William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)

William Brewster
An imagined image of William Brewster. There is no known image of him from life.
Born	William Brewster c. 1566 Scrooby, Nottinghamshire
Died	April 1644 (age 76) Duxbury, Plymouth Colony
Nationality	English Subject
Occupation	Postmaster and English Teacher of Scrooby, Preacher of Plymouth
Known for	Pilgrim
Religion	Separatist
Spouse(s)	Mary Brewster
Children	Jonathan Brewster Patience Brewster Prence Fear Brewster Allerton Love Brewster Wrestling Brewster
Parent(s)	William Brewster Mary Smythe

William Brewster (c. 1566 – April 1644^[1]) was an English official and Mayflower passenger in 1620. In Plymouth Colony he became a Separatist leader and preacher.^[2]

Life in England

William Brewster was most probably born in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, about 1566, and died at Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, on 10 April 1644. 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 (1510–1558), and Maud Mann (1513–1558). His maternal grandfather was William Smythe (1505–1560).^[3][4]

He studied briefly at Peterhouse, Cambridge, before entering the service of William Davison in 1584.^[5] Brewster was the only Pilgrim with political and diplomatic experience. With his mentor in prison, Brewster had returned home to Scrooby for a time, where he took up his father’s former position as postmaster.^[6] Cambridge was a centre of thought concerning religious reformism, but Brewster had spent time in the Netherlands in connection with Davison's work, giving 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.^[7] (See Brownist.)

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.^[6]

Life in Holland

^[8] William lived near St. Peter's church in Pieterskerk with his wife and children. He taught English to Leiden University students and was also a printer of religious pamphlets. His son, Jonathan, was a ribbonweaver. William was chosen as assistant and later as an elder to Pastor John Robinson. He was still an elder when he travelled to Plymouth Colony in 1620.^[4]

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 Brewster and Edward Winslow published a religious tract critical of the English king and his bishops. James ordered Brewster’s arrest, and when the king’s agents in Holland came to seize the Pilgrim elder, Brewster was forced into hiding just as preparations to depart for America entered the most critical phase. The printing type was seized by the authorities 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.^[9]

With Brewster in hiding, the Separatists looked to their deacon John Carver and to Robert Cushman to carry on negotiations with the appropriate officials in London.^[10] In 1620 when it came time for the Mayflower departure, Elder Brewster returned to the Leiden congregation. He had been hiding out in Holland and perhaps even England for the last year. At the time of his return, Brewster was the highest-ranking layperson of the congregation and would be their designated spiritual leader in the New World.^[11]

Brewster joined the first group of Separatists 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.^[12]

Mayflower voyage

Among children boarding the Mayflower were four unaccompanied children from Shipton in Shropshire placed as indentured servants with senior Separatists William Brewster, John Carver and Robert Cushman, on behalf of Samuel More, husband of the children’s mother Katherine More. The children were placed without their mother’s permission after four rancorous years between the More adults over charges of adultery against Katherine More with her longtime lover, the children’s alleged father. Two children were placed with William and Mary Brewster.^[13]

The Mayflower departed Plymouth in England on 6/16 September 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out the ship was buffeted by strong westerly gales. The ship‘s timbers were badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water. Passengers laid wet and ill even when in their berths. On the journey there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger. The worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination. In the space of several months almost half the passengers perished in the cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.^[14]

On 9/19 November 1620, after about 3 months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was the Cape Cod Hook, now called Provincetown Harbor. After several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbour at Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on 11/21 November. The Mayflower Compact was signed that day.^[14][15]

In Plymouth Colony

When the colonists landed at Plymouth Colony, 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.^[16]

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. “He was tenderhearted and compassionate of such as were in misery,” Bradford write, “but especially of such as had been of good estate and rank and fallen unto want and poverty.” ^[17]

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.^[18]

In 1634 smallpox and influenza ravaged both the English and the Indians in the region. William Brewster, whose family had managed to survive the first terrible winter unscathed, lost two daughters, Fear and Patience, now married to Isaac Allerton and Thomas Prence, respectively.^[19]

