My Mayflower and Pilgrim Roots
My Journey to Become and Official Mayflower Descendant
September 2018
A few weeks ago I received a letter that I have been anxiously awaiting and now the quest to prove the pedigree that my siblings and I and their children inherited from my mother has officially commenced.
The letter to which I reference came from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and it was in response to my initial inquiry to them to ask them to trace my family lineage back to two 11th Great Grandfathers who just happened to be Mayflower passengers;
Isaac Allerton and Richard Warren.
It was just about two years ago when I discovered by pure coincidence while digging into an online family tree that I didn't know existed, that these two men (among many others) from Plymouth Mass. were ancestors of myself and my siblings through our mother.
Read on....
My Ancestors Sailed On The Mayflower
No Better A Letter
I figured it was time to get official recognition of my ancestry prior to the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower arriving in America, which is coming up in 2020. To discover that many of my ancestral great grandparents helped establish what we now today as the United States is almost unimaginable. I still have problems wrapping my head around the magnitude of it all...
The following is the lineage I submitted to the Mayflower Society a few days ago:
Name of your Mayflower Pilgrim Ancestor: Richard Warren (11th Great Grandfather)
2. Son/Daughter: Mary Warren
2. Married: Robert Bartlett
(10th Great Grandparents)
3. Son/Daughter: Joseph Bartlett
3. Married: Hannah Pope
(9th Great Grandparents)
4. Son/Daughter: Sarah Bartlett
4. Married: Elisha Holmes
(8th Great Grandparents)
5. Son/Daughter: Jabez Holmes
5. Married: Rebecca Harlow
(7th Great Grandparents)
6. Son/Daughter: Mary Holmes
6. Married: Faunce Hammond
(6th Great Grandparents)
7. Son/Daughter: Ruth Hammond
7. Married: Mitchell Pope
(5th Great Grandparents)
8. Son/Daughter: Thomas F Pope
8. Married: Eliza Converse
(4th Great Grandparents)
9. Son/Daughter: Thomas P Pope
9. Married: Elizabeth Gove
(3rd Great Grandparents)
10. Son/Daughter: Henry A Pope
10. Married: Isadora Smith
(2nd Great Grandparents0
11. Son/Daughter: Grace Pope
11. Married: Henry C Deitz
(1st Great Grandparents)
12. Son/Daughter: Raymond Deitz
12. Married: Modesta Kosmeder
(Grandparents)
13. Son/Daughter: Marlene Deitz
13. Married: Maurice Repinski
(Parents)
14. Son/Daughter: John Repinski
(Self)
On August 30th, 2018 I received the following letter from "The GSMD" (General Society of Mayflower Descendants):
Hello Mr. Repinski,
Thank you for your interest in The Mayflower Society.
We have received your Mayflower Lineage Match form, and have compared your proposed lineage from Mayflower passenger Richard Warren to our over 200,000 previously approved lineages.
We have found that GS#92399 (CA 9223) follows your lineage through the 7th generation: Ruth Hammond m. Mitchell Pope.
This means that everything you have submitted from Richard Warren through your 7th generation has been proved, and no further documentation will be needed for that portion of your lineage.
This application is a fairly well documented paper, which then continues the lineage through Reuben Oscar Pope, who was presumably a brother of your proposed ancestor, Thomas F. Pope.
There is another paper, GS#71207 (NY 4976), which continues your lineage one further generation through the marriage of Thomas Pope and Eliza Converse (your 8th generation).
Please note that this paper follows a lineage starting with Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton.
Using these two papers, your lineage from both Richard Warren and Isaac Allerton is proved through the 8th generation.
Going forward, you will need to prove everything from the 9th generation onward to yourself.
If you would like to receive a copy of the application(s) mentioned above, please CLICK HERE for complete instructions and request form.
Please note: the fact that we have no application going past your 8th generation does not mean that your proposed lineage is invalid. It simply means that no one has previously applied for membership using your submitted lineage past the point of generation 8.
What are your next steps in becoming a member of The Mayflower Society?
Gather Documentation:
We realize that finding documentation that proves your lineage may seem like a daunting task, but we hope it will be a rewarding journey for you and your family. It is usually best to start with yourself and work backward toward your Mayflower ancestor. Documentation must include complete information on all births, marriages, and deaths, and must clearly prove the connections between generations (including spouses). Birth, marriage, and death certificates are the best documents, but when those are not available, there are many other types of documents which may prove useful to your research. Such documentation can come from:
· Wills and other probate records
· Land records
· Town vital records or town histories
· Court, parish, and military records
· Census records
· Published genealogies (must be well-cited or accepted within the genealogical field)
There are, of course, a number of other types of records that can be used to prove descent from one generation to the next. Please note that this is a broad overview regarding necessary documentation; more complete information and details may be found on your Member Society’s website.
