{"id":105464,"date":"2025-11-25T13:40:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T18:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/?p=105464"},"modified":"2025-11-25T13:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T18:40:54","slug":"mayflower-descendants-whos-who-thanksgiving-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/mayflower-descendants-whos-who-thanksgiving-special.html","title":{"rendered":"Mayflower Descendants: Who\u2019s Who (Thanksgiving special)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Introduction:<\/em><\/strong><em> In this article, to help celebrate Thanksgiving, Melissa Davenport Berry gives some interesting information about the Pilgrim\u2019s Elder William Brewster. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, <a href=\"http:\/\/americana-archives.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">americana-archives.com<\/a>, and a Facebook group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/HistoryGenNEFamilies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New England Family Genealogy and History<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the last two years I collaborated with Guy and Kathy (Williams) Curtis to research and document their family genealogy for membership in the <a href=\"https:\/\/themayflowersociety.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General Society of Mayflower Descendants.<\/a> Both have since been formally admitted.<\/p>\n<p>Guy\u2019s <em>Mayflower<\/em> passenger is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/in-memory-of-the-pilgrim-fathers-william-brewster-part-1.html\">William Brewster<\/a>, patriarch of the Pilgrims and their ruling elder; however, he has other lines which include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/mayflower-descendants-whos-who-part-31-part-2.html\">John Howland<\/a>, Elizabeth Tilley, and Francis Cooke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lineage:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>William Brewster and his wife Mary<\/li>\n<li>Patience Brewster and Gov. Thomas Prence<\/li>\n<li>Mercy Mary Prence and John Freeman<\/li>\n<li>Nathaniel Freeman and Mary Howland<\/li>\n<li>Lydia Freeman and Elisha Freeman<\/li>\n<li>Barnabus Freeman and Thankful Dennis<\/li>\n<li>Dennis Freeman and Mercy Gorham<\/li>\n<li>George Freeman and Catharine Kempton<\/li>\n<li>Syphorous\/Siphorus Freeman and Mary Elizabeth Harlow<\/li>\n<li>John Edgar Freeman and Adeliza Snow Whitman<\/li>\n<li>Guy Dana Freeman and Margaret Ross<\/li>\n<li>Beulah Benton Freeman and Woodrow Leslie Curtis<\/li>\n<li>David Lyon Curtis and Valerie Ann Kay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Guy Dana Curtis married Kathy Williams, who was accepted into the Maine Mayflower Society under passenger James Chilton, whose daughter Mary married John Winslow, the brother of <em>Mayflower<\/em> passenger Edward Winslow. See \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-photos-of-the-quimby-family-line.html\">Genealogy &amp; Photos of the Quimby Family Line<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is a photo of Guy and his wife Kathy when they participated in a reenactment which depicts the Colonial and British armies battling for control of the Red Horse Tavern (now known as Longfellow\u2019s Wayside Inn) in Sudbury, Massachusetts. (More on Guy\u2019s reenactment battle events coming in my <a href=\"https:\/\/america250.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">250th celebration<\/a> series.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105466\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105466\" style=\"width: 856px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105466\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-guy-and-kathy-curtis.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Guy and Kathy Curtis in reenactment garb. Credit: Guy and Kathy Curtis.\" width=\"856\" height=\"652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-guy-and-kathy-curtis.jpg 856w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-guy-and-kathy-curtis-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-guy-and-kathy-curtis-768x585.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105466\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Guy and Kathy Curtis in reenactment garb. Credit: Guy and Kathy Curtis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stay tuned for my coverage of Guy\u2019s Freeman ancestors. One item I am trying to locate is a sampler with genealogy made by Mary Freeman noted in <em>Freeman Families of Nova Scotia, and Their Ancestors and Descendants and Allied Families: A Genealogy with Biographical Sketches, Vol. 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>For the spirit of the season and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/thanksgiving-mayflower-story.html\">Thanksgiving<\/a> holiday I am dishing up some Brewster tidbits.<\/p>\n<p>William Brewster, who was both a scholar and a theologian, attended the University of Cambridge. Even though he was not officially ordained, he demonstrated that he could effectively serve as a chaplain.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a photo of Ray Byrne of Plymouth, a retired executive and actor, portraying William Brewster at Plimoth Plantation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105469\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105469\" style=\"width: 649px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105469\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-ray-byrne-as-william-brewster.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Ray Byrne as William Brewster. Credit: Plimoth Patuxet Museums.\" width=\"649\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-ray-byrne-as-william-brewster.jpg 649w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-ray-byrne-as-william-brewster-285x300.jpg 285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 649px) 100vw, 649px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105469\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Ray Byrne as William Brewster. Credit: Plimoth Patuxet Museums.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nathaniel Hawthorne noted that Brewster\u2019s \u201claudable efforts contributed much to the order and edification of the first church.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cPlymouth\u2019s Pilgrims Not Such a Sour, Stuffy Lot,\u201d William F. Willoughby claims Brewster sported some colorful garb.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105472\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105472\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A15090DF29750CF18%40GB3NEWS-155096EDF28CD6B5%402445296-155094B919869016%4032-155094B919869016\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105472\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/washington-times-newspaper-1122-1982-pilgrims.jpg\" alt=\"An article about the Pilgrims, Washington Times newspaper 22 November 1982\" width=\"1000\" height=\"588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/washington-times-newspaper-1122-1982-pilgrims.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/washington-times-newspaper-1122-1982-pilgrims-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/washington-times-newspaper-1122-1982-pilgrims-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105472\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Washington Times (Washington, D.C.), 22 November 1982, page 33<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This article reports:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But right from the start, good old Elder William Brewster must have been quite a sight to behold by the clothes he wore. Not the black or the gray garments that marked the Sunday observance of worship. Not what he had in his closet, at least. He boasted that not only did he have a violet coat, but \u201c1 paire of greene drawers for wear on occasion,\u201d a white cap, a red one, a quilted one and a lace one. Life definitely had its brighter moments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Brewster emerged as a leading figure in Plymouth. His awareness of the internal battles people faced with \u201csins of the flesh\u201d was evident when he named his son Wrestling, as a reference to \u201cwrestling with God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Brewster\u2019s father had quite a bawdy lifestyle, and you can read about that transgression with his maid in my article, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogymagazine.com\/pious-pilgrims-mayflower-misbehavior\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pious Pilgrims and Mayflower Misbehavior<\/a>,\u201d published in <em>Genealogy Magazine<\/em> in November 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Brewster was not only the colony\u2019s preacher but an adviser to Gov. William Bradford.