Family

In about 1591 or 1592 William Brewster married a woman named Mary.^[4][20] The maiden surname of Mary, wife of Elder William Brewster is unknown.^[21]

Mr. Jeremy Bangs made an extensive search for any documents relating to the Brewsters, including a marriage document for them, in the archives of London and Nottingham. Mr. Bangs has been unable to find any new information on Mary, the wife of William Brewster, including any record of their marriage in the preserved marriage records of Nottinghamshire Archives.^[22]

Their first child, Jonathan, was born on 19 August 1593. Two other children were born in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire - Patience about 1600, and Fear about 1606. There are many theories about the surname of Mary, wife of William Brewster, but apparently without acceptable genealogical verification. William's wife Mary Brewster died in April 1627, at about age sixty.^[4][23]

The children of William and Mary were:

1. Jonathan Brewster (12 August 1593 – 7 August 1659) married Lucretia Oldham of Derby on 10 April 1624, and were the parents of eight children.
2. Patience Brewster (c. 1600 – 12 December 1634) married Gov. Thomas Prence of Lechlade, Gloucestershire, 4 children.
3. Fear Brewster (c. 1606 – before 1634) so called because she was born at the height of the Puritans' persecution. Married Isaac Allerton of London, 2 children.
4. Unnamed child was born, died and buried in 1609 in Leiden, Holland.
5. Love Brewster was born in Leiden, Holland, about 1611 and died between 6 October 1650 and 31 January 1650/1, at Duxbury, in Plymouth Colony. At the age of about 9, he travelled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the Mayflower to Plymouth Colony. There he married Sarah Collier on 15 May 1634. Love and Sarah were the parents of four children.
6. Wrestling Brewster was born in 1614 in Leiden, Holland; was living in 1627, died unmarried before the 1644 settlement of his father's estate.^[4]

Death and Burial of William Brewster

William Brewster died in April 1644^[1] and was buried in Burial Hill in Plymouth. A memorial stone exists there for him, which states that it is in honour of "Elder William Brewster Patriarch of the Pilgrims and their Ruling Elder 1609–1644".^[24] The burial place of his wife Mary is unknown.

Unaccompanied More children traveling with the Brewster family on the Mayflower

• Mary More was essentially an indentured servant at about four years of age, as was her brother Richard. She fell ill and died after the Mayflower reached New Plymouth sometime after early December 1620.

• Richard More was also an indentured servant at about age five and did survive to live a long life with adventures as an Atlantic ship captain as well as other professions.^{[25][26][27][28][29]}

Places and things named after Brewster

• Great Brewster Island
• Little Brewster Island
• Middle Brewster Island
• Outer Brewster Island
• Brewster, Massachusetts
• Brewster Gardens
• Brewster Chair