Contact your Member Society:
Membership in The General Society of Mayflower Descendants is managed through our individual member societies located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Europe. While there are no residency requirements to join a member society, we encourage applicants to join through the state/country in which they live. Contact information for all our Member Societies may be found on our website:
https://www.themayflowersociety.org/join/contact-your-member-society
Each society has a website where you will find complete and detailed requirements and instructions on how to proceed with membership. Once you contact a society, an historian will help you determine what other documentation you may need to provide, and then prepare your final application for membership. We have already sent a copy of this letter to the Mayflower Society historian in the state where you reside, so they will be aware of your interest and lineage when you contact them.
Good luck with your continuing research,
Erin Gillett
Research Assistant,
General Society of Mayflower Descendants
The Discovery of My Pilgrim Heritage
Following is my journal entry from September 2016 which gives the details of my family tree discovery back to the Mayflower and the Pilgrims of Plymouth Mass.
I have included each of my ancestors profiles from Wikitree.com with quite a few of them being created by myself.
Also in Italic are notes on some of my discoveries since writing the original entry....
I have included each of my ancestors profiles from Wikitree.com with quite a few of them being created by myself.
Also in Italic are notes on some of my discoveries since writing the original entry....
September 9, 2016
My Family Discovery
I am a descendent of the Mayflower Pilgrims of Plymouth Mass
I am in shock...
Let me explain.
I started researching my family ancestry a few years ago and got quite far back on my fathers side on a few lines (some lines have taken me back to the 1500s in both Germany and Poland) but a few months ago, I started running into all sorts of brick walls, so I put my research on hold.
A few weeks ago, I decided to try doing some research on my mothers line (which I had started many years back) and decided to try and drill back on her fathers maternal line, which I had never gotten around to.
Following is a brief history of and the amazing discoveries of my family history from my mother, Marlene Deitz Repinski that I made a few weeks ago:
Following is (to me at least) the amazing history of my mother, Marlene Deitz Repinski....
Marlene Deitz Repinski-My Mother
My mother, Marlene, was born July 9, 1936 in Amherst Junction Wisconsin, the daughter of Ray Deitz & Modesta Kosmeder.
She married my father, Maurice Repinski in 1965 in Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin.
My mom had two children, Terry and Jane before her marriage to my dad.
My mom and dad had 4 children together:
Myself
James
Jackie
Jeff
My mom died on Jan 19, 1999 after a long battle with lung cancer and kidney failure.
She was 63 years old.
Raymond Deitz- Grandfather
Raymond Harold Deitz was born on July 23, 1912, in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
His father, Henry, was 27 and his mother, Grace, was 21.
He had one daughter, Marlene, and one son, Clyde, with Modesta Kosmeder between 1936 and 1938. He died on February 12, 1973, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, at the age of 60, and was buried in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Modesta Kosmeder Deitz-Grandmother
Modesta (Maude) Kosmeder was born on August 30, 1914, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Her father, John, was 46, and her mother, Katherine, (Dzikowski) was 37.
She had one daughter, Marlene, and one son, Clyde, with Raymond H Deitz between 1936 and 1938. She died on April 20, 1971, in Wisconsin Rapids at the age of 56, and was buried in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Henry C Deitz-Great Grandfather
Henry Chester Deitz was born on January 2, 1885, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
His father, Henry, was 30 and his mother, Eleanor May(Brown), was 26.
He married Grace Elizabeth Pope on November 16, 1908, in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
They had five children in 11 years.
Children of Henry & Grace:
Eleanor-1910
Raymond-1912
Marion-1915
Henry Jr.-1917
Russell-1921 (died young)
He died on May 4, 1954, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the age of 69, and was buried in Amherst, Wisconsin.
Henry Chester Deitz was born on January 2, 1885, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
His father, Henry, was 30 and his mother, Eleanor May(Brown), was 26.
He married Grace Elizabeth Pope on November 16, 1908, in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
They had five children in 11 years.
Children of Henry & Grace:
Eleanor-1910
Raymond-1912
Marion-1915
Henry Jr.-1917
Russell-1921 (died young)
He died on May 4, 1954, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the age of 69, and was buried in Amherst, Wisconsin.
