Walking in My Pilgrim Ancestors' Footsteps

Walking in the steps of my ancestors is always amazing.  This year I got to do just that by going back over 400 years to the towns where two of my ancestors lived in England.

In December 2018 I was privileged to become a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in the San Diego Colony.  After many years of research I was able to prove that I am truly a descendant of John Alden, William and Priscilla Mullins.  As a genealogist I thirst for any and all information I can find about my ancestors.  I want to know everything I can about them which is not always easy since they lived 400 years ago.

Last Summer an email was sent from GSMD about a Mayflower Tour that was taking place at the end of May this year.  I hesitated for about a week and then decided to register.  UGH, I was placed on a waiting list.  Before Christmas I was notified that friend and fellow Society Member Diane Gould Hall and I had been moved off the wait list and were able to go on the Tour. YEA!

One of the members of our Tour (about 35 in total) was Governor General Jane Hurt.  What a pleasure to meet Jane!  I learned that she was the one who had a vision for a ‘Mayflower Tour’ and had proposed her idea to Reformation Tours a few years ago.  Covid hit and plans were put on hold.  Finally in 2022 her vision became a reality.  Our Tour was so well planned and jam packed with activities it is difficult to recount them all here.  These are some of the many highlights.

We began our Tour in Amsterdam.  After a brief tour of the city, including a canal boat ride, and visiting sites related to the Pilgrims, we were off to spend several days in Leiden.  Each day of our Tour was filled with amazing experiences from early morning until evening.  There was just so much to see and learn.  Previously, I had never paid too much attention to the “Pilgrims” that had gone to the Netherlands since my ancestors were not among them.  I very quickly realized that as children what we learned about the Pilgrims is so very superficial.  The Pilgrim Museum in Leiden was astounding.  Seeing what a small area each family lived in and how many artifacts from the era the museum still exist was exciting.

our group at Den Waag in Leiden

photo credit Diane Gould Hall

After leaving Leiden we were off to visit Delshaven, the departure point for the Speadwell.  Next we were off on a six hour ferry ride to Harwich, UK where the Mayflower was built and where the ship’s captain, Master Christopher Jones was born and lived.  Our day in Harwich began on the Ha’Penny Pier with a proclamation being read in our honor. 

During a walking city tour of Harwich we visited the home of Mayflower Captain Christopher Jones, Foresters (the home of the Harwich Society), the Electric Palace (oldest theatre remaining in UK and seen in the current Downton Abbey movie) among other sites.  We just happened to be in Harwich on June 2^nd, the day of the Queen’s Jubilee.  How exciting it was to see and partake in some of the celebrations honoring Queen Elizabeth!

Next we were off to Boston and the Guildhall where some of the Pilgrims had been held before escaping to the Netherlands. Our historian had a wealth of information for us and a tour of the building where some of the Pilgrims were confined including William Brewster.  Listening to the historian was so fascinating to learn what a ‘hot bed’ this general area (Boston, Cambridge, etc.) was for the development of religious beliefs differing from the King’s religion that would lead to groups such as the Pilgrims in coming to the New World.

Following Boston we spent a few days touring Babworth Church (where William Brewster and William Bradford came together), Scrooby Manor (home to William Brewster), St. Helena’s Church in Austerfield (where William Bradford was baptized) and Gainsborough (where the Pilgrims took off for the Netherlands).  The highlight was definitely a tour of Scrooby Manor and meeting the current owners who also joined us for dinner that evening.  Author and historian, Sue Allan (The Mayflower Maid) spoke with us briefly after dinner.  What an additional treat it was to be able to meet Sue and hear about some of her Mayflower research.

A stop for a delicious traditional Sunday roast dinner was in store for us at a pub in Droitwich.

Next we were off for two days to Plymouth.  There was so much to see and do in Plymouth. New information to learn about the city, the Mayflower and the voyage. After a walking tour of the older part of the city, a tour of a building from the era of the Pilgrims, Sutton Harbor, the Plymouth Gin Distillery (oldest British distillery still active today) and a boat ride in Plymouth Harbor.  One of the highlights of this day was visiting the Pilgrim Steps.  While this is probably not the exact stop when the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower we were in the area.

After Plymouth we were on our way to Southampton.  In Southampton we took a walking tour of the area, visited the Tudor House and Gardens (which existed at the time the Pilgrims were in Southampton), saw a pub where many of the crew were known to frequent, the Pilgrim Memorial and most exciting walked through the gate the Pilgrims would have gone through to board the Speedwell and the Mayflower.  How very exciting to walk through the city gate that we know our ancestors and the other passengers would have walked through!

