We Are Descendants of Nine Mayflower Passangers (plus two uncles)

 The written information here was found on Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History. com

GRANDPARENTS William and Mary Brewster with them two of their children Love and Wrestling

William Brewster

One Brewster ward died the first year

BIRTH:  About 1566, in the vicinity of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, son of William and Mary (Smythe)(Simkinson) Brewster.MARRIAGE:  Mary (maiden name unknown), about 1592, probably in the vicinity of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England.CHILDREN: Jonathan, Patience, Fear, an unnamed child who died young, Love, and Wrestling.DEATH: 10 April 1644 at Plymouth.

yDNA HAPLOGROUP:  I-M253 (I-FT1754)

William Brewster was born about 1566, the son of William Brewster. He was educated in both Greek and Latin and spent some time at Cambridge University, although he never completed a full degree. He went into the service of William Davison, then Secretary of State, while his father back home maintained a position as the postmaster of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire. Under Davison, Brewster first traveled to the Netherlands. After Davison was removed as Secretary of State by Queen Elizabeth, Brewster worked himself into his father's postmaster duties and maintained Scrooby Manor. Brewster was instrumental in establishing a Separatist church with Richard Clyfton, and they often held their meetings in the Manor house. Brewster and the others were eventually found and forced out, and fleeing prosecution and persecution they headed to Amsterdam in 1608, and moved to Leiden, Holland in 1609. Brewster became the church's Elder, responsible for seeing that the congregation's members carried themselves properly, both helping and admonishing them when necessary.

In Leiden, Brewster working with Thomas Brewer, Edward Winslow, and others, began working a printing press and publishing religious books and pamphlets that were then illegally conveyed into England. Brewster also employed himself teaching University of Leiden students English. By 1618, the English authorities were onto him and his printing press, and had the Dutch authorities in pursuit of him. Thomas Brewer was arrested and held in the University of Leiden's prison, but Brewster managed to evade the authorities and went into hiding for a couple years.

When the Leiden church congregation decided to send the first wave of settlers to establish a colony that everyone could eventually move to, their pastor John Robinson decided to remain behind in Leiden with the majority of the congregation, intending to come later. The smaller group that went on the Mayflower desired the next highest ranking church official, Elder Brewster, to go with them; so he agreed. He brought his wife Mary and two youngest children, Love and Wrestling, on the Mayflower with him.

Brewster continued his work as Church Elder throughout his life at Plymouth Colony. His wife Mary died in 1627, and he never remarried. He lived to be nearly 80 years old, dying in 1644. His estate inventory lists the titles of several hundred books that he owned.  Shortly after he died, William Bradford wrote a short but concise biography of Brewster in his history Of Plymouth Plantation, though he erroneously filed it under 1643 instead of 1644.

Mrs. Mary Brewster

BIRTH:  About 1569, probably in Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire.
MARRIAGE:  William Brewster, by about 1592, probably in the vicinity of Scrooby, co. Nottingham.
CHILDREN:  Jonathan, Patience, Fear, an unnamed child who died young, Love, and Wrestling.
DEATH:  17 April 1627 at Plymouth.
mtDNA HAPLOGROUP: I4a

The English origins of Mrs. Mary Brewster are not known. A number of theories have been proposed over the years, including maiden names such as Wentworth, Love, Wyrall, and others. However, no proof to support any of these hypotheses has been found.

We know that Mary was born about 1569 because she stated she was 40 years old in an affidavit filed in Leiden, Holland on 25 June 1609. She was presumably from the vicinity of Doncaster, Yorkshire or Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, as she married William Brewster in that area about 1592 and had their first son Jonathan in Scrooby a year later. She next had a daughter Patience, born about 1600 or somewhat earlier. About 1606, the church congregation began more formally meeting at the Scrooby manor, where she and husband William resided. About this time, pressure from the English authorities was mounting, and the meetings became more and more secretive. She gave birth to another daughter at this time, which they named Fear. The couple fled just over a year later for Holland with the other members of the congregation, and in Leiden they buried an unnamed child: presumably one that had died in infancy. In 1611, she gave birth to a son they named Love, and two or three years later gave birth to their last son, whom they named Wrestling.