Grace Elizabeth Pope was born on February 2, 1891, in Dayton,Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
Her father, Henry, was 28, and her mother, Isadora (Smith) was 31.
She married Henry Chester Deitz on November 16, 1908, in her hometown.
They had five children during their marriage.
Children of Henry & Grace:
Eleanor-1910
Raymond-1912
Marion-1915
Henry Jr.-1917
Russell-1921 (died young)
While researching Grace's line' I noticed that her father, my 2nd great grandfather (Henry A. Pope, born 1864) had been born in Windsor Vermont ...
From there the line back to my New England Ancestors flows through my Great Grandmother Grace Pope Deitz....
(Little did I know at the time of writing this entry, but a year later I would find that my Great Grandfather Henry's line went back not only to New York and Germany but on his maternal side, his ancestry also goes back to New England and ends up connecting with Grace's family line many generations back. My Great Grandfather Henry's line include Mayflower pilgrims as well (George Soule is my 11th GGF through one of his lines) and some of Colonial America's most noted figures of history including my 11th GGF Roger Williams (the founder of Rhode Island) and my 10th GGM Katherine Marbury Scott, who's sister was the famous Anne Marbury Hutchinson (the Quaker martyr) and who's mother (my 11th GGM) was a woman by the name of Bridget Dryden Marbury, who's mother and father both descend from English Royalty.)
Henry Allen Pope was born on July 15, 1864, in Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont.
He was the first child of Thomas Paschal Pope , who was 24 & Elizabeth (Cave/Gave/Gove) who was 19.
Though Henry was born in Vermont, at a very young age, he moved with his parents and other family members to Wisconsin.
President Pierce had recently opened up the frontier lands of Wisconsin to land grants for those who would settle the wild Indian country and a large percentage of Mitchell and Ruth Pope's children moved westward to take advantage of this fertile farm land that resembled the countryside of Vermont in many ways.
First living in Farmington on a small farm his father tended to and then later to Dayton just outside of Belmont on the Pope family homestead where his father had a farm along side his brothers and cousins.
He attended the Dayton school that was beside his father's farm.
Henry along with his father owned a threshing machine which was utilized for additional family income on neighbor's farms along with farming their land as a life long work.
Henry married two times. First to Isadora Sofron Smith in a small town called Belmont, Portage County, Wisconsin in approximately 1890.
Isadora died March 3, 1906. From this marriage there was one child.
1.) Grace Elizabeth Pope, born February 2, 1891 in Dayton, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
He then married for a second time to Elsie Albertson on November 16, 1908. This marriage produced another four children.
2.) George Thomas Pope, born November 4, 1911, died May 26, 1922
3.) Kenneth Pope, born April 13, 1913
4.) Alvin Pope, born November 20, 1919
5.) Betty Jane Pope, born April 2, 1925
Henry was considered by friends and neighbors to be a kind father, and good husband liked by all.
Henry died from stomach cancer in Appleton, Wisconsin on April 30, 1927 after a two year battle with the disease.
Burial: Pleasant Valley Cemetery;Belmont,Wisconsin/Belmont, Lafayette Co., WI
There is a documented history of the family and their lives in a book that was written by one of the relatives that I read about...
I have not been able to find a copy yet but I am looking very hard to locate one.
It should help fill in a lot of blanks for me.
(I did find the book mentioned above a few months later and it not only filled in a lot of blanks but it helped me discover what an amazing line of people my mom descended from...it is called: Pioneer Popes : a history of the Plymouth Popes who descended from one Thomas Pope of Plymouth and Dartsmouth, Massachusetts who became pioneers in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, 1627 to 1937
by Sutherland, Amelia Pope, b. 1882
Publication date 1938
Topics Pope family
Publisher [Waupaca, Wis? : Pope Family Association]
Collection printdisabled; inlibrary; bostonpubliclibrary; americana
Digitizing sponsor Boston Public Library
Contributor Boston Public Library)
Isadora Soforon Smith was born on October 2, 1859, in Belmont, Wisconsin,.
Her father, Edward, was 26, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 25.
She married Henry Allen Pope in 1887. They had one child during their marriage.
She died on March 3, 1906, at the age of 46.
Isadora is buried in the Pleasant Valley family cemetery in Belmont, Wisconsin.
I do not know very much about Isadora's family history but with research I hope to find more of her ancestry.
