Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year I discovered that my wife descends from the Pilgrim William Brewster who was on the Mayflower. So for today I though I would show my son's relationship.

Elder William Brewster (ca 1567-1644)
Jonathan Brewster (1593-1659)
Grace Brewster (1639-1684)
Mary Wetherell (1668-1711)
Sarah Denison (1710-1797)
William Douglass (1731-1805)
Ivory Douglass (1761-1825)
Phebe Douglass (1787-1867)
Anastasia Noallis Douglass (1825-1906)
Monroe Emilious Hawver (ca 1845-1879)
Benjamin Monroe Hawver (1877-1938)
Beatrice Marie Hawver (1901-1992)
Lawrence Benjamin Wisner (b 1924)
Raymond Lawrence Wisner (b 1948)
Sandee Denise Wisner (b 1975)
Nicholas Todd Broersma (b. 2003)

Tombstone Tuesday - Elder William Brewster

The most famous of my relatives died today, 368 years ago on 10 April 1644 in Plymouth Massachusetts. He was Elder William Brewster, and he was one of the Pilgrims that sailed to America on the Mayflower.

This marker was placed in the possible place where he could have been buried at Burial Hill in Plymouth. The transcription reads: "Elder William Brewster, Patriarch of the Pilgrims and their ruling elder 1609-1644. Outstanding leader of Pilgrim movement. The founding of Plimoth Plantation and establishment of civil and religious liberty in the New World. B. at Scrooby, England ca. 1566-7; D. at Plymouth, N.E. ca. April 10, 1644; A resident of Plymouth and Duxbury. M. ca. 1589 Mary Wentworth of Scrooby: B. ca. 1568-9; D. at Plymouth ca. April 17, 1627; Both (Mayflower Passangers) rest in unknown graves in Plymouth, possibly in or near Burial Hill. Erected 1967 The Elder William Brewster Society

Mayflower Descendant

Just a couple weeks ago I made the discovery that my family descends from William Brewster (1566-1643), who immigrated to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Technically it's my wife's side that descends from him, so I guess I'm a Mayflower descendant-in-law. My kids would still count though. And for my kids, William Brewster would be their 12th Great Grandfather.

According to a grave marker put up by the William Brewster Society, he was patriarch of the Pilgrims, and their ruling elder from 1609-1644. He was the founder of the Plymouth Plantation and helped establish civil and religious freedom in the new world.

On a side note, another branch of my wife's family (the Coggeshalls) came to the new world and ended up in Boston the 1630's. The Coggeshalls were later exiled, and they ended up going to Rhode Island where there was true religious freedom for everyone. John Coggeshall became one of the eighteen original proprietors of Aquidneck, who settled Pocasset (later Portsmouth), 1638. One of the nine who settled Newport, 1639 and President of the Colony, May 1647 to May 1648. So even though the Massachusetts Colony had religious freedom, it still wasn't totally free which helped spawn the Providence Plantation and Rhode Island. So members of my family were involved in the founding of both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I think it's pretty interesting history, and have learned a lot researching these families.


I think it's pretty cool that a relative of mine was at that Thanksgiving in 1621, and today in 2011 - 390 years later - we are celebrating Thanksgiving day today with other Mayflower descendants.