Part 1: The Society of Mayflower Descendants: Who they are, where

Part 1: The Society of Mayflower Descendants: Who they
are, where to find them, how to apply
Alicia Crane Williams
Of all the names of the many ships that came to the new world, Mayflower is easily the most
recognized, and the Pilgrims who came to New England on the ship Mayflower are among the
most celebrated of American immigrants. Descent from a Mayflower passenger – one of the
“first comers” – has long been considered a matter of pride. Today there may be as many as
twenty to thirty million descendants of these Pilgrims; 26,500 of whom are currently members of
the Mayflower Society.
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, established in 1897, is the national organization
of descendants of the passengers of the ship Mayflower that arrived in Plymouth, New England,
in 1620 (note, there was no second voyage). Of the 102 passengers on board, there are twenty-six
heads of families who have descendants (listed on the Society’s website
http://www.mayflower.org/) recognized for membership in the Mayflower Society. The head of
family represents his spouse and children who also came on the ship. For example, you may join
the Society under the head of family, William Mullins, who also represents his wife Alice, son
Joseph, and daughter Priscilla Mullins (who married passenger John Alden); or you may join
under John Alden, who also represents his wife Priscilla Mullins. An individual with more than
one Mayflower head of family may file supplemental lineages after the initial application is
completed.
Individuals join one of the fifty-two “state” societies (including the District of Columbia and the
Dominion of Canada) that make up the General Society. Each sets its own fees and dues, so cost
of membership will vary. You may join any state society regardless of residence, although for
obvious reasons joining the state where you live provides more opportunities to participate in
activities. You may also have dual memberships in two or more state societies, and annual
memberships may be transferred to another state (life memberships cannot be transferred).
Contact information for each state society is available on the website.
Each state society also has its own schedule of events. The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower
Descendants, for example, holds three state-wide events each year: an annual meeting in the
spring, a “Peregrination to Plymouth” in June, and a “Compact Day” meeting in the fall. Most
societies hold Compact Day meetings to celebrate the signing of the famous “Mayflower
Compact” (the contract that established how the new colony would be governed, necessitated by
their having landed outside the bounds of their legal grant). Some state societies have scholarship
programs for their members, such as the Massachusetts society, which also annually awards a
scholarship to descendants of the Wampanoag tribe. Societies also publish newsletters for their
membership, distribute educational material to schools, and have other projects. The
Massachusetts Society publishes the scholarly genealogical magazine The Mayflower
Descendant, and the New York Society holds an annual debutante ball for the benefit of their
educational programs.
All members receive The Mayflower Quarterly, the publication of the General Society of
Mayflower Descendants, which includes news about the national organization, state societies,
photographs, and historical and genealogical articles.
The General Society also researches and publishes the series Mayflower Families Through Five
Generations and Mayflower Families in Progress, as well as various other books, including the
vital records of Dennis and Raynham, Massachusetts (see the website under “Books, Insignia,
and Educational Materials” for details on the available books). The Mayflower Families project
has been ongoing for more than forty years with the goal of thoroughly researching and
documenting the first five generations of descendants of all Mayflower passengers. . New
editions of all of these volumes are published as needed to reflect updated research, so it is
important to pay attention to the edition when citing these works.
The first step in joining the Mayflower Society is to contact the state and request a Preliminary
Application. You will receive information about the membership categories, requirements,
application fees, and dues of that state organization. In Massachusetts, Annual and Life
memberships are open to descendants who are eighteen years of age or older and Minor Life
memberships are for all descendants under age eighteen. Some state societies have Junior
memberships for children.
The preliminary package will also include a “synopsis” form with instructions to fill in the
names in your direct line of descent from the Mayflower passenger you wish to join under (no
details or documentation are required at this point). The State Historian will use the synopsis to
determine how much of your line has previously been filed and documented by the Society. A
printable synopsis is available on the website under “Proposed Application Review Form.”
When your Preliminary Application, synopsis, and payment for the type of membership you
want are received, the State Historian will send a worksheet lineage paper and instruction sheets.
The worksheet will be filled in with the information that has already been documented and the
instructions will tell you how to complete the rest of the paper and what documents are
acceptable as proof for the line.
The lineage paper has three columns: place, date, reference. For each generation, the place and
date of birth, marriage, and death must be filled in (if known) for both the line carrier and the
spouse, and citations to documentation supporting each event must be listed in the reference
column on the same line as the event.
Primary documentation – birth, marriage, death certificates, Bibles, wills, deeds, census, etc.
(records that were made at the time of the event or by a reliable witness to the event) – is
preferred whenever possible. Secondary documentation – published genealogies, histories,
transcriptions, etc. – may be used (with some restrictions). Published genealogies that cite the
sources for their information are preferred over those that give no sources. Unpublished
typescripts and manuscripts are not acceptable (although, if they contain unique information
relevant to the line, they may be submitted for informational use). The last three generations on
each lineage paper must be fully documented with birth, marriage, and (as appropriate) death
records for the line carrier (the applicant, applicant’s parents, and applicant’s grandparents). For
the earlier generations, the rule of thumb is “the more primary documentation the better.”
References to the Mayflower books noted above may be used for the first five generations on
each lineage paper descending from a passenger who has been published (at this writing, all of
the passengers, except John Howland, have been covered in one or the other of these
series).When you have filled in your worksheet and collected your documents, you will send the
worksheet and the copies of documents to the State Historian for review. If you are asked to send
original documents in addition to copies, the originals will be returned to you after they have
been examined. The State Historian will contact you if there are questions or if more
documentation is needed.
When the State Historian is satisfied that your worksheet and documentation are complete, it will
be time to prepare final lineage papers. Some states will do this for you; other states will send the
forms for you to type. After your signed papers are received, the State Historian will sign and
forward the papers and documents to the Historian General’s office in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
where everything will be reviewed again by the Historian General and assistants. Should there be
further questions, the Historian General will contact the State Historian, who will pass the
questions on to you – all correspondence is channeled through the state; applicants do not contact
the Historian General directly.
If the Historian General is satisfied the line is confirmed, the paper will be approved and returned
to the state and you will be elected to membership. Both a State Society number and a General
Society number are assigned to the paper, and finally, a photocopy of the signed and approved
paper is sent to you for your files. If other members of your family wish to join the Mayflower
Society using your file, they should refer to your State and General Society numbers. They will
not have to duplicate the documents you have already filed.
Occasionally, a child, grandchild, or near relative of a former member of the Mayflower Society
wishes to join, but is told that the lineage papers on file were not properly documented and the
new applicant must now provide the missing proof. This unfortunate situation has several causes.
First, documentation standards throughout the genealogical world have drastically changed in the
last thirty years. Some sources that were accepted a hundred years ago are no longer acceptable.
