Allen line: William Brewster, Immigrant and Pilgrim

It seems somehow fitting that I write the last regularly scheduled Allen family post about the first ancestor our nuclear family learned of . We were given for Christmas one year a typewritten genealogy of the Starr family, and in those pages we found our connection to William Brewster.  I was about 12 years old at the time, and I was one proud young girl.  William Brewster! The Mayflower!  Elder, holding the role of chaplain!  To someone already deeply interested in history, this was a treasure of pure gold.

Much has been written about William Brewster and I could just say "look him up on Wikepedia" and not have to write another word . But because some of my family might not take that step, here is a brief summary of his life.  William Brewster was likely born at Scrooby Manor, Nottinghamshire, England, where his father, also William Brewster, was the bailiff of the archbishop of York (Scrooby Manor belonged to the archbishop) and also the local postmaster.

The first significant event in William's life was his brief period of study at Peterhouse, Cambridge, before he entered the service of William Davison.  This likely meant that he was part of the court of Queen Elizabeth I.  William Davison got on her wrong side and was sent home in disgrace, and our William Brewster went home to Scrooby.  There he took over his father's role as postmaster. 

Whether it was at Peterhouse or somewhere else, William became less and less a proper Anglican and more and more a Separatist.  Scrooby Manor was frequently used as a meeting place by other Separatists in the area, where the group worshipped and planned what to do as the authorities started cracking down on anyone not a full supporter of the Anglican church.  The group decided to leave England, but before they could do so, many of this small group were arrested.  The cell where William Brewster and William Bradford were held is now a tourist attraction, seen on "Who Do You Think You Are?" in the Ashley Judd program.  Eventually the two were released, and made their way to the Netherlands, where other members of the Separatists had already fled. 

The Pilgrims spent 13 years in the Netherlands, which practiced a certain amount of religious freedom.  The group lived in close proximity to each other, and ate many of their meals together.  Here William Brewster practiced the trade of printing, and taught English at Leiden, and made enough money to help support the group in very modest circumstances.  One of the pamphlets he printed angered King James in England, and he had to go into hiding as the Separatists negotiated to buy ships and prepare to leave the Netherlands.

The story of the Mayflower is well enough known that I won't repeat much here.  There was at least one false start, as the second ship intended to go with the Mayflower, the Speedwell, began leaking, and unsuccessful repairs were made.  This was a fearful time for the passengers and the trip across the Atlantic wasn't easy, either.  Once land was sighted, most of the men on board the Mayflower signed what became known as the Mayflower Compact, setting up basic regulations for the way they would live.  Tradition says that this was signed using the top of a chest belonging to William Brewster, which has been preserved. 

The first Massachusetts winter, that of 1621, was terrible for the Pilgrims and at the end, there were only seven men left alive.  William Brewster was one, and William Bradford wrote in his journal of the tender care that Mr. Brewster gave to those who were ill.  William took on many of the roles of a pastor, praying and preaching, conducting graveside services, and encouraging the congregation to live a Christian life.  However, he continually refused to preside over Communion services, so the group had to wait until their pastor, John Robinson, arrived in 1629. 

William's wife Mary, surname still a subject of debate, died in 1627 after having given birth to six children, one of whom died in England.  William did not remarry, and he died April 10, 1644, at Duxbury.  He was about 77 years old at the time of his death. 

Pilgrims were stern people because they had to be.  But they laughed and raised families and felt joy as well as other emotions.  While we may not understand some of their religious beliefs, we can honor them for their faithfulness, for their hard work, and for the opportunity that they saw to "start over" in a new country.  William Brewster is one of my favorite ancestors, and not just because he was the first one I learned about.  I hope he is one of yours, too.

Our line of descent is

William Brewster-Mary
Jonathon Brewster-Lucretia Oldham
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Mary Starr-John Chester
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathon Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Fun fact:  There is a whole list of famous descendants in the Wikepedia article.  We are distant cousins of Katherine Hepburn, Bing Crosby, Nelson Rockefeller, and Zachary Taylor, among many others.  Hello, cousins!