Notable descendants

DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM BREWSTER

Elder Brewster's descendants number in the tens of thousands today. Notable among them are: Isaac Allerton Jr., merchant and Colonial Virginia officeholder[30][31][32][33][34][35][36] Roger Nash Baldwin, co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)[37][38] Alfred Ely Beach, inventor, publisher, and patent lawyer[39] Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, suffragist, granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton[40][41][42] Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch, writer and suffragist, daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton[40][41][42] Lindy Boggs, first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana[43] Bishop Benjamin Brewster, Episcopal Bishop of Maine, Missionary Bishop of Western Colorado[44][45][46] Benjamin Brewster, industrialist, financier, original trustee of Standard Oil[47][48][49] Benjamin C. Bradlee, Vice president at-large of the Washington Post, Fmr. chief executive Editor during Watergate, Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. Bishop Chauncey B. Brewster Bishop of Connecticut 1899-1928. David Brewster, journalist[50][51] Steven (Brewskiez) Brewster, chocolatier, dog owner, wolf tamer, beard grower Diane Brewster, television actress[52][53][54] James Brewster, coachbuilder, immortalised in the lyrics of Cole Porter's song "You're the Top"[55][56][57] Janet Huntington Brewster, philanthropist, writer, radio broadcaster, relief worker during World War II in London[58][59] John Brewster, Jr., painter[60] Jordana Brewster, actress[58][59][61] Kingman Brewster, Jr., educator and diplomat[58][59][62][63] Ralph Owen Brewster, United States Senator from Maine[64][65][66][67] Julia Child, chef and television personality[68] Bob Crosby, Dixieland bandleader and vocalist[69] Bing Crosby, singer and actor[69] Frances Jane "Fanny" Crosby, hymnwriter[70] Ted Danson, actor[71] Charles G. Dawes, 30th Vice President of the United States, chaired committee that produced the Dawes Plan Howard Dean, physician, former Governor of Vermont and 2004 presidential candidate[72] Allen Welsh Dulles, Director of Central Intelligence (1953–61), member of the Warren Commission[73][74] Avery Dulles, Jesuit priest, theologian, professor and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church[73][74][75] John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower[73][74] Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist Richard Gere, actor[76] Lawrence Henry Gipson, historian[77] Hannibal Hamlin, 15th Vice-President of USA, served under Abraham Lincoln Lineage: Cyrus Hamlin & Anna Livermore; Eleazer Hamlin & Lydia Bonney; Ann Mayo & Benjamin Hamlin; Samuel Mayo & Ruth Hopkins; Hannah Prence & Nathaniel Mayo; Ann Brewster & Thomas Prence; William Brewster & Mary. Katharine Hepburn, actress[56][72][78] Doris Humphrey,[79] dancer and choreographer Brewster Jennings, president and chairman of Standard Oil Company of New York (which became Mobil Oil) Ernest Lester Jones, former head of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USGS) and co-founder of the American Legion[80] Ashley Judd, actress[81] George Trumbull Ladd, philosopher and psychologist[82][83][84] Oliver La Farge, writer and anthropologist[85][86][87] John Lithgow, actor[88] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet[89][90] Seth MacFarlane, writer, producer and voice actor[91] George B. McClellan, Civil War general and politician[92][93][94][95] Edwin Markham, American poet,[96] Paul Amos Moody, University of Vermont zoology professor, author of "Introduction to Evolution," and "Genetics of Man" Jan Garrigue Masaryk, Czech diplomat and politician[73][74] Robert Noyce, inventor of the integrated circuit (or microchip)[50][51] Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee[97] Linus Carl Pauling, Winner of two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Peace, one of most influential chemists of the 20th century. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, U.S. Navy commander, "Hero of Lake Erie" in the War of 1812[86][87] Commodore Matthew C. Perry, U.S. Navy commander who compelled the opening of Japan to the West[86][87] James Leonard Plimpton, roller skates inventor[98][99] Thomas Pynchon, novelist[100] Cokie Roberts, journalist and author[101] Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator from West Virginia[102][103] Nelson Rockefeller, businessman, philanthropist, 49th Governor of New York and 41st Vice President of the United States[102][103] Brewster H. Shaw, NASA astronaut[104] Elisabeth Shue, actress[105] Henry Stanton, abolitionist, social reformer, husband of Elizabeth Cady Stanton[40][41][42][106] David Souter, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States[107] Adlai Stevenson III, United States Senator from Illinois[73][74] Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., publisher of The New York Times[108] Paget Brewster, actress Virginia Cook, Grease star and President of the Trinity Ethiopia Partnership Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States[109][110][111][112][113] Stuart Taylor Wood, CMG, ninth Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police[109][110][111][112] Sewall Green Wright, geneticist[56][114][115][116]