New sources are now available or are more readily accessed. Second, the General Society offices
suffered a fire in 1947 that destroyed or damaged many lineage files. Some of these files were
replaced from state copies, but much could not be replaced. Finally, the most egregious old
practice was not requiring any documentation at all for the last three generations on each lineage
paper. Therefore, a lineage filed by a child of the original member would have four
undocumented generations; a lineage filed by a grandchild would have five undocumented
generations; a lineage filed by a great grandchild would have six, and so forth! By the 1970s
there were lineage papers in the Society’s files that had as many as eight undocumented
generations.
Documentation standards today are more stringent and emphasis is placed on primary records or
good secondary sources. In future columns we will explore the sources available for Mayflower
genealogy and discuss the best practices to assure acceptance of your Mayflower application.
For more information on the history of the ship Mayflower and her passengers, see
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/.
Part II: Who Came on the Mayflower: Separating the Facts
from the Myths
Alicia Crane Williams
If all the people who have been claimed to have come on the Mayflower to New England in 1620
actually had come on that boat, it would have sunk mid-Atlantic. Likewise, all the ink used to
write about the ship and her passengers in the succeeding 385 years could have floated her back
to England. A great deal of what has been written is mistaken, imaginary, or outright fraudulent.
So how do you know what is correct?
The best place to start is Caleb Johnson’s website, http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/, which
contains a list of all of the Mayflower’s passengers and what is known about them, whether they
had descendants, transcriptions of books and documents (many of them written by the Pilgrims)
pertaining to both the ship and passengers, and much more. If you don’t see a person on this site,
they didn’t come on the Mayflower.
When the Mayflower left England she had 102 passengers. During the voyage, one passenger
died (William Butten), and one baby was born (Oceanus Hopkins); thus, 102 passengers landed
in New England (although it should be noted at least two other pregnant women made the
voyage – Susanna White who gave birth to Peregrine White, the first European child born in
New England, shortly after arriving at Cape Cod, and Mary Allerton who died in February, a few
days after giving birth to a stillborn son). During the first year in Plymouth Colony, half of the
passengers died.
Of these 102 passengers, the Mayflower Society recognizes 26 heads of families who have
proved descendants. For the purposes of membership in the Mayflower Society, wives and
children who also came on the Mayflower are grouped under the head of family:
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John Alden, also representing Mayflower passenger (hereinafter MP) Priscilla Mullins
(daughter of William Mullins) whom he later married. John and Priscilla had ten
children born in Plymouth and Duxbury, eight of whom had descendants (Elizabeth,
John, Joseph, Jonathan, Ruth, Sarah, Rebecca, and David).
Isaac Allerton, representing MPs first wife Mary, son Bartholomew, and daughters
Remember and Mary. Isaac’s wife Mary died after giving birth to a stillborn son in
February 1621. He remarried, to Fear Brewster (a daughter of MP William Brewster, who
was not herself on the Mayflower), and later had a third wife. Bartholomew returned to
England, where he married and had children, although nothing is known about further
descendants. Daughters Remember and Mary both married and left descendants.
John Billington, representing MPs wife Elinor and sons John and Francis. All survived;
however, the older John Billington, who had a history of troublemaking, became the first
man to be hanged in the colony. Only son Francis left descendants.
William Bradford, representing MP first wife Dorothy who died in December 1620.
Their only child, John, left behind in Holland, came to New England later. He married,
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but left no children. William remarried, to widow Alice (Carpenter) Southworth, and had
three more children (William, Mercy, and Joseph), all of whom left descendants.
William Brewster, representing MPs wife Mary and sons Love and Wrestling, who all
survived. Left behind were son Jonathan and daughters Patience and Fear, who came
later. All but Wrestling left descendants. Fear married MP Isaac Allerton as his second
wife.
Peter Brown came alone, later married twice and had four children, three of whom –
Mary, Priscilla, and Rebecca – left descendants.
James Chilton, representing MPs wife Susanna and daughter Mary. James died in
December 1620 and Susanna in January 1621. James and Susanna had ten children in
total, but besides Mary, only their eldest daughter, Isabella (who came to New England
later), survived. Both Isabella and Mary left descendants.
Francis Cooke, representing MP son John. His wife Hester and three other children
remained behind and came to Plymouth on the ship Anne in August 1623. Francis and
Hester had two more children born in Plymouth. Five of their children (Jane, John, Jacob,
Hester, and Mary) left descendants.
Edward Doty came as a servant to Stephen Hopkins. He married twice and had nine
children by his second wife (Edward, John, Thomas, Samuel, Desire, Elizabeth, Isaac,
Joseph, and Mary), all of whom left descendants.
Francis Eaton, representing MPs wife Sarah and son Samuel. Samuel survived to have
descendants. Sarah died in the first winter and Francis remarried twice. By his third wife,
Christian Penn, he had three children, two of whom (Rachel and Benjamin), left
descendants.
Moses Fletcher came alone and returned to Holland. He married twice and at his death
left ten children, thirteen grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren, all in Holland.
One line of descent has been accepted by the Mayflower Society.
Edward Fuller, representing MPs wife, name unknown, and son Samuel. Edward’s wife
died in January 1621. Their older son Matthew had remained in England, but came to the
colony later. Both Matthew and Samuel left descendants. Edward was the brother of MP
Samuel Fuller.
Samuel Fuller, brother of MP Edward Fuller, Samuel left his third wife, Bridget Lee,
and their son Samuel behind in Holland (he had three children by his second wife, Agnes
Carpenter, who died without issue). Samuel, Jr., later came to New England and left
descendants.
Stephen Hopkins, representing MPs second wife Elizabeth, sons Giles and Oceanus, and
daughters Constance and Damaris. Constance and Giles were by Stephen’s first wife and
both survived to leave descendants. Stephen and Elizabeth’s children Damaris and
Oceanus who were on the Mayflower both died young, but the couple had five more
children born in Plymouth. Of these, only two daughters, Deborah and another Damaris,
left descendants.
John Howland, representing MP (later wife) Elizabeth Tilley, daughter of John Tilley.
John and Elizabeth had ten children (Desire, John, Hope, Elizabeth, Lydia, Hannah,
Joseph, Jabez, Ruth, and Isaac), all of whom left descendants.
Richard More came as a child with his three siblings, Jasper, Ellen, and Mary, who all
died in the first winter. Richard married twice and had seven children by his first wife,
but only three (Richard, Susanna, and Christian) are known to have had children. Of
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these, only Susanna has known descendants. The More children are the only MPs with
proved royal ancestry.
William Mullins, representing MPs wife Alice, daughter Priscilla (who later married
John Alden), and son Joseph. William, Alice and Joseph all died in the first year.
Although William Mullins also had a son and daughter who remained in England, all of
his known descendants are through Priscilla. The claim of Huguenot ancestry for William
Mullins is a myth.
Degory Priest came alone leaving behind his wife Sarah (a sister of MP Isaac Allerton)
and two daughters, Mary and Sarah. He died in the first winter, but Sarah and the girls
came to New England later. Both girls married and left descendants.
