As a small child I was always interested in history. I remember listening to my teacher talk about critical times in history, and wondering if my relatives were there.
None of the history lessons were as intriguing to me as the Pilgrim's arrival on the Mayflower at Plymouth, Massachusetts, British Colonies. I was entranced with the tales, and imagined that I had relatives who were there.
In first learning about the Mayflower it seemed like everyone had a relative that was there, but when I asked my grandparents, none of them knew of any relatives who arrived on the Mayflower. I pored over the names on the passenger list, and never saw a name that I knew as a relative. I asked relatives if they recognized any of the last names from the passenger list. None of them did.
When I realized only 102 passengers were on that boat I realized that it wasn't true that most people could track back to the Mayflower. I also realized some who claim a relative on that ship were likely operating in the realm of family lore.
I'm not sure how old I was when I decided that I had no relatives who sailed on the Mayflower, but it was long before I began genealogy researching.
I'm not sure how old I was when I decided that I had no relatives who sailed on the Mayflower, but it was long before I began genealogy researching.
In the years since I have never found anyone that I suspected had been connected to the Mayflower.
Imagine my surprise on December 6th 2020 when I received an email from FamilySearch with "Deb, we've found your Mayflower connection!" in the subject line. Thinking there must be a mistake I clicked the link:
Imagine my surprise on December 6th 2020 when I received an email from FamilySearch with "Deb, we've found your Mayflower connection!" in the subject line. Thinking there must be a mistake I clicked the link:
I clicked Read More:
Still thinking there was a mistake I began researching in earnest, and I discovered that William Bradford is my 1st cousin X12 removed via my mother's maternal line. His grandfather, the Reverend John Hanson, is my 12th great grandfather.
I Remember wishing I had a relative on the Mayflower as I sat in class listening to the details of this historical event.
With the name and details I was able to discover details about the life lived by William Bradford. Just typing his name into a search engine brings up pages and pages of information about his successes and disappointments.
I Remember wishing I had a relative on the Mayflower as I sat in class listening to the details of this historical event.
With the name and details I was able to discover details about the life lived by William Bradford. Just typing his name into a search engine brings up pages and pages of information about his successes and disappointments.
My 1st cousin X12 removed:
William Bradford
BIRTH 19 MAR 1590 • Austerfield, Borough of Doncaster, S. Yorkshire, England
DEATH 9 MAY 1657 • Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
Alice Hanson (my 11th great aunt)
BIRTH 8 DEC 1562 • Austerfield, Yorkshire, England
DEATH 23 MAY 1597 • Austerfield, Yorkshire, England
andWilliam Bradford
BIRTH 19 MAR 1559 • Austerfield, Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, S. Yorkshire, England
DEATH 15 JUL 1591 • Austerfield, Yorks, England
Alice was the daughter of (my 12th great grandparents):
Revered John Hanson
BIRTH 23 JUL 1532 • Austerfield, Yorkshire, England
DEATH 27 FEB 1602 • Austerfield, Yorkshire, England
and
and
Margaret Gressam (Grasham, Gresham)
BIRTH 1542 • Austerfield, Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
DEATH 31 JUL 1603 • Austerfield, Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
William first married
Dorothy May
BIRTH 1597 • Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
DEATH ABT. DEC 1620 • Mayflower, Provincetown Harbour, Massachusetts, USA
whose death by falling off the Mayflower while it was anchored offshore has sparked numerous stories that I had heard about, but never realized had anything to do with me.
Second William married a widow named:
Alice Anne Carpenter
BIRTH 3 AUG 1590 • Weymouth, Dorset, England
DEATH 26 MAR 1670 • Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonies
William was father to three children: 1 boy named John with 1st wife Dorothy. 2 boys and a girl named Joseph, William, Mercy with second wife Alice. Alice had a boy and a girl with first husband Edward Southworth (who died in 1621 in Holland).
I wish I had known the family connection to the Mayflower when I was first learning about the Pilgrims as a wee one.
Finding your relatives in historic events!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Photos
Clipped from FamilySearch.com
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
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