References

Sources

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Brewster, William". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Daniel S. Burt (2004). The Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-618-16821-7. 
• Robert C. Cottrell (2000). Roger Nash Baldwin and the American Civil Liberties Union. ISBN 978-0-231-11972-6. 
• Fitch, Noel Riley. Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child; New York: Doubleday, 1999.
• Gary Giddins (8 October 2002). Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams – The Early Years 1903 – 1940. Back Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-316-88645-1. 
• Hughes, Thomas Patrick. American ancestry: giving the name and descent, in the male line, of Americans whose ancestors settled in the United States previous to the Declaration of independence, A.D. 1776, Volume 11; Publisher J. Munsell's sons, 1898
• Jones, Emma C. Brewster. The Brewster Genealogy, 1566–1907: a Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the "Mayflower," ruling elder of the Pilgrim church which founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. New York: Grafton Press. 1908
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (30 August 2008). Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie. BiblioBazaar. ISBN 978-0-554-47602-5. 
• Merrick, Barbara Lambert, compiler. William Brewster of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations. Published by General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Revised 3rd Edition. 2000.
• Newport Historical Society. Items of interest concerning Oliver Hazard Perry in Newport, and Newport in the War of 1812. Newport. Newport Historical Society, 1913
• Roberts, Gary Boyd. Genealogies of Connecticut Families: From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983. ISBN 978-0-8063-1030-5
• Jeremy Roberts (30 May 2005). Zachary Taylor. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 978-0-8225-1397-1. 
• Steele, Ashbel. Chief of the Pilgrims: or, The life and time of William Brewster, ruling elder of the Pilgrim company that founded New Plymouth, the parent colony of New England, in 1620 J.B. Lippincott, 1857.
• Gary D. Schmidt (1 June 2004). A Passionate Usefulness: The Life and Literary Labors of Hannah Adams. ISBN 978-0-8139-2272-0. 
• Wright, R.W.Biographical record: Yale University. Class of 1842 R.W. Wright, compiler, Published by Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, Printers, 1878
• The Freeman Family

Further reading

• The Brewster Genealogy, 1566–1907: a Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the "Mayflower," ruling elder of the Pilgrim church which founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. by Emma C. Brewster Jones, New York: Grafton Press. 1908
• Time Inc (29 November 1948). LIFE. Time Inc. p. 129. 
• 'Brewster, William' in the American National Biography (2000) and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004).
• Mary B. Sherwood, Pilgrim: A Biography of William Brewster (1982)
• Richard Greaves and Robert Zaller, eds. Biographical Dictionary of British Radicals in the Seveneeth Century (1982)
• Dorothy Brewster, William Brewster of the Mayflower (1970)
• Barbara Lambert Merrick, compiler, William Brewster of the Mayflower and the Fifth Generation Descendants of his son Love². Mayflower Families in Progress. (2003)
• Dowsing, J. Places of the Pilgrim Fathers Sunrise Press, London.
• David Beale, "The Mayflower Pilgrims: Roots of the Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist Heritage" (Greenville, SC: Emerald House Group and BJU Press, 2000).

External links

• The Elder William Brewster Society, A Pilgrim Lineage Society
• Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Genealogy of William Brewster
• Clara Endicott Sears A descendant of Elder William Brewster
• William Bradford (1856). History of Plymouth Plantation. Little Brown. 
•  "Brewster, William, pilgrim". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900. 

Mayflower passengers and related topics General Christopher Jones Cole's Hill List of Mayflower passengers List of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620–21 Mayflower Mayflower Compact List of Mayflower passengers who died at sea November/December 1620 Mayflower Compact signatories Pilgrim Fathers Plymouth Colony The Mayflower Society The More children and the Mayflower Separatists Priscilla (Mullins) Alden Isaac Allerton Mary Allerton William Bradford Dorothy Bradford Love Brewster William Brewster Peter Browne William Butten John Carver (Mayflower passenger) James Chilton Mary Chilton Francis Cooke Humility Cooper John Crackston Edward Doty Moses Fletcher Edward Fuller Samuel Fuller Constance Hopkins Oceanus Hopkins John Howland Degory Priest Thomas Rogers Henry Samson George Soule Edward Tilley John Tilley Thomas Tinker John Turner William White Resolved White Peregrine White Edward Winslow Other passengers John Alden John Billington Francis Eaton Stephen Hopkins Christopher Martin Elinor More Jasper More Mary More Richard More William Mullins Myles Standish Richard Warren Native American associates Squanto Samoset Hobbamock Massasoit Corbitant