<\/p>\n<p>In this photo we see Rev. Michael R. Denney, Elder and Historian of the Mayflower Society, dressed as Elder Brewster and attending the William Bradford statue at Mayflower Society House Gardens in Plymouth. Rev. Denney is a direct descendant of both <em>Mayflower<\/em> passengers, and he assisted in the application process for both Guy and his wife Kathy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105475\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105475\" style=\"width: 535px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-michael-denney-as-william-brewster.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Rev. Michael R. Denney as William Brewster. Credit: Rev. Michael Denney.\" width=\"535\" height=\"713\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-michael-denney-as-william-brewster.jpg 535w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-michael-denney-as-william-brewster-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105475\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Rev. Michael R. Denney as William Brewster. Credit: Rev. Michael Denney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I found a newsclip citing Bradford, who says this of Brewster:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMy dear friend, Mr. William Brewster, was a man that hath done much and suffered much for the Lord Jesus and the gospel\u2019s sake, and hath borne his part in weal and woe with this poor persecuted church, above 36 years in England, Holland, and in this wilderness, and hath done the Lord and them faithful service in his place and calling.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105478\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105478\" style=\"width: 546px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A10DBEC4158FF6DE8%40GB3NEWS-12FB175F4673FA40%402394926-12FB12069B956AA8%403-1384CCCA9E565C5D\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/spectator-newspaper-1225-1844-william-brewster.jpg\" alt=\"An article about William Brewster, Spectator newspaper 25 December 1844\" width=\"546\" height=\"603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/spectator-newspaper-1225-1844-william-brewster.jpg 546w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/spectator-newspaper-1225-1844-william-brewster-272x300.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spectator (New York, New York), 25 December 1844, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Below is a photo of \u201cPilgrims Led by William Brewster Give Thanks to God for Their Safe Voyage Aboard the Mayflower in This Scene Depicting Plymouth Colony\u201d from \u201cThe Frieze of American History\u201d on the U.S. Capitol rotunda, by Constantino Brumidi.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105480\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105480\" style=\"width: 1223px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-pilgrim-frieze.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Pilgrim frieze, U.S. Capitol rotunda. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"1223\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-pilgrim-frieze.jpg 1223w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-pilgrim-frieze-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-pilgrim-frieze-1024x440.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-pilgrim-frieze-768x330.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1223px) 100vw, 1223px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105480\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Pilgrim frieze, U.S. Capitol rotunda. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Further noted: In the records of the First Church of Plymouth is an extended account of William Brewster\u2019s life and character, supposed to have been written by Secretary Winton, from which the following is extracted:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHe was wise, and discreet, and well-spoken, having a grave and deliberate utterance; of a very cheerful spirit, very sociable and pleasant among his friends; of a humble and modest mind; of a peaceful disposition; undervaluing himself and in his own abilities, and sometimes overvaluing others; inoffensive and innocent in life and conversation, which gained him the love of those [friends and others]. He was careful to preserve good order in the church, and purity both in doctrine and communion of the same, and to suppress any error or contention that might arise among them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Below is a photo of the Brewster tablet taken by Heather Wilkinson Rojo of <a href=\"https:\/\/nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com\/2017\/10\/along-pilgrim-trail-scrooby-manor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nutfield Genealogy<\/a> while she was in Scrooby, England, on a tour.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105483\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105483\" style=\"width: 915px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-105483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-brewster-bronze-tablet.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Brewster bronze tablet, Scrooby, England. Credit: Heather Wilkinson Rojo.\" width=\"915\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-brewster-bronze-tablet.jpg 915w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-brewster-bronze-tablet-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/photo-1125-2025-brewster-bronze-tablet-768x558.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105483\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Brewster bronze tablet, Scrooby, England. Credit: Heather Wilkinson Rojo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>William Brewster died in Plymouth Colony in 1644 at age 76. William Bradford attested in the eulogy that Brewster was \u201cseasoned with the seeds of grace and virtue\u201d and stood strong to correct dalliers dictated by earthly desires because he understood them.<\/p>\n<p>Happy Thanksgiving!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/sign-up?destination=%2Fcampaign%2Fpurchase%3Fsession%255Bexit_point%255D%3DLz9zX3JlZmVycmVyPSZzX3NpdGVsb2M9JnNfdHJhY2t2YWw9JmtiaWQ9Njk5MTk%253D\">Create a free account<\/a> at GenealogyBank for 7 days to start your journey and discover the stories your ancestors left behind.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Note on the header image:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cMayflower in Plymouth Harbor,\u201d by William Halsall, 1882. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, to help celebrate Thanksgiving, Melissa Davenport Berry gives some interesting information about the Pilgrim\u2019s Elder William Brewster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":104220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12557],"tags":[12,18761,5820],"class_list":["post-105464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-stories","tag-genealogy","tag-mayflower-and-pilgrims","tag-william-brewster"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/illustration-0720-2016-mayflower.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105464"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105488,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105464\/revisions\/105488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}