(About 6 months ago I found Isadora's ancestry and discovered her father Edward Y. Smith and mother Elizabeth (nee: Moyes). My 3rd GGF Edward came from an old New England Family who were some of the 1st settlers of Martha's Vineyard. My 3rd GGM was born in Scotland and came to America via Quebec Canada with her parents in the early 1800s.
Their lives would be lived in the township of Belmont Wisconsin and their history would be recorded in a Wisconsin Biographical Memior that I discovered 6 months ago:The Written story of my 3rd Great Grandparents)
So as I kept going further back on this line, I stated noticing places such as Reading VT being mentioned and then Woodstock VT and Windsor VT in particular for a few generations.
Thomas Paschal Pope-3rd Great Grandfather
Thomas Paschal Pope was born on May 24, 1838 in South Woodstock, Vermont on the Mitchell and Ruth Pope Family Homestead.
Thomas Paschal Pope-3rd Great Grandfather
Thomas Paschal Pope was born on May 24, 1838 in South Woodstock, Vermont on the Mitchell and Ruth Pope Family Homestead.
Thomas Paschal was the second and one of six children of Thomas Faunce Pope and Eliza A. Converse.
Thomas Paschel Pope married Elizabeth Cave in 1863(she was born January 14, 1848 Windsor County, Vermont).
There were two children had in this marriage.
1.) Henry Allen Pope, born July 15, 1864 Windsor County, Vermont
2.) Alice Jennie Pope, born November 20, 1875, Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin
It was Thomas' biography written about in the family tree that I discovered on line, that shed some light on why and how a good portion of my Pope ancestors left Vermont to immigrate to Wisconsin.
According to this family history, Thomas was short stocky man, with chin whiskers, blue eyes, dark auburn hair and had a passion for woodworking and hunting and he loved to travel.
In 1853 Thomas went to Bethel, Vermont to visit with his maternal grandparents, Ephraim and Mary Bugbee Converse and they discussed with him the potential for new pioneer lands in the wilds of Wisconsin...
So in 1856 he traveled by horse and wagon to Wisconsin with his brothers Eli Converse Pope and Henry Walton Pope and sisters Alma Lutina Pope and Edna Jane Pope.
They took their grandmother Ruth Hammond Pope with them.
They bought land and a good portion of the family then settled in Farmington, Wisconsin on a farm which in 1938 was known as the Spencer farm.
Edna Jane would end up marrying a Spencer man back east a few years later and this farm would end up with one of her grandchildren who moved back to Wisconsin many years later..
Thomas learned the carpenter's trade, but in less than 10 years time, after the death of Thomas' sister, Alma Lutina, his parents wanted to return to Vermont and he left with them approximately in 1865.
It was back home in Vermont that Thomas met Elizabeth Cave and they would marry in 1863 but soon after returned to Wisconsin with Lizzy and their son Henry who was born in 1865, where he had bought land in the Farmington-Lind-Waupaca area of Wisconsin.
In 1882 the family bought a large tract of land and commenced to build a farm and also helped to found a village and named it Belmont, Wisconsin.
On this farm there were two houses built; one which Thomas and Elizabeth lived in on a knoll overlooking the valley, the other his son Henry lived in built down near the school house.
There is a story the family tells about Thomas that goes this way:
He was a avid great hunter.
One time he shot a bear, rushed down the hillside, (while in snow shoes), to stick the bear with his hunting knife. As he did the bear raised up and seized his arm in his big mouth, tearing a great hole in his flesh. With his other hand, Thomas Paschal knocked the bear over the head with his gun stock.
All his life he bore the scars of that close encounter and often remarked, "The bear pretty near got me that time."
Thomas Paschel Pope married Elizabeth Cave in 1863(she was born January 14, 1848 Windsor County, Vermont).
There were two children had in this marriage.
1.) Henry Allen Pope, born July 15, 1864 Windsor County, Vermont
2.) Alice Jennie Pope, born November 20, 1875, Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin
It was Thomas' biography written about in the family tree that I discovered on line, that shed some light on why and how a good portion of my Pope ancestors left Vermont to immigrate to Wisconsin.
According to this family history, Thomas was short stocky man, with chin whiskers, blue eyes, dark auburn hair and had a passion for woodworking and hunting and he loved to travel.
In 1853 Thomas went to Bethel, Vermont to visit with his maternal grandparents, Ephraim and Mary Bugbee Converse and they discussed with him the potential for new pioneer lands in the wilds of Wisconsin...
So in 1856 he traveled by horse and wagon to Wisconsin with his brothers Eli Converse Pope and Henry Walton Pope and sisters Alma Lutina Pope and Edna Jane Pope.