Thomas Rogers, representing MP son Joseph Rogers. Thomas died in the winter of
1620/21. His wife had stayed behind with three other surviving children (two others had
died). Joseph survived and he and his brother John have proved descendants. Two sisters,
Elizabeth and Margaret, may have married and had issue, but this has not been
authenticated.
Henry Samson was a child who came with his cousins Edward and Ann Tilley. He
married and had nine children born in Duxbury, eight of whom left descendants
(Elizabeth, Hannah, a daughter [name unknown], Mary, Dorcas, James, Stephen, and
Caleb).
George Soule came alone as a servant of Edward Winslow. He married in Plymouth and
had nine children, seven of whom had descendants.
Myles Standish, representing MP first wife Rose, who died in January 1621. Myles
remarried and had seven children, three of whom (Alexander, Myles, and Josiah) left
descendants.
John Tilley, representing MPs wife Joan and their youngest daughter Elizabeth (who
later married John Howland). John and Joan died in the first year. In 1999 the
Mayflower Society also accepted a line through John Tilley’s son Robert, who remained
in England.
Richard Warren came alone leaving his wife Elizabeth and five daughters in England.
Elizabeth and the girls came later and the Warrens had two sons born in Plymouth. All
seven of the Warren children (Mary, Anna, Sarah, Elizabeth, Abigail, Nathaniel, and
Joseph) left descendants. Claims of royal ancestry for Richard Warren are unfounded.
William White, representing MPs wife Susanna and sons Resolved and Peregrine.
William died in February 1621. Susanna remarried, to MP Edward Winslow (see below).
Both Resolved and Peregrine White left descendants.
Edward Winslow, representing MPs first wife Elizabeth and second wife Susanna,
widow of William White. Edward’s first wife died soon after landing in Plymouth and
his marriage to the widow Susanna White in May 1621 was the first marriage in the new
colony. He became stepfather to Susanna’s two boys, Resolved and baby Peregrine
White, and he and Susanna had five children born in Plymouth. Only two, Josiah and
Elizabeth, had descendants.
The Mayflower Society has published books detailing the first four or five generations of most of
these 26 families, which we will discuss in the next installment of this series. The list of books is
available on http://www.mayflower.org/.
For the original, first-hand account of the voyage of the Mayflower and the early history of
Plymouth Colony, William Bradford’s Of Plimoth Plantation is a must read, and Samuel Eliot
Morrison’s edition of that work is the most readable. Another interesting work, Mourt’s Relation,
A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, was written by the first settlers as an enticement to bring
more people to the colony. A modern compilation that gives details on all of the early colonists is
Eugene Aubrey Stratton’s Plymouth Colony, Its History & People 1620-1691 (information for all
of the above and other books about the Pilgrims can be found on
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/), and Robert Charles Anderson’s new work published by
NEHGS, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (updated sketches
from his larger series The Great Migration Begins) provides everything you need to know about
any immigrant to Plymouth Colony before 1634.
The story of the Mayflower and her passengers was romanticized in the nineteenth century by
such people as orator Daniel Webster and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (author of the
famous poem "Courtship of Myles Standish" that told the story of how Priscilla Mullins was
wooed by both Standish and John Alden). Fanciful and romantic novels were written putting
words into the mouths of the Pilgrims and describing imaginary details of their lives. Often these
imaginary details found their way into so-called historical accounts. As the prestige of descent
from a Mayflower passenger rose, the rush to find an ancestor on that boat led some to ignore
good genealogical sources or even to make up connections that were never there. Since many of
the surnames of the MPs are fairly common, some people have jumped to unfounded
conclusions. For example, although there were two men on the Mayflower named Clarke –
Richard, a passenger, and John the mate – neither man left descendants.[1] The Clarke family of
Plymouth traces to Thomas Clarke, who came on the ship Anne in 1623.
Many of these imaginary Mayflower connections can still be found in print and have
unfortunately been disseminated throughout the Internet, but only individuals on the above list
are proved passengers of the ship Mayflower. Further information about the ship, passengers, and
settlement in Plymouth Colony can be found on the websites of Pilgrim Hall
(http://www.pilgrimhall.org/) and Plimoth Plantation (http://www.plimoth.org/).
NOTE:
[1] The crew of the Mayflower, perhaps as many as 25-30 men, are mostly unidentified and
(other than Captain Christopher Jones) no family information is known about them. Only descent
from a passenger qualifies for membership in the Mayflower Society.
Researching Your Mayflower Ancestors: Part III: Published
Sources: Mayflower Families Through Five Generations and
other books published by the Mayflower Society
Alicia Crane Williams
Documenting families and proving lineages has always been a serious impediment to
membership growth in hereditary societies. The first documented publication of Mayflowerrelated families was begun in 1899 by George Ernest Bowman of the Massachusetts Society of
Mayflower Descendants when he created the periodical, The Mayflower Descendant (hereinafter
MD), which quickly became an industry standard (and is still being published today). However,
the periodical format can only present bits and pieces in random articles, rather than complete
family accounts.
In the 1930s the General Society of Mayflower Descendants published a volume (updated in the
1950s to two volumes, and a third series was begun in 1980 but never completed) titled
Mayflower Index (hereinafter MI), which presented an alphabetic listing of names of Mayflower
descendants and their spouses linked by a numbering system that allowed the reader to follow
backward from any individual to the Mayflower ancestor. The names in the MI were taken from
the lineage papers of the society with the implication that the lineages were acceptable and
documented, despite the Society’s then practice of “grandfathering” papers – no documentation
was required for the most recent three generations of each lineage. The MI, itself, gives no
documentation or even dates of birth, marriage, or death, and the numbering system is often
confused with the numbering system of the lineage papers (each of which is assigned a General
Society number and a State Society number). Despite appearances, it is not possible to take the
numbers from the MI and directly locate the lineage papers relevant to the individuals in the
book.
In 1960 the concept of a documented genealogy on each of the Mayflower families was
developed into what became known as the “Five Generations Project” (hereinafter “5G”). “Prime
Researchers” were chosen for each of the families and given the responsibility of documenting
and writing a complete genealogy on the first five generations of descendants (with the birth of
the sixth), which would then be edited and published. These books would contain complete and
accurate information on each family and relieve applicants of the need to document the first five
generations of their lineage papers.
It took fifteen years to produce the first volume in the series, and today, 45 years later, the series
is still incomplete, although something has been published on each family. The overwhelming
size of the project led to a revamping in the 1980s. Initially, the books were all published in hard
cover (in a silver color, thus the books are referred to as the “silver books”) called Mayflower
Families Through Five Generations (hereinafter MF), but the expense of hard cover publication
and the need to publish frequent updates and additions led to a series of paper cover books (in
pink, referred to as the “pink pamphlets”) called Mayflower Families in Progress (hereinafter
MFIP). The MFIP volumes allowed the authors and editors to publish “as is” versions of the
genealogies and receive feedback, updates and corrections before publishing the more final
version in hard cover, although revised editions of the hard cover books have also been done.