Our next stop was one of my favorites.  We arrived in Dorking.  Dorking is where my Mullins ancestors lived before sailing for the New World.  It was so very exciting for be here!  We toured the Dorking Museum, had lunch at the White Horse Hotel and toured the city.  William Mullins was known to have owned a building of four shops in the city.  I was very happy to have had tea in the Mullins Café.  I wondered what it must have been like for Priscilla to have been in this building perhaps visiting her father’s cobbler shop. 

Unfortunately, our tour was coming to an end and we were off to London.  In London for a day we managed to take a cruise on the Thames River, go up in the London eye and end our visit with a luncheon at the Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe.  This Pub was known to the Mayflower crew.  While there, we were able to sign the Mayflower Descendants visitor’s book.  Quite a finish to a jam-packed historical tour!

In school we learned about the Pilgrims and their journey to Leiden before coming to America.  I had learned that John Alden was a Cooper and that Priscilla’s father William Mullins was a Cobbler.  I knew they had not gone to the Netherlands but that was about all I knew.  How exciting to be in the locations where they lived and learn from local historians that John may have lived in Harwich and been a cousin of Captain Christopher Jones when I was in Harwich and then when in Southampton learn that the historians there believe John was from this area.  When in Dorking I learned from the local historians that William Mullins was a rather wealthy merchant and probably owned a Cobbler shop but doubtful he actually made shoes himself.  William’s reason for going to America are unknown.  William is thought to have sympathized with the Pilgrims and was probably looking for new business ventures in the New World.  Records from Dorking during this time period are nonexistent.  John may have decided to stay in the New World to avoid conscription in the United Kingdom for an upcoming war.  There was so much to learn and many new questions to go unanswered. 

Our Tour group was composed of a wonderful group of people with amazing backgrounds.  Most of us were all members of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  Among our group we found many new ‘cousins’ and great new friends that we will continue to keep in touch with. I would highly recommend a tour like this one to learn more about your ancestors. Actually walking in their footsteps can give us a much better understand of where they lived.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

 

If you are interested in a similar tour FEAT Travel Inc. has taken over for Reformation Tours.  I know Chad Murray was trying to get enough people together for a Plymouth, USA tour next Summer but I think it will be 2024 before the next one happens.

Terry Family Reunion

Genealogists enjoy finding out all they can about the family that came before them.  Another great part of genealogy is finding and connecting with ‘cousins’ whether they are first cousins we’ve never met or, 2^nd or 3^rd cousins.  This year I had the amazing privilege of meeting a large group of my ‘Terry’ Family cousins at a reunion in upstate New York.

Probably about 10 years ago while I was working on Carrie’s Letters (see tab Carrie’s Letters) I became obsessed with finding the descendants of the siblings of my paternal great grandmother Carrie (Terry) Warner.  Carrie was the daughter of Gilbert and Almeda(Robinson) Terry of Peconic, Suffolk County, New York.  The children born to Gilbert and Almeda were Carrie, Forrest, Ella, Millard and an infant daughter.  The infant daughter never appeared to have been named since she only lived a few weeks.  Millard died suddenly of apoplexy at age 11.  I knew Forrest and Ella had children, so, I went on a mission to find them.  Carrie had written most of the letters to her sister Ella but also spoke of her brother Forrest.  Forrest came several times in the summer when he was out of school to help on Carrie and John’s farm in Baiting Hollow, New York.  While reading the letters I also obtained confirmation of my suspicion that my grandfather, Olin Forrest Warner, had been named after his uncle Forrest.

First, I looked for the descants of Forrest and Ella through online family trees and then DNA matches.  After much searching I found Theresa who was a granddaughter of Forrest Terry.  An email was carefully crafted explaining that I believed we were related through her grandfather Forrest Terry and my great grandmother Carrie Terry, Forrest’s sister.  Then the hopeful reply came and I couldn’t wait to open and read it   only to hear Theresa say that she was sorry but she didn’t believe we were related because Forrest only had one sister named Ella.  I sent her a copy of a census report that listed Gilbert Terry, wife Almeda and children Carrie, Forrest, Ella and Millard.  Today we still joke about this initial email exchange. Because Carrie died so young and tragically she was not talked about by her siblings as their families grew.  Life goes on.  I know my grandfather and brothers kept in touch for a while (see post Discovering the Purpose of a Group Photo) but…life goes on.  They married and had families and as the generations continued, family lost touch.  But now I had found a connection to Forrest.  Theresa and I keep in touch and when I am in Florida I try to visit. 

Theresa had told me about a family reunion with her Terry cousins in upstate New York each year and said if I could ever come that would be great.  The timing never seemed to work until this year.  Finally, on Saturday, July 16, 2022 everything aligned and I was in the right area at the right time and was able to attend the Terry Family reunion.  What an amazing time this was!  For over four hours I was able to meet so many of my ‘cousins’ and their families.  I was able to soak up stories about their families and growing up a ‘Terry’.  I was able to gain information about their descendants and make connections on several DNA matches I have.  Harley (my furry companion) even had a good time with several of the dogs that were there.

Grandchildren of Forrest Terry and myself

click on image to enlarge

Grandchildren, spouses and Great grandchildren of Forrest Terry

After the party, on my way to my stop for the night, there was a huge double rainbow.  

What a great end to a wonderful day!  Hope to see everyone next year.

Remember whether you are connected by blood or are just related by heart to take time to be together and enjoy that time.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

40th Anniversary Celebration

My parental grandfather, Olin Warner, Sr. was the 5^th of 6 boys born to Carrie (Terry) and John B. Warner. My grandfather was only five years old when his mother, Carrie (Terry) Warner died suddenly and it was only 10 years later that his father, John B. Warner passed away.  My grandfather at the age of 15 then went to live with his older brother John Wesley and wife Alice (Aldrich) Warner. Olin and Wesley, and later with their wives, continued a close bond.

Alice (Aldrich) and John Wesley Warner

My paternal grandmother, Agnes (King) Warner was known for the lists she kept.  Whether she was getting ready for Christmas or planning a 40^th Anniversary party you can be sure Grandma had a list going.  Several years ago while visiting my cousin Diane in Colorado she shared with me a small green leather notebook of my grandmother’s.  While enjoying my grandmother’s familiar handwriting and looking through the notebook I found a variety of lists, recipes, etc. One of the lists that caught my eye was the following:

click on image to enlarge

How exciting to find this list of information for the 40^th anniversary celebration of Alice and Wesley Warner from 1958!  Alice and Wesley were married on 9 November 1918 and made their home in Riverhead, New York. 

This was a typical list of my grandmother’s.  Grandma was obviously in charge of planning the party and she listed everything out to the smallest detail.  It’s so interesting to see the menu and the cost of the party back in 1958.  McCabes was a stationary store in the town of Riverhead, so, I am guessing that was for purchasing the invitations.  There were also flowers and hmm…prizes. I am guessing that the ‘clock’ was the anniversary gift for the happy couple.

 I do have some questions though:

• what was the ‘Hall’ where the party was held?
• is this a complete list of those who actually attended?
• was the party actually held on the 8^th of November instead of the 9^th, their anniversary?

Thinking about the details of this list got me to wondering, if, like so many other events in my grandparent’s lives, was this recorded in the local newspaper?  Growing up I remember that on Monday mornings the local reporter, Laura Rodgers, for the area where we lived would call my grandmother and ask what the family had done over the last week.  Was there anything to record in the newspaper?  I am so grateful today, as I search for family information to fill in the daily lives of my ancestors, that so much was recorded in the local newspapers.  Was this event recorded there also?  Could the newspaper account answer some of my questions and give me more details of this event?

When searching for old newspapers for Suffolk County, New York my first stop is usually the free online newspapers through New York Historic Newspapers.  The newspapers I was looking for in Suffolk County only go as far as 1940.   So, that didn’t work.  While visiting Riverhead, New York this summer I decided to see what I could find in the local newspapers for 1958.  Surely the local newspaper had copies somewhere?  The current local newspaper, The Riverhead News-Review, directed me to a nearby library (Mattituck-Laurel Library) where I found out they only had a few years and not the one I was looking for.  Disappointing!  A second call to the local newspaper told me they were in the process of digitizing all their editions so they had nothing available at the newspaper office but directed me to the Riverhead Free Library where they should have the microfilms of the years I was looking for.  A trip to the library finally yielded the microfilm for 1958.  Yea, success for step one!  Then I began searching for the newspapers for November and December 1958.  I was sure I would find something under the ‘Riverhead’ news section since my great Uncle and Aunt lived there.  I searched through several weeks and kept thinking Grandma, don’t let me down.  The party HAS to be in the paper.  Finally, I found the article I was searching for as a general article in The News Review, Thursday, November 13, 1958 edition on page 9:

Transcription:

J W Warners Observe 40^th

Mr. and Mrs. J Wesley Warner of Riverhead were pleasantly surprised by their friends, neighbors and relatives on Saturday evening, Nov 8, at the Aquebogue Congregational Church dining room. The occasion was in honor of their 40^th wedding anniversary.

A buffet supper was served climaxed by the “bride and groom” cutting a beautiful wedding cake.

Mr and Mrs Warner were the recipients of numerous lovely and useful gifts.

Present were Rev and Mrs Robert Samuelson, Mr and Mrs