They took their grandmother Ruth Hammond Pope with them.
They bought land and a good portion of the family then settled in Farmington, Wisconsin on a farm which in 1938 was known as the Spencer farm.
Edna Jane would end up marrying a Spencer man back east a few years later and this farm would end up with one of her grandchildren who moved back to Wisconsin many years later..
Thomas learned the carpenter's trade, but in less than 10 years time, after the death of Thomas' sister, Alma Lutina, his parents wanted to return to Vermont and he left with them approximately in 1865.
It was back home in Vermont that Thomas met Elizabeth Cave and they would marry in 1863 but soon after returned to Wisconsin with Lizzy and their son Henry who was born in 1865, where he had bought land in the Farmington-Lind-Waupaca area of Wisconsin.
In 1882 the family bought a large tract of land and commenced to build a farm and also helped to found a village and named it Belmont, Wisconsin.
On this farm there were two houses built; one which Thomas and Elizabeth lived in on a knoll overlooking the valley, the other his son Henry lived in built down near the school house.
There is a story the family tells about Thomas that goes this way:
He was a avid great hunter.
One time he shot a bear, rushed down the hillside, (while in snow shoes), to stick the bear with his hunting knife. As he did the bear raised up and seized his arm in his big mouth, tearing a great hole in his flesh. With his other hand, Thomas Paschal knocked the bear over the head with his gun stock.
All his life he bore the scars of that close encounter and often remarked, "The bear pretty near got me that time."
Thomas Paschal Pope passed away on May 6, 1906.
He is buried in the family plot in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Belmont, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
Elizabeth Gave/Gove/Cave-3rd Great Grandmother
My 3rd great grandmother (Elizabeth Cave/ born 1848) born in Windsor VT and did in 1918 in Belmont VT
He is buried in the family plot in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Belmont, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
Elizabeth Gave/Gove/Cave-3rd Great Grandmother
My 3rd great grandmother (Elizabeth Cave/ born 1848) born in Windsor VT and did in 1918 in Belmont VT
*(Belmont VT sounds very familiar to Belmont WI where my 2nd GGM Isadora was said to have died....wondering what the name connection means if anything).....
(I later discovered that the Popes named Belmont Wisconsin after Belmont Vermont when they first arrived in Wisconsin in the middle 1800s)
Thomas Faunce Pope/ 4th Great Grandfather
My 4th great grandfather (Thomas Faunce Pope/ born 1807) born in Woodstock VT and died in Reading VT in 1881.
(About a year ago as I was researching Thomas, I came upon a story that saddened me very much in regard to my 4th Great GrandPa....
It seems that Thomas was trying to get some land purchased in Wisconsin close by to his other Pope relatives so he could move his family westward. This paragraph is from the online biography of my Pope ancestors: "In 1881 Thomas made a decision to leave Woodstock, Vermont, leaving his family behind to later follow him when he settled in Wisconsin, his relatives waited but he never arrived. Through investigation by the family it was learned that he registered for a night's stay in a hotel in Montreal and disappeared from there. It has been assumed the he was murdered because he was carrying a vast some of money, so that on his arrival in Wisconsin he could purchase a farm."
I have tried to validate the above but I still have a lot of research to do. I am trying to find his death certificate as I would think that the cause of death would be noted on it? Stay tuned on this one.
Eliza Converse/ 4th Great Grandmother
My 4th great grandmother (Elizabeth Converse/ born 1819) born in VT and died in South Woodstock BT in 1891.
It seems that Thomas was trying to get some land purchased in Wisconsin close by to his other Pope relatives so he could move his family westward. This paragraph is from the online biography of my Pope ancestors: "In 1881 Thomas made a decision to leave Woodstock, Vermont, leaving his family behind to later follow him when he settled in Wisconsin, his relatives waited but he never arrived. Through investigation by the family it was learned that he registered for a night's stay in a hotel in Montreal and disappeared from there. It has been assumed the he was murdered because he was carrying a vast some of money, so that on his arrival in Wisconsin he could purchase a farm."
I have tried to validate the above but I still have a lot of research to do. I am trying to find his death certificate as I would think that the cause of death would be noted on it? Stay tuned on this one.
Eliza Converse/ 4th Great Grandmother
My 4th great grandmother (Elizabeth Converse/ born 1819) born in VT and died in South Woodstock BT in 1891.
*Her line is interesting in the fact that her maiden name is the same name of part of the families that were instrumental in the founding and settling of Houston TX. I will have to dig into that at a later point.