Further confusion is caused by the fact that each Prime Researcher was allowed to present their
family in a manner of their choosing (resulting, for example, in some multi-volume families
being divided by child, others by generation). The combined result is a headache for researchers
trying to wend their way through the various editions and volumes of silver and pink books.
In addition, in recent years the MFIP series has been expanded to include families whose original
immigrant did not come on the Mayflower, but who married (or had children or grandchildren
marry) a Mayflower passenger – Robert Bartlett, Richard Church, Philip Delano. Several works
of vital records or other source material have also been published.
To make a long story short, we will list the current publications for each Mayflower family. You
may find citations to these works on Mayflower lineage papers and in other publications that
may refer to earlier editions and therefore may need to refer to the index of the version in hand
when using these volumes (and remember that frequent new editions will make the current
citations obsolete in turn). Another quirk is that the society uses page numbers when citing from
the MF books, but numbers of individuals when citing from the MFIP pamphlets. All of these
books are available from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, P.O. Box 3927,
Plymouth, MA 02361; www.mayflower.org.
Alden
MF 16, Part 1, second printing with addenda and errata, 2002: first four generations of all
children of John Alden MF 16, Part 2, 2002: fifth generation of daughter Elizabeth (Alden)
Pabodie, includes addenda and errata to Part 1 MF 16, Part 3, 2004: fifth generation of sons
John, Jr., Joseph, and Jonathan, includes addenda and errata to Parts 1 and 2
[Part 4, scheduled for release in 2006, will contain the fifth generation of daughter Ruth (Alden)
Bass, and Part 5 will contain the fifth generation of daughter Rebecca and son David;
descendants of Sarah (Alden) Standish are covered under the Standish family.]
Allerton
MF 17, 1998: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Robert Bartlett of the Anne
MFIP, 2nd ed., 2000: four generations; Robert Bartlett married Mary, daughter of Mayflower
passenger Richard Warren, so this pamphlet duplicates information in MF 18, Part 1 and 2 (see
Warren, below), but provides an individual volume on the Bartlett branch of the Warren family.
Billington
MF 21, 2001: five generations; supersedes earlier version published in MF 5 (with Winslow)
Bradford
MF 22, 2004: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Brewster
MFIP, 3rd ed. 2000: four generations
MFIP, 1999: Jonathan2 fifth generation descendants
MFIP, 2001: Patience2 fifth generation descendants
MFIP, 2003, Love2 fifth generation descendants
Brown
MF 7, 2nd ed., 2002: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Chilton
MF 15, 1997 (with More): five generations; supersedes earlier version published in MF 2.
Richard Church
MFIP,1998: four generations; Richard Church married Elizabeth, daughter of Mayflower
passenger Richard Warren, so this pamphlet duplicates information in MF 18, Parts 1 and 2 (see
Warren, below), but provides an individual volume on the Church branch of Warren
descendants.
Cooke
MF 12, revised ed. 1999: five generations
MFIP, 5th ed., 2000: four generations updates the MF volume above.
Philip Delano of the Fortune
MFIP, 2002: four generations
MFIP, Part 1, 5th and 6th generations, 2004: (family numbers 198-367)
Doty
MF 11, Part 1, 1996: five generations through Edward2 and John2
MF 11, Part 2, 1996: five generations through Thomas,2 Samuel,2 Desire,2 and Elizabeth2
MF 11, Part 3, 2000: five generations through Isaac,2 Joseph,2 and Mary2
all supersede earlier MFIP editions
Eaton
MF 9, 1996: five generations, supersedes earlier version in MF 1.
Edward Fuller
MF 4, 2nd ed., 1995: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Samuel Fuller
MF 10, 1996: five generations, supersedes earlier version in MF 1.
Hopkins
MF 6, 3rd ed., 2001: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Howland
MF 23, 2005: New – first four generations of all Howland children. This is the first volume on
the Howland family to be produced by the General Society. Previously, two volumes were
independently produced by Elizabeth Pearson White and published by Picton Press: John
Howland of the Mayflower, Volume 1 through Desire2 Howland and Volume 2 through John2
Howland, both of which are available through the Mayflower Society.
More
MF 15 (with Chilton), 1997: five generations; supersedes earlier version in MF 2.
Priest
MF 8, 1994: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Rogers
MF 19, 2000: five generations; supersedes earlier version in MF 2
Samson
MF 20, Part 1, 2000: first four generations of all Samson children; supersedes earlier MFIP
editions.
MF 20, Part 2, 2005: fifth generation descendants of son James2 Samson and daughters Dorcas
(Samson) Bonney, --- (Samson) Hanmore, Hannah (Samson) Holmes, and Elizabeth (Samson) Sprout
Soule
MFIP, 4th ed. 2002: four generations supersedes MF 3 for these generations
MFIP, Part 1, 5th and 6th generations, 2000: (numbers 230-349), supersedes MF 3 for these
families
MFIP, Part 2, 5th and 6th generations, 2002: (numbers 350-464), supersedes MF 3 for these
families
MFIP, Part 3, 5th and 6th generations, 2003: (numbers 465-551), supersedes MF 3 for these
families
MF 3, 1980: five generations, but has been superseded through page 238 by all of the above, and
future MFIP pamphlets will eventually completely replace the MF 3 volume.
Standish
MF 14, 1997: five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
Warren
MF 18, Part 1, 3rd ed., 2004: four generations of all Warren children; supersedes earlier MFIP
editions.
MF 18, Part 2, 1999: fifth generation of Mary,2 Anna,2 and Elizabeth2
MF 18, Part 3, 2001: fifth generation of Abigail,2 Nathaniel2, and Joseph2
White
MF 13, 2nd ed., 2002: five generations; supersedes earlier version in MF 1.
Winslow
MF 5, 2nd ed., 1997 (with John Billington): five generations; supersedes earlier MFIP editions.
There is inevitable “cross over” among these volumes where descendants of two passengers have
married but their descendants may be continued only in one volume. For example, Myles
Standish’s granddaughter, Sarah Standish, married Benjamin Soule, a grandson of passenger
George Soule. The Soule descendants are continued in the Soule MF and MFIP volumes, but not
in the Standish volume. On the other hand, Myles’s son Alexander Standish married John
Alden’s daughter Sarah, and their descendants appear in both the Standish and Alden MF
volumes (although in the Alden volume only for four generations).
Unfortunately, no master index to all volumes is available, but it is well worth the time for
researchers in search of Mayflower connections to check their list of ancestors against all the
individual volumes.
The scholarship published in the Mayflower “5G” volumes is the best available at the time of
publication, but ongoing research may disprove or add lines, or the line may be circumstantial or
suggested pending further research. The fact that any particular line appears in one of these
volumes does not guarantee acceptance by the Historian General for the purposes of
membership.
