Mayflower Ancestors

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. On this day, we remember the many brave immigrants who persevered in the face of hardships to create a better life for themselves and their descendants. All Americans owe thanks to their ancestors, whether they arrived on the Mayflower or in the centuries thereafter. This is an excellent week to spend a bit of time researching your immigrant ancestors, regardless of their arrival date.

While 102 souls arrived in Plimoth in 1620, nearly half of them died the first winter in deplorable conditions that are almost impossible to imagine today. Of the survivors, only 25 family names provided descendants. If you can trace your ancestry back to one of these immigrants, you can indeed claim Mayflower ancestry.

Many families have "family legends" about being descended from Mayflower passengers. If all the claimed passengers had actually traveled on the Mayflower, the tiny ship would have sunk under the load!

In order to claim Mayflower ancestry, you must trace your ancestry back to one of the following males:

     John Alden
     Isaac Allerton
     John Billington
     William Bradford
     William Brewster
     Peter Browne
     James Chilton
     Francis Cooke
     Edward Doty
     Francis Eaton
     Moses Fletcher
     Edward Fuller
     Samuel Fuller
     Stephen Hopkins
     John Howland
     Richard More
     William Mullins
     Degory Priest
     Thomas Rogers
     Henry Samson
     George Soule
     Myles Standish
     John Tilley
     Richard Warren
     William White
     Edward Winslow

Note that the above list has the names of 26 people, but two of them were named Fuller. That gives a total of 25 surnames.

There are many Web sites devoted to the topic of Mayflower ancestry. You can find them on a Google search. However, I would suggest the following:

Plimoth Ancestors at http://www.plymouthancestors.org (this site focuses on genealogy of the Mayflower passengers plus those who followed in the next seven years.)

Plimoth Plantation at http://www.plimoth.org (this site focuses on the lifestyles of the Mayflower passengers plus those who followed in the next seven years.)

The General Society of Mayflower Descendants' Web site at: http://www.themayflowersociety.com

The New England Historic Genealogical Society at http://www.newenglandancestors.org  (Note: This is a pay site.)

Comments

[Nancy]

Shouldn't that be "102 souls" who arrived in Plimoth? Or are you using some esoteric olde englishe version?

[daraghy]

maybe this question is as dumb as i feel asking, but--why only males?

[Dick Eastman]

---> why only males?

Simply for convenience in tracing names.

Everyone (male and female alike) who was on the Mayflower, survived and had children had one of those 25 surnames. The women obviously had those names as their married names.

Hundreds of thousands of people believe that their ancestors (with some other name) sailed on the Mayflower. If the family cannot trace their ancestry back to one of the 25 surnames, then it is a family myth.

Even one of my cousins once asked me if I had traced our ancestry back to the Eastman that was on the Mayflower. He still doesn't believe me when I insist there was nobody named Eastman on the ship. He was once told there was an Eastman on the Mayflower and he still continues to believe that.

- Dick Eastman

[b j cannon]

Do you know someone who has the descendant tree for Moses Fletcher? I might be connected. I have an Eliz. Fletcher, 1614.
B. J. Cannon

[Dick Eastman]

---> Do you know someone who has the descendant tree for Moses Fletcher?

The descendants of all the Mayflower passengers who had children have been published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. You might start with the society's Web site at: http://www.themayflowersociety.com. Next, any well-equpped genealogy library will have the books published by the society. These are usually called "The Bowman Files" after the man who compiled all the infomation: Files of George Ernest Bowman.

Next, check "The Great Migration," a series of books with much more detailed information publsihed in recent years, written by Robert Charles Anderson. Again, any genealogy library should have those books.

- Dick Eastman

[jerry king weston]

can anyone provide me the lineages of the two M/F Tilley brothers? thanks

[Jerry King Weston]

FEMALE MAYFLOWER PASSENGERS: I have been advised that the M/F Soc is NOW accepting applicatons on the following m/f (female) passengers:

Elizabeth Fisher (m) Stephen Hopkins
Mary Norris (m) Isaac Allerton
Joan Hurst (m) John Tilley

Good luck

[Debby Koet]

My name is Debby Koet and i am a descendant of Moses Fletcher one of the passengers on the Mayflower back in 1620. Some years ago my family build a family tree. His daughter Priscilla Fletcher was married to Thomas Koet(Coit). Im still searching for the ancestors of Thomas Koet (Coit).

[Debby Koet]

My name is Debby Koet and i am a descendant of Moses Fletcher one of the passengers of the Mayflower back in 1620. His daughter Priscilla Fletcher was married to Thomas Koet (Coit). I am still searching for the ancestors of Thomas Coit (Koet).

[Jennifer]

Actually, there was one more man who was left out on here.
A Huse.
I have the whole family book that traces back on here.
The fact that you forgot him, is quite shameful.
You need to do your research better.

[Dick Eastman]

Mayflower scholars claim that the above list is complete. However, hundreds of family genealogies have been published over the years with claims that other people were on board the Mayflower. If all the claimed passengers had actually traveled on the Mayflower, the tiny ship would have sunk under the load!

[Virginia McGee]

Why must you be decended of these men only?
There were women on board the ship.
Were all of them married to one of these men?
Weren't there any unmarried women?
What about the names mentioned in one of the postings?
Elizabeth Fisher (m) Stephen Hopkins
Mary Norris (m) Isaac Allerton
Joan Hurst (m) John Tilley
Weren't there any children on board?

[Gayle Curry]

Dear Mr. Eastman: I checked on the Mayflower Society website and the name of Richard More is listed as being carried forward but he did not sign his name to the covenant. Do you have any info. regarding this? Gayle

[Gyatri Devi]

I'm curious as to what is the largest number of eligible Mayflower ancestors any one person has found in their lineage. Does that number exist anywhere?