USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > The truth about the Pilgrims > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
12-Mr. William Bradford, son of William and Alice (Hanson) Bradford, came with his wife Dorothy (May) Bradford. They left their son behind (B 407). William Bradford was the second signer of the Mayflower Compact. Any account of him means giving a history of the Pilgrim movement. The town of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, and the villages of Austerfield and Bawtry in Yorkshire, and Scrooby and Babworth in Nottinghamshire were on or near what was once called the great North Road. Many Separatists lived in these localities. Bradford was born in Austerfield where he was baptized on March 19, 1590 (AM 19/522). After a long sickness, when about twelve years of age, he became deeply impressed by the preaching of the Rev. Richard Clyfton at Babworth. Bradford had been in the care of uncles from the time his parents died when he was about two years of age. These uncles remonstrated with him because they knew that the consequences of join- ing the Separatists might be confiscation of all property, banishment or death. His answer, written while a boy, shows the character and nature of his entire life:
"Were I like to endanger my life or consume my estate by any ungodly courses, your counsels to me were very seasonable. But you know that I have been diligent and
115
provident in my calling, and not only desirous to augment what I have, but also to enjoy it in your company, to part from which will be as great a cross as can befall me. Never- theless, to keep a good conscience and walk in such a Way as God has prescribed in his Word, is a thing which I must prefer before you all, and above life itself. Wherefore; since it is for a good Cause that I am likely to suffer the disasters which you lay before me, you have no cause to be either angry with me or sorry for me. Yea, I am not only willing to part with everything that is dear to me in this world for this Cause, but I am thankful that God hath given me a heart so to do, and will accept me to suffer for him" (B 6).
When it was decided by the members of the Scrooby group to remove to Holland, Bradford, then aged about seventeen years, was ready to go. After many difficulties he reached Amsterdam in 1608 and moved to Leyden in 1609. In Amsterdam he had been employed by a French- man in the working of silks. When he came of age in 1611, he was able to convert his inheritance into money. In Leyden he was in the business of making fustian; a type of cloth like corduroy. On November 30, 1613, he was married to Dorothy May of Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, England (B 8). By the time the group left Holland for America, he was one of their leaders (Mass. Hist. Soc. Pro- ceedings, Vol. 61, pp. 34-40, 55-58). On the arrival of the "Mayflower" in Cape Cod Harbor on November 21; : 1620, an expedition was fitted out to explore the land to which he was one of the men added as counsel (MR 13-14) (B 8). It was shortly thereafter that he was caught in an Indian deer trap made with a noose attached to a bent twig (B 9). He also possibly took part in the second expedition by persons whose names have not been recorded. He was a member of the third expedition which had the First En- ·counter with the Indians and which landed and selected Plymouth as a settlement (MR 43). When he returned to the "Mayflower" on December 22, he learned of the death
116
of his wife Dorothy by accidental drowning on December 17, 1620 (MD XXIX 98, 118).
