Articles with Genealogy

Mayflower Family Genealogies

Your Mayflower Find There is no better feeling than to open up a compiled family genealogy and actually FIND the ancestor for whom you have hit a brick wall. There he is—his parents, his grandparents, all the dates and places, right there waiting for you. Perhaps the book even contains his line all the way back to a Mayflower passenger —how ecstatic are you? How quickly do you enter all of this information into your genealogy program and gleefully shout to the world that you have finally found your entire line? Not to put a damper on your discovery, but finding your genealogy, or part of it, in a family genealogy book is just the first step. In the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century, family genealogies were often written by members of that particular family who were very keen on getting their family into print. The author often related his family history in the most glorious terms—his people were heroes in every war, passengers on every famous ship, related to every politician and traced back to all the kings and queens. Unfortunately, one thing they were not so keen on was providing sources. Did they consult vital or church records? Did they scour cemeteries or court houses? Did they interview family members? In many, many cases, the sources for their information was not given. Does this make that particular family genealogy useless as a source? Certainly not— but you need to evaluate and verify what you find. There are several multi-generation genealogies that pertain to specific Mayflower families, such as the following:   Alden, Ebenezer, Memorial of the Descendants of the Honorable John Alden. Randolph, Massachusetts: Samuel P. Brown,  1867. Available online at Internet Archive.   Alden, Mrs. Charles L., Elizabeth (Alden) Pabodie And Descendants. Salem: Eben Putnam,  1897. Available online at Internet Archive.   Allerton, Walter S., A History of the Allerton Family in the United States, 1585-1885, and a Genealogy of the Descendants of Isaac Allerton, “Mayflower Pilgrim”…Chicago, Illinois: Samuel Waters Allerton, 1900. Available online at Internet Archive.   Hall, Ruth G., Descendants of Governor William Bradford (through the first seven generations).  1951. Available online at Internet Archive.   Jones, Emma C.B., The Brewster Genealogy, 1566-1907…New York: The Grafton Press, 1908.Available online at Internet Archive.   Cushman, Joseph A., The First Seven Generations of the Cushman Family in New England. Massachusetts,  1964.   Doty, Ethan…

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Mayflower Passengers Who Left Known Descendants

Are you a descendant of a Mayflower passenger? Which Mayflower passengers left known descendants? The following are the heads of families who left descendants and the only families from whom descent has been proven: There are many names missing in the above list, names of men who died the first winter leaving no family behind. Some entire families were wiped out – the Crakstons, Martins, Rigdales, Tillies, Tinkers and Turners. Did these families leave other children behind? Men or boys traveling on their own died and we will never know if they were married and possibly left descendants behind in Holland or England—Allerton, Britterige, Butten, Carter, Clarke, English, Holbeck, Hooke, Langemore, Margeson, Prower, Story, Thomson, Wilder and Williams. Some men died but the families they left behind came over later, therefore we have known descendants from Fletcher and Priest and an unidentified daughter of Turner whom Bradford tells us came later who may have left descendants. Some passengers are not in the above list because they chose to return to England and any descendants they may have left have not yet been found—Cooper, Ely, Gardenar, Trevore and Winslow. Goodman, Latham and Litster all died without known issue. Ready to explore your Mayflower ancestor? Start with our “Research: Mayflower Ancestors” course today.

Original Records for Mayflower Research: Vital Records

Mayflower Research: Vital Records Many 17th and 18th century New England vital records come in two forms—original and printed. An original record is the first recording of an event. Once it has been transcribed into printed form, that record becomes a derivative. Early birth, marriage, and death records are usually a little sparse and to the point. Birth records will generally not give the mother’s maiden name and occasionally not even her first name. Death records give the date, place, and often the age, while marriage records provide the date, and neither name parents. Vital records in the 19th and 20th centuries usually contain more information. In long form records, full parentage may be given in all three records and death records may also contain full birth information. In most cases, vital records may be obtained from the town clerk where the event occurred. Of the New England states, three have exceptionally good, early vital records: Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Connecticut Town clerks began recording vital records around 1644 and in 1897 copies were being sent to the state office in Hartford. The websites American Ancestors, Ancestry, and FamilySearch include the Barbour Collection. Maine One thing to remember about Maine is that until 1820 it was a part of Massachusetts and up to 1760 was considered “York County, Massachusetts.” Vital records recorded before 1892 can be found at the town clerk’s office. Records between 1892-1923 are at the State Archives while records after 1923 are at the Office of Vital Records. The websites American Ancestors, FamilySearch, and Ancestry.com include databases for Maine vital records. Massachusetts New England Historic Genealogical Society’s website American Ancestors includes the database Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 as well as others. Other Massachusetts vital records databases are available on FamilySearch and Ancestry. New Hampshire Town clerks began keeping vital records in New Hampshire in 1640, while state registration began in 1866. All original records can be found at both the town where the event occurred and the Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics in Concord. Rhode Island Towns began recording vital records in Rhode Island in 1636, although civil registration did not officially begin until 1853. James N. Arnold (1844-1927) spent seventeen years collecting records for his Vital Records of Rhode Island which were published between 1891-1912. He not only extracted entries from the town vital records, but from church records and newspapers up to…