Researching Your Mayflower Ancestors: Part IV: Internet
Research: Sorting the Good from the Bad
Alicia Crane Williams
You know the saying -- “Don’t believe everything you read.” The lure of Mayflower ancestry
very often leads people astray. Fanciful, faked, or mistaken Mayflower lines have a life of their
own – and the Internet spreads them around the world.
In Part II of this series, I gave the authoritative list of Mayflower passengers from whom descent
can be proved for membership in the Mayflower Society (see also additions at the end of this
article), and in Part III I listed the authoritative publications of the Mayflower Society on the first
four or five generations of these families (see additions below). Any claims to Mayflower
ancestry should always first be checked against these sources; but that still leaves many
generations between a prospective member and the “Five Generations” publications. The Internet
naturally provides a great opportunity to locate Mayflower connections and documentation to
support them if used with appropriate caution.
Acceptable and not acceptable
Information taken from the Internet is not useable as documentation with the exception of
scanned images of original documents (such as census records), scanned images (not
transcriptions or abstracts) of published books, and fully identified transcriptions of primary
material (such as cemetery records). Family trees, genealogies, message boards, etc., are not
acceptable. Databases and indexes are not acceptable – you must obtain copies of the original
records. For example, ancestry.com includes a database titled “Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900.”
The database entry cannot be used as documentation but it does cite the microfilm number at the
Family History Library in Salt Lake City from which the information was abstracted, which can
be used to obtain a copy of the original.
Mayflower databases
Unfortunately, the Mayflower Society, itself, does not have a published database and there are
very few on-line databases specifically for Mayflower families. The Alden Kindred of America
has an 8-generation database on its website, www.alden.org (both the html and GEDCOM
versions are also available on CD-ROM), which comes with a strong caveat that it represents an
index only to names that have been collected from many sources, only a fraction of which are
documented in the database. Some of the information taken from lineage papers of the Alden
Kindred is documented, but other information may be waiting for documentation in the ongoing
“Alden Kin Search Project” dedicated to locating all Alden descendants (only 45,000 names
appear in the database out of an estimated one million descendants!). Inquiries should be sent to
the Alden Kindred genealogist ([email protected]) to determine the sources supporting the
information in the database. An update to the database, originally published in 2003, is planned
for 2006.
A similar publication for the descendants of Thomas Rogers through the sixth generation is
available at http://www.tracycrocker.com/TRS/index.htm, and the Edward Doty Society’s web
page, www.edward-doty.org, includes a “lineages” section for members only. Several family
organizations (Bartlett, Chilton, Francis Cooke, Delano) have databases and/or are pursuing sixth
and seventh generation extensions of the Mayflower Society’s “Five Generations” project, but I
have not located any other on-line databases for families of Mayflower passengers. The website
of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides a
good page of links to other Mayflower-related websites
(http://www.sail1620.org/resources_links.shtml).
User submitted “trees” and message boards
The quickest way to survey what other people have collected is to access the millions of usersubmitted pedigrees, “trees,” family group sheets, etc., available on-line through such sites as
www.rootsweb.com, www.ancestry.com (Ancestry World Tree, OneWorldTree),
www.familysearch.org (Ancestral File, Pedigree Resource File), and www.genealogy.com
(World Family Tree, Family Tree Maker Home pages)
The drawback to most user-submitted on-line trees is inadequate or non-existent documentation,
repetition, and size. A large number of uploaded trees incorporate other trees previously
downloaded from other on-line trees, creating a perpetual circle of duplication upon duplication
of the same information (ancestry.com has 1500 entries for William Mullins with wife Alice –
most incorrectly identifying her as Alice Atwood and many including the spurious claim that
Mullins descends from the Molyneaux family; sources or notes are included for only 200 of
these entries and most of those are merely to other trees!). Searches for common names may
provide tens of thousands of “hits,” even with advanced search capabilities.
Nonetheless, even though these trees and pedigrees cannot be used as documentation, there is
good information in some, which may lead to a source or specific information to aid in locating
documentation. The trick is to compare what you find with other sources and track down any
documentation that is cited.
Many of these sites also provide message boards where users can post questions and answers,
and the regular users of these boards are often savvy advisors regarding typical pitfalls about
their particular subject. Ancestry.com’s message boards (under the heading Ancestry
Community) includes a board for Mayflower Descendants (under Boards>Topics>Organizations
and Societies) as well as surname boards for all of the Mayflower family names.
Databases and transcriptions from “primary” sources
Databases derived from original material – such as vital records, probates, deeds, cemetery, etc.
– are very useful, keeping in mind that the database itself is not documentation and cannot be
cited as such. If a scan of the original document is not also on-line, you should obtain a copy of
the original from its source.
The premier site for databases on New England locations and families is, of course,
www.newenglandancestors.org. Outside of New England there are many on-line local sites such
as those accessible through www.rootsweb.com, which links to state, county and town records
posted by a cadre of volunteers working in the USGenWeb Project, among others. These records
vary widely from location to location depending on the activity of the volunteers. Some sites
contain large and detailed transcriptions, while others may only contain minimal information
about where to write for records. Www.cyndislist.com provides a portal to thousands of websites
with genealogical information indexed by location and topic.
Scanned secondary sources
Heritage Quest’s Family and Local Histories collection of scanned images of tens of thousands
of published genealogies (accessible through newenglandancestors.org), literally brings the
library into your home. These images can be used in the same way as photocopies from the
originals (however, the text scanned versions available on some sites are not acceptable because
of the many errors introduced during the text scanning). Most of these books are older, out of
copyright publications, so you will not find the most up-to-date genealogies, but the old classics
are there, including some rare volumes that are not available in many libraries (such as Franklyn
Howland’s 1885 work on the Howland family, and Andrew Adams’s 1898 work on the Adams
family containing many Alden descendants).
Search engines
Finally, any thorough Internet search should include the use of a search engine, such as
www.google.com. Make it a habit to do a Google search every time you look for a name or
place. A recent search on the name Augustus Alden brought me to sites on Civil War artillery
companies, Andersonville Prison, mayors of Nashville, and Amherst College alumni!
Some common Mayflower errors
Here are a few bad connections to watch out for:
Alden – The parentage of John Alden has not been discovered despite various claims. Henry
Alden of Billerica and Dedham, Massachusetts, was not a son or grandson of John Alden of the
Mayflower, although Henry left descendants who are often confused with the John Alden family.
Brewster – William Brewster’s wife Mary remains unidentified and has no proved royal
ancestry. Neither William Brewster of Jamestown, Virginia, nor Rev. Nathaniel Brewster of New
Haven, Connecticut, was a child of William Brewster of the Mayflower.
Brown – Claims of royal ancestry for Peter Brown are unfounded. He has descendants only
through his daughters and was not the father of Peter Brown of Windsor, Connecticut. Therefore,
finding a “Brown” ancestor will not lead you back to the family of the Mayflower.
Cooke – Josiah Cooke of Eastham was not a son of Francis Cooke of the Mayflower.
