At a recent gathering of the John Lee of Nansemond chapter of the National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century, three new members were welcomed into the society. Held on October 29, 2025, in Thomasville, Georgia, the event highlighted the contributions and heritage of the society’s newest members: Charlotte Brown, Nancy Inman, and Catherine Wells.
New Members and Their Ancestral Connections
Charlotte Brown joined the society through her ancestor, Nathaniel Everett, who was born in 1678 in Chowan County, North Carolina. Everett married Mary Mitchell (Harrison) in 1699, likely in North Carolina, and lived in the colony until his death in 1794. His will was probated on December 5, 1749, in Tyrell County.
Nancy VanDevander Inman traced her lineage to James Taylor, born on February 12, 1634, in Carlisle, England. Taylor emigrated to America in 1675 at about the age of 41, establishing himself as a landowner in Virginia. He married Frances Walker, who was baptized on February 28, 1640, in Leomington, Warwickshire, England. The couple wed in 1666 in New Kent County, Virginia, where they remained until their respective deaths in 1680 and 1698.
Catherine Fussell Wells is a descendant of Lieutenant William Spencer, born around 1601 in Stofold, Bedford, England. Spencer arrived in America before 1634 and settled in Connecticut, marrying Agnes Harris in Hartford at around age thirty-nine.
Celebrating the Society’s Founder
The meeting featured a program presented by chapter President Jinanne Parrish, focusing on the life of the society’s founder, Mary Florence Taney. Born on May 15, 1856, in Newport, Kentucky, Taney believed that genealogical research fostered camaraderie among women and served their communities. In July 1915, she and five other women from Kentucky, New York, and Ohio established the National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century during the International Genealogical Congress at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.
The society is open to women aged 18 and older who can demonstrate lineal descent from an ancestor who assisted in the settlement of one of the thirteen original colonies prior to 1701. Members are also encouraged to trace their lineage further back to ancestors who possessed a Coat of Arms.
Taney had notable connections, being related to Francis Scott Key and Chief Justice Roger Brooks Taney, author of the controversial Dred Scott decision in 1857. She was a prominent socialite, engaging in various roles as a teacher, singer, and newspaper correspondent. In 1921, she founded the Dames of the Court of Honor, which recognizes women aged 16 and older who are lineal descendants of commissioned officers from any American war between 1607 and 1865. Furthermore, she was a founding member of the Kentucky Audubon Society and an ardent advocate for women’s suffrage.
The recent meeting in Thomasville not only celebrated the new members but also reinforced the society’s commitment to preserving history and fostering connections among women dedicated to genealogical research.
