Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, focusing again on Michael Sabot, who descends from Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins and William Brewster. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.

Today I continue with my series “Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who,” featuring the family of Michael “Mike” Joseph Sabot, a direct descendant of Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins and William Brewster.

To recap: Part 4 lists the Brewster lineage and history of Brewster’s Neck Cemetery and the Brewster Monument in Preston, Connecticut. The Hopkins lineage is covered in part 3.

Out of the eight children born to Jonathan Brewster (eldest son of Mayflower passenger William Brewster) and his wife Lucretia (Oldham) Brewster, Michael Sabot descends from their daughter Mary Brewster and her husband John “the Elder” Turner of Scituate, Massachusetts, son of Humphrey and Lydia Turner.

Two generations later their granddaughter Sarah Turner married into the Caulkins/Calkins line. Deacon Hugh Caulkins, the progenitor of this family, immigrated to Massachusetts from England and later settled in New London, Connecticut, in the early 1650s.

Sarah married Jonathan Caulkins/Calkins, son of David and Mary (Bliss) Caulkins, and grandson of Deacon Hugh Caulkins.

Many of Michael Sabot’s ancestors were maritime men, including his 4th great grandfather Captain Julius Francis “Frank” Caulkins (1833-1877), son of Captain David and Delia (French) Caulkins.

An article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune includes a photo of Michael Sabot’s great uncle Lester Mosley Gill with his granddaughter Mary Highland Gill, viewing a portrait of the ship Energy.

This article reports:

The grandparents of Lester Gill, right, took their wedding trip aboard the pictured bark “Energy,” once of the Spofford and Tilestone New York and Liverpool Line of packets. His grandfather, Julius Caulkins, was the ship’s captain, and his grandmother, Eugenia [“Jennie” Mary (Keeler) Caulkins], kept the ship’s log. Gill has the log which records the trip back from Liverpool to New York. Details of the vessel were pointed out by Gill to his 10-year-old granddaughter, Mary Hyland Gill, visiting in Bradenton from Des Moines, Iowa. The ship is flying an American flag with 24 stars, dating the painting between 1822 and 1836. The bark later went aground off Charleston, S.C., in 1872.

Along with the wedding trip in 1866, Eugenia traveled on board with her husband Captain Caulkins again in 1872 with their two daughters, Edith Serena Caulkins and Eugenie Eyland Caulkins.

Here is a painting of the Energy flying the American flag with 24 stars. Captain Caulkins made several trips to England, Italy, and Holland until her wreck in 1872.

Below are some photos of the family members.

This is Eugenia “Jennie” Mary (Keeler) Caulkins (1837-1891), daughter of Matthew and Serena Margreta (Howard) Keeler.

The next two images are copies of photos from the family scrapbook. They show Captain Julius F. Caulkins and his four daughters (left to right): Eugenie Eyland Caulkins (married Robert Gill); Maud Isabelle Caulkins (married Ernest Alfred Herrick); Elizabeth “Bessie” Hargrove Caulkins (married Errett Luther Callahan); and Edith Serena Caulkins (married Lyman Francis Gray).

Here is a transcription of a passage from Eugenia’s logbook dated 8 October 1866 onboard Energy. The passengers listed at the top of the logbook are the following: Gardner Pike and his wife; Mrs. Sue Hunter; Bridget Shannon; and Edward Lefson. In this passage Eugenia mentions a birthday and wedding anniversary connected to her family.

This passage reads:

Monday, October 8, 1866

A.M. moderate breezes and pleasant weather; all possible drawing sail set. P.M. moderate breezes and fine weather. The day ends with light breezes and gathering clouds. Pumps carefully attended. Mother’s birthday not forgotten [Eugenia’s mother, Serena Margreta (Howard) Keeler, born on 8 October 1813]; Serena’s wedding day as well [Eugenia’s sister Serena Margreta Keeler married George Chance Eyland on 8 October 1850]. Captain [Caulkins] swung a hammock on deck for the accommodation of the ladies and marked off a game of shuffleboard. Altogether proves himself very gallant! Thermometer 70 degrees warm off St. George’s shoals. A number of Mother Carey’s chickens [storm petrels, small seabirds believed by sailors to be sent by Mother Carey to warn of approaching storms] following the ship; very curious to look at, as they never touch but one foot to the water at a time.

A rare, miniature stoneware presentation rum jug, incised “J.F.C /His Jug,” owned by Captain Caulkins, went to auction in 2010. Below is a photo of the jug, courtesy of Crocker Auctions in Maryland.

Another relic owned by Captain Caulkins appears in a 1968 newspaper clip: a Charles X of France chair, an heirloom passed down to Lester Mosley Gill.

According to Lester, the provenance of the chair was proven through an obituary dated 5 May 1875 following the death of Captain Francis M. French. (Actually, Captain French died on 5 May 1874.) Michael Sabot has a copy of the obituary in his family scrapbook.

Captain French was the commander of the merchant vessel Great Britian in 1830. When King Charles X was exiled from France and Louise Phillippe was recalled from exile to be declared king, the Great Britian was chartered to convey the royal family from Calais to Dover. Upon reaching England safely the dethroned monarch presented Capt. French with some of his furniture. The armchair was among the items.

Captain French (1797-1874) is the son of Francis and Sylvia (Pritchard) French. His sister Delia French is Captain Caulkins’ wife.

Stay tuned for the Energy 1872 shipwreck and more!

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Note on the header image: “Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor,” by William Halsall, 1882. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Related Articles:

• Stephen Hopkins & the Wreck of the ‘Sea Venture’
• Stephen Hopkins & the Wreck of the ‘Sea Venture’ (part 2)
• Mayflower Mutiny & Other Musings on Stephen Hopkins
• Mayflower Mutiny & Other Musings on Stephen Hopkins (part 2)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 38 (part 1)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 43 (part 1)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 43 (part 2)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 43 (part 3)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 43 (part 4)