William Brewster (pilgrim)

William Brewster

An imaginary likeness of William Brewster. There is no known portrait of him from life.
Born William Brewster
January 24, 1566 or 1567
Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire
Died April 10, 1644 (age 78)
Duxbury, Massachusetts
Nationality English Subject
Known for Pilgrim
Religion Separatist
Spouse Mary Brewster
Children Jonathan Brewster
Patience Brewster Prence
Fear Brewster Allerton
Love Brewster
Wrestling Brewster
Parents William Brewster
Mary Smythe

Elder William Brewster (c. 1566 or 1567 – April 10, 1643) was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.

Contents

Origins

Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found,[1][2][3][4][5] and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm.[1][2][3][4][5] He was the son of William Brewster and Mary (Smythe) (Simkinson) and he had a number of half-siblings. His paternal grandparents were William Brewster and Maud Mann. His maternal grandfather was Thomas Smythe.

Brewster was raised in Scrooby, north Nottinghamshire. In the seventeenth century Scrooby Manor was in the possession of the Archbishops of York. Brewster's father, William senior, had been the estate bailiff for the archbishop for thirty-one years from around 1580. With this post went that of postmaster, which was a more important one than it might have been in a village not situated on the Great North Road, as Scrooby was then.

William Junior studied briefly at Peterhouse, Cambridge before entering the service of William Davison in 1584.[6] In 1585, Davison went to the Netherlands to negotiate an alliance with the States-General. In 1586, Davison was appointed assistant to Queen Elizabeth's Secretary of State Francis Walsingham, but in 1587 Davison lost the favour of Elizabeth, after the beheading of her cousin (once removed) Mary, Queen of Scots.

Family

Sometime before 1593, in England, William Brewster married someone by the name of Mary, whose maiden name and parentage have not yet been proven; it has been speculated that it could be either Wyrall or Wentworth, but there is no compelling evidence for either assumption.[1][2][3][4][5] She was probably born in England circa 1568-1569. She 'dyed at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 17, 1627.' (Brewster Book).* Bradford says that, though she died ' long before' her husband, 'yet she dyed aged,' but by her affidavit of 1609 she was less than sixty years of age and it is probable that her ' great & continuall labours, with others crosses, and sorrows, hastened it (t. a. old age) before y* time.'[7]

The children of William and Mary were:

Dissent

Cambridge was a centre of thought concerning religious reformism, but Brewster's time in the Netherlands, in connection with Davison's work, gave him opportunity to hear and see more of reformed religion. While, earlier in the 16th century, reformers had hoped to amend the Anglican church, by the end of it, many were looking toward splitting from it. (See Brownist.)

On Davison's disgrace, Brewster returned to Scrooby. There, from 1590 to 1607, he held the position of postmaster. As such he was responsible for the provision of stage horses for the mails, having previously, for a short time, assisted his father in that office. By the 1590s, Brewster's brother, James, was a rather rebellious Anglican priest, vicar of the parish of Sutton cum Lound, in Nottinghamshire. From 1594, it fell to James to appoint curates to Scrooby church so that Brewster, James and leading members of the Scrooby congregation were brought before the ecclesiastical court for their dissent. They were set on a path of separation from the Anglican Church. From about 1602, Scrooby Manor, Brewster's home, became a meeting place for the dissenting Puritans. In 1606, they formed the Separatist Church of Scrooby.

Emigration

Restrictions and pressures applied by the authorities convinced the congregation of a need to emigrate to the more sympathetic atmosphere of Holland, but leaving England without permission was illegal at the time, so that departure was a complex matter. On its first attempt, in 1607, the group was arrested at Scotia Creek, but in 1608 Brewster and others were successful in leaving from The Humber. In 1609, he was selected as ruling elder of the congregation.

Initially, the Pilgrims settled in Amsterdam and worshiped with the Ancient Church of Francis Johnson and Henry Ainsworth. Offput by the bickering between the two, which ultimately resulted in a division of the Church, the Pilgrims left Amsterdam and moved to Leiden after only a year.

In Leiden, the group managed to make a living. Brewster taught English and later, in 1616-1619, as the partner of one Thomas Brewer, printed and published religious books for sale in England, though they were proscribed there. In 1619, the printing type was seized by the authorities under pressure from the English ambassador, Sir Dudley Carleton, and Brewster's partner was arrested. Brewster escaped and, with the help of Robert Cushman and Sir Edwin Sandys, obtained a land patent from the London Virginia Company on behalf of himself and his colleagues.