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The Mayflower

Passenger List We have William Bradford to thank for taking pen in hand and keeping records of the early years. He wrote down the names of the passengers and did a separate accounting of the increasings and decreasings of these passengers thirty years later. Unfortunately, one piece of information he did not record in his history was the name of the ship Mayflower. It is known only from a 1623 land division in which settlers were listed under the name of the ship in which they came, viz: “The Falles of their grounds which came first over in the May-floure”. This land division can be found in Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England (PCR, 12:306).  The following is Bradford’s list of passengers. I have included a (*) for those who are known to have been part of the Leyden congregation and a (+) for those who died the first winter. Although I have included the Carvers in this death count, he died in the spring and she in the summer. The names of those which came over first, in the year 1620, and were by the blessing of God the first beginners and in a sort the foundation of all the Plantations and Colonies in New England; and their families. Mr. John Carver. *+ Katherine his wife*+. Desire Minter*; & 2 man-servants, John Howland, Roger Wilder. + William Latham, a boy. & a maid servant. & a child yt was put to him called, Jasper More. +_   Mr. William Brewster*. Mary, his wife*, with 2 sons, whose names were Love* and Wrasling. * and a boy was put to him called Richard More; and another of his brothers.+ the rest of his children were left behind & came over afterwards.   Mr. Edward Winslow* Elizabeth his wife, *+ & 2 men servants, called Georg Sowle, and Elias Story+; also a little girle was put to him called Ellen, + the sister of Richard More.   William Bradford*, and Dorathy his wife*+, having but one child, a sone left behind, who came afterward.   Mr. Isaack Allerton*, and Mary. His wife*+; with 3 children Bartholomew Remember, & Mary and a servant boy, John Hooke. +   Mr. Samuell fuller*; and a servant, called Wiliam Butten. + His wife was behind & a child, which came afterwards.   John Crakston*+ and his sone John Crakston*   Captin…

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Clues in Photographs: Men’s Clothing

Men’s Clothing, 1900-1950  What trends existed in men’s clothing during the 20th century? Knowing what clothing was popular in which decade can help you pinpoint when that family photograph was taken and who possibly is pictured. Some trends by the decade include:   1900s – The frock coat from the previous decades was being pretty much replaced by the sack coat, especially when it came to daywear.  A man might wear plaid trousers, a solid color jacket, and a vest of a different but complementary color. The turn-cuff in trousers was introduced, as was the front crease in pants. Shirts collars were very tall and stiff, often turned down into pointed wings.   1910s – The vest was collarless and fastened lower on the chest. The flat cap and newsboy cap were becoming popular. Spats or gaiters made their appearance.   1920s – Casual dress was emphasized, and Hollywood and the military uniforms of World War I were the greatest fashion influences. Lapels were narrower at first, becoming wider later in the decade. Pants were straight and narrow, cuffed and shorter, revealing the socks.   1930s – The Great Depression that ushered in this decade resulted in the loss of the bright colors in clothing that had been popular for two decades. Sportswear abandoned knickers early in the decade in favor of casual pants. Neckties were the only colorful relief for this decade and included stripes and other geometric designs.   1940s – Hollywood ruled fashion in the 1940s, as the suits of the 1930s became more exaggerated, resulting in heavy chest padding, double-breasting, wider shoulders, and billowing trousers. The most exaggerated form, the ‘zoot suit’ had a longer coat, high waist, and pegged pants.   1950s – Teens and young men were favoring white tee shirts under leather jackets. Jeans were becoming popular as well. The businessman was wearing business suits that were single-breasted, narrower in form, with less shoulder padding. The vest was falling out of favor.   Men’s clothing during the 1900s can hold some helpful clues in your genealogy research. Our “Photography: Clues Pictures Hold, Editing, Digitizing and Various Projects” course will offer you insight to help you answer questions you have about your historical family photographs.