A Thanksgiving Surprise

[turpin]

Earlier this week I was watching "Mayflower: The Untold Story" on the History Channel. It depicts the issues and events that led up to the emigration of the Leyden Separatists (Pilgrims) from England and their first year in the New World. A very engaging dramatization.

Yesterday, apropos of the American holiday, my brother, the family geneologist, sent us all a link to our family tree on Rootsweb.com and directed our attention down my mother's side of the tree to my 9th great- grand-father, William Brewster, born 24 Jan 1560 in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, died 16 Apr 1644 in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, emigrated 16 Dec 1620 on the Mayflower.

John Robinson, the primary spiritual leader of the Pilgrims, stayed behind in Holland (where they had taken refuge from King James I's wrath) to care for the majority who remained behind until the colony was established. He appointed William Brewster to be spiritual leader of the Mayflower passengers.

It's been decades since I have done anything with Thanksgiving other than eat. So this year I watch this show, and the next day find this out. Tomorrow I will drink to Grandad William and Grandmother Mary Wentworth Love Brewster.

[Mr. Kilt]

How very cool! Not many people can claim a direct link to the Mayflower pilgrims. Family history can be incredibly fascinating. Thanks for sharing that!

[Mike1]

His 84 years of life are evidence of his strength.

[Matthew Siegmann]

Indeed, that is very awsome. My maternal grandmother is the big geneologist on my mom's side of the family but I'm the geneologist on my dad's side. I find all sorts of interesting things when I do family research!

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

That's great Turpin. I am working on our family history, but all trails show us coming over in the mid-1800's. How long did it take for your brother to do all the research and pull it all together?

[Tattoo Bradley]

His 84 years of life are evidence of his strength.

I thought the EXACT same thing. And, I also noticed he made the Mayflower voyage at the age of 60. That's quite a testament as well, seeing as how those trips weren't exactly "The Love Boat."

[turpin]

That's great Turpin. I am working on our family history, but all trails show us coming over in the mid-1800's. How long did it take for your brother to do all the research and pull it all together?

He's been working on it for quite a few years. He told me there are two kinds of geneologist: researchers and collectors, and he is the latter. He corresponds with extended family members and posts on several forums where such info is shared. He compiles the results, checks it for errors, and uploads it to rootsweb. The things I really enjoy are the validating notes for some of the entries, including land title documents, wills, personal journals, ship manifests, and other documents that refer to the person. Here are a couple of examples from my tree for those who might be interested such stuff. Those of you with a direct Gordon lineage can use one of these to maybe trace your lineage.

GG-9 William Brewster

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi...lard&id=I10497

My GG-28 , Sir Adam de Gordun, first Gordon in Scotland.

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi...lard&id=I11136

[Riverkilt]

That is so cool Turp,

I'm descended from the Mullins family and John Alden on both sides of my family and also the Chilton family on my father's side.

Everyone thought my maternal grandmother was a tad nuts when she proclaimed the connection during a third grade geneology project of mine. When I matured I was able to prove her correct, and later more amazed that the line was on my father's side too. Thanks to the Mayflower Society.

When I discovered the link I wrote my parents, who were vacationing, telling them they were 13th cousins. I got a prompt reply from my mother who said, "Thank God, now I can get an annulment."

Not sure why the History Channel calls the Mayflower folks Puritans. The Puritans came years later to the Boston area and were the dour folks in black. Mayflower folks, as the program mentions, were quite the colorfully dressed, beer drinking, rowdy bunch....as evidence to the large number of children the early women bore.

My ancestors aboard were the merchants, and John Alden who was the cooper in charge of the beer.

Ron

[turpin]

That is so cool Turp,

I'm descended from the Mullins family and John Alden on both sides of my family and also the Chilton family on my father's side.

Everyone thought my maternal grandmother was a tad nuts when she proclaimed the connection during a third grade geneology project of mine. When I matured I was able to prove her correct, and later more amazed that the line was on my father's side too. Thanks to the Mayflower Society.

When I discovered the link I wrote my parents, who were vacationing, telling them they were 13th cousins. I got a prompt reply from my mother who said, "Thank God, now I can get an annulment."

Not sure why the History Channel calls the Mayflower folks Puritans. The Puritans came years later to the Boston area and were the dour folks in black. Mayflower folks, as the program mentions, were quite the colorfully dressed, beer drinking, rowdy bunch....as evidence to the large number of children the early women bore.

My ancestors aboard were the merchants, and John Alden who was the cooper in charge of the beer.

Ron

According to the program, the Mayflower passengers were a mix of Leyden Separatists (those who were emigrating for religious freedom) and regular English folk, which may be where the colorful, rowdy element came from. I think they were the beginning of the Puritans, so called because they felt that the Anglican Church had become as corrupt as the Roman, and that the purity of the scriptures was subsumed by all the idolatrous ceremony. Don't forget that once the Plymouth colony was established more of their fellow separatist living in Holland came to join them. These may be the "later" Puritans you're referring to.

As for inbreeding, it turns out my parents are 6th cousins. That explains a lot! Now I know why I have 10 toes..... four on one foot and six on the other

[Riverkilt]

Crack me up Turp,

Well, my Mayflower ancestors were merchants...Bill Mullins was a shoe merchant from London who brought along a large supply of shoes. He signed the Mayflower compact, then died. His wife Alice died the first winter. They were buried in unmarked graves so the Indians wouldn't be able to count the losses to the colony.

Bill's daughter Priscilla, who was 18 at the crossing, married John Alden. John signed on at the last minute and nothing is known about his past. Some suspect he was very attracted to Pricilla, and they did marry and have a LOT of kids. He was a cooper by trade and became a strong leader both during the crossing and in the colony after.

Jim Chilton was a tailor from Canturbury, Kent. He died aboard ship at Cape Cod. His wife died in the Spring of 1621. No one ever recorded her name and its lost in time. Their daughter Mary was 13 at the crossing. Fortunately for me she survived. She's described as "a sprightly young miss" and "very vivacious."

Mary married John Winslow who followed on the ship Fortune in the Spring of 1621 and had ten kids. They moved up to Boston where he was a wealthy shipowner.

Really spooky to realize that if the Mayflower sinks, or Pricilla or Mary die, then I don't get the gift of life.

But, no religious freedom folks in my Mayflower ancestors. Just merchants trying to make a buck, or in John Alden's case out for adventure, love, or both.

And really ironic to me. Last night, I'm with a group of friends, and we're breaking up the gathering, and the Navajo's are all wishing the Bilagaana's (Anglos) a happy Thanksgiving....Kinda touching and heavy on history.

Ron