An interesting contemporary document. bears evidence of the severity of the first winter. Thomas White of Dor- chester, writing in 1630, to a friend in England, asserts that when. the settlers landed. at Plymouth ten years before, there was a foot of snow on the ground (B 9). When Gov- ernor Carver died about the middle of April 1621, Bradford was chosen to succeed him and served every year thereafter until 1657, with the exception of 1633, 1636 and 1644 when Edward Winslow served and 1634 and 1638 when Thomas Prence served. He also served as an Assistant, 1634, et seq. He married, second, at Plymouth on August 24, 1623, Alice, daughter of Alexander Carpenter and widow of Edward Southworth who came on the "Ann" in July of that year. His "History of Plymouth Plantation" is a classic. His other literary productions are outstanding. Cotton Mather says of his death, "at length he fell into an indisposition of body which rendered him unhealthy for a whole winter (1656-1657), and as Spring advanced his health yet more declined ... He died lamented by all the Colonies of New England as a common blessing and Father to them all" (B 3-19). He died at Plymouth, May 19, 1657 (YAI.) (HS II 105). His will has been published (MD II 228) (Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories, Vol. II, part 1, pgs. 53-59). He was probably buried on Burial Hill; so in 1835 a grave- stone was placed for him by the known grave of his son William who, tradition said, had expressed a wish during his lifetime to be buried next his father. Bradford's widow died at Plymouth on April 5th or 6th, 1670 (MD II 115) (AM. 19/527). He left many descendants (BD) (BW) (MI), of whom I mention a few. William Bradford was followed by his very distinguished son, Deputy Governor Major William Bradford. Persons of the Bradford name have con- tinued to be prominent. Among them have been Gamaliel Bradford, Colonel in the Revolution; William Bradford,
117
first U.S. Senator from Rhode Island; Alden Bradford, early Secretary of State of Massachusetts; Governor Robert Bradford of Massachusetts; and author Roark Bradford. Among other descendants have been the late Dean Le Baron Russell Briggs, president of Radcliffe College; James Bryant Conant, President of Harvard; Charles Seymour, President of Yale; Arthur Coolidge, Lt. Governor of Massa- chusetts; the late John Pierpont Morgan, banker; the Right Reverend James DeWolf Perry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Wilbur L. Cross, Governor of Connecti- cut; Harold Eugene Edgerton, Professor of M.I.T. and noted inventor; Carl R. Gray, President of the Union Pacific Railroad; General Carl R. Gray, Jr., head of the Veterans' Administration; and Major General "Jimmy" Doolittle. Among the distinguished women descendants are Mrs. Alexis I. duPont and Mrs. Louisa Pierpont Satterlee.
13-Dorothy (May) Bradford came with her husband William, leaving their son John behind (B 407). John had been born in Leyden. He came over later and lived at var- ious times in Duxbury, Marshfield and Norwich, in which latter place he died childless in 1678 (BW 77).
Dorothy May was born about 1597. She married William Bradford at Amsterdam, Holland, on December 9, 1613, (AM 522) (HX 5). She was accidentally drowned at Cape Cod Harbor on December 17, 1620 (MD II 115) (MD XXIX 98, 118) (MD XXIII 24). The first allegation that she com- mitted suicide was contained in a fictional and imaginative account published by Mrs. Jane Austin in Harper's New Monthly Magazine in June, 1869. This authoress did not pretend to be accurate in her historical stories. To use an old saying, she "never let the truth spoil a good story." Any publication which repeats as fact the absolutely un- founded story of Mrs. Austin's may be rightfully considered as historically unreliable in its statement.
14-Mr. William Brewster, who was born about 1566/7 (BM I 3) (MD II 115) (DN 253, 273), came with his wife
118
Mary and his two sons Love and Wrestling (B 407). He was the fourth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He prob- ably had much to do with the preparation of this document. The rest of his children were left behind and came over afterwards. He attended Peterhouse College, Cambridge University, from about 1580 to 1583 (HS II 27). That year he entered the service of Sir William Davison, then Ambas- sador to Holland. After the latter lost his position, Brewster obtained the appointment of the Post at Scrooby, a position previously held by his father. He kept this position from April 1, 1594, to September 30, 1607, when he was in trouble because of his religious activities (B 5). He married before 1593 (MD II 115) a wife Mary who has been tenta- tively identified as Mary Wentworth, the daughter of his predecessor in the Scrooby post.