Mary came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620 with husband William, and her two youngest children Love and Wrestling. Mary was one of only five adult women to survive the first winter, and one of only four women to survive to the so-called "First Thanksgiving" in 1621. Son Jonathan Brewster joined the family in November 1621, arriving at Plymouth on the ship Fortune. Daughters Patience and Fear came on the ship Anne in 1623. Mary died in 1627 at Plymouth, having reached about the age of 60. Husband William survived her, and would live another 17 years before he died.

Ancestry Chain: 13th great-grandparents William c.1566-1644 and Mary BREWSTER c.1569-1627 on the Mayflower / Patience Brewster 1607-1634 / Rebecca PRINCE 1627-1704 / Priscilla PUTNAM 1657-1704 / Lydia BAILEY 1695-1750 / John (2nd) Jeffords 1724-1760 / John (3rd) Jeffords 1746- / Lucretia Jeffords 1766-1843 / Amariah Rawson 1787-1843 / Adaline RAWSON 1811-1841 / Mary DUNN 1833-1920 / Harriet Camilla ENSIGN 1859-1930 / George Ensign SMITH 1898-1967 / Camilla SMITH 1926-1999 / /

GRANDPARENT John Howland

“Howland fell overboard during a storm, and was almost lost at sea”

Howland Overboard," a painting by maritime artist Mike Haywood.

John Howland

BIRTH:  About 1599, son of Henry and Margaret Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire.
MARRIAGE:  Elizabeth Tilley, daughter of John and Joan (Hurst) Tilley, about 1624, at Plymouth.
CHILDREN: Desire, John, Hope, Elizabeth, Lydia, Hannah, Joseph, Jabez, Ruth, and Isaac.
DEATH: 23 or 24 February 1672/3 at Rocky Nook, Plymouth.
yDNA HAPLOGROUP:  R-M269 (R-A9703)

Both Carver's one ward and one servant died the first year

John Howland was born about 1599, probably in Fenstanton, Huntington. He came on the Mayflower in 1620 as a manservant of Governor John Carver. During the Mayflower's voyage, Howland fell overboard during a storm, and was almost lost at sea--but luckily for his millions of descendants living today (including Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush, and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt) he managed to grab hold of the topsail halyards, giving the crew enough time to rescue him with a boat-hook.

It has been traditionally reported that John Howland was born about 1592, based on his reported age at death in the Plymouth Church Records. However, ages at death were often overstated, and that is clearly the case here. John Howland came as a servant for John Carver, which means he was under 25 years old at the time (i.e. he was born after 1595). William Bradford, in the falling-overboard incident, refers to Howland as a "lusty young man," a term that would not likely have applied to a 28-year old given that Bradford himself was only 30. Bradford did call 21-year old John Alden a "young man" though. Howland's wife Elizabeth was born in 1607: a 32-year old marrying a 17-year old is a relatively unlikely circumstance.  Howland's last child was born in 1649: a 57-year old Howland would be an unlikely father. All these taken together demonstrate that Howland's age was likely overstated by at least 5 years. Since he signed the "Mayflower Compact", we can assume he was probably at least 18 to 21 years old in 1620.

John Howland had several brothers who also came to New England, namely Henry Howland (an ancestor to both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford) and Arthur Howland (an ancestor to Winston Churchill).

Ancestry Chain: 11^th great grandparents John HOWLAND on the Mayflower and wife not yet married Elizabeth TILLEY on the Mayflower / Desire Howland / Marcy Gorham / Desire Denison / Robert Williams / Edmund Williams / George Williams / John Williams / Polly Williams / Elizabeth Davis / Laura Parker / Kirt Wood / /

GRANDPARENTS Edward and Mrs. Fuller, and son Samuel

Edward and Mrs. Fuller

Edward and Mrs. Fuller and died the first year

BAPTISM:  4 September 1575 at Redenhall, co. Norfolk, England.

