Mayflower offspring findings

 

Mayflower offspring findings

I had planned to write up a whole Mayflower landing piece but then while doing some research I found something very interesting that I never knew before. There are 7 famous descendants of Mayflower settlers that we all know and have heard of, so I thought I’d share who they are and how they’re connected to the settlers.

William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony, wrote a journal that tells the story of the Pilgrim life of the settlers was the relation of George Eastman. George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company in about 1892. If you don’t know the Eastman Kodak Company that means you’ve never used actual film to take a picture.

William and Mary Brewster were passengers on the Mayflower. Brewster was an assistant to Queen Elizabeth I and served as her secretary of state until he was jailed for being a Separatist before he and his wife fled to Holland. The Brewsters along with their sons and the children of Samuel More. Mr. Brewster was a relation to our very own cooking master, Julia Child.

Then we have three descendants who became President of the United States of America. The first one was James Garfield who ironically was related to John Billings who was hanged for shooting his neighbor, killing him. Years later when Garfield was president he was shot and died a few months after being shot due to an infection. The second President related to a settler was John Adams who was related to John Alden who was a crew member of the Mayflower and married the daughter of one of the passengers, Priscilla Mullins. You might remember the poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wherein he told the story of a love triangle between Alden, Priscilla, and Miles Standish, another passenger on the Mayflower. Then the third President was Zachery Taylor descended from Isaac Allerton a passenger on the Mayflower who moved from Plymouth to New Haven Connecticut and died there.

The last two famous descendants were none other than Norman Rockwell, one of my favorite artists who was an offspring of Stephen Hopkins another passenger of the Mayflower and then we have Humphrey Bogart the movie star who was a descendent of John Howland who was an indentured servant aboard the Mayflower. Howland almost died during the voyage when he was swept overboard during a storm but latched onto a rope and was pulled to safety. John Howland married Elizabeth Tilley, another passenger onboard, and they had 10 children.

So, when we think of the Mayflower and Plymouth Massachusetts, one must wonder who was related to the settlers that we might know or have heard of. I’ve been lucky to have met several of the descendants of the Mayflower, having spent a lot of time in Plymouth. It is so interesting to learn how the first settlers thrived and continued to explore the new land they called America and what accomplishments their offspring achieved. I never would have imagined the individuals I mentioned in this article were descendants of the Mayflower Settlers until I was doing historical research to help me write the article, I planned to write but wrote this one instead.

As you sit down to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal, please remember those who came over to escape religious persecution and what they endured that first year in chilly New England.

Artist and Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, and journalist. business professional, creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a master’s in criminology and a BS in Business Management she stepped out of the loop for a while but is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel and photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.