Brewster had been pious from his youth and was early found among those who opposed the ceremonies and forms of the English Church. Those who wished to leave the Established Church, known as Separatists, met in groups in private houses, and one group met in his Scrooby home. Eventually persecution drove its members to flee secretly to Holland in 1607 and 1608. When the members of the Scrooby group were arrested for trying to escape from England, all except seven were discharged after one month's confinement. He was among the seven who were kept in prison (B 34) and, therefore, was one of the last to escape to Holland (B 38). At Amsterdam where they resided for a year and at Leyden, where they settled for over ten years more, Brewster taught the English language. He also engaged in the business of printing prohibited religious books and introducing them into England by stealth from about 1616 to about 1619. During the latter years he was under cover, seeking to avoid arrest by the English authori- ties. He, together with John Carver and Robert Cushman, conducted the negotiations for the emigration to America (B 8). He was long the ruling Elder of the Church, and in
119
Plymouth he conducted all services for many years because Robinson stayed in Leyden and there was no ordained minister in Plymouth. After the death of James Chilton, he was the oldest of the Pilgrims. He was one of those leaders who assumed the debt of the Colony (B 227-229), and who settled with Merchant Adventurer Sherley (B 371). A deputy to the General Court in 1636, he also was Chap- lain of the Military Company. He died at Plymouth, April 20, 1644 (MD II 115) (MD I 7) (BL X 1) (MD III 15) (Plymouth Col. Wills, Vol. I, pg. 53) (Court Orders, Vol. II, pg. 101). Bradford's description of him is touching (B 375-382). One of the most remarkable characters that this county has ever had, he has had many descendants (BM) (MI) of whom I mention a few.
William Brewster shares with his son-in-law Isaac Aller- ton the credit of being the ancestor of many of the most distinguished residents of Virginia. Sarah Allerton, who married Hancock Lee, was a great grand-daughter of Wil- liam Brewster, so the latter is ancestor of Elizabeth Lee, who married Zachary Taylor and became the ancestor of President Zachary Taylor, whose daughter Sarah Knox Taylor was the first wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. I shall not repeat the other distinguished persons in this line mentioned under the Allerton head; they include some of the best blood in the South. Among other descendants are Benjamin Brewster, Bishop of Maine; Owen Brewster, U. S. Senator from Maine; Henry Wads- worth Longfellow, the poet; Major General Amiel Weeks Whipple, early American explorer of the Southwest; Robert Low Bacon, former Congressman; James W. Wadsworth, Jr., former U. S. Senator from New York and Congressman; and Winthrop Aldrich, the banker. Among the distin- guished women descended from him are the late Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., sister of Mr. Aldrich, also the first Mrs. Albert Conway, wife of the Associate Justice of the New York Court of Appeals.
120
15-Mary (tentatively identified as Wentworth) Brewster came with her husband and two sons (B 407). She died at Plymouth on April 27, 1627 (MD II 115).
16-Love Brewster came with his parents and brother Wrestling (B 407). He was born about 1611 and was too young to sign the Mayflower Compact. He married at Plymouth on May 25, 1634, Sarah Collier, daughter of Merchant Adventurer William Collier. She was born about 1615. Love Brewster was admitted a freeman of Plymouth Colony on March 2, 1635/6. He early moved from Ply- mouth to Duxbury. In 1637, his name appears among those who volunteered to serve in the Pequot War. He was a member of Capt. Myles Standish's Duxbury company in the military enrollment of 1643. In 1645, he was a proprie- tor of Bridgewater. He died at Duxbury in January or February, 1651. (MD I 162) (MD II 115, 203) (Plymouth Colony: Wills and Inventories, Vol. I, fols. 89-91). His widow married, second, after September 1, 1656, Richard Parks of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who died there between July 12 and October 19, 1665 (MD II 115). Sarah returned to Duxbury after Parks' death and was living there March 12, 1679/80. She died at Plymouth May 6, 1691 (B 27). Love Brewster has had many descendants.
17-Wrestling Brewster came with his parents and brother Love Brewster (B 407). He was too young to sign the Mayflower Compact. He died unmarried between June 1, 1627 and August 1643 (MD II 1:15).
18-Richard Britteridge came alone (B 409). He was the thirty-fourth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was probably from London (BK 40). His was the first Plymouth death. He died without known issue while the "Mayflower" was in Plymouth Harbor, December 31, 1620 (MD II 115), "in the general sickness that befell" (B 413).
