Conservation Resources 98 N63 opv 1 THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE il ,oIoni) Iptorical $orictfiJw OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR BEGINNING NOVEMBER 30, 1886, ,BUR^W OF ETHNOLOGY, w- President. Prof. Simeon E. BalMtih, M.A.— Vice- President. Ex Gov. James E. English. Secretary. Hon. Thomas R. Trowbridge. Treasurer. Mr. Robert Peck, A.B. Curator. Georoe Sherman, j\I.A. Article 6. The Mayor of the City of New Haven, the President of Yale College, and the Town Clerk of New Haven, shall be ex-officio members of the Advisory Committee ; and the Aldermen of the City, and the Selectmen of the Town of New Haven, shall be ex- officio members of the Society. Article 7. The Society shall hold its meetings on the last Monday evening of each alternate month, and at such other times as the Directors may appoint. Article 8. The Collections made by the Society shall never be broken up by sale nor by division among its members, nor shall they ever be removed from New Haven ; nor shall any article be exchanged or disposed of except by the unanimous vote of the Directors, or by the consent of the donors. Article 9. The Constitution, with the exception of the eighth Article (which is of the nature of a contract), may be altered or amended by a two-third vote of the members present at any annual meeting ; provided, that notice of such amendment shall have been given at some meeting at least one month previous. BY-LAWS. MEMBERS AND OFFICERS. I. Life -members, wherever resident, and annual members residing within the limits of the ancient Col- ony, or the present County of New Haven, shall alone be entitled to vote in the meetings of the Society; and the term of all annual memberships shall expire with the Annual Meeting next after subscriptions are paid. II. Honorary members may be chosen by ballot at a regular meeting of the Society, at which not less than ten members are present, upon nomination of the Direc- tors ; provided, such nominations shall have been made at a previous regular meeting. They shall consist of persons residing out of the Colony and County of New Haven, who may be distinguished for important public service to the cause of historic investigation and general literature. Ill The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Directors ; shall call, by himself, or the Secretary, special meetings, when required by five members, and shall deliver or make provision for an address at the Annual Meeting. IV. The Secretary shall have custody of the files, records and seal of the Society, and shall keep an accu- rate journal of its proceedings, and also of the proceed- ings of the Directors. V. The 'first elected member of the Advisory Com- mittees shall conduct the correspondence of the Society. VI. The Treasurer shall receive all fees for member- ship, and all other moneys- due, and all donations or bequests of money made to the Society; shall pay upon the order of the President such accounts as may be approved by the Directors of the Society, and shall, at the Annual Meeting, render a minute statement of his receipts and disbursements, and of the property and debts of the Society, which statement shall be examined and audited by a Committee appointed at such meeting for that purpose. VII. The Directors may appoint a Librarian and Curator, who shall, under their supervision, arrange, protect and catalogue all books, pamphlets, manuscripts and other articles deposited in the rooms of the Society; and shall, before every Annual Meeting, make a full re- port to the Board of the condition of the library and collections. VII T. The Directors shall provide each year for the public reading of papers, or delivery of historical lec- tures, one in each of the months of December, January, February and March, next succeeding each Annual Meeting of the Society, and to which citizens generally shall be invited; and the Directors shall also, as far as practicable, announce at the commencement of each lecture season, the subjects of the papers or lectures, and the names of the authors and lecturers ; the manuscripts of which papers and lectures shall, with the consent of the authors, be owned and preserved by the Society. IX. Committees on the various departments of the action of the Society may be appointed by the Directors to report, as the Board from time to time may prescribe, and also an Executive Committee consisting of five Directors, of whom the Secretary shall be one, to whom the Directors may entrust such part of their executive duties as they may judge best. MEETINGS. X. The Directors shall meet on the last Monday evening of each alternate month, and at such other times as the President may specify; and five shall con- stitute a quorum. XT. Notice of the Annual Meeting of the Society shall be given in one or more public prints; and in all meetings duly called and notified, ten members shall be a quorum for the transaction of any business. XII. The order of proceedings at the meetings of the Society shall be as follows : 1. To read the minutes of the preceding meeting. 2. To report donations. 3. To read letters received in correspondence. 4. To attend to unfinished business. 5. To receive written communications or lectures. 6. To receive verbal communications. 7. To transact miscellaneous business. DONATIONS AND DEPOSITS. XIII. All donations to the Secretary and deposits with the same, shall be entered in a book kept for that purpose, and reported to the next regular meeting of the Society, and proper written acknowledgments shall be made therefor. XIV. Any alteration of these By-Laws may be made at a regular meeting of the Society, such alterations having been proposed at a previous meetiug, or by the Directors. RULES RESPECTING THE LIBRARY. 1. Books and pamphlets left with the Society on deposit, and those of special value, either on account of their price or their rarity, and to be designated by the Directors, shall not be allowed to be taken from the Rooms of the Society, except by vote of the Directors. 2. Books not included in the above rule may be taken from the Rooms under the following regulations : (a.) The Curator may loan to any person bringing a written request from a Director, one or two volumes, to be retained not exceeding one month. (b.) The Curator shall take from the borrower a receipt specifying the name of the book, and the time for which it is loaned; and at the end of such time shall require the book to be returned. CHARTER. General Assembly or the State of Connecticut, ) May Session, 1863. J Upon the petition of Henry White and others, showing that they, with sundry other persons, have formed a Society called The New Haven Colony Historical Society, for the collection, preservation, and publica- tion of historical and genealogical matter relating to the early settlement and subsequent history, especially of New Haven and its vicinity, and incidentally of other portions of the United States, which object is deemed to be of public interest and utility; and pray- ing for an act of incorporation for these purposes: — Resolved by this Assembly, That Henry White, E. Edwards Beardsley, Leonard Bacon, Henry Bronson, William A. "Reynolds, Thomas R. Trowbridge, Samuel Punderson, Frederick Croswell, Horace Day, Elial T. Foote, Henry 0. Kingsley, Charles L. English, Elisha E. Cleveland, Charles R. Ingersoll, and their associates, the present members of said Society, and their successors, be, and they hereby are constituted, a body corporate by the name of " The New Haven Colony Historical Society," and by that name shall have perpetual succes- sion, shall be capable of suing and being sued, pleading and being impleaded, and also of purchasing, receiving, holding and conveying any estate, real or personal ; may have a common seal, and the same may change at pleas- ure ; may establish such rules and by-laws, not contrary to the charter or the laws of this State, as they may from time to time deem necessary or convenient, relating to the qualifications and admission of members, the times and places of meetings, the election of officers, and all other matters connected with the objects, mem- bership, and government, of said corporation : provided however, that said corporation shall not hold, at any one time, real estate, the annual income of which shall ex- ceed five thousand dollars. And be it further resolved, That the President of Yale College, the Mayor of the City of New Haven, and the Town Clerk of the Town of New Haven, shall be, ex-officio, members of said corporation. And be it further resolved, That said corporation shall meet once in each year for the election of a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as may be designated, from time to time, by the rules and by-laws of said corporation : provided however, that in case of a 10 failure to hold an annual meeting, or elect its officers, said corporation shall not thereby be dissolved; but the officers of said corporation may and shall continue to exercise the powers and duties of their several offices, until others shall be duly appointed in their stead. And be it further resolved, That the first meeting of said corporation shall be held in the City Hall, in New- Haven, at such time as shall be designated by Horace Day, notice thereof being previously given in one or more newspapers printed in said New Haven : provided however, that this act shall be subject to be revoked or altered, at the pleasure of the General Assembly. Approved, June 17th, 1863. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 110 536 ft