Brewster Family Line

Brewster Family Line

Arrival: She arrived in Plymouth aboard the 'Anne' around 10 July 1623 accompanied by her sister Fear and Lucretia Oldham, who would later become her sister-in-law.

Death: before December 12, 1634 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts ("Pestilential fever" [smallpox, influenza ?])

Place of Burial: Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Parents:

Elder William Brewster

1566-1644

Mary Wentworth

1568-1627

Family

Spouse:

Thomas Prence, Governor of Plymouth Colony

Gov. Thomas Prence, Esq.

First Governor of the American Colonies

Also Known As: "Thomas Prince"

Birthdate: ca. 1599

Birthplace: Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England

Christened: 1600 in England

Denomination: (probably) Puritan / Congregationalist

Military Service: He raised a corps of volunteers to assist the Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay Colonies in defeating the Pequot Indians.

Residence: 1644-1663 Plymouth, Plymouth Colony

Death: March 29, 1673 in Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts

Place of Burial: Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Immediate Family:

Son of Thomas Prence and Elizabeth Tolderby

Children:

1. Rebecca Prence 1627–1651

2. Thomas Prence 1627–1672

3. Hannah Prence 1629–1698

4. Mercy Prence (Freeman) 1631–1711

About Patience Brewster

Patience (Brewster) Prence was related to a passenger on the Mayflower.

Biography

Patience Brewster was the daughter of William Brewster and his wife Mary.[1][2] She was likely to have been born in her parent's home, Scrooby Manor, at Nottinghamshire, England [3] no later than 1600, as she witnessed the betrothal banns of Anna Crackstone and Thomas Smith in Leyden, Holland on 7 December 1618 and could have no longer been a minor at that time.[4]

She arrived in Plymouth aboard the Anne around 10 July 1623 accompanied by her sister Fear and Lucretia Oldham, who would later become her sister-in-law.[5][1] By the terms of the 1623 Division of Land, Patience received one acre of land "whose corner was by the pond."[6] A letter written 20 December 1623 to Elder William Brewster from John Robinson noted the arrival of Patience and her sister at Plymouth, expressing his hope that "Mrs. Brewster's weak and decayed state of Body will haue some Repairing by the coming of her daughters."[7]

The following year, on 5 August 1624, Patience Brewster married Thomas Prence.[1][8] Prence, along with his father-in-law William Brewster and brother-in-law Isaac Allerton, became a prominent business leader in the Plymouth Colony.[9] He also became highly involved in the political affairs of the colony and on 1 January 1633/4, at the age of 34, was elected as the fourth governor of Plymouth Colony.[10]

There were four children from this marriage:[11]

Thomas Prence, b. bef. 22 May 1627[12]

Rebecca Prence, b. bef. 22 May 1627;[12] m. Edmund Freeman[12]

Mercy Prence, b. bef. 28 Sep 1631;[12] m. John Freeman[12]

Hannah Prence, b. bef. 12 Dec 1634;[13] m(10 Nathaniel Mayo;[12] m(2) Jonathan Sparrow;[12] d. bef. 23 Nov 1698

Patience died sometime before12 December 1634, when Massachusett's Governor John Winthrop, writing to his son in England, mentioned that "...the pestilent feaver hath taken away some at Plimouth among others mr Prence the Govern wife and mr Allertons wife."[14] In 1634, smallpox and influenza ravaged both the Indians and the English in the New England area. [15] Patience (Brewster) Prence was buried on Burial Hill at Plymouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.

Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004). pp 67, 68

↑ The Division of Cattle in 1627. The Mayflower Descendant: A Quarterly Magazine of Pilgrim History and Genealogy (Boston), vol. 1, pp. 150-151. (parentage indicated by her placement in the family group)

↑ Merrick, Barbara Lambert. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants (2014), vol. 24 Descendants of Elder William Brewster, part 1, p. 53

↑ Plooij, D. and J. Rendel Harris.Leyden Documents Relating to the Pigrim Fathers. Leiden, the Netherlands (1920), p. 81.

↑ Banks, Charles Edward. The Planters of the Commonwealth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1930), p. 55; cited in Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 55

↑ Merrick, Barbara Lambert. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants (2014), vol. 24 Descendants of Elder William Brewster, part 1, p. 55.

↑ Plymouth Church Records 1620-1859. Baltimore (1975), vol. 1, p. 53, (Robinson's letter).

↑ Prince, Thomas. Chronological History of New England in the Form of Annals. Boston: privately printed (1887) p. 229 (listed as the ninth marriage in New Plymouth), cited in: Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p.53.

↑ Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 57

↑ Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 58

↑ Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Increasings. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company (1995), available at ancestry by subscription.

↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 80.