19-Peter Brown was from Great Burstead, Essex, Eng- land. He came alone (B 409). He was the thirty-third signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was a brother of John
121
Browne, the weaver (BK 41). On January 12, 1621, with John Goodman, he was gathering thatch when they came to a lake of water (probably Murdock's pond). Their two dogs found a fine large deer and chased it. They followed until they were lost. They wandered all night in the frost and snow without weapons or food. In the night they were alarmed by noises which they supposed to be the roaring of lions. They mounted a tree for safety with intervals of walking beneath it. At early dawn they renewed their wanderings, and it was not until night that they reached the settlement. Later they learned that what they thought were lions were really wolves (MR 73-74) (T 31). Peter Brown married first at Plymouth in 1624 or 1625 Mrs. Martha ( ) Ford who had come on the "Ann" and who died at Plymouth between June 1, 1627 and 1631. After her death, he married, second, between 1627 and 1631, Mary , who died at Plymouth after Janu- ary 12, 1634 (MD II 115-116). Brown was registered among the early settlers of Duxbury as a freeman. He was fined for not being at the General Court on January 1, 1633 (HX 1I 27) (PCR I 5). He died at Plymouth about Septem- ber, 1633. His estate has been listed (MD V 29) (MD I 79) (HS 11 132). He is said to have had "divers children by divers wives" (MI), but Bradford says he married twice and had two children by each wife (B 413).
20-William Butten came as a servant to Samuel Fuller. He was a son of Robert Butten of Austerfield, England, and was baptized in the Austerfield Church on February 12, 1598, O.S. (B 94, note). Bradford says of him, "In all this viage ther died but one of the passengers, which was William Butten, a youth, servant to Samuell Fuller, when they drew near the coast." (B 94). He died on November 16, 1620 (MD II 116) (B 17). He left no descendants.
21-Robert Carter came over as a servant of William Mullins. He did not sign the Mayflower Compact, perhaps because he was not free to do so or because he did not
122
intend to remain permanently. He probably came from London or vicinity. In the will of William Mullins, the testator asks that his executors "have a special eye to my man Robert weh hathe not so approved himself as I would he should have don." (BK 43) (HS II 214). He died without issue at Plymouth in the general sickness after March 3rd, 1621 (MD II 116).
22-Mr. John Carver came with his wife, Catherine, Desire Minter, two men servants (John Howland and Roger Wilder), a maid servant and a boy (William Latham). Jasper More accompanied him (B 407). He was the first signer of the Mayflower Compact. He is believed to have been a son of Robert Carver and to have been baptized Sep- tember 9, 1565, at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, which is approximately seven miles away from Austerfield and next to Bentley, where other Pilgrim families like the Brewsters and Bradfords had resided. He married Mrs. Catherine (White) Leggatt, widow of George Leggatt, who was the daughter of Alexander White of Sturton-le-Steeple in Nottinghamshire about 1608 (BG 22). Her sister Bridget has been previously referred to as the wife of the Rev. John Robinson at Leyden (BK 44). Carver was elected first Gov- ernor of the Colony before landing (B 10, 107-116) and ' served as such only four months and twenty-four days. He was a man of great prudence, integrity and firmness of mind. He had a good estate in England, which he spent in the migration to Holland and America. Piety, humility and benevolence were eminent traits in his character. He took part in the third expedition from the "Mayflower" in the shallop which had the First Encounter with the Indians where is now Eastham and which made the permanent landing at Plymouth (MR 43). He conducted the making of the treaty with Massasoit (B 10, 11). Both before and after the arrival of the "Mayflower," he acted as agent for the Pilgrims (B 8, 52, etc.). He signed the will of Williams Mullins as a witness. At the time of the general sickness
123
1
he was assiduous in attending to the sick after his own recovery. On April 5, 1621, he was taken sick in the field while engaged in planting and died in a few days (B 116) (T 37-38). His wife died at Plymouth five or six weeks after her husband in May, 1621 (MD II 116) (BK 44). They left no known descendants.
23-Catherine (White) Carver was the daughter of Alex- ander White of Sturton-le-Steeple, Nottinghamshire. She first married George Leggatt. After his death she married John Carver (BK 44) (HS II 128) and died at Plymouth in May, 1621, five or six weeks after her husband (MD II 116). 24- , maid servant of Mrs. John Carver. Bradford says "His maid servant married and dyed a year or tow after, here in this place" (B 410). She prob- ably married Francis Eaton (MD II 116). Her name is unknown.
25-James Chilton was born probably about 1563 (HS II 101). He came with his wife and daughter Mary (B 408). He was the twenty-fourth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was a citizen and tailor of Canterbury in 1583 and was active in the affairs of the Merchant Adventurers. He first was in the parish of St. Paul and later St. Martin of that city. He later lived in St. Peter's parish, Sandwich, where several of the Pilgrims lived prior to their moving to Leyden. He died on the "Mayflower" at Cape Cod Harbor on December 18, 1620. His wife died after January 11, 1621 (MD II 116) (AM 19/543). He has had descendants (MI), including Mrs. James A. Garfield, wife of the former . president of the United States and her sons James R. Garfield, former Secretary of the Interior, Harry A. Gar- field, late President of Williams College; Irvin A. Garfield, the architect; and McDowell Garfield, the lawyer.
26-" ( ) Chilton, wife of James Chilton, died in the first general sickness sometimes after January 11, 1621 (MD II 116) (BK 45). Her unmarried name is un- known.
124
27-Mary Chilton was probably born about 1608 (BK 45). She married at Plymouth between July, 1623 and June 1, 1627, John Winslow, who was born at Droitwich, England, April 26, 1597. He was brother to Edward Winslow. He arrived on the "Fortune" in 1621. They first resided at Plymouth (AM 19/543-544). In Pilgrim Hall is a certificate of their dismissal from the Plymouth Church to the Boston Church. He moved to Boston in 1655 and became a pros- perous shipping merchant. He died at Boston, Massachu- setts, between March 22 and May 31, 1674. She died there shortly before May 11, 1679 (MD II 116). "Mary Chilton's Title to Celebrity," by Charles Thornton Libby (privately printed, Boston, 1926) tells about the tradition that she was the first to land. Her will has been published (MD I 65) (Suffolk County Registry of Probate, VI, 300-301). A copy of the inventory is in Probate Records, XII, 314-15. She is buried with her husband in King's Chapel Burying Ground next to the later grave of Paul Revere. She has had many descendants.
28-Richard Clarke came alone (B 409). He was the thirty- sixth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He died during the general sickness sometime between January 11 and April 10, 1621 (MD II 116) (B 413). Many have claimed descent from him, but the Society of Mayflower Descend- ants has not allowed their claims.
29-Francis Cooke came with his son John. His wife and other children came afterwards on the "Ann" (B 408). He was the seventeenth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was living in Leyden seven or eight years before the arrival of Robinson and the remainder of the Pilgrims which leads one to believe that he had no prior association with the Pilgrim group. He is recorded as "Franchois Couck" in the Leyden records which give his betrothal date of June 9, 1603. His bride Hester Mahieu described as spinster from Canterbury in England, and his two witnesses were all Walloons (BK 48). There was a large group of Walloons
125
in Canterbury (HS I 156). This furnishes an uncertainty as to whether he was originally English or Walloon. He was married on July 20, 1603, in Leyden, Holland (MD XXVII 145-155) (MD VIII 48). Francis Cooke settled at Rocky Nook, now in Kingston. He was made a freeman in 1633. In 1634, he was a referee in settlement of various affairs between members of the Colony, and he was there- after employed by the community in various capacities. From 1637 to 1647 he was a juryman. In August, 1643, he was listed as able to bear arms. In 1662, he was one of the proprietors of Dartmouth (now New Bedford) but never lived there (HX II 5). He died at Plymouth on April 17, 1663. His will has been published (HS I 157). (Plymouth Col. Wills and Invent., Vol. II, Part II, folios 1, 2). His widow died after June 18, 1666, and before December 28, 1675 (MD II 116). He has had many descendants (C) (MI) who include Alphonso Taft, Ambassador to Russia; Wil- liam Howard Taft, President of the United States, and Charles Taft, U. S. Senator. Other distinguished descend- ants are Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States, Major General Leonard Wood, Commander of the Rough Riders and later of our armies in Cuba during the Spanish American War; Charles Allerton Coolidge, archi- tect who built the college houses at Harvard; Charles Dudley Warner and many others.
30-John Cooke came with his father. His mother with other children came afterward (B 408). He was baptized at Leyden between January 1 and March 31, 1607 (MD XXVII 153). He married at Plymouth on April 7, 1634, Sarah, daughter of Richard Warren. In 1637, he volun- teered for service in the Pequot War. From 1640 to 1653 he was a juryman. In August, 1643, he was listed as able to bear arms. He was Deputy to the General Court from 1638 to 1656 from Plymouth and he served in 1666, 1668, 1675, 1679, 1682 and 1686 from Dartmouth, where he settled. He also served as Deacon (HS II 6). He built the
126
ferry between Dartmouth and Rhode Island. He became a Quaker and later a Baptist preacher. He died at Dartmouth December 3, 1695, and was buried at Oxford, Fair Haven. His will and inventory are on file (Bristol Co. Probate Records I, 139-140). His widow died after July 25, 1696 (MD II 116). They have had many descendants.
31-Humility Cooper came in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tilley. Bradford describes her as their cousin (B 408). She was probably from London. She had one acre granted to her in 1623 adjoining that of Henry Samson, who was also related to the Edward Tilleys (BK 49). She later was sent for and returned to England and died there (B 412) between 1627 and 1651 (MD II 116). She has left no known descendants.
32-John Crackston came with his son John, Jr. (B 407). He was the twenty-fifth signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was one of the Leyden contingent and is supposed to have come from Colchester, County Essex. Davis thinks the name of Crackston's wife was Smith (BK 50). He died in the first mortality (B 411) between January 11 and April 10, 1621 (MD II 116), possibly the first part of March. He left a daughter Ann, at Leyden, who married Thomas Smith, a wool carder, from Bury St. Edmunds, England (HX II 21). No descendants are known to have lived in the United States.
33-John ? Crackston came with his father of the same name (B 407). Bradford says "John Crackston dyed in the first mortality; and about 5 or 6 years after, his sone dyed; having lost him selfe in the wodes, his feet became frosen, which put him into a feavor, of which he dyed." (B 411). The date was 1627 (MD II 116). He left no descendants.
34-Edward Doty was of London. He came as a servant, perhaps meaning employee, of Stephen Hopkins (B 408). He was the fortieth signer of the Mayflower Compact (HX II 32). He apparently married Wynifryd Waryner, December 12, 1613, at St. Mary-le-Strand, London (BK 51). He came
127
without his wife. On December 16, 1620, he left with the third expedition from the "Mayflower" in the shallop' which resulted in the first encounter at Eastham two days later and in the first landing at Plymouth (MR 43). He was given one allotment after landing, which shows that he was alone at the time. On June 18, 1621, he was arraigned with Edward Leister before the company for trial because they had fought a duel with sword and dagger in which both were wounded. They were sentenced to have their heads and feet tied together and to remain in the situation for twenty-four hours without food or drink. The punish- ment was remitted by the governor after one hour's endur- ance in consequence of their pleadings and promises and the earnest desire of their employer Mr. Hopkins (T 38). He married, second, at Plymouth, on January 16, 1635, Faith Clark, and died at Plymouth on September 2, 1655 (MD III 87). His will has been published (HS II 139-140) (Plymouth Colony Wills, Vol. II, part 1, pg. 14-16). His widow married, second, on March 14, 1667, John Phillips, who was born about 1602 and died at Marshfield, between October 30, 1691, and May 19, 1692. His wife, then Mrs. Phillips, died and was buried at Marshfield on December 31, 1675 (MD II 116). Her will is on file (Plymouth Colony Wills, Vol. III, part 2, pg. 12). Doty has had many descend- ants (DG) MI), one of whom was Mrs. Russell Sage.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.