BYLAWS
Knowles / Knoles / Noles
Family Association
National and International Organization
Effective: February 1, 2002
Approved by:
Executive Board
November 15, 2001
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President: Jolene (Knoles) Abrahams
Vice-President: Sharon Johnson
Secretary: Charlee Anderson
Treasurer: Ora Beth Cesarini
Historian: Robert B. Noles
Preamble
The KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association (referred to herein as “Association”) was formed officially in 1985. The organization met for the first time in 1978 when Joan Goodall KNOWLES arranged an informal gathering of KNOWLES cousins to exchange genealogical information. The original Bylaws for the Association were issued in November 1998.
The original objective of the Association was to learn, document, and share as much information as possible about the genealogy and family history concerning the Edmund “Old Silverhead” KNOWLES line. Edmund KNOWLES (1685-1762) emigrated from Bolton, Lancashire County, England to the British Colony of Virginia in 1699/1700. The research and documentation for the “Old Silverhead” KNOWLES descendants and ancestors will continue.
In recent years, the Association and its members have increased the genealogical focus of the organization to include many additional KNOWLES progenitors who immigrated to the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War (some as early as the second quarter of the 17th century) and in some cases since the War. This expanded focus is in recognition of the fact that there were many KNOWLES families living in the Colonies (and in the States during the early days of an independent America) who were descendants from many different KNOWLES progenitors from the British Isles. Knowledge of the genealogy of all the various KNOWLES lines is necessary in order to understand the family history and assure accuracy of the overall research.
Most, if not all, of the present day KNOWLES (all spellings) families descend from lines originating from a variety of locations in the British Isles; i.e., England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The present day generic name of KNOWLES in most cases probably originated during medieval times from an adaptation of the English word “knoll” for a small round hill. The surname for many British Isles medieval families living near or on a small hill may have evolved from Knock, to Knoll, to Cnoll, to Knowlers, to Knollys, to Knowlman and eventually to KNOWLES, KNOLES and NOLES and the other spellings in use today. Most of these medieval KNOWLES families from the different geographical areas in the British Isles were probably not related, but shared the same surname. A few of the medieval KNOWLES families from different locations may have been related based on the seminaries of the coats-of-arms registered for KNOWLES families living in significantly different geographical locations in the British Isles.
Starting as early as the 16th century and certainly by the 17th century, some KNOWLES families migrated from their ancestral homes in Great Britain to other locations within Great Britain as well as to many locations outside of the Empire. The immigrations were primarily to the British American Colonies, but some also traveled to Canada, Bermuda, British West Indies, Barbados, etc. During the turbulent Colonial times in the decades just prior to the Revolutionary War, additional migrations of the various KNOWLES families took place. For example, many who were loyal to the British Crown, migrated to Canada. After the Revolutionary War, bounty land for War service started a whole new migration thrust within the former Colonies.
As a result of the KNOWLES immigrations from Great Britain to the Colonies and then the migrations that occurred after the War, KNOWLES from different British Isles progenitors were living in some of the same regions of the U.S. by the early 19th century. In recognition of the wide and varied possibilities for the ancestors of present day KNOWLES families, this Association is now fully open equally to all KNOWLES families. In addition, the Association is building a KNOWLES Genealogy and Family History knowledge base that includes all KNOWLES families (all spellings). These revised Bylaws cover the mission, purpose and objectives of the Association as they relate to an expanded KNOWLES focus.
Reference to KNOWLES families or lines in this document shall be construed to mean any family with the KNOWLES surname regardless of how the name is currently or was previously spelled. In addition, some collateral lines that have married into a KNOWLES line on multiple occasions shall also be included for research and membership.
Article I - Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association.
Article II - Mission, Purpose and Objectives
Section 1: The mission of this Association shall be to locate, communicate with, and register members of KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES families worldwide who are descended from any one of the many KNOWLES progenitors whose ancestors were originally from the British Isles.
Section 2: The Association shall collect KNOWLES genealogies and family histories for all KNOWLES progenitors and various allied families. KNOWLES and allied family genealogies and family histories shall be collected from members and non-members. The Association shall also collect well-documented research reports, books and other genealogical publications concerning KNOWLES genealogies and family histories.
Section 3: The Association shall conduct basic genealogical research for the various KNOWLES progenitors and collateral lines and, in some cases, commission research by others where the research is vital and the hiring of a local researcher would be cost effective.
Section 4: The Association shall encourage the study of genealogy and foster and support the development and maintenance of family trees for any of the many KNOWLES progenitors. Members shall be encouraged to submit the results of their research to expand both the general and specific knowledge of the Association for the extended KNOWLES family.
Section 5: The genealogies and family histories collected via Sections 1 thru 4 above shall be consolidated by the Association to provide a meaningful resource for members seeking their KNOWLES family history. These genealogies and family histories shall be continually reviewed against new information by the Association to assure the greatest possible accuracy of the KNOWLES History knowledge base.