Doty – Claimed baptismal records and ancestry for Edward Doty are fictional.
Fuller – The second wife of Samuel2 Fuller was not a descendant of William Brewster.
Goodman/Dunham – John Goodman of the Mayflower was not the same man as John Dunham
who later settled in Plymouth and left descendants.
Hopkins –Neither John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, nor
William Hopkins of Southold, Long Island, are descendants of Stephen Hopkins of the
Mayflower.
Howland – John Howland’s wife, Elizabeth Tilley, was not a daughter of John Carver of the
Mayflower.
Mullins – Claims that the Mullins family is really the Molyneaux family or that William Mullins
of the Mayflower was Huguenot are false, and claims of royal ancestry are unfounded. The
maiden name of his wife Alice is not known.
Rogers – The only children of Thomas Rogers to have known descendants are sons Joseph and
John. Attempts to connect other New England Rogers families with this family are false.
Sampson – Abraham Sampson of Plymouth is not a brother to Henry Sampson of the Mayflower,
although he may be a cousin. Henry Sampson’s son John died without issue and is not John
Sampson of Beverly, Massachusetts.
Standish – Thomas Standish of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was not a son of Myles Standish of
the Mayflower.
Warren – Claims that Richard Warren has royal ancestry are unfounded.
White – William White’s wife Susanna’s maiden name is not known; she was not a sister of
Mayflower passengers Samuel and Edward Fuller.
Some additions to Parts II and III of this series:
Mayflower lineages from women passengers
The Mayflower Society is now accepting lineages filed from three women who came on the
Mayflower; previously, all lineages had to begin with one of the male heads of families. The
three new qualifying ancestors were chosen because they were adult, married women whose
maiden names are known:
Mary (Norris) Allerton, wife of Isaac Allerton and mother of passengers Remember and Mary
Allerton.
Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins, second wife of Stephen Hopkins.
Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley, wife of John Tilley and mother of passenger Elizabeth Tilley.
New Mayflower Families publications
Since the publication of Part III of this series, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has
published:
Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume 23, Part 1, John Howland, containing
the first four generations of his younger children: Lydia (who married James Brown), Hannah
(who married Jonathan Bosworth), Joseph, Jabez, Ruth (who married Thomas Cushman) and
Isaac. This leaves two middle children – Hope, who married John Chipman, and Elizabeth, who
married Ephraim Hicks and John Dickinson – who have not yet been treated in print.
Mayflower Families in Progress, George Soule, Fifth and Sixth Generations, Part Four (Family
Numbers 552-636).
Researching Your Mayflower Ancestors: Part V: Primary
Research: Finding the best records to prove your case
Alicia Crane Williams
In the hierarchy of documenting a lineage, primary records are the most desirable. Even when
secondary sources seem to give reliable information, it is always prudent to track down as much
primary documentation to support the secondary source as possible. However, because primary
records can be difficult to find, or to understand once found, many people applying for
membership in hereditary societies make the error of providing minimal or inadequate primary
sources.
The Mayflower Society wants primary documentation in support of every generation on every
lineage paper (it requires it for the last three generations). It will accept "good" secondary
sources - particularly those that cite primary references. In extreme cases it will accept
circumstantial arguments, but not without proof that a diligent search has been made for primary
records. The more primary documentation presented with a lineage application, the better case
for acceptance.
A "primary" source can be described as an acceptable record made at the time of an event or by a
reliable witness to the event (you were present at your own birth, for example, but not a
"reliable" witness to it). Acceptable primary records include birth, marriage, and death
certificates, Bible, church, cemetery, probate, and land records, but there are many different
kinds of records that may be used.
Birth, marriage, and death records:
Vital records (births, marriages, deaths) may be kept by the town, county, and/or the state, each
of which will have different parameters - when they began keeping records, what clerk, registries
or courts have the records, what records are open, who can access the records, when, and for how
much. Privacy and security issues have tightened controls on access to records, particularly birth
records that might be used fraudulently, and some records may only be available to family
members and authorized individuals. In some cases certificates for "genealogical use only" may
be issued. One of the reasons that every researcher should obtain copies of vital records now is
the threat of having access to these records closed in the future.
Guides to locating where vital records may be obtained are available on the Internet (start with
www.cyndislist.com) and in print (see newenglandancestors.org research articles and
publications). There are also on-line services through which some state level vital records can be
ordered for a fee (ancestry.com's "VitalChek" for one). If you are looking for a record in a state
where births, marriages, and deaths were kept by the town, it may be faster and less expensive to
write to the town clerk for a record - although this depends on the individual clerk.
The usefulness of a vital record depends on the detail of information and the informant. In many
places "short form" birth certificates are issued which do not include the names of parents, or
have limited information. These "short form" records are not acceptable. "Long form"
certificates with all of the information from the original record are required, or a copy from the
original record itself. Birth and marriage records are usually the most reliable (because
informants are the parents or the individuals being married), death records are often the least
reliable (because the informant may be a distraught spouse, grandchild, or unrelated person) although there are exceptions to everything.
Older records may be available on microfilm and/or online, such as the Massachusetts vital
records 1841-1910 available through newenglandancestors.org. Many may also be found at
libraries and repositories such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Published
volumes of vital records may also be used.
Bible records
A family Bible with "contemporary" records is considered primary. Contemporary means the
records were entered into the Bible at the time of the events or by someone who witnessed the
events. Handwriting can often be used to determine who made different entries. Whenever
possible, the title page of the Bible with the date of publication should be submitted with copies
of all of the pages with family information. Provenance of the Bible stating to whom it originally
belonged, to whom it now belongs, and, if possible, identifying owners in between, should also
be attached to the copies.
Transcriptions or abstracts made from a Bible that has been lost may be acceptable if the
transcriber can be identified and some information on when and where the transcription was
made is provided. Unless complete and literal, the transcription becomes secondary evidence.
Church and Cemetery Records
Baptisms, marriages, and burials were recorded by religious organizations. Many times a record
that was not kept by the civil authority may show up in a church record. Gravestones may be the
only surviving record of some ancestors. Local libraries are often the best sources for knowledge
of local churches, cemeteries and their records. Religious denominations have regional or
national repositories of some records (such as Catholic dioceses). Rootsweb.com includes
hundreds of transcriptions from church and cemetery records scattered throughout the country
(on-line transcriptions or abstracts are considered secondary).
Photographs of gravestones are admissible for the date of death, age of death, relationship ("wife
of") if given, and place of burial (not necessarily place of death), although, like death records,
they can be unreliable (if the stone carver cut the wrong age, it was probably cheaper just to
leave it). Stones erected by a later generation are not contemporary. Cemetery lot maps and
records can be used to show family relationships.
Probate and records
Probate records can be extremely useful in proving connections between generations. Many
probate records have been microfilmed and can be accessed through the Family History Library
in Salt Lake City and other Mormon stake libraries as well as state and local institutions, and in
some cases indexes have been published on-line.
