My Ancestors From the Town of Plymouth, Mass., Part 1--Mayflower Passengers

This post is part of a new project…organizing my direct ancestors by the towns in New England where they lived. I love learning about the towns in which they lived and will list my favorite resources. Please add a comment on your family from these towns and your favorite resources as well. Much of the genealogical information is a work in progress! I have blogged about many of the ancestors listed, which you can find by using the search function. 

My family lived in Plymouth from 1620 down to my grandfather, so this will be the first of several parts. Listed below are the adult male passengers that are my direct ancestors.

Isaac Allerton b 1586, Suffolk, England. Married 1^st Mary Norris, 2^nd Fear Brewster, 3^rd Joanna Swinnerton.  I descend through Isaac and Mary’s daughter Mary who was born Leiden, Holland in 1616. She married Thomas Cushman about 1636 at Plymouth and died Plymouth in 1699. Isaac moved to New Haven, CT where he died in 1659.

William Brewster b. ca 1567 and his wife Mary. I descend through their son Love b. ca 1610 who was also a Mayflower passenger as well as daughter Patience b. ca 1600 who arrived later on the Anne.  The family moved to Duxbury but William kept his house in Plymouth.  Patience married Thomas Prence and she died at Plymouth as a young woman. Love’s family lived in Duxbury for generations and Patience’s family lived at Eastham on the Cape. 

John Billington, born England about 1580; m. Elinor ____, died Plymouth 1630. I descend through their son Francis who was also a Mayflower passenger, born ca 1606, m. Christian Penn. He later lived in Middleborough.

Peter Browne, born about Jan 1595 at Dorking, Surrey, England, married Martha (___) (Ford); 2^nd Mary ___. I descend through his daughter Mary who was b. about 1626 at Plymouth. The family later lived at Duxbury but he died at Plymouth in 1633. His daughter Mary married Ephraim Tinkham and they lived at Plymouth and Duxbury.

Peter Chilton who died on board the Mayflower so never actually became a resident of Plymouth and his wife Mary ___ died at Plymouth early in the first winter. Their daughter Mary who survived and married John Winslow, Gov Edward Winslow’s brother. They moved to Boston where they lived the rest of their lives and became quite wealthy.

Francis Cooke, born after August 1582, immigrated to Plymouth on the Mayflower, married Hester Mahieu in Leiden, Holland, died Plymouth 7 April 1663 (she was b. 1582-88 prob Canterbury, dau of Jacque Maheiu). I descend from their daughter Hester who was born 1621-25, married Richard Wright of Plymouth, died Plymouth between 1669 and 1691. 

Francis Eaton, b. 1596 Bristol, Gloucestershire, Mayflower passenger, m. Sarah ____, 2^nd Dorothy _____, 3^rd Christian Penn.  He lived briefly at Duxbury but returned to Plymouth where he died 1633. I descend through Samuel Eaton whose mother was Sarah; he was born about 1620 and died before 29 Oct 1684 at Middleborough. 

Samuel Fuller, born Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England about 1580, lived at Leiden, Holland, Mayflower passenger, married 1^st Alice Glasscock, 2^nd Agnes Carpenter, 3^rd Bridget Lee. He died 1633 at Plymouth. I descend through his son, with Bridget, Samuel. Samuel was born Plymouth about 1629 and moved to Middleborough where he died in 1695. He married but his wife’s name is unknown. 

Stephen Hopkins, born 1581, Upper Clatford, Hampshire, m. Mary ___ and 2^nd, Elizabeth Fisher. He died at Plymouth in 1644. I have several lines of descent:

1. Through daughter Constance, b. 1606 at Hursley, Hampshire, m. Nicholas Snow at Plymouth 1623-1627, moved to Eastham and died there in 1677.

      2.     Through son Giles b. 1609 at Hursley, Hampshire, m. Katharine Whelden in Plymouth 1639, died 1689-1690 at Eastham.

John Howland, b. about 1592 Fenstanton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, m. Elizabeth Tilley 1623 at Plymouth, died Kingston 1672. He also owned land at Colchester, Duxbury, Middleborough, Marshfield. He lived in Augusta Maine on the Kennebec operating the Pilgrims’ trading post. I descend through their daughter Ruth b. Kingston about 1646, who married Thomas Cushman in 1664 at Plymouth. 

George Soule born 1593-1600 in England, Mayflower passenger, married by 1626 Mary Becket/Bucket, at Plymouth (her birth and parents not known), he moved to Duxbury in 1630, dying there in 1679. I descend through their son John who was born Plymouth about 1632. He married Rebecca Simmons about 1655 prob at Duxbury (she was born about 1635 prob at Plymouth, dau of Moses Simmons), died before 14 Nov 1707 at Duxbury. I then descend through their daughter Sarah Soule, b Duxbury about 1660, m. Adam Wright about 1678 at Duxbury or Plymouth, died 1691-1699 at Plymouth. 

John Tilley, born 1571, Henlow, Bedfordshire, came on the Mayflower to Plymouth in 1620, m. Joan Hurst at Henlow, Bedfordshire (she was 1568 dau of William and Rose Hurst). He died Plymouth in 1621. I descend through their daughter Elizabeth, born 1607 at Henlow, married fellow Mayflower passenger John Howland. 

Richard Warren, b. before 1590 at Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, England, came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620, m. Elizabeth Walker 1610 at Great Amwell (she was born about 1583, the daughter of Augustine Walker). Richard died 1628 at Plymouth and Elizabeth died there in 1673. I descend through their son Joseph who was born about July 1626 at Plymouth, m. Priscilla Faunce at Plymouth about 1652 (Priscilla was born about 1633 at Plymouth, the daughter of John Faunce and Patience Morton). He died Plymouth in 1689. I then descend through daughter Patience born Plymouth 1660, m. Samuel Lucas at Plymouth in 1686, d. 1719.

Useful resources about Mayflower families are too plentiful to list but here are some:

All of the Mayflower Families through Five Generations aka Silver books or the Pink “In Progress” books by GSMD about each passenger

Caleb Johnson, Here Shall I Die Ashore: Stephen Hopkins, Bermuda Castaway, Jamestown Survivor, and Mayflower Pilgrim, 2007

William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, 2006, edited by Caleb H. Johnson

Also Caleb Johnson’s website, mayflowerhistory.com

Jeremy Dupertuis Bangs, Strangers and Pilgrims, Travellers and Sojourners, Leiden and the Foundations of Plymouth Plantation, 2009

George F. Willison, Saints and Strangers, 1945

The Mayflower Descendant journal 

Sherwood, Mary B., Pilgrim A Biography of William Brewster, 1982