March 3, 2022
Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series profiling descendants of the Mayflower settlers, focusing on two lineal descendants of Mayflower passenger William Brewster. Melissa is a genealogist who has a blog, AnceStory Archives, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.
Today I continue with my series “Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who,” focusing on two lineal descendants of Mayflower passenger William Brewster: Kingman Brewster Jr. (1919-1988); and his first cousin Janet Huntington Brewster Murrow (1910-1998). These Brewster cousins not only share blood lines, but also a stint serving their country on English soil. Like many Mayflower successors, Kingman and Janet valued freedom – which their Pilgrim progenitors laid the foundation for and which they strived to preserve and support.
Line of descent:
- Kingman Jr., son of Kingman Brewster Sr. and Florence Foster Besse; and his cousin Janet, daughter of Charles Huntington Brewster Jr. and Jennie Johnson
- Charles Huntington Brewster Sr. and Celina Sophia Baldwin
- Elisha Huntington Brewster and Sophronia Kingman
- Elisha Brewster and Sarah Huntington
- Jonathan Brewster and Zipporah Smith
- Jonathan Brewster and Mary Parish
- Daniel Brewster and Hannah Gager
- Benjamin Brewster and Anna Addis
- Jonathan Brewster and Lucretia Oldham
- William Brewster and Mary
Other allied surnames in these Brewster familial lines include Davis, Phinney, Hinkley, Foster, Oakman, Hume, Waterman, Phelps, Pierce, Brown, Moore, Bidwell, Long, Cutler, Griswold, and Witter.
Kingman Brewster Jr. served as the American ambassador to England, and talked about his time there with the Richmond Times Dispatch in 1979. Prior to this role Kingman Jr. was Yale University’s provost and president. He was accompanied by his wife Mary (nee Phillips) during his service as ambassador.
He told the press that London was “like a dream world,” where he attended cocktail parties and diplomatic dinners with high profile people and world figures, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He also was invited to inaugurate a lecture at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. In addition, he found some fun in his post and recalled his participation riding in the 50 mile “Old Crocks Race” for veteran cars, from London to Brighton.
While all this was an amazing experience for Kingman, his most noted “marvelous occasion” was a weekend in the unpretentious locale where his forefather worshipped and resided. He said:
“One weekend, we went up to Scrooby, a little town of about 300 souls in Nottinghamshire, where my ancestor Elder William Brewster came from. They gave us a great time. I dedicated a plaque on a little community center they are building, and we engaged in an afternoon of country dancing and tea in a barn. I read the lesson next morning at the church at Scrooby, where Elder Brewster was a parishioner.”
Kingman’s cousin Janet Huntington Brewster, wife of famous journalist and war correspondent Edward Roscoe Murrow, was herself a noted radio broadcaster and relief worker during World War II based in London. The Tulsa World newspaper covered a talk Janet gave to Tulsa residents in 1941, to thank Americans for their aid efforts and to say how much the donated money can ease the newly “blitzed” areas in Britain. The event was hosted by Rev. E. H. Eckel Jr., sponsor of the Tulsa chapter of Bundles for Britain. Janet was a London representative for the national chapter, along with other American women, with the counsel of Mrs. Winston Churchill.
In this article, Rev. Eckel said of Janet Murrow:
“Her New England background, which she rightly inherited, has stood her in good stead in her numerous adventures. Her father [Charles Hunting Brewster Jr.] is 10th in direct line from Elder Brewster. Her uncle is the famed federal judge, Elisha Brewster, of Massachusetts. Her only brother [Charles Dart Brewster] is a member of the 169th infantry.”
Stay tuned for more “Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who.”
Note: An online collection of newspapers, such as GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, is not only a great way to learn about the lives of your ancestors – the old newspaper articles also help you understand American history and the times your ancestors lived in, and the news they talked about and read in their local papers. Do you have a connection all the way back to the Mayflower Pilgrims?
Related Articles:
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part I
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part II
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part III
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part IV
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part V
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part VI
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part VII
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part VII (conclusion)
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 8
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 9
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 10
- Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 11
