Tag: Mayflower

Mayflower Hat Maker: Degory Priest

By on November 30, 2015

Are you a descendant of Mayflower passenger Degory Priest? If you are, then please tell us your line. According to Wikipedia, Degory Priest: was a hat maker from London who married Sarah, sister of Pilgrim Isaac Allerton in Leiden. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact in November 1620 and died less than... (Read More)

Light a Candle for Thanksgiving

By on November 20, 2015

Plymouth, England, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, are already beginning celebrations (which will culminate in 2020) for the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower, with special events on both sides of the Atlantic. “As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled has shown unto many” –Plymouth Colony Governor William... (Read More)

Mayflower Genealogy: Finding Your Cousins Using Newspapers

By on October 21, 2015

Searching through GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives recently, I found this old newspaper announcement for Margaret (Rogers) Smith’s 81st birthday. Margaret Anne (Rogers) Smith (1857-1943) didn’t come to America on the Mayflower ship – but according to this newspaper article her ancestor Thomas Rogers (c. 1572-Winter 1620/21) did. Ding! Hey – I am also descended... (Read More)

William Halsall: Artist of ‘Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor’

By on September 2, 2015

Marine artist William Formby Halsall’s 1882 “Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor” painting is a favorite of New Englanders and Mayflower descendants. What do we know about the painter – was he also a Mayflower descendant? William Halsall was born 20 March 1841 in Kirkdale, Lancashire, England, and came to America in 1858 at age 17.... (Read More)

Will You Mention Your Ancestors in Your Obituary?

By on July 28, 2015

Have you noticed how many obituaries include details about the ancestors of the deceased? George Green’s obituary summarizes his life, compactly detailing his accomplished life in a paragraph or two – and prominently, we learn that he “had deep roots in Michigan.” According to his obituary: He was officially recognized as a direct descendant... (Read More)

Scary Mayflower Fact: Storm Cracked Ship’s Main Beam

By on November 12, 2014

I didn’t realize that the Mayflower had such a difficult time when the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic in 1620. A long voyage—yes, I knew that. The ship got off course—yes, I knew that too. But multiple severe storms, including one that cracked and buckled the Mayflower’s main beam? No, I didn’t remember that part... (Read More)

Mayflower Pilgrim Thomas Rogers: Are You a Descendant?

By on November 5, 2014

Joseph Atwood Ordway (1852-1904) is a descendant of Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers—and he thought so much of that genealogical fact, it was included in his obituary. This is a detailed obituary that gives us a lot of family history information about Joseph: His date and place of birth: 12 May 1852 in Boston, Suffolk,... (Read More)

Researching Recent Obituaries for All My ‘Mayflower’ Cousins

By on October 2, 2014

There is more than one way to find your relatives in GenealogyBank’s massive archive of Recent Obituaries. I’ve noticed that genealogists often go to the Recent Obituaries collection when they are researching a specific relative that died in the past 40 years. They search, find them and go. But wait—there’s more. There is another... (Read More)