Section 6: The KNOWLES genealogies and family histories provided by current and past members, as well as the genealogies collected and/or researched by the Association, shall be available for review by members who maintain paid-up memberships for their use in developing their specific family history.
Section 7: The Association shall work to inspire and facilitate members in their efforts to extend their search for KNOWLES ancestors. The Association shall facilitate the research by members by providing information concerning sources of genealogical data, by providing guidelines in the principles and techniques of genealogy, and by providing opportunities for exchange of information among members with common lines.
Section 8: The Association shall encourage the membership to conduct research concerning their KNOWLES ancestors and to submit the results of said research to the Association Historian. Members shall also be encouraged to make known the location of the original records used in their research. The Association Historian shall also attempt to locate KNOWLES genealogical records and make known the locations of these documents to the membership to the extent feasible. These documents, when obtained by the Association, shall be reviewed and maintained in the Association Library. The Association shall catalog and publish the inventory of the KNOWLES genealogical documents when such records may be of interest to the members.
Section 9: The Association shall foster the mission, purpose and objectives of the Association by holding a Biennial Meeting/Reunion, publishing a regular newsletter, maintaining an informative web site and responding to member inquiries concerning existing documented research.
Section 10: The Association shall also be open to all KNOWLES and allied family descendants as covered in Article III, Section 1 below, who wish to participate in the Association on strictly a social level.
Section 11: The Association shall conduct itself as a nonprofit tax exempt corporation in accordance with the Federal Internal Revenue Code 501 (c) (3) - (non-profit - literary and educational). No part of this document shall be interpreted by any member to be grounds for violation of the above tax codes.
Article III - Membership
Section 1: Membership in the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association shall be open to anyone whose birth name or bloodline (or husband or wife, child, grandchildren, nieces or nephews) was and is related or connected to any of the KNOWLES progenitors. Membership shall also be available to descendants of the many allied families who were closely associated with the KNOWLES families over the years as determined by the Executive Board.
Section 2: Members are expected to pay dues promptly and maintain the good and welfare of the Association. All new members of the Association shall be provided a copy of the Bylaws, a membership card, a membership handbook, a copy of the most recent newsletter and a current roster of members. Updates of these documents shall be supplied to existing members as required.
Section 3: Life Membership in the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association may be granted to members of the Association who have greatly benefited the Association as determined by the Executive Board.
Section 4: Honorary Memberships in the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association may be granted to non-members of the Association who have greatly benefited the Association as determined by the Executive Board.
Article IV - Officers and Elections
Section 1: The officers for the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association shall be: (1) President, (2) Vice-President, (3) Secretary, (4) Treasurer and (5) Historian.
Section 2: The Executive Board shall consist of all elected or appointed officers of the Association.
Section 3: The officers shall be elected by the total Voting Membership at the appropriate Biennial Meeting of the Association. They shall assume office at the end of that business meeting.
Section 4: Members elected to an office of the Association shall be paid-up members or the spouse of a paid-up member.
Section 5: Only paid-up members of the Association are permitted to vote on issues presented at the biennial business meeting of said Family Association. Complimentary family members attending the business meeting with a member do not have a vote on Association business issues.
Section 6: All officers shall serve for four years. Any vacancy in an officer position shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Board. The person so appointed shall hold office for the unexpired term of the person replaced.
Article V - Duties of Officers
This Article covers the normal assignment and distribution of duties and responsibilities for the Association's Officers. The President or Vice President may perform (temporarily or permanently) any of the duties or responsibilities normally performed by one of the other Officers if required or as appropriate. In addition, the President may reassign any of the Officer duties as required to accomplish the Mission of the Association. As the Association grows, it may also be necessary for one or more of the Officers to obtain assistance on one or more of their responsibilities. In those cases, the Officer involved is still responsible for the activity.
Section 1: President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and the Executive Board. The President shall appoint all standing and special committees chairpersons and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except for the Officer Nomination Committee, if one exists. The President will be responsible for, or the director for, regular communications, and/or the newsletter, to be sent to dues paying members. An annual report shall be prepared and presented at the Biennial Meeting by the President (or the President’s designee). This report shall include a summary of the past two years' activities and the plans for the coming years, insofar as is possible.
Section 2: Vice-President: The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President, or at the request of the President. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President for the remaining term of office in the event of a vacancy in the office of the President. The Vice-President shall also perform other duties as may be assigned by the President.
The Vice-President shall serve as the Membership Chairperson for the Association. The Membership Chairperson shall receive all applications for membership and be responsible for encouraging qualified persons to join the Association. The Membership Chairperson shall greet new members, welcome them into the Association, and provide them with the Membership Handbook. The Membership Chairperson shall maintain the Membership Handbook.
