Welcome Society of Pennsylvania Plaque - Deal Pier, Kent.
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 13.433 E 001° 24.278
31U E 388596 N 5675931
A small but faded bronze commemorative plaque presented by the Welcome Society of Pennsylvania, sited at the entrance to Deal Pier, Kent.
Waymark Code: WMEPA4
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/22/2012
Views: 1
A small, now fading, bronze plaque, close to the
entrance of Deal Pier which reads;
30 August 1682 William Penn sailed from
Deal / to Pennsylvania on his ship "Welcome". /
presented 6 May 1982 by the Welcome Society of Pennsylvania
The Welcome Society
of Pennsylvania website
informs us that;
The purposes of
the society are given in its 1906 charter:
· "to
perpetuate the memory of those who came to America in the good ship Welcome in
company with William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who arrived in
October, 1682
· to
collect and preserve historic data relative to the settlement of the
State of Pennsylvania and the founding of Philadelphia
· and
to bring together in social intercourse and friendly relations the
descendants of the aforesaid persons who came to these shores in the
ship Welcome."
Though it is not
specifically stated in the charter, the Society was founded as non
profit and educational.
Originally, the
membership was limited to the descendants (male or female) of those
who were passengers on the Welcome. Presently,
membership is composed of descendants of those ancestors who
travelled with fellow Quakers to America during the course of the year
of 1682. This includes 22
ships and 23 crossings of
the Atlantic.