The National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century was founded by Miss Mary Florence Taney of Kentucky. Its inception was during the meeting of the International Genealogical Congress at the Panama Exposition in San Francisco, CA on July 15, 1915.  The founder, Miss Taney along with five other ladies (Mrs. Alice Hardeman Dulaney, New York; Miss Anna Taylor Hodge, Kentucky; Mrs. Georgena Hodge Bailey, Kentucky; Miss Florence May Washington, Kentucky; and Miss Grace Marie Cheever, Ohio) had a common interest in genealogy and it was that shared passion which led them to form a lineage organization titled the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century. As the organization grew and expanded, it became national in scope.