George Soule

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Soule (c. 1595–1679) was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and one of the original 102 Pilgrims that arrived on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.

George Soule was born in England in about 1595, and as a young man became a teacher to Edward Winslow's children. Soule came with Winslow to America on the Mayflower in 1620 and was one of 41 signers of the Mayflower Compact in November of 1620. Soule was among the one half of the population that survived the first winter in Plymouth and was present at the time of the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621. In about 1626, Soule married a woman named Mary (likely Mary Buckett), and they had nine children: Zacariah, John, Nathaniel, George, Susanna West, Mary, Elizabeth, Patience, and Benjamin. George Soule eventually became a prominent landowner in Duxbury, Massachusetts. In 1637, Soule volunteered to serve during the Pequot War. He also served as a deputy (representative) for Duxbury and on many committees in Plymouth Colony. Soule died in 1679, leaving a sizable estate.