CHILDREN:  Matthew, Samuel.
DEATH:  Sometime the first winter at Plymouth, likely between January and March 1621.
yDNA HAPLOGROUP:  R-M269 (Y85916) 

Edward Fuller has been generally identified as the son of Robert and Sara (Dunkhorn) Fuller, baptized on 4 September 1575 at Redenhall, Norfolk. Thomas Morton, writing in 1637, says that Samuel Fuller (brother of Edward Fuller) was the son of a butcher. The name Matthew also occurs in this Redenhall Fuller family. 

The name of Edward Fuller's wife has not been discovered. In James Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (1860-1862), Edward Fuller's wife was given as "Ann". However, there are no American or English records which give her name. I suspect James Savage may have made a simple typographical error: Mayflower passenger Edward Tilley had a wife Ann; or perhaps he was thinking of their sister Ann Fuller. Nonetheless, numerous sources published after 1860 have utilized Savage's Genealogical Dictionary, and so the identification of Ann can be found in numerous other books and online resources.

Very little is known about Edward Fuller. What is known is that he, his wife, and his son Samuel came on the Mayflower in 1620 to Plymouth.  An older brother, Matthew, had stayed behind, and came to America later.

Samuel Fuller (the younger)

BIRTH:  About 1608, probably in the vicinity of Redenhall, co. Norfolk, England.
MARRIAGE: Jane Lothrop on 8 April 1635 at Scituate.
CHILDREN: Hannah, Samuel, Elizabeth, Sarah (died young), Mary, Thomas, Sarah, John, and a child whose name is not recorded but whom died 15 days after birth.
DEATH:  31 October 1683 at Barnstable.

Samuel Fuller came on the Mayflower at the age of 12 with his father Edward Fuller. He should not be confused with his uncle of the same name who also came on the Mayflower and served as the colony's doctor and surgeon.

Samuel's parents both died the first winter at Plymouth.  Samuel was apparently raised by his uncle Samuel Fuller, and became a freeman of Plymouth in 1634.  He married in Scituate the next year to Jane Lothrop, the daughter of Rev. John Lothrop and his first wife Hannah Howes.  Samuel and wife Jane would raise their family initially at Scituate, before moving sometime shortly before 1641 to Barnstable, where he would live out the next forty years of his life.  His probate records of 1683-1684 indicate that his wife predeceased him.  He also bequeathed an Indian named Joel to his son John, which would make him the only Mayflower passenger known to have later owned a slave (Native American, in this case)

Ancestry Chain: 9th great grandparents Edward FULLER b.1575 and wife both  on Mayflower / son Samuel FULLER b.1612 on Mayflower / Mary FULLER b.1644 / Stephen Garrnett Williams b.1690 / David John Williams Williams b.1724 / Garrett Williams b.1750 / Louisianna Williams b.1809 / Louisiana Brown b.1848 / Lillie Belle Lytle b.1887 / Garland Lee Reasor b.1917 / /

Ancestry Chain: 13th great grandparents Edward FULLER b.1575 and wife both  on Mayflower / son Samuel FULLER b.1612 on Mayflower / Mary FULLER b.1644 / Sarah WILLIAMS / Benjamin ROATH b.1701 / Mary ROTH b.1726 / Mary SANGER / Lucretia JEFFORDS b.1766 / Amariah RAWSON b.1787 / Adaline RAWSON b.1811 / Mary DUNN b.1833 / Harriett Camilla ENSIGN b.1859 / George Ensign SMITH b.1898 / Camilla SMITH / /

GRANDPARENTS John and Joan (Hurst) Tilley and daughter Elizabeth

John Tilley

BAPTISM:  19 December 1571 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England, son of Robert and Elizabeth Tilley.

