Descendants live Mayflower legacy

Pilgrim people gather at Costa Mesa hotel for yearly get-together.Kathleen Kane isn’t a member of the Mayflower Descendants just yet -- but with a little more research, she might be.

Kane, a Mission Viejo resident, has heard stories for years that her family sailed to America on the Mayflower. About 40 of Kane’s ancestors lived in New England by the 1630s, and some of them, she surmised, may have come over with the Pilgrims.

“Just the other day, someone said that if you descended from William the Conqueror, then you probably have ancestors in the Mayflower line,” Kane said, referring to the 11th century monarch she believed to be part of her family tree.

Even as she continues to sort through documents, however, Kane paid an early visit to other Mayflower Descendants on Saturday morning, joining the group’s annual November meeting at the Ayres Hotel and Suites in Costa Mesa. The organization, which has offices in all 50 states, admits people who can provide documentation that they descended from one of the passengers on the Mayflower.

“Being around people like this makes me proud of my family’s contribution to this great country,” Kane said.

The four-hour event -- which included lunch, a silent auction and a best-dressed-pilgrim contest -- celebrated an important milestone for the Orange County Colony of Mayflower Descendants. This year, the colony became the largest in the state with more than 340 members.

Every year, the Orange County colony meets in April and November, with occasional trips in between to the national congress in Plymouth, Mass. The Mayflower Descendants keep their heritage alive by offering college scholarships and selling educational books and other merchandise.

“A lot of people think, because we descend from the Mayflower, that we think of ourselves as high mucky-muck people,” said Jim Blauer, the colony’s state education chair and scholarship secretary. “We’re not.”

Blauer, a descendant of Pilgrim Francis Cooke, won first prize in the costume contest for his bright blue suit, complete with a lace collar, black shoes and long white socks. His outfit, he said, helped to clear up a common misperception: Pilgrims, unlike Puritans, wore bright colors instead of black.

At the event, the colony also auctioned off a quilt designed by member Carolyn Mohanty. The winning bid of $150 went to support the colony.

On the table in back was an array of Pilgrim merchandise, including special medallions produced in Rhode Island that, Blauer said, were the biggest seller. Colony governor Marcia Maloney said the main goal of the nationwide group is to keep the Pilgrims’ story alive.

“I think it is overlooked somewhat, and it’s important to remember the sacrifices that some of those Pilgrims made,” she said.

* MICHAEL MILLER covers education and may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or by e-mail at michael.miller@latimes.com.

20051120iq876eknWENDI KAMINSKI / DAILY PILOT(LA)The Orange County Colony of Mayflower Descendants gathers for its annual luncheon Saturday in Costa Mesa. From left, Dottie Wilson of Costa Mesa, Judy Wilson, of Huntington Beach, James Blauer of Newport Beach, June Lazich of Mission Viejo, Donna Cole of Orange, sitting, Mitch Wilson of Huntington Beach, and Courtney Leyba of Costa Mesa.