Most probates are kept by the county, although in a few states they are kept by probate districts
or the town. You can also find guides explaining the types of probate (testate and intestate),
terminology, and the various records found in probate files. The most obvious are wills, which
can make a direct link between parent and child, sometimes grandchildren, but even estates
without wills may contain receipts, distributions, divisions, guardianships, etc., that name heirs such as the receipt given by John Littlejohn for the cow his wife Sarah inherited from her father's
estate, which is the only proof of who Sarah married!
Not every ancestor left a probate record, of course. Probate was required only when there was
property, and many died without owning enough to go through probate. Property, however, did
not only mean real estate. Personal estate (from clothes to furniture to livestock) was also
included in probate. A probate search should always be an important part of every genealogical
case and will often be requested by the Mayflower Society to prove or shore up a weak link in a
lineage.
Land records are difficult to use, but they, too, can provide valuable information, particularly
when other sources are not found. The Mormon microfilms include deeds as well as probate
mentioned above, but indexes to deeds are less often found on-line. Usually, land records can be
found in the same courthouse or town hall as the probate records, so a search in one can be
supplemented by a search in the other.
A search in deeds is not as clear cut as one in probate where everything will be found in a single
file. The most obvious land records for proving a lineage are those in which a parent deeds land
to a child with specific relationships stated, but most deeds do not give relationships (which may
have to be inferred through a series of records). Deeds may be used to show migration - such as
John Smith of Ames, Iowa, selling property he had owned in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They
may also be used to identify spouses - e.g., John Smith and wife Jane selling land Jane inherited
from her father.
Because of the complexity of deed searches, the services of a professional researcher may be
useful. For the purposes of proving a lineage, land records do not need to be consulted unless
there is a particular problem that cannot be solved with other records.
Other Primary Records
The variety of other records that can be used to prove a lineage is nearly unlimited. A few
examples:
Pension Records: Revolutionary War pensions are now available on-line (through
newenglandancestors.org) and in published abstracts. Not all pension records contain
genealogical information, but many provide proof of marriage (for a widow's pension), names
and birth dates of children, affidavits of siblings and children, and sometimes actual pages torn
out of the family Bible! Pension records can also prove geographic migrations - e.g. that John
Brown who served from Massachusetts was the man who moved to Broome County, New York.
Civil War pensions can be obtained through the National Archives and branches, and World War
I Draft registrations are available online at ancestry.com.
Census Records: Census records are not really primary records because the quality of the census
information was often compromised by the thoroughness and competency of the census taker
and from whom the information was obtained. The census taker was concentrating on gathering
statistics, not on proving lineages, thus inventive spellings, odd ages, and other anomalies
abound. However, because all census records are now available on the Internet, a thorough
census search for any family is feasible and can enhance proof of relationships and migration of
families - Joseph Alden found in the 1880 census, for example, with ten children; the first three
born in Massachusetts, three in Pennsylvania, one in Kentucky, two in Missouri, and the last
born in Arkansas.
Tax and Town Records: Tax records can prove residency and sometimes relationships when
heirs are named in succeeding tax rolls. They may be useful in differentiating between two
individuals of the same name living in the same location. Town records other than births,
marriages, and deaths may include "warnings out" (when individuals or families were warned to
leave the jurisdiction of a town where they did not have a means of support), registration of cattle
marks ( often inherited or transferred to heirs); and land records. Some early New England town
records have been published - Plymouth, Duxbury, Scituate - and others are available on
microfilm. Usually un-indexed, original town records may be difficult to search, but can be a
source of last resort in difficult cases.
Family Letters and Diaries: Original family letters or diary entries may be used to prove
relationships when the writer had personal knowledge of the information given. The writer and
person receiving the letter should be identified and the date of writing included; envelopes with
postmarks and addresses are also useful.
I have seen autograph books, samplers, school records, insurance policies, medical reports, and
many other eclectic items used to prove Mayflower lineages! No stone left unturned is a
genealogist's best motto.
That said, applicants should not clutter their applications with extraneous records, but should
locate and submit the best records available to prove their lineage.
Researching Your Mayflower Ancestors: Part VI: Proving
your line: Preparing lineage papers that will pass the test
Alicia Crane Williams
When you apply for membership in the Mayflower Society (see Part I of this series), the
State Historian will send you a worksheet form with instructions for completing the
application. In most cases, the State Historian will have filled in the blanks for the early
generations with the information that has already been filed with the society - at least the
first five generations as published in the "Five Generations" books (see Part III of this
series) - sometimes more from previously accepted lineage papers.
It is a good idea to make a photocopy of your worksheet to use for practice while you are
collecting and arranging your documents (if your state society provides the worksheet in
electronic form, you can print drafts while you work).
The lineage form has five rows of three columns :
Place
Date
References
b.
d.
m.
married to
b.
d.
The name of the line carrier (whether male or female) is entered above these rows,
followed by the information on his or her birth, death, and marriage, then the name of the
spouse and his or her birth and death.
The Mayflower Society uses some specific abbreviations to cite sources. You do not need
to worry about knowing all of these abbreviations, the State Historian will formalize them
on your final application, but it helps to know some of the more commonly used ones:

B/C, M/C, D/C = Birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate refers to a
certificate issued by town, county, or state authority with information taken from
an original record. You do not need to write the volume, page, issuing authority, or
any other information.





B/R, M/R, D/R = Birth record, marriage record, death record. A "record" is an
image of the actual original record as it appears in the town, county, or state
repository, often taken from microfilm of the original volumes.
MF = Mayflower Families Through Five Generations; MFIP = Mayflower
Families in Progress; MQ = The Mayflower Quarterly; MD = The Mayflower
Descendant. You do not need to send copies of pages from any of these volumes.
VR = the published vital records of the town where the event took place. Include
the volume and page of the book. If the record is from the published vital records
of Massachusetts or Connecticut, you do not need to send copies of pages.
NEHGR = New England Historic Genealogical Register; TAG = The American
Genealogist; NGSQ = National Genealogical Society Quarterly; NYGBR = New
York Genealogical and Biographical Record.
1850 FC NY = 1850 Federal census, New York State.
Whenever a record is for the spouse of the line carrier add the prefix "s" (e.g., s-B/C; sobit). In the reference column, list the primary documents first, then the secondary
sources.
You will need to supply two photocopies of every source document that you submit with
your paper (one stays with the State Society and one goes to the General Society files).
As noted above, you do not need to send photocopies of published vital records of
Massachusetts and Connecticut, or of any of the Mayflower Society's publications (in
addition, the General Society library has many standard genealogies and books - check
with your State Historian if you have questions about whether or not you need to supply
copies from any particular book). If two or more members of your family are joining at
the same time, you do not need to supply duplicate sets of documents for each person.
To help expedite your application, highlight the pertinent information on each document
with a yellow highlight pen - names, dates, places. Also, you can code the documents by
writing the generation number followed by a code letter (as listed below) in red ink on the
upper right-hand corner of each document. These little things will shorten the time the
State Historian spends on your application as well as help you to organize your records:
a = birth of line carrier
b = death of line carrier
c = marriage
d = birth of spouse
e = death of spouse
For example, the birth certificate of line carrier Mary Adams in the seventh generation
would be coded "7a" while her husband's birth certificate would be "7d" and so forth.
Finally, your documents should be arranged in order by generation, newest generation
first. Thus your own birth and (if appropriate) marriage, and spouse birth certificates first;
your parents' records next, grandparents next, proceeding backward. Within the
generations, arrange the records in a, b, c, d, e, order as much as possible - obviously,
some records and secondary sources may refer to more than one generation. Do NOT
submit multiple copies of the same source for different generations.
Red Flags
When the historians review your application (at both the state and General Society
levels), they will be looking for "red flags" that indicate possible problems with the
lineage. An awareness of these flags may help you avoid problems.
Blank spaces: Even though there are times when you don't know the specific place or
date of an event, try to fill in the space with something [always place brackets around
estimated information]. For example, a place of birth can be estimated from the location
of the family in a census; a birth date can be estimated from the age in a census or age at
death; a death can be designated as "after" a date of a deed or "bet" the date of signing a
will and when the will was probated; or a marriage date can be estimated from the birth
of the first child.
Single secondary source: Citing only one secondary source for a whole generation or
more is inadequate. Try to locate at least one or two primary records for the generation,
but if you cannot locate primary records, at least collect as many census records for the
individual as possible that will support the secondary source as to their residence, age,
and relationships to other members of the family.
Name's the same: Just because the census record says your John Crane was born in
Massachusetts about 1800, does not necessarily mean he is the same John Crane whose
birth is recorded in Norton. Likewise, because Benjamin Jones married a girl named
Mary Smith in Dartmouth does not necessarily mean that she is the same Mary Smith
whose birth is recorded in Dartmouth. Examples of unrecorded children abound, and
people with similar names can easily be confused.
Missing maiden names: Often a birth, marriage, or death record for an individual may not
include the maiden name of the mother of that individual. The record may simply state
that the parents of Susan Allen are James and Elizabeth Allen. You may have a marriage
record for James Allen and Elizabeth Green, but this does not prove they are the parents
of Susan Allen -- or James Allen may have had two wives named Elizabeth (it happens!).
If the Mayflower line descends through Elizabeth Green, then the lineage would not
descend through children of James' other wife.
Geographic leaps: If Mary Jones was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, and her parents
lived and died in there, can she really be the same Mary Jones who was married in
Groton, Connecticut? Although there are exceptions to everything, marriages usually
took place in the town of residence of the bride's family. Any big geographic change
needs to be corroborated with primary evidence. Is the Daniel Brown family of Iowa in
1850 the same Daniel Brown family of Maine in 1840?
Age discrepancies: On average the usual marriage age for women was 18-20 and for men
about 25-30. The usual child bearing years for a woman are from her late teens to her mid
40's. Again, while there are exceptions to everything, any extreme deviation from these
averages may put up a red flag - such as a woman marrying at the age of 13 or having a
child past age 50. Technically possible, these are not usual circumstances and would need
to be supported by very solid primary documentation.
Records from other generations: Although the names of parents appear on a child's birth
certificate, that record is not proof of the parents' marriage. The name of an informant on
a death certificate is not proof that person is a child of the deceased.
Multiple marriages: If either a line carrier or spouse has multiple marriages, the names of
other spouses should be noted beside their names [e.g. "m 2) John Smith"] and
documentation for the other marriages should be submitted. If the applicant has been
married more than once, list each marriage in order and supply all marriage and (if
appropriate) divorce records as well as birth and death records as appropriate for all
spouses. Exceptions in the case of unavailable records (such as a birth of a divorced
spouse) may be made, but it is a firm rule that all marriages be documented.
Incomplete last three generations: The Mayflower Society wants every birth, marriage,
and death in the last three generations (yourself and spouse, parents, grandparents) of
every paper fully documented. Omitting any of these records will delay acceptance of
your application. If there are any special circumstances that prevent you from supplying a
particular document in the last three generations, consult with the State Historian for
alternatives.
Circumstantial cases
When neither direct primary evidence nor acceptable secondary sources can be supplied
to prove a line, a circumstantial case may be presented, but you will need to:
1. Understand the differences between original and derivative sources, primary and
secondary information, and direct and indirect evidence (consult such sources as
Brenda Dougall Merriman, About Genealogical Standards of Evidence, A Guide
for Genealogists, 2nd ed., 2004, published by the Ontario Genealogical Society).
2. Provide a concise, written "executive summary" of the evidence presented,
preferably using Register Style (see Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century: A
Guide to Register Style and More under NEHGS publications).
3. Demonstrate that a diligent and thorough search has been made of all existing
primary records and that said search did not locate direct evidence that either
proves or refutes the line.
4. Convincingly argue that the proposed lineage is "probable" - not just "possible."
DNA Evidence
The Mayflower Society has recently accepted DNA evidence in support of a lineage.
DNA evidence alone, however, is not sufficient. It must be accompanied by as much
circumstantial documentation as possible to show a paper trail. DNA cannot specifically
identify an ancestor, only confirm two male lineages descend from a common male
ancestor at some distance in the past.
Final Papers
If you have difficulty completing your worksheet, consult with the State Historian.
Submit your material even if you feel it may not be complete and let the State Historian
help you with any problems if possible. Be prepared to have the historians, either State or
General, ask for more documentation on a particular point. This does not mean your line
is wrong only that a question has come up that needs clarifying - you will only be asked
for additional documentation when it is vital to proving the lineage. There may be
circumstances where consulting a professional researcher with expertise in a particular
geographic area or type of record becomes necessary.
Once you submit your completed worksheet and documents to the State Historian, it will
take a number of months for the application to proceed through the entire system. When
the State Historian is satisfied, he or she will prepare your final lineage papers and send
them to you to sign. Then, the State Historian will send the signed papers and documents
to the Historian General's office in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where a Verifying
Genealogist will review all of the material again and either okay the paper for the
Historian General's final review and signature or indicate there is a problem that needs
more detailed attention from the Historian General. In the latter case, the Historian
General will correspond with the State Historian, who will report the problem to you. If
the paper passes, the State Historian will be notified and proceed with your election to
membership.
Patience and careful work will pay off in the end. The process may sound intimidating,
but the journey can be fun and once your papers are completed, you will have a
meaningful record of your Mayflower heritage to pass on to the next generation.
Copyright 2001-2008, New England Historic Genealogical Society. Do not
reproduce without permission.
New England Historic Genealogical Society | 101 Newbury Street, Boston,
Massachusetts 02116, USA | (617) 536-5740 | Fax (617) 536-7307