In 1620 Brewster joined the first group of Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower on the voyage to North America. Brewster was accompanied by his wife, Mary Brewster, and his sons: Love Brewster and Wrestling Brewster. Travelling with the family were two children: Richard More and his sister Mary. Until relatively recently the children were thought to be orphans or foundlings adopted by the separatists, but, in the 1990's, it was conclusively shown[14] that they were sent to America because they were illegitimate, and the source of great controversy[15] in England. It is not known whether Brewster knew anything about the children's background.

When the colonists landed at Plymouth, Brewster became the senior elder of the colony, serving as its religious leader and as an adviser to Governor William Bradford. Brewster's son Jonathan joined the family in November 1621, arriving at Plymouth on the ship Fortune, and daughters Patience and Fear arrived in July 1623 aboard the Anne.

As the only university educated member of the colony, Brewster took the part of the colony's religious leader until a pastor, Ralph Smith, arrived in 1629. Thereafter, he continued to preach irregularly until his death in April 1644.

Brewster was granted land amongst the islands of Boston Harbor, and four of the outer islands (Great Brewster, Little Brewster, Middle Brewster and Outer Brewster) now bear his name. In 1632, Brewster received lands in nearby Duxbury and removed from Plymouth to create a farm there.[16]

Brewster died in 1644 and was likely buried in Plymouth, possibly upon Burial Hill; however his place of burial is unknown.[1][2][3][4][5][17]

Places and things named after Brewster

Notable descendants

Elder Brewster's descendants number in the tens of thousands today. Notable among them are:

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Merrick, 1
  2. ^ a b c d Merrick, 2
  3. ^ a b c d Merrick, 3
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merrick, 4
  5. ^ a b c d Merrick, 5
  6. ^ Brewster, William in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
  7. ^ Jones, 5
  8. ^ a b Jones, 11
  9. ^ a b Jones, 12
  10. ^ a b Jones, 13
  11. ^ a b Jones, 14
  12. ^ Merrick, 14
  13. ^ Merrick, 15
  14. ^ The More Children and The Mayflower’ & ‘Richard More of Shipton’ both by Donald F. Harris Ph.D: published by The Churchwardens of St James Parish Church, Shipton. These pamphlets are themselves a precis of three research papers published in ‘The Mayflower Descendant’, the magazine of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Volume 43 July 1993 and Volume 44 January & July 1994.
  15. ^ see Katherine_More
  16. ^ Steele, 353
  17. ^ Elder William Brewster at Find A Grave
  18. ^ Jones, 38
  19. ^ Merrick, 30
  20. ^ Merrick, 31
  21. ^ Merrick, 32
  22. ^ Merrick, 33
  23. ^ Merrick, 34
  24. ^ Merrick, 35
  25. ^ Cottrell, Robert C. (2010). "Roger Baldwin: Founder, American Civil Liberties Union 1884-1981". Harvard Square Library. http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/baldwin.html. Retrieved 2010-07-18. 
  26. ^ Cottrell, pp. 1-12
  27. ^ Roberts, p. 649
  28. ^ a b c Jones, 766
  29. ^ a b c Jones, 767
  30. ^ a b c Jones, 768
  31. ^ Johnson, Caleb (2007). "Famous Descendants of Mayflower Passengers -- Mayflower Ancestry of Lindy Boggs". http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/famousdescendants.php. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  32. ^ Wright, 34
  33. ^ Jones, 781
  34. ^ Jones, 782
  35. ^ Jones, 351
  36. ^ Jones, 352
  37. ^ Jones, 353
  38. ^ a b Jones, 625
  39. ^ a b Jones, 626
  40. ^ Jones, 1064
  41. ^ Jones, 627
  42. ^ Jones, 1065
  43. ^ “You're the top! You're a Brewster body.” With that phrase, songwriter - and Brewster auto owner - Cole Porter immortalized the New York City coachbuilder in his hit musical “Anything Goes” in the song "You're the Top".
  44. ^ a b c Jones, 120
  45. ^ James Brewster & Mary Hequembourg; Joseph Brewster & Hannah Tucker; Simon Brewster & Anne Andrus; Benjamin Brewster & Elizabeth Witter; Ebenezer Brewster and Susanna Smith; Daniel, Benjamin, Jonathan, William of the Mayflower.
  46. ^ a b c Jones, 521
  47. ^ a b c Jones, 235
  48. ^ Jones, p. 189
  49. ^ "Jordana Brewster profile". E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=c430386c-db11-4c40-9954-d88b33b7d220. Retrieved 2007-04-26. 
  50. ^ Kabaservice, 16
  51. ^ Obituary: "Kingman Brewster, Jr." New York Times. November 9, 1988.
  52. ^ Jones, 143
  53. ^ Jones, 144
  54. ^ Jones, 280
  55. ^ Ralph Owen Brewster, William Edmund Brewster, Abiatha, Morgan, William, Icabod, William, William, Love, William, of the Mayflower.
  56. ^ Fitch, 10
  57. ^ a b Giddins, 24
  58. ^ Edith L. Blumhofer, Her Heart Can See: The life and Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005):11.
  59. ^ Reitwiesner, William Addams (2007). "Ancestry of Ted Danson". http://www.wargs.com/other/danson.html. Retrieved 2010-0-14. 
  60. ^ a b Reitwiesner, William Addams (2007). "Ancestry of George W. Bush". http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  61. ^ a b c d e f Jones, p. 16
  62. ^ a b Roberts, p. 668
  63. ^ a b c Roberts, p. 668
  64. ^ Cardinal Dulles gives farewell speech as Fordham's McGinley professor
  65. ^ Roberts, Gary Boyd. "The New England Ancestry of Actor Richard (Tiffany) Gere". New England Historic Genealogical Society. http://www.notablekin.org/gbr/gere.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  66. ^ Katherine Houghton Hepburn, Katherine Martha "Kit" Houghton, Caroline "Carrie" Garlinghouse, Martha Ann Spalding, Erastus Lyman Spalding, Mary Witter m Oliver Spaulding, Hannah Freeman, Hannah Brewster, Daniel, Benjamin, Jonathan, William of the Mayflower.
  67. ^ Doris Batcheller Humphrey, Horace Buckingham Humphrey, Simon James Humphrey, Rebecca Brewster Humphrey, Simon Brewster, Jr., Simon Brewster, Sr., Benjamin, William, Love, William of the Mayflower.
  68. ^ Jones, 784
  69. ^ Fleury, Melanie (2011). "Ashley Judd's Ancestors are Found on 'Who Do You Think You Are?'". http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979203540. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
  70. ^ Jones, 274
  71. ^ Jones, 620
  72. ^ Jones, 621
  73. ^ Newport Historical Society, 24
  74. ^ a b c Jones, 21
  75. ^ a b c Hughes, 150
  76. ^ The Mayflower Quarterly, Vol. 64, General Society of Mayflower Descendants: 1998 (quarterly journal).
  77. ^ Jones, 32
  78. ^ Longfellow, 1
  79. ^ Child, Christopher Challender (2007). "Ancestry of Seth MacFarlane". http://www.wargs.com/other/macfarlane.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  80. ^ Jones, 19
  81. ^ Jones, 20
  82. ^ General George B. McClellan, George B. McClellan, James McClellan m. Eunice Eldredge, Charles Eldredge m. Mary Starr, Jonathan Starr, Samuel Starr m. Hannah Brewster, Jonathan, William, of the Mayflower.
  83. ^ Battle, Robert (2008). "Ancestry of Sarah Palin". http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/palin.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  84. ^ Jones, 15
  85. ^ James Leonard Plimpton, Sarah Turner Lane, Lucy Stetson, Mercy Turner, Benjamin Turner, Benjamin Turner, Mary Brewster, Jonathan Brewster, William of the Mayflower.
  86. ^ Roberts, Gary Boyd (2000). "The Ancestry of Novelist Thomas Pynchon". http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr48.asp. Retrieved 2010-04-13. 
  87. ^ Johnson, Caleb (2007). "Famous Descendants of Mayflower Passengers -- Mayflower Ancestry of Cokie Roberts". http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/famousdescendants.php. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  88. ^ a b Jones, 900
  89. ^ a b Jones, 901
  90. ^ Jones, 984
  91. ^ Jones, 341
  92. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=vDy6oEs81w4C&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=david+souter+and+ancestry&source=bl&ots=9O23fNScKD&sig=j3HAvsdhPEeR3i0ciMjndDVQfps&hl=en&ei=geR2SoLDOpD8sgOOyt3eCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9#v=onepage&q=&f=false
  93. ^ Roberts, Gary Boyd. "The New England Ancestry of Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.". New England Historic Genealogical Society. http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr42.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  94. ^ a b Jones, 251
  95. ^ a b Jones, 252
  96. ^ a b Jones, 253
  97. ^ a b Roberts, 9
  98. ^ Johnson, Caleb (2007). "Famous Descendants of Mayflower Passengers -- Mayflower Ancestry of Zachary Taylor". http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/famousdescendants.php. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  99. ^ Roberts, Gary Boyd. "The New England Ancestry of Sewall Green Wright.". New England Historic Genealogical Society. http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_Ancestor_Tables_NEXUS_No3_June1986.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  100. ^ Sewall Green Wright, Philip Green Wright, Mary Clark Green, Rev. Beriah Green, Elizabeth Smith, Hannah Witter, Hannah Freeman, Hannah Brewster, Daniel, Benjamin, Jonathan, William of the Mayflower.
  101. ^ Philip Green Wright
  102. ^ [1]
  103. ^ [2]

Further reading

External links

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.