↑ Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 156.

↑ Letter from Gov. John Winthrop to his Son. The Mayflower Descendant: A Quarterly Magazine of Pilgrim History and Genealogy (Boston), vol. 30, pp. 97-98, cited in: Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 24, part 1, p. 53.

↑ Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. NY: Viking Press (2006).

See Also:

Bradford, William. The History of Plimoth Plantation 1620-1647. Boston (1898), p. 535.

Freeman, Frederick. The History of Cape Cod:The Annals of the Thirteen Towns of Barnstable County. Boston: George C. Band Pub. (1858), vol. 2.

Jones, Emma. The Brewster Genealogy 1566-1907: A Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the 'Mayflower'... New York: The Grafton Press (1908), vol. 1, p. 21.

Lowell, D.O.S. A Munsey-Hopkins Geneaogy, Being the Ancestry of Andrew Chauncey Munsey and Mary Jane Merritt Hopins. Boston: private printing (1920), p. 77.

The ships Anne and Little James

Winsor, Justin. A History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with Genealogical Registers. Boston: Crosby & Nichols (1849), pp. 234-237.

References:

https://www.geni.com/people/Patience-Prence/6000000001099578590

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KNZ2-1QV

http://huntingtonfamily.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I2650&tree=johnandtuly

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brewster-98

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KNZ2-1QV/patience-brewster-1600-1631

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7482764/patience-prence

https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Patience_Brewster_%281%29

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KNZ2-1QV

________________________________________________________________________________

Grandy's 9x Great-Grandfather:

My 11x Great-Grandfather:

Laila Laemmel-Gordon's 12x Great-Grandfather:

Arrival: In September 1620, 41 members of the Leiden church were among the 102 passengers that departed Plymouth, England aboard the Mayflower. William Brewster, his wife, Mary, and two youngest sons, Love and Wrestling were among those passengers.

Death: April 10, 1644 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony

Place of Burial: Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Parents:

William Brewster, of Scrooby

1535-1590

Mary Smythe

1535-1567

Family

Spouse:

William Brewster was a passenger on the Mayflower.

Biography

William Brewster, 1566-1644, Mayflower passenger and Church Elder.

Birth and Parents

Elder William Brewster was born about 1566, probably at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, the son of William Brewster.[1][2][3] See Research Notes below for notes on his birth date and place.

It is thought that William was the only child of his father and his first wife, Mary Smythe,[2] widow of John Simkinson of Doncaster, daughter of William Smythe[3] of Stainforth and Doncaster, and sister of John Smythe, alderman of Hull.[4] William had two step-siblings from his mother’s first marriage, Thomas and Dorothy Simkinson. William’s father remarried to Prudence _____ (perhaps born Perkins or a widow of that name) and, by her, he had other children, including: James Brewster, vicar at Sutton on Lound; Prudence, who may have married Robert Peck of Everton, Nottinghamshire and had children, Robert and Anne, who were both wards of their supposed uncle William Brewster at Leiden; and, perhaps, John Brewster, who was in Myssen, Nottinghamshire in 1595 and 1613.[4]

Life in England

William Brewster was an educated man with an inventory of nearly four hundred books. He attended Peterhouse, Cambridge, beginning 3 December 1580,[1][5] possibly staying there until 1583,[6] however the last College record for William is dated December 1581.[7] He left the school without graduating.[1]

In his early career, beginning about 1583, William served as an assistant to William Davison,[6] Queen Elizabeth's ambassador to the Netherlands 1584-1586 and assistant to the secretary of state, Francis Walsingham.[3] William accompanied Davison to the Netherlands in August 1585 and served him at court until 1587.[5] William returned to Scrooby after Davison was imprisoned "when the queen had used Davison as her scapegoat for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots."[8] This experience made Brewster the only Pilgrim with involvement in politics or diplomacy.[9]

In Scrooby, William was administrator of his father’s estate in 1590.[5] That year, he succeeded his father as Archbishop Sandy's bailiff-receiver.[3] Soon after (c 1594) was appointed postmaster there, and supervised distribution, horse relays and entertainment of travelers.[3] William held that office until September 30, 1607.[5]

William was "one of the original members of the separatist congregation at Scrooby which became the nucleus of the Pilgrim church".[1] William and his family lived in part of the archiepiscopal manor house.[3] The separatists who gathered under the direction of their minister, John Robinson, met there, in Scrooby, and from William's home they organized the Pilgrim Church[5] in meetings from about 1604 to 1607.[2] In 1607, the Bishop of York learned of the meetings, and some of the members were thrown into prison.[9]

