The Colonial Dames of America is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British-America from 1607–1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in the military, or serving the Colonies in some other "eligible" way.

The National Headquarters is presently at Mount Vernon Hotel Museum

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum is a former carriage house located at 421 East 61st Street, near the East River, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Built in 1799 as a carriage house and stable, it was a hotel from 1826 to 1833, and then a private residence. It was purchased by a utility company...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, which was purchased by the CDA in 1924.

History

The organization was founded in 1890, shortly before the founding of two similar societies, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1750, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Period." The national headquarters of the society is at...

 and the Daughters of the American Revolution

Daughters of the American Revolution

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....

.