Allen and Holbrook lines: Our Pilgrims

When I was about 11 or 12 years old, my father received as a Christmas gift from his sister, a genealogy of the Starr family.  Dad thought I should read it (really?), since I had an interest in history, and while doing so, I found that there was a marriage in the Starr family that took us back to Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary.  Yes, that good man and his wife Mary are our ancestors!
I have been interested in the Pilgrims/Puritans/separatists ever since, and when my interest in family history ignited in 2006, that was the first family line that I added to my tree. 

However, I always thought it would be nice if I could find some Pilgrim ancestors for Mom, too. The odds seemed at least somewhat favorable, since there were many of her lines that were in early New England.  I'll never forget the day I found Mom's Pilgrims. I was working on the Foster family, which was a true joy in itself because I'd finally found Elizabeth Whittemore's parents, after searching for years. Her maternal grandfather was a Foster. I was at work (before work hours, naturally), and came across the name Hannah Standish, who had married Nathan Foster. They were born in the early 1700's, and the thought crossed my mind "How many Standish families can there be?"  Sure enough, as I traced her line back, not only did she descend from Myles Standish, she also descended from Edward Doty!  Oh, that was a happy genealogy dance day! 

Here's a very brief summary of each man. 

William Brewster was apparently a man of some means, and was thought highly of by his fellow Separatists. He was an Elder in the church and served as their pastor once the Mayflower group reached Massachusetts, until a pastor arrived to lead them. He taught and preached, but refused to serve communion since he was not ordained.  Everything I have read about him points to his being a really good man.  His wife was Mary, last name not certain.  I have listed her as Mary Wentworth on my tree because the evidence seems to point that direction, but I haven't carried her line back further because I don't consider it "proof" enough to continue. 

Myles Standish may or may not have been a member of the Pilgrims in the religious sense, but he attended services with them and shared his life with them.  He was a "Captain", and was apparently hired or otherwise enticed by the Pilgrims to come to "Virginia" with them (Virginia was their original destination) as their military leader.  He served admirably in that capacity, and from what I have read, was a diplomat as far as relations with the native Americans went.  It is due in large part to what he did that the little colony survived.  We are descended through his second wife, Barbara, whose last name is also unknown. 

Both of these men were also commended for the "tender care" they gave the sick and starving Pilgrims during the first disastrous winter, when so many of them died.  I'm sure neither man had nursing in his background, but they did what needed to be done in a loving and caring manner.  Yes, they were heroes in my book.

The third Pilgrim, Edward Doty, didn't join the church until some years after the arrival of the Mayflower.  He was apparently a contentious man, frequently in court over some matter, usually as the defendant.  He came to the New World as an indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins, and the first mention that is made of him is of his involvement in a duel with the other indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins.  Maybe he did not achieve at the high level of Elder William Brewster or Captain Myles Standish, but he did survive the first winter, and many more, and he did accumulate considerable wealth.  He was married to Faith Clarke.

These are very brief summaries of the men and women we can claim as ancestors, written as a brief Thanksgiving Day tribute.  If you would like more information about how our lines descend, please contact me and I'll be happy to send the information. 

Why I dance, genealogically speaking

Happy genealogy dance...what does that mean?  To me, it means almost any new discovery about our ancestors, or something new I've learned that helps me understand what I found.  Specifically, I do a happy genealogy dance when I:

• Go to a repository, especially a courthouse, and find new records 

• Am able to extend an ancestor's history back another generation, or 10, or 20

• Connect with a cousin who has information or pictures that I don't have, and they're willing to share

• Am able to help someone with one of their genealogy puzzles, or get someone started for the first time

• And of course, when I actually find information that I've been looking for, sometimes for years.

Some examples of happy genealogy dance days, which I'm sure I'll be writing more about:

• The day I figured out that Barack Obama, then a US Senator just starting his run for the presidency, was a distant cousin of my husband's

• The day I finally found marriage records for Archibald Allen, which proved his wife's name, told me where they were married, and led to his father's will which led to his father's will and the names and ancestors of their wives.  Even more exciting was actually going to Harrodsburg, Ky and finding wills of two of my great great great grandfathers, researching in a building that was there when my ancestors were there, and actually holding in my hand a document signed by my third great grandmother and my second great grandfather.  

• Several days when distant cousins, or people who were researching distant cousins, contacted me and gave me information that led to days and weeks of exciting discoveries.  I've received pictures, copies of wills, names and dates, and other information that I would never have found without their help.  I don't have permission to publish their names, but I hope they someday read this blog and realize that I am talking about them.  

• Coming across ancestors who are actually famous such as Roger Williams, Myles Standish, William Brewster (I grew up knowing about him, actually).

• Learning bits and pieces of the lives of ancestors who were not famous. They often served in wars, or did the work that kept the country growing (or fed), and finding even a little bit about them is priceless.

• Looking at a page in my tree and realizing it said some of these people were born in castles, which eventually led to more lines to the Plantagenets, Tudors, Stewarts, Capets, and other royal lines than I can count. I don't feel special because I know most of the English speaking world descends from these same lines, but it's much more exciting to read history and realize that that's my "grandpa" or "grandma" they're talking about. 

In the weeks to come, I'll be writing more about happy genealogy dance days.  If you care to join me for some of these dances, I'd be honored!