Their first attempt to leave England, in 1607, ended with their leaders in jail after they were betrayed by Captain of the ship they had paid to transport them.[3][5] Brewster was one of the jailed leaders.[9] There is a plaque by the cell where Brewster and William Bradford were imprisoned reading "In These Cells William Bradford [and] William Brewster and others afterwards known as The Pilgrim Fathers were imprisoned on the 25th September 1607 after attempting to escape to religious freedom."[10]

In 1608, on the second attempt to leave England, the local militia intervened when they had loaded some of the men and none of the women and children. The Dutch captain sailed for Amsterdam, leaving their wives and children on the pier, weeping. Several months later, the community was reunited in Holland.[9]

From William Bradford, on William Brewster’s life in England:

"After he had attained some learning, viz. the knowledge of Latin tongue, and some insight in the Greek, and spent some small time at Cambridge, and then being first seasoned with the seeds of grace and virtue, he went to the court, and served that religious and godly gentleman, Mr. Davison, divers years, when he was Secretary of State; who found him so discreet and faithful as he trusted him above all other that were about him, and only employed him in all matters of greatest trust and secrecy ... he attended his mr. when he was sent in ambassage by the Queen into the Low Countries ... And, at his return, the States honored him with a gold chain, and his master committed it to him, and commanded him to wear it when they arrived in England, as they rid through the country, till they came to the court ... Afterwards he went and lived in the country, in good esteem amongst his friends and the gentlemen of those parts, especially the Godly and religious. He did much good in the country where he lived, in promoting and furthering religion not only by his practice and example, and provoking and encouraging of others, but by procuring of good preachers to the places thereabouts, and drawing on of others to assist and help forward in such work; he himself most commonly deepest in the charge, and sometimes above his ability … They ordinarily met at this house on the Lord's day, (which was a manor of the bishops) and with great love he entertained them when they came, making provision for them to his great charge.... He was the chief of those that were taken at Boston, and suffered the greatest loss; and of the seven that were kept longest in prison, and after bound over …”[11]

Life in Holland

In 1608, William emigrated with the separatists to Amsterdam, later removing to Leiden in 1609.[2][3] He was made the Leiden church’s elder on his arrival there.[1] In Leiden, he supported his family by teaching English to University of Leiden students.[2] He also was a printer there[1] and, in 1616, he started printing separatist texts with the help of Edward Winslow.[3]

In 1617 and 1619, William traveled back to England to negotiate for permission for the congregation to settle in Virginia. When William published a religious tract critical of King James, the king sent his agents in Holland to investigate Brewster. However, they did not arrest him[9] as he had gone into hiding in England.[3][6]

When the Leiden congregation decided to leave Europe and establish a colony overseas, Elder William Brewster, the church’s second highest ranking official, was asked to emigrate to Virginia with the first wave of settlers.[2] John Robinson, the church’s pastor, stayed with the majority who would follow later.[5]

From William Bradford, on William Brewster’s life in Leiden:

“After he came into Holland he suffered much hardship, after he had spent the most of his means, having a great charge, and many children; and, in regard of his former breeding and course of life, not so fit for many employments as others were, especially such as were toilsome and laborious. But yet he ever bore his condition with much cheerfulness and contention. Towards the later part of those 12 years spent in Holland, his outward condition was mended, and he lived well and plentifully; for he fell into a way (by reason he had the Latin tongue) to teach many students, who had a desire to learn the English tongue, to teach them English; ...He also had means to set up printing, (by the help of some friends) and so had employment enough, and by reason of many books which would not be allowed to be printed in England, they might have had more then they could do."[11]

Wife's Surname and Lineage Unknown

[NOTE RE: WIKITREE POLICY ON DISPUTED RELATIONSHIPS: When there are two or more theories about who a person's wife or husband could have been, and it's not reasonable to think that one theory is more likely than another, it is best not to add any of them in the spouse fields of the profile. Instead, all theories can be explained in the biography section of the profile.]

The surname of Mary, wife of William Brewster is unknown according to Anderson in The Great Migration Begins,[1] The Mayflower Five Generation Project,[12] Mayflower Families in Progress: William Brewster[13] and the Elder William Brewster Society.

Two papers have been published suggesting her origin, but no conclusive evidence has been found.[14] It has been proposed (and disproved) that William’s wife could be Mary Wentworth,[15] daughter of Thomas of Scrooby.[1] Other names suggested as WiIliam’s wife are: Mary, possible relative of Robert Hartley,[4] Mary Wyrall,[1] Mary Stubbe,[1] Mary Butler[16] or Mary Smith/Smythe (his mother's name), all of which remain unproven.

