Mayflower Ancestors Pt. 7: George Soule

George Soule came on the Mayflower as a servant to Edward Winslow. He was involved in various land divisions at Plymouth, acquiring a considerable amount of land and settling in Duxbury.

George married Mary Becket/Buckett circa 1627. Mary had arrived on the Anne in 1623. Their origins are unknown.  George was born about 1595-99. 

The George Soule house at Plimoth Plantation

They had nine children, none of whose births are recorded but are known from his will and various other documents: Zachariah, John, Nathaniel, George, Susanna, Mary, Elizabeth, Patience, and Benjamin. Zachariah and Benjamin are the only children not named in George’s will, so they must have predeceased him.  

George had some formal education as he signed his documents and served on various committees and juries, once serving on a committee to develop an order to control the disorderly smoking of tobacco. He was also deputy to the Plymouth Court and was a volunteer for the 1637 Pequot War, but Plymouth troops were not needed. 

George Soule's signature

A codicil to his will was written 20 Sept 1677 and the will proved 5 March 1679/80, so he died between those two dates. He mentions land at Dartmouth he already gave to two of his sons and land in Middleborough and Duxbury, including meadow and an orchard. He’s concerned about his son John giving his daughter Patience a hard time over the land George gave Patience at Middleborough. If John disturbs Patience, his own inheritance would become void, so there must have been a squabble between the two. 

There is a replacement stone for George Soule at the old Standish cemetery (corner of Chestnut Street and Pilgrim By Way in Duxbury MA). 

Photo of George Soule's replacement stone, taken in 2008.

My line from George Soule, not yet submitted to the Mayflower Society:

1      George Soule  1595 - 1679

+Mary Becket ? - 1676

2      John Soule      1632 - 1707

+Rebecca Simmons 1635 - 1675

3      Sarah Soule     1660 - 1691

+Adam Wright        1644 - 1724

4      Isaac Wright   1685/86 - 1766

+Mary Cole     1697 - 1759

5      Joseph Wright        1721 - 1804

+Sarah Brewster     1726/27 - 1812

6      Deborah Wright     1749 – 1812

+Seth Washburn     1738 - 1826

7      Ephraim Washburn        1794 - 1870

+Mary Lucas   1792 - 1860

8      Seth Washburn       1828 - 1921

+Mary Briggs Bumpus    1840 - 1916

9      Charles Francis Washburn     1857 - 1941

+Hattie Maria Benson    1861 - 1914

10    Carrie Clyfton Washburn      1896 - 1974

+George Brewster Smith        1895 - 1913

11    Arthur Elmer Washburn Davis      1913 - 1976

+Mildred Louise Booth   1917 - 1999

12    my parents

13 me

There has been a good deal of incorrect information on George and his descendants published in books and on the Internet. The Mayflower Society has a new “pink book,” George Soule, four generations, revision of Volume 3, 6th ed., originally compiled by John E. Soule and Milton E. Terry, revised by Robert S. Wakefield, FASG and Louise Walsh Throop, MBA (2011). The pink books are soft-covered books that are still in progress toward the five generation “silver book.” 

 

Dick Van Dyke is a descendant of George Soule (source Notable Kin by Gary Boyd Roberts).

The Pilgrim Hall Museum has transcriptions of records pertaining to George Soule: http://www.pilgrimhall.org/soulegeorgerecords.htm.

For information on the Soule Kindred In America Society: http://www.soulekindred.org/.