5. Were Your Ancestors Aboard the Mayflower?
Background
In the March 2020, the editor of a local magazine, Vicki Prince, joined one of our genealogical society meetings. Vicki interviewed club members, took photographs, and wrote a highly informative article. In her article, Vicki mused “As far as I know, no one has found an ancestor on the Mayflower”.
One member, Sheila Bostater, decided to tackle that question personally, to see if she was related to anyone on the Mayflower. Because Sheila was adopted, she originally knew nothing about her birth family so this search might help her learn more about her birth family.
After months of painstaking research, Sheila believes that she has proven to be related to, not one of the passengers on the Mayflower, but two – the Billington’s and the Soule’s!
A bit of History from Wikipedia
An old 120-ton British cargo ship, the Mayflower was chartered to transport a group of 40 Protestant Separatists, called “Saints”, from England to the New World. In addition, there were 72 remaining passengers they called “Strangers” (i.e., non-religious) and a crew of 30. A second chartered ship, the Speedwell, proved unseaworthy and its passengers were addedto the Mayflower.
After a grueling 66-day crossing of the frigid Atlantic, two events occurred; one passenger fell overboard during a massive storm but was rescued, and a baby was born during the voyage. Passengers were crowded below decks in an approximately 100 square foot space. The Mayflower finally dropped anchor, after being blown off course, near Cape Cod on November 11, 1620, far north of their planned destination of the Virginia Colony.
A small group of men first rowed ashore seeking a suitable colony site and to construct homes for each family. The women and children stayed on-board until the primitive structures were completed.
Sheila’s Journey of Discovery
Sheila first used Google to extract a list of the Mayflower passengers. Then, using Ancestry.com she selected her birth father’s family tree, used the Tree Search field, and typed the word “Mayflower” not knowing what result she would receive. The name “John Billington, Mayflower” appeared!
Having found a family member, Sheila wanted to learn more about the family so she went to YouTube to see what she might find. Sheila found a book entitled “John Billington: A Friend of Squanto”. After watching the video, she decided to check Amazon to see if she could purchase the book. She found only one copy available and immediately made the purchase. It proved to be the best $12.00 investment ever.
During the month of May 2020, Ancestry.com gave access to their World Explorer data due to the Corona virus. Sheila took advantage of this access and searched for her European ancestors. Not finding everything she needed, she turned to FamilySearch.org to see what she could find.
Sheila learned how she was related to both John Billington and George Soule. John’s family joined the ship to leave England for economic reasons. George sailed to the New World as a servant to Edward Winslow to help educate Mr. Winslow’s children.
She also learned both men had signed the Mayflower Compact, the document that was to govern the affairs of new colony. John Billington was the 26th person to sign the document and George Soule, was the 35th of the 41 signatories. Both Billington and Soule are Sheila’s 9th great grandfathers!
John Billington was not liked by most passengers while on the Mayflower because he was not a “Saints” but a “Stranger”. William Brewster especially disliked him. Brewster went so far as to accuse John Billington of killing a colonist and as a result, John was later executed (hanged). John became the first person executed in the new colony. After his death, his wife Elinor, was put in stocks and whipped for slander. Life in the new colony was beyond “difficult”.
Mayflower Organizations
The Mayflower remains a hot topic in America today and a host of organizations share and verify data on the passengers and their descendants.
To claim yourself as a descendant of the Mayflower passengers, is a complicated verification process. Sheila must first apply to the California Mayflower Society where she will need to document her lineage back to the Billington or Soule families. She will need to provide “proof” documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates.
Once the California Society has verified Sheila’s work, she can then apply to the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). Once approved, Sheila will receive a formal certificate, authenticating her Mayflower ancestry. And who would not treasure something like this to share with family and friends? Currently there are approximately 35 million descendants of the original passengers.
Who Knew?
Certainly, Sheila had no idea where her journey would end when she began her epic quest. Sheila had visited Plymouth, England in 1984 and stood where Plymouth rock is located. Little did she know that members of her family had stood on the same ground.
She is so thankful to have found her birth family’s ancestors. Hopefully, based on her example, others will be able to find their Mayflower ancestors.
Ron Gilmore
Email: rvg3@me.com
Website: https://www.rgenealogy.ca