Marriage and Children

William married Mary _____ by 1593,[1][3] probably in the vicinity of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire.[2] Although Bradford's History states that William had “many children”,[5] With Mary, William had six children,[3] Anderson's Great Migration Begins names them as follows (Anderson’s sources are in brackets):

Jonathan,[2] was born in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire 12 August 1593,[1][17] "the first bourne of his father".[5] He married Lucretia Oldam of Darby on 10 April 1624.[1][17]

Patience,[2][3] born about 1603; married 5 August 1624 in Plymouth to Thomas Prence, "the ninth marriage at New Plymouth" [Prince 229], as his first wife (of four).[1]

Fear,[2][3] born about 1605; married in Plymouth by 1627 to Isaac Allerton [Bradford 218, 242].[1]

an unnamed child,[2] buried at St. Pancras, Leiden, 20 June 1609 [Dexter 605].[1]

Love,[2][3] born about 1607; married in Plymouth 15 May 1634 to Sarah Collier [PCR 1:30], daughter of William Collier.[1]

Wrestling,[2][3] born about 1611; died unmarried after 1627 and by 1651 [Bradford 444, GDMNH 109, MD 43:13, Waterhouse Anc 67].[1]

William Brewster had no other [proven] children. Over the years, a number of people have been proposed to be the children of William, specifically: Edward Brewster, a member of the Virginia Company, and Reverend Nathaniel Brewster,[1][8] who graduated from Harvard College.[5] Also prososed are Robert Brewster, who matriculated at Leyden University in 1619; and Elizabeth, wife of Reverend Samuel Fuller.[5] The Mayflower Society accepts only descendants of those children listed above.

Migration aboard the Mayflower

William's influence was instrumental in winning the approval of the Virginia Company for the proposal to resettle the congregation in America, and he was one of the few original Scrooby separatists who made the voyage.[18]

In September 1620, 41 members of the Leiden church were among the 102 passengers that departed Plymouth, England aboard the Mayflower. William Brewster, his wife, Mary, and two youngest sons, Love and Wrestling were among those passengers.[1][16][17] The Brewster family had originally sailed aboard the Speedwell, but later transferred to the Mayflower after the Speedwell's ill-fated return to England.[19]

Four of the Mayflower's passengers were unaccompanied children from Shipton, Shropshire and they were placed as indentured servants with senior separatists William Brewster, John Carver[20] and Edward Winslow.[21] Richard More and one of his brothers were charged to William Brewster.[17] Richard's brother died the first winter,[11] but Richard lived with the Brewster family until at least 1627, when he is listed with them in the cattle division. Richard later made his living as a sea captain.

William Brewster was the religious leader on the Mayflower[3] and was the fourth of 41 signatories of the Mayflower Compact in Plymouth Harbor.[16]

William’s son, Jonathan, arrived in 1621 on the Fortune.[22] Daughters Patience and Fear came later on the Anne in 1623.[23]

Life in Plymouth Colony

A disease spread among the Pilgrims after they landed at Plymouth and many died during the first winter of 1620-1621. The sick were tended in the common house by the half dozen who remained healthy. Governor Bradford later wrote of William Brewster and his strength nursing the sick.[9][16]

In the 1623 land division, William Brewster received six acres as a Mayflower passenger,[16] his daughters, Patience and Fear, received two acres as passengers of the Anne,[1] and his son, Jonathan, received 1 acre as a passenger of the Fortune.[24]

Plymouth Colony "was unable to achieve any sort of long-term financial success" and the Merchant Adventurers, who underwrote the expenses of the Plymouth settlement, disbanded by 1626. Governor Bradford and seven others, including William Brewster, assumed the colony's debt in exchange for a monopoly on the fur trade;[9] this group of eight has been referred to as the "undertakers".[16]

In the 1627 division of cattle, William Brewster and his sons Love and Wrestling were the first three names in the fifth company.[1] William’s wife, Mary, died at Plymouth on 17 April 1627[1][17] and was not the Mary Brewster included in the cattle division list. Also listed in the fifth company were: Richard More, Henri Samson; son Johnathan Brewster, his wife Lucrecia Brewster and their children Willm Brewster and Mary Brewster; Thomas Prince, Pacience Prince and Rebecka Prince; and Humillyty Cooper.[16][25]

William was listed on the 1633 list of freemen, before those admitted on 1 January 1632/3 and was also assessed in the Plymouth tax lists of 25 March 1633 and 27 March 1634.[1]

As there was no minister at the Plymouth church for many years, William Brewster, as lay leader of the Pilgrim church, conducted services regularly for the congregation.[1][3]

William celebrated the First Thanksgiving in October 1621. The feast was prepared by the four Pilgrim women who survived the first winter, William's wife, Mary, was among them.

From William Bradford, on William Brewster’s life at Plymouth Colony:

“... he would labor with his hands in the fields as long as he was able; yet when the church had no other minister, he taught twice every Sabbath ... For his personal abilities, he was qualified above many; he was wise and discreet and well spoken, having a grave and deliberate utterance, of a very cheerful spirit, very sociable and pleasant amongst his friends, of an humble and modest mind, of a peaceable disposition, undervaluing himself and his own abilities ... inoffensive and innocent in his life and conversation ... He was tender-hearted, and compassionate of such as were in misery, but especially of such as had been of good estate and rank, and were fallen into want and poverty, either for goodness and religions sake, or by the injury and oppression of others; ..."[11]

Removal to Duxbury

In 1632, William received lands in nearby Duxbury and removed from Plymouth to create a farm[26] and he continued preaching there.[1]

Plymouth Colony records dated 4 Sep 1638 note that "a highway laid forth through Captain Standish and Mr. William Brewster's grounds on the "Duxborrow" side, which is not of use for the country, and they do therefore refuse to repair the same, the said Captain Standish and Mr. Brewster do undertake to repair the said way, and it to be only for their own use."[16]

He owned a substantial amount of property in Duxbury and its division was disputed after William's death.

Death and Burial

Elder William Brewster died on 10 April 1644,[2][17] at Duxbury,[3] without having made a will.[1] He may be buried in Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[15] Note: The Brewster Book states that William died at Plymouth.[17]

See Research Notes below for further discussion.

Will and Estate

The inventory of the estate of William Brewster was taken 18 May 1644 and totaled £150 7d. (no real estate included).[1][3] Administration of the estate was granted on 5 June 1644 to his sons Jonathan Brewster and Love Brewster.[1][17]

"Whereas William Brewster late of Plymouth, gent., deceased left only two sons surviving vizt. Jonathan the eldest and Love the younger and whereas the said William died intestate for ought can to this day appear." Jonathan and Love requested assistance from William Bradford, Edward Winslow, Thomas Prence and Myles Standish to help negotiate an agreement between them, and on 20 August 1645 the property was divided.[1][5]

Jonathan Brewster was forgiven a debt he had owed his father (except £4) and Love took his father's dwelling house. William's land was divided equally, except for the lands at Duxbury, which were disputed. Eventually, 68 acres were given to Jonathan and 43 acres were given to Love, "and the reason wherefore we gave Love the less quantity was and is because the quality of Love's land in goodness is equal to the quantity of Jonathan's as we judge." [MD 3:27-30, citing PCLR 1:198-99; PCR 12:115-1].[1]

See William Brewster Probate Documents for transcriptions of the probate proceedings.

Research Notes

Where and When was William Brewster Born?

"between June 1566 and June 1567", page 1[12]

"about 1566, probably at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire", p. 228[12]

"about 1566, probably at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire,"[1]

"About 1566, probably at Scrooby"[27]

"about 1566 in the vicinity of Scrooby..."[2]

"1566 or 1567, of Scrooby", p. 251[8]

"born in 1566 or 1567"[28]

"William was probably born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England."[29]

Where Did William Brewster Die?

William Brewster died in Duxbury, where his property was located, as shown in the inventory of his estate.

William Brewster's body was interred in Burial Hill Cemetery, in Plymouth, where most of the Mayflower passengers were buried.

William Brewster did not die in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, where a large monument in the Riverside Cemetery proclaims his name, title, birth and death. Barkhamsted was not founded until 1779. Although The Charles R. Hale Collection of Connecticut Cemetery Inscriptions, at Hartford, Connecticut in the Connecticut State Library, has a copy of the inscription in Vol # 1, page 19, it does not mean he was buried there.

Concluded that William died in April 1644. "It is somewhat remarkable that a great degree of uncertainty should have so long rested upon the two dates of most importance in the life of so prominent a man as Elder William Brewster ... two different years have been heretofore assigned as those of his death..."[28]

Disputed Ancestors

A number of unsourced genealogies have been created linking William's grandfather, William Brewster, to William Brewster, Robert Brewster and Humphrey Brewster, Galfridus Brewster b: 1380, John Brewster, John Brewster b: c.1325 and John Brewster b: c.1299 to create an ancestry for Elder William Brewster. Although no sources are offered to support this descent line, we find many unsubstantiated genealogies with a claim for descendants of Elder William Brewster to trace their genealogy from "John I in 1279, who lived in Rushmere, Suffolk, England followed by John II and III; then Galfridus, John IV" etc. See, for example, The Brewster Bunch Family Story, by Judy Brewster.

Sources

↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, 3 vols. (Boston: NEHGS, 1995). Online with subsc. at Ancestry.com and AmericanAncestors.org. Vol 1 (A-F), William Brewster, pages 227-230.

↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Johnson, Caleb. MayflowerHistory.com: Profile of William Brewster.

↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 Thompson, Roger. "Brewster, William (1566/7–1644), separatist leader." in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press. Accessed 8 Nov 2019 at ODNB with subscription.

↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hunt, John G. "The Mother of Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower," published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-present). Online with subscription at AmericanAncestors.org, Vol. 124 (Oct 1970) pages 250-254.

↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Jones, Emma C. Brewster. The Brewster Genealogy 1566-1907 (New York: The Grafton Press, 1908). Online at Ancestry.com, pages 3-7.

↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 McConathy, Ruth H. The House of Cravens. (Charlottesville, VA: publ. privately, 1972). See book info at GoogleBooks. Not available online.

↑ Peterhouse College website.

↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Stratton, Eugene Aubrey. Plymouth Colony - Its History and People 1620-1691. (Provo, UT: Ancestry Publishing, 1986), pages 251-252 [citing NEHGR 18:18 for DOB]. Not available online (hard copy checked 2 Nov 2019).

↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2006.) Pages 13, 21, 25-26, 85-86, 90, 98, 103, 125, 161, 168, 184-185. Not available online.

↑ Who Do You Think You Are (US), Season 2, Episode 8. "Ashely Judd". Note: They visit the cells mentioned in the basement of the Boston, Lincolnshire Guild Hall in Boston, England. Watch online.

↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647. (Boston: The Massachusetts Historical Society, 1912). Online at Archive.org, Vol. 2, pages 343-352 (William Brewster), 404 (death of Richard More's brother).

↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Merrick, Barbara. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, (Silver Book) Vol. 24, Part 1, "Elder William Brewster," 1st ed. (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2014). Not available online.

↑ Merrick, Barbara. Mayflower Families in Progress: William Brewster: Patience, (Pink Book) Revised 3rd edition, 2001. Not available online.

↑ Bangs, Jeremy Dupertius. The Mayflower Quarterly, Vol. 78, no. 2 (June 2012), page 145. Not available online.

↑ 15.0 15.1 Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 02 November 2019), memorial page for Elder William Brewster, IV (1566–10 Apr 1644), Find A Grave: Memorial #16195888, citing Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Kay Cynova (contributor 47064119): image of recently erected memorial with incorrect name of wife (Mary Wentworth) and unsourced biographies. Use with caution.

↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 William Brewster - 17th Century Documents (transcribed), online at Pilgrim Hall Museum.

↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 Bowman, George E. "The Brewster Book" in The Mayflower Descendant. (Boston: The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1899-). Online at Archive.org, Vol. 1, no. 1, Jan 1899, pages 1-9.

↑ Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines. (USA: privately printed, 1931). Vol. II: "Gates and Allied Families." Online at HathiTrust, pages 143-156.

↑ Cline, Duane. Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony: 1620 website, "The Speedwell Sails for Southampton".

↑ Wikipedia profile of William Brewster.

↑ Harris, Donald F. "The More Children of the Mayflower" in The Mayflower Descendant. (Boston: The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1899-). Online at Archive.org, Vol. 44, no. 1, Jan 1899, pages 1-9.

↑ Johnson, Caleb. MayflowerHistory.com: Fortune 1621 passenger list.

↑ Johnson, Caleb. MayflowerHistory.com: Anne 1623 passenger list.

↑ Plymouth Colony Archive Project: 1623 Plymouth Land Division.

↑ Plymouth Colony Archive Project: 1627 Division of Cattle.

↑ Steele, Rev. Ashbel. "Chief of the Pilgrims" or, The Life and Time of William Brewster, Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Company that Founded New Plymouth, the Parent Colony of New England, in 1620. (Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1857). Online at Internet Archive, page 352-354.

↑ 2020 American Ancestors: William Brewster (copy of Great Migration Begins profile of William Brewster).

↑ 28.0 28.1 Dexter, Rev. Henry M. "The True Date of the Birth and Death of William Brewster" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online at AmericanAncestors.org, Vol. 18, pages 18-20.

↑ Merrick, Barbara Lambert. William Brewster of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations. Rev. 3rd ed. (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2000). Not available online.

See also:

Bangs, Jeremy Dupertus. Strangers and Pilgrims, Travellers and Sojourners - Leiden and the Foundations of Plymouth Plantation. (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2009). Not available online.

Banks, Charles Edward. The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers Who Came to Plymouth. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1962). Online at HathiTrust, pages 35-39.

Benton, Charles Edward, Ezra Reed and Esther Edgerton: Their Life and Ancestry. (Poughkeepsie, NY: A.V. Haight Co., 1912). Online at Archive.org, pages 53-55.

Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978). Not available online.

Cotton, John. "An Account of the Church of Christ in Plymouth" (written in 1760) in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society for the Year 1795. Vol. 4. (Boston, MA: Samuel Hall, 1795). Online at Archive,org, pages 113-117.

Harrison Genealogy Repository at Rootsweb.com.

Library of Congress. The Pilgrim Town of Duxbury. (Plymouth, MA: A. S. Burbank, 1900). Online at Archive.org, photos and illustrations of the town of Duxbury.

Rootsweb.com: Descendants of William Brewster.

Roser, Susan E. Early Descendants of Henry Cobb of Barnstable MA. (Canada: Stewart Publishing and Printing, 2008). Not available online.

Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Increasings From the Files of George Ernest Bowman. 2nd ed., 4th printing. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, Co., Inc., 2001). Not available online.

Terry, Milton E. and Anne Borden Harding. A Notebook on the Descendants of William Brewster of Plymouth Colony. (Mountainside, NJ: M.E. Terry, 1985). Not available online.

WeRelate.org: profile of William Brewster (sourced).

Wetmore, James Carnahan. The Wetmore Family of America, and its Collateral Branches. (Albany, New York, Munsell & Rowland, 1861), online at Internet Archive, Appendix E: pages 552-568.

Willison, George F. Saints and Strangers. (New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1945). Not available online.

Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856) p. 447 (6) M. William Brewster; Mary, his wife; with 2, sons, whose names were Love & Wrasling; and a boy was put 6. to him called Richard More; and another of his brothers. The rest of his childeren were left behind, & came over afterwards." p. 451 "(4) M. Brewster lived to very old age; about 80 years he was when he dyed, having lived some 23, or 24 years here in y” countrie; & though his wife dyed long before, yet she dyed aged. His sone Wrastle dyed a yonge man unmaried; his sone Love lived till this year 1650. and dyed, & left 4. children, now living. His doughters which came over after him are dead, but have left sundry children alive; his eldst sone is still liveing, and hath 9. or 10, children; one maried, who hath a child or 2."

Bradford, William, 1590-1657. Of Plimoth Plantation: manuscript, 1630-1650. State Library of Massachusetts "List of Mayflower Passengers." In Bradford's Hand.

Familysearch.org LH2V-RD6

References:

https://www.geni.com/people/Elder-William-Brewster-Mayflower-Passenger/358782031710004109

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LH2V-RD6

http://huntingtonfamily.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I2651&tree=johnandtuly

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brewster-4

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LH2V-RD6/william-brewster-1566-1644

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16195888/william-brewster

https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:William_Brewster_%283%29

Spouse:

https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Brewster-Mayflower-Passenger/6000000003163459484

https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Wentworth/6000000042900823951

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Grandy's 10x Great-Grandfather:

My 12x Great-Grandfather:

Laila Laemmel-Gordon's 13x Great-Grandfather:

To the west and north of Loch Lomond, amidst some of the most wild and beautiful countryside in Scotland, encompassing Glenlyon, Glenorchy, Glenstrae and Glengyle, lies the ancient homeland of the MacGregors. The Clan is also known as McGregor, "Mac" being Gaelic for "son of" and the "Mc" prefix being an abbreviation of this. The Clan descends from King Alpin, who reigned in the ninth century and this is reflected in their motto - ‘S Rioghal Mo Dhream, - Gaelic for "Royal Is My Race". The MacGregors were both famed and feared for their fighting abilities and fierce warlike nature and were forever defending their lands against larger clans, especially the Campbells. When the Campbells gained possession of a good part of the lands by legal manipulation, the MacGregors began the long war to retrieve their land. The Clan carried out guerrilla campaigns in the mountains, earning them the nickname of "Children of the Mist."

Their aggressive conduct eventually brought them the displeasure of King James V1 and in 1603 he ordered a military expedition to enter their lands and punish the MacGregors. This commission was given to a force of several hundred of the Colquhoun Clan who were allies of the Campbells. Alerted to this situation, the MacGregors secretly crossed Loch Lomond and routed the Colquhouns in Glen Fruin, slaughtering a great number of them and driving off their livestock. The King immediately outlawed the whole of the Clan and a number of measures were passed against the Clan. These included, prohibiting anyone from bearing the name of MacGregor, freedom from prosecution for anyone who killed a MacGregor and severe penalties for those who sheltered MacGregors. The Chief and several of his followers were executed and high rewards put on the heads of his Clansmen.

The fierce reputation of the MacGregors ensured that few people were eager to try to earn these rewards. The proscription of the MacGregor name was not finally lifted until 1775 and it is a tribute to their endurance and indomitable spirit that the MacGregor name still exists.

In 1959, Brigadier Sir Gregor MacGregor, 6th Bt, of Lanrick and Balquhidder, became 23rd Chief of Clan Gregor, he was also a Grand Master Mason of Scotland . He had a very distinguished military career. Of his immediate ancestors, five died in battle, four were beheaded, twenty two were hanged, three were assassinated and one escaped from the violence to America in 17th century, - where he was killed in a battle with Indians. Other notables of the Clan were no strangers to danger. Rob Roy MacGregor, who became an outlaw & folk hero in Scotland, had an action studded life but, strangely enough, died in his old age, peacefully in bed. Simon Bolivar’s main fighting General in his liberation of South America was Gregor MacGregor and another Clansman in the 18th century became "Father of the Russian Navy".

The current chief of Clan Gregor is Major Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, 7th BT, of Lanrick and Balquhidder, 24th Chief of Clan Gregor. He is a renowned landscape photographer.

The Gregor Clan Crest carries a lion’s head wearing an antique crown and the proud Gregor Clan motto, " ‘S rioghal mo dhream" meaning (My race is Royal).

Brewster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the Scotland of ancient times, Brewster was a name for a brewster or brewer. Brewster is an occupational name, given to someone who held the occupation of a brewer of ale. The inclusion of the feminine suffix -ster, indicates that this was originally a woman's occupation. Members of the Brewster family were originally found in Lanarkshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the Norman Conquest, in 1066.

The name Brewster is of Anglo-Saxon origin and considered occupational, it derived its name from craftsmen who made and distilled beer, ale, or certain other spirits. Breowan was the root word for someone “who distills.” Until the 1200s, the term “brewster” was indicative of a female who made ale, beer, or spirits and brewer was the male equivalent. After the 13th century, both men and women who made beer, ale, and other spirits became known as brewers.

Surnames in Britain prior to the Norman conquest were largely unheard of. In the small settlements and villages which existed during earlier times, residents found little need for surnames as everyone in these communities new each other and a given name would usually suffice. However, with the passage of time, population growth and expansions of communities as villages gave way to towns and cities, it became necessary to add a qualifier to a people’s names to distinguish them, one from another. Therefore one person may have been identified by their given name plus their occupation while another may have been identified by their given name and one of their parent’s names. The introduction of surnames by the Normans after the invasion seemed to be the next logical step in this evolution. There was a boundless supply from which surnames could be formed, in addition to the use of patriarchal/matriarchal names or reference to the individuals occupation, there were things such as defining physical traits, a familiar geographical location or a topographical landmark found near the individuals home or birthplace, the name of the village in which the person lived, and so much more. Soon, surnames would come not just to represent an individual but whole families.

There often exists variations in spelling of many surnames, as with many given names which date back to the early centuries. The variation in spelling of both given and surnames during this time period can be attributed to a lack of continuity regarding guidelines for spelling which was compounded by the diversity of languages in use in European countries at this time. The variations in the spelling of the surname Brewster include but not limited to; Brostar; Broster; Brouster; Brewester and Brewster among others.

The earliest record of any variation of this surname is that of Richard Briweera which appears in the Hampshire tax rolls from 1192. These rolls, were a series of census and tax records kept by the English Treasury by order of King Richard I, with the oldest dating back to the 12th century. They hold the distinction of being the oldest consecutive set of records detailing English governance in the United Kingdom. These records span a period of over 700 years and have proven invaluable to researches over the years. Additional tax rolls show records of Roger Breuestere from Suffolk in 1221 and Emma Le Breustere who lived in Berkshire dated 1279. Church records also show Edward Brester was christened in London in1553.

Early Origins of the Brewster Family

The surname Brewster was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. The Scord of Brouster is one of the earliest Neolithic farm sites in Shetland, Scotland dating back to 2220 BC. Some of the earliest records of the family include: Nicholaus, braciator regis (i.e. the king's brewer), was present at the perambulation of lands in 1219; Johannes the 'braciator' was one of the 'native men' of the Abbey of Dunfermline in the thirteenth century; and Thomas le Breuester of the forest of Passeley in the county of Lanark rendered homage in 1296.

Brewster Spelling Variations

Medieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Brewster has been spelled Brewster, Broster, Brouster, Brewester, Brostar and many more.

Brewster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Brewster (c.1566-1644) who arrived on the "Mayflower" and settled in Plymouth in 1620, where he was the religious leader of the Plymouth Colony

Love Brewster, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620

Wrestling Brewster, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620

Johnathan Brewster, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1621

Jonathan Brewster (1593-1659), son of Elder William Brewster who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts aboard the Fortune in 1621