(About 11 months ago I did discover my 4th GGM's ancestry and what a history. Her family was also of very old New England stock and my 11th Great Grandfather in her line, a man by the name of Edward Converse, founded the city of Woburn Mass. and would end up being the progenitor of an amazing family with a very large influence on our country. My 11th Great Grandfather's Wikipedia article: Edward Converse)
As my search progressed back from there I noticed something interesting......
Mitchell Pope/ 5th Great Grandfather
My 5th great grandfather's (Mitchell Pope/ born 1767) place of birth being Fairhaven/Dartmouth, Mass. He died in 1881 in Reading VT.
*This was just a few years before the Revolutionary War and right in the middle of the battleground.....
(I would also later discover that Mitchell's line through his father, Elnathan, would take me back to my 1st Mayflower ancestor, Richard Warren, as well, as my 12th Great Grandfather...which makes Mitchell and Ruth cousins....I don't suppose they ever realized this??)
Ruth Hammond/ 5th Great Grandmother
My 5th great grandmother (Ruth Hammond/born 1767) in Reading VT. Ruth lived a long and hard life, bearing 13 children with 4 that died very young.
My 5th great grandmother (Ruth Hammond/born 1767) in Reading VT. Ruth lived a long and hard life, bearing 13 children with 4 that died very young.
Ruth died in 1857 in Waupaca and was brought back to Vermont and buried on the Pope homestead next to Mitchell.
(A few months after this entry I would discover that Ruth's family ancestry was also a very old New England line and that her Hammond line would eventually go back to an ancestral great grandmother named Elizabeth Penn Hammond who's brother was the famous Sir William Penn (the founder of Pennsylvania) and that Elizabeth's father was the famous Admiral William Penn of Queen Elizabeth's the 1st Royal Navy. I would also discover that her mother Mary Holmes was a descendent of John Holmes and the Holmes family of Plymouth who were early New England settlers. My ancestral great grandfather, John Holmes, would be the person to execute the 1st criminal in America (Thomas Granger) of Plymouth.
Ruth's line through her mother, Mary Holmes Hammond is also a line that would take me a 2nd time back to my 1st Mayflower Ancestor, Richard Warren as my 11th Great Grandfather. This is the line that I am using to prove my ancestry to Richard Warren and become a member of the Mayflower Society.)
Those places I'm Mass. thus got my attention as I remembered Fairhaven/Dartmouth MA and all those VT towns as being settled very early in Colonial times.
Elnathan Pope Junior/6th Great Grandfather
My 6th great grandfather (Elnathan Pope Jr./ born 1735) with some info saying Bristol MA and another saying Dartmouth MA. He died in 1794 in Bristol/Dartmouth MA
Mary Thompson/ 6th Great Grandmother
My 6th great grandmother (Mary Thompson/ no birthdate or place recorded as yet I can find)
I would venture to guess that she was born in MA somewhere around 1740???
(I ended up discovering her family ancestry around March of this year (2018) and she indeed was born in 1740 in North Yarmouth, Mass. (Now Maine-the same town as my Mitchell ancestors helped found) and her parents and grandparents were some of the 1st settlers of the area as well.) I still have a lot of research to do on this line.
Elnathan Pope Senior/ 7th Great Grandfather
My 7th great grandfather (Elnathan Pope Sr./ born 1703) in Dartmouth MA. He died in 1794 in Dartmouth MA
*****I later discovered that these Pope men would be some of the 1st men to engage the British Army when they made their entry into our waters along the coast from a fort near there at the very beginning of the Revolutionary war and that they would also be instrumental in the founding and settling of many New England towns including the town of Fairhaven MA which is today built upon most of the land that they owned.
Rebecca Mitchell/ 7th Great Grandmother
My 7th great grandmother ( Rebecca Mitchell/ born 1705) in Plymouth? MA. She died in 1764 in Dartmouth MA. She deserves her own paragraph as there is a bit of important background information relating to her.
***Also a very important link in my history as I will expound upon in a bit.
(That important link would be that Rebecca Mitchell was another Mayflower connection, through her mother Rebecca, leading me to my 2nd and 3rd Mayflower ancestors, Isaac Allerton and his daughter, Mary Allerton Cushman and to another of the pilgrim fathers named Robert Cushman, who was responsible for the financing of the Mayflower's voyage and would later be the main contact between the pilgrims and the Merchant Adventures (the London company that financed the Pilgrim's voyage to America.
