As we commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is important to remember that the history of the United States did not begin in 1776. For more than 150 years before the Revolution, families from England, the Netherlands, France, Scotland, and elsewhere had already established homes, farms, churches, and town governments throughout the American colonies. Their decisions to migrate, settle, endure hardship, and raise families created the population base and institutional structures that would later support the call for independence.

Many Americans today descend from these early colonial settlers, often through multiple lines. Some ancestors were political or religious leaders. Others were laborers, soldiers, or landholders. A significant number of colonial immigrants were also descended from medieval nobility or royalty, making them what genealogists refer to as Gateway Ancestors. These figures provide a documented bridge between the early American colonies and European noble or royal lineages.

At Genera Genealogical Services, we help clients identify and verify these early bloodlines, not just as historical trivia, but as meaningful connections to the people who shaped the development of North America prior to the Revolutionary War.

Below are several of the most historically significant and widely descended colonial figures. These individuals appear frequently in American family trees and represent a wide range of backgrounds and contributions to early American society.

Bradford served as governor of Plymouth Colony for over thirty years and is remembered for his leadership during the Pilgrims’ earliest years in New England. He was a passenger on the Mayflower and the author of Of Plymouth Plantation, a foundational document of colonial history. Bradford had numerous children and grandchildren.
 Estimated number of descendants: Over 1.5 million.
 Notable descendants: Julia Child, Clint Eastwood, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

This couple, both Mayflower passengers, helped found Duxbury, Massachusetts. John Alden held various civic positions, including assistant to the governor. They had ten children, most of whom left descendants.
 Estimated number of descendants: Over 1 million.
 Notable descendants: Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, actor Dick Van Dyke.

Although Warren did not hold high political office, he was a Mayflower passenger whose five daughters all survived and married, producing exceptionally large numbers of descendants.
 Estimated number of descendants: Over 14 million.
 Notable descendants: Ulysses S. Grant, Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Wright Brothers.

Born in England, Hutchinson was a midwife, religious thinker, and early advocate of religious freedom. After being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, she helped found Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She was later killed during a raid in New Netherland. Hutchinson is also a Gateway Ancestor, descending from English gentry.
 Estimated number of descendants: Over 3 million.
 Notable descendants: Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Stephen King.

Winthrop served as the founding governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was the principal leader of the Puritan migration to New England. His descendants remained active in New England public life for generations.
 Estimated number of descendants: Several hundred thousand.

Hopkins was unique among the Mayflower passengers in that he had previously lived in Jamestown, Virginia. He signed the Mayflower Compact and played a key role in early Plymouth diplomacy and governance.
 Estimated number of descendants: More than 2 million.
 Notable descendants: Meghan Markle, Presidents George H. W. and George W. Bush.

Bolling immigrated to Virginia from England and became a prominent planter. His second marriage, to Jane Rolfe (granddaughter of Pocahontas and John Rolfe), produced a son, John Bolling, through whom many descendants trace their link to Pocahontas.
 Estimated number of descendants: Tens of thousands.
 Notable descendants: First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson, among others in the Virginia gentry.

Jefferson was a Virginia planter and the grandfather of President Thomas Jefferson. His descendants include the Jefferson, Randolph, and Wayles families.
 Estimated number of descendants: Several hundred thousand.
 Notable descendants: President Thomas Jefferson and many interrelated Tidewater Virginia families.

Skepper was a Puritan minister in Lincolnshire who emigrated to New England with his family. He is a documented Gateway Ancestor with proven royal descent, making him a key figure for those tracing ancestral links to English monarchy.
 Notable descendants: Presidents George W. Bush and Millard Fillmore, Governor Mitt Romney.

Although he lived in England and never came to America, Lionel de Welles was an ancestor of numerous Gateway Ancestors who did settle in the colonies. He died at the Battle of Towton during the Wars of the Roses. His bloodline connects many Americans to the Plantagenets.
 Estimated number of American descendants: Millions, through dozens of immigrant lines.

These individuals represent a small portion of the colonial population, but their genealogical footprint is enormous. Whether your ancestors were civic leaders, landowners, tradesmen, or farmers, tracing colonial bloodlines can provide a deeper understanding of your family’s place in American history.

At Genera Genealogical Services, we research these lines carefully, verify connections to known Gateway Ancestors, and help clients place their family stories in historical context. If you have roots in early Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, or the Carolinas, it is likely that you have one or more colonial lines in your tree.

This Independence Day, we honor not only the leaders who signed the Declaration, but also the generations who came before, those who built the towns, raised the children, tilled the fields, and created the society from which the United States emerged.

If you're curious about your own colonial ancestry, or want help confirming a family story, contact Genera Genealogical Services today. We’ll help you trace your roots back to the earliest chapters of American history. 

🎇Happy Fourth of July!!!! 🎆
From Genera Genealogical Services (GGS)