The Membership Chairperson shall maintain a roster of Association members (past & present), highlighting those who are current paid-up members. The Membership Chairperson shall supply the Executive Board periodically (September & February) with a roster of current paid-up members.
Section 3: Secretary: The Secretary shall keep the minutes and records of the Association’s Biennial Meetings and the meetings of the Executive Board. The Secretary shall prepare the minutes of the Biennial Meeting, which will be distributed as a part of the first Association Newsletter of each new fiscal year. The Secretary shall summarize, catalog and publish the motions and other significant business of the Executive Board. The Secretary will maintain and have available for reference at all meetings, one book in which copies of the Association’s Bylaws, Standing Rules, and motions (approved and unapproved) are kept current.
Section 4: Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep the fiscal records and make financial reports in the manner and at the time prescribed by the President. Except as provided below, all checks of payment from the bank account(s) of the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association, and any drafts or other orders for the payment of money, shall be signed by at least one of the following association officers: President, Vice-President, or Treasurer. The Executive Board, by resolution, may delegate the duty of signing checks to an additional officer of the Association.
The Treasurer shall keep the Membership Chairperson informed concerning all new memberships or membership renewals.
The Treasurer shall administer and maintain the Association’s checking and savings accounts and prepare appropriate financial reports. Appropriate financial reports shall be made available for review by the Executive Board as required and for presentation at the Biennial Meeting.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of a biennial budget based on the budgetary actions of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall provide the Executive Board with a budget vs. actual reports on a semi-annual basis and present an overall biennial budget report at the Biennial Meeting for the Association. Note: The budget process and budget reporting requirements identified in this section shall be implemented only after the Association’s number of members and expenditures warrants such a process as determined by the Executive Board.
Section 5: Historian: The Historian shall be responsible for accumulating and maintaining the permanent records of the Association and its members. Such records shall include pictures, publicity, histories and genealogies relevant to the members. The Historian shall develop and maintain a KNOWLES database that permits easy access and reporting capabilities for KNOWLES and allied family genealogies. The Historian shall develop and maintain the Association Library for genealogical documents and records for KNOWLES ancestors.
The Historian shall lead the KNOWLES and allied family research and documentation efforts for the Association. The Historian shall systematically have the KNOWLES genealogies and histories reviewed for accuracy and completeness. The Historian shall maintain contact with all KNOWLES researchers worldwide to the extent feasible, so that the Association can benefit from all KNOWLES research, not just the research conducted by Association members and conducted via sponsorship of the Association.
Article VI - Dues
Section 1: The base annual dues for membership in the Association shall be established by the Executive Board and presented to the membership for approval.
Section 2: Dues for membership shall be per fiscal year except as noted in the Standing Rules.
Section 3: The current dues, and the fiscal year for the Association, shall be documented in the Standing Rules.
Article VII - Meetings
Section 1: The biennial membership meetings shall be held in accordance with a calendar proposed by the Executive Board. Biennial Meetings shall be held for the purposes of nomination and election of the Executive Board (when required), for receiving reports by officers and committees, for any other business that may arise, and to permit members and guests the opportunity to share their histories and genealogies with the other members.
Section 2: A Nominating Committee, should one exist, shall propose a slate of officers at the appropriate meeting; however, nominations for officers may also be made by any member from the floor at the meeting.
Section 3: Written or printed notice, stating the place, day, and hour of the biennial Association meeting shall be delivered not less than six months before the date of the meeting to all paid-up members of the Association.
Article VIII - Compensation
Section 1: No member shall receive substantial gain from the Association, but members shall be reasonably compensated for expenses incurred for research commissioned by the Association.
Article IX - Amendments and Revisions
Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended or revised with the approval of a simple majority of the voting members attending any Biennial Meeting, providing the amendment has been submitted in writing with the Biennial Meeting notice as stated in Article VII, Section 3. When amendments or revisions are presented to the membership for a mail-in ballot vote, a minimum of one full month shall be allowed for the voting process.
Article X - Parliamentary Procedures
Section 1: Robert’s Rules of Order (newly revised) shall govern parliamentary procedures in all meetings and assemblies of this Association.
Article XI - Standing Rules
Section 1: The Executive Board shall establish the Standing Rules.
Section 2: The Standing Rules shall include the administrative items deemed necessary by the Executive Board not specifically covered in the Bylaws.
Section 3: The procedures and rules for voting by the membership on items requiring a membership vote shall be included in the Standing Rules, including but not limited to provisions for absentee voting when appropriate.
Article XII - Adoption
Section 1: The Bylaws for the Association were originally proposed in 1987 at a regular meeting of the Association members in Branson, Missouri. The Executive Board adopted revised Bylaws in 1998. When (if) approved by the membership, this document shall become the Bylaws for the KNOWLES/KNOLES/NOLES Family Association.
End of Bylaws