I would discover a few months after writing the entry that Rebecca would also be a Pope descendent, and thus a 2nd cousin to her husband as her paternal grandmother was Susannah Pope Mitchell, who was her husband's father's sister.
***Suffice to say, I have briefly scratched the surface on Rebecca's line but I have found that her father (Deacon Jacob Mitchell, my 8th great grandfather of that line/ born in 1672 in Plymouth MA and died in 1744 in North Yarmouth MA which is now part of Cumberland Co. Maine) was the founder of North Yarmouth MA 1st church and a very influential person in Colonial New England.
(In Feb of 2017 I had the opportunity to visit North Yarmouth and I found the church he built but due to an approaching blizzard, I could not get to the cemetery where he is buried...I will revisit this town someday as I have been told that I still have relatives that live there that descend from them as well)
Jacob's line will circle around and intersect with that of my 9th and 10th great grandparents and because of this he is not only my 8th great grandfather but he is also my great cousin as his mother (Susanna Pope) was also one of my great aunts (a daughter) from my 9th great grandparents Thomas and Sarah (Jenny) Pope, who I will discuss in a bit.
****Jacobs wife, my 8th great grandmother from Rebecca (Rebecca Cushman/ born 1678 in Plymouth and died 1756 in North Yarmouth MA which is now days part of Cumbrrland Co., Maine) is also a very important link as she is my line to my 11th GGF, Isaac Allerton.
Issac Pope/ 8th Great Grandfather
My 8th great grandfather (Isaac Pope/ born 1655) in Plymouth MA and died in 1733-1736 in Plymouth MA.
****Isaac married twice and had 7 children and from his descendants, among myself, ended up having what some sources say, his progeny in almost every state of the U.S. Plus descendants that returned to England.
Quite a few of his grandsons would end up fighting for our nation's independence and also help settle and establish quite a bit New England as well.
He would own sailing ships that plied the waters of New England and would be instrumental in coastal trading and fishing of Colonial America.
Alice Freeman/ 8th Great Grandmother
My 8th Great grandmother (Alice Mind/ born 1655) in Plymouth MA and died after having 4children including my 7th GGF in about 1755.
I have not had a chance to drill back on her line as of yet.
*Isaac's 1st wife was also named Alice (Freeman), so some history sources get the two confused. She bore him his first 3 children. She was probably born in or around Plymouth around 1650-1660 and I haven't found a year of death either for her at this point.
(I discovered a few months later that the two Alice's were actually one and the same. Somehow the maiden name of Mind had been attached to Alice and thus some researchers deduced that Isaac had two wives by the name of Alice. Thus there is only one Alice and her maiden name was Freeman.
Alice's family history is fairly well documented as well. Her father, Edmund Freeman III and mother, Margaret Perry are from familes of early New England settlers.
(I discovered a few months later that the two Alice's were actually one and the same. Somehow the maiden name of Mind had been attached to Alice and thus some researchers deduced that Isaac had two wives by the name of Alice. Thus there is only one Alice and her maiden name was Freeman.
Alice's family history is fairly well documented as well. Her father, Edmund Freeman III and mother, Margaret Perry are from familes of early New England settlers.
Thomas Pope Senior/ 9th & 10th Great Grandfather
My 9th great grandfather (Thomas Pope/ born 1608) in Ilfracolmbe, Devon England. He died in 1683 in Plymouth MA.
My 9th great grandfather (Thomas Pope/ born 1608) in Ilfracolmbe, Devon England. He died in 1683 in Plymouth MA.
****There is quite a bit written about him in New England registers and journals and also from numerous genealogical history books that I have found.
He was one of the earliest settlers to arrive in Plymouth from England, history texts surmise that he arrived with other members of his family on the ship "Fortune" in 1621 shortly after the Mayflower.
(I have been researching Thomas' line earnestly since discovering him. I found that no-one really knows for sure what ship he came on but he was in Plymouth by 1625 at the latest. Some theories have him arriving on "The Mary & John" and others on the Fortune. It is postulated at this point that he arrived with two or three brothers, with one settling in the Salem area, one settling in the Maryland area and one eventually settling in Virginia. It is the last Pope that settled in Virginia that would be one of the ancestors of our 1st president, George Washington).
I also later discovered that I am descended from three of his children and that both of his wives were ancestral great grandmothers of mine. His first wife, Anne Fallwell, would be my 10th Great Grandmother through their daughter, Hanna Pope Bartlett and his 2nd wife, Sarah Jenney would be my 9th Great Grandmother through their son Isaac and their daughter, Susanna Pope Mitchell.
