the sack coat or dinner coat. It may also be worn with formal attire, but never when the large or miniature insignia is worn. Ladies may also wear Rosettes on dresses or coats when the large or miniature insignia is not worn.
Sec. 6 – A miniature gold reproduction of the Crown of Charlemagne, which serves as a recognition pin, is also available and may be worn on the lapel instead of the rosette.
Sec. 7 – The Registrar General shall issue all permits for Insignia and keep a record of same. Checks should be made payable to: Bailey Banks and Biddle, official jeweler of the Order, and mailed with request to the Registrar General, who, in turn, mails the check and permit to the official jeweler.
ARTICLE XV
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern this Order in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.
ARTICLE XVI
AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Executive Council by a two-thirds (2/3s) affirmative vote of those present, provided, however, that written notice of the meeting that states in full the proposed amendment shall have been sent to each member of the Executive Council at his or her address of record with the Order at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. Provided, however, that when the proposed amendment is to be considered at the Executive Council meeting that accompanies the Annual Meeting of the Order, the required notice need only be sent at least ten (10) days prior to that meeting. In this regard, it is the responsibility of each Executive Council member to ensure that his or her address is accurate, complete, and current with the Corresponding Secretary General. Any Amendment to the Order’s Bylaws should be published to the general membership of the Order within a reasonable time of the date on which the Amendment is adopted. Provided, however, any failure to publish the adopted Amendment in a timely manner shall not in any way invalidate the Amendment.