MARRIAGE:  Joan (Hurst) Rogers, on 20 September 1596 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England, the daughter of William and Rose Hurst and widow of Thomas Rogers (no relation to Thomas

Rogers, the Mayflower passenger).
CHILDREN: Rose (died young), John, Rose, Robert, and Elizabeth.
DEATH:  Sometime the first winter at Plymouth, likely between January and March 1621.

Uncle Edward and Aunt Agnes Tilley died and both of Elizaebeth's parents died the first year

Surprisingly little is known about John Tilley.  He was born in 1571 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England, and his brother Edward Tilley and wife Agnes (along with their neice and nephew Humility Cooper and Henry Samson) also came on the Mayflower.  Brother Edward is known to have lived in Leiden, but there is no record of John Tilley there (though it is certainly possible he was present there and just didn't get named in any record).  John and Joan Tilley came on the Mayflower with their youngest child, Elizabeth, then about thirteen years old.  Both John Tilley and wife Joan died the first winter at Plymouth, but their daughter Elizabeth survived and later married fellow Mayflower passenger John Howland.

Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley

BAPTISM:  13 March 1567/8 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England, daughter of William and Rose Hurst.
FIRST MARRIAGE:  Thomas Rogers, on 18 June 1593 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England.  (No relation to Thomas Rogers the Mayflower passenger of the same name).
SECOND MARRIAGE:  John Tilley, on 20 September 1596 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England.
CHILDREN (by Thomas):  Joan.
CHILDREN (by John): Rose (died young), John, Rose, Robert, and Elizabeth.
DEATH: Sometime the first winter at Plymouth.
mtDNA HAPLOGROUP: H1a1

Joan Hurst was born in 1567/8 in Henlow, Bedford, England, the daughter of William and Rose Hurst.  She married first to Thomas Rogers in 1593 (not related to the Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers).  With her husband Thomas, she had a daughter Joan, baptized on 26 May 1594 in Henlow.  Attempts to determine what happened to Joan have so far been unsuccessful.  She may have died young.  When her first husband Thomas died, likely around 1594 or 1595, she remarried to John Tilly. 

John and Joan (Hurst)(Rogers) Tilley came on the Mayflower in 1620, bringing with them daughter Elizabeth.  Joan, along with her husband, died the first winter at Plymouth, orphaning their 13-year old daughter Elizabeth in the New World.  Elizabeth would later marry to Mayflower passenger John Howland.

Elisabeth Tilley

BAPTISM: 30 August 1607 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England, daughter of John and Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley.
MARRIAGE: John Howland, about 1625, at Plymouth.
CHILDREN: Desire, John, Hope, Elizabeth, Lydia, Hannah, Joseph, Jabez, Ruth, and Isaac.
DEATH: 21 December 1687 at Swansea.
mtDNA HAPLOGROUP: H1a1 

Pilgram Maiden [Elizabeth TILLEY HOWLAND]

Elizabeth Tilley came on the Mayflower, at the age of about thirteen, with her parents John and Joan (Hurst) Tilley.  Her parents, and her aunt and uncle Edward and Agnes Tilley, all died the first winter, leaving her orphaned in the New World.  She soon married, about 1624 or 1625, to fellow Mayflower passenger John Howland, who had come as a manservant, or apprentice, to Governor John Carver who died in April 1621.

John and Elizabeth Howland raised a large family with ten children, all of whom lived to adulthood and married.  As a result, they likely have more descendants living today than any other Mayflower passengers.  Some of their descendants include Franklin D. Roosevelt; both President Bush's; actors Alec and Stephen Baldwin, Humphrey Bogart, Christopher Lloyd; Mormon church founder Joseph Smith; poet Ralph Waldo Emerson; and Doctor Benjamin Spock.

12^th great grandparents John and Joan TILLEY on the Mayflower / Elizabeth TILLEY on the Mayflower / Desire Howland / Marcy Gorham / Desire Denison / Robert Williams / Edmund Williams / George Williams / John Williams / Polly Williams / Elizabeth Davis / Laura Parker / Kirt Wood / /

Elizabeth TILLEY HOWLAND Gravestones