I also later discovered that I am descended from three of his children and that both of his wives were ancestral great grandmothers of mine. His first wife, Anne Fallwell, would be my 10th Great Grandmother through their daughter, Hanna Pope Bartlett and his 2nd wife, Sarah Jenney would be my 9th Great Grandmother through their son Isaac and their daughter, Susanna Pope Mitchell.
Sarah Jenney/ 9th Great Grandmother
That I accidentally discovered a direct line of descent from one of my great grandmothers to a family that helped settle Plymouth Mass., though they did not arrive on the Mayflower is unbelievable!
 |
| Jenney Grist Mill in Plymouth Mass |
John Jenney/ 10th Great Grandfather
Sarah Carey/ 10th Great Grandmother
So it is that My 10th great grandparents, John and Sarah Jenney sailed a few years (1623) after on a ship called “The Little James”.
They were part of the group that went to Leiden Holland in the early 1600s with William Brewster and the other pilgrims but for some reason they decided not to embark on the Mayflower and instead waited until 1623 to make the journey to New England. Once they arrived in Plymouth, they quickly became an important part of the new colony by erecting the 1st successful “Grist Mill” for grinding corn into mill and flour.
John also created the 1st salt works for the colony and was part of the early governing council. Family records indicate that they were close friends of William Bradford and Miles Standish among others.
I thought this was cool enough knowing that they were my ancestors until I started researching the lines branching from them and to my utter amazement, a few days ago on Thursday August 25th, I discovered that I am also directly descended from a line of the Mayflower Passengers.
And then on Friday, August 26th, 2016 (last night as I write is), I discovered that I am also descended from a 2nd line of Mayflower passengers.
The 1st line of Mayflower Passengers is Isaac and Mary Allerton , who were my 11th great grandparents and their daughter Mary (Allerton) Cushman, who was my 10th great grandmother.
The 2nd line of Mayflower Passengers is that of Richard and Elizabeth Warren, who were also my 11th great grandparents.
Their daughter Mary was my 10th great grandmother.
*Today, while doing some research at the Dallas Public Library, I also discovered that I am linked to a 3rd Mayflower passenger named Digory Priest. He would be a great uncle of mine, having been the 2nd husband of one of my Allerton great aunts ( Isaac' sister Sarah)
**I am also linked to a 4th Mayflower passenger, William Brewster, by his Daughter Fear Brewster, who was the 2nd wife of Isaac Allerton, my 11th great grandfather. This would make Fear Brewster my 11th great step grandmother and thus would make William Brewster my 12th great step grandfather.
I am just beginning the process of documenting my research in order to get my lineage proved, and it is one of the most amazing journeys I have ever embarked upon. It is also beginning to be one of the most time consuming things I have undertaken but to find out that my existence is due to these three ancient families (along with many other family lines that are popping up in every direction)
I have never been to New England and now I can’t wait for the day when I can walk upon the lands and buildings that my families helped build. It is to be a very special thanksgiving this year.
From the above ancestors, it is my 5th Great Grandmother, Ruth Hammond Pope that takes me to Richard Warren and my 5th Great Grandfather, Mitchell Pope that takes me to Isaac Allerton:
Ruth's line:
Ruth Hammond Pope
Mary Holmes Hammond
Jabez Holmes
Sarah Bartlett Holmes
Joesph Bartlett
Mary Warren Bartlett
Richard Warren
Mitchell's line:
Mitchell Pope
Elnathan Pope
Rebecca Mitchell Pope
Rebecca Cushman Mitchell
Isaac Cushman
Mary Allerton Cushman
Isaac Allerton
After discovering all of this, my research went many different ways and led to further lines branching off. The two lines to Richard Warren and Isaac Allerton were intertwined with each other and from those lines, there were many others. To say that most if not all of humanity is truly connected and one big family is not hart to fathom after the research I have done so far.
So it is with all of the above discoveries that I have to say the meaning of life and my place in it has significantly changed over the past few years. To discover that my mother gave me and my siblings and their kids such an amazing history that she didn't event know about and that our history is interwoven in to the written history of the world is nothing short of amazing.
History has always been one of my favorite subjects, but to discover that the history of the world has so many intimate connections to my family history...well that is mindbogggling when one really sits back and thinks about it.
I will use the two lines above to give my brothers and sisters and their children this gift of our ancestry and our heritage and our pedigree that will hopefully never be lost to our family line ever again
So much research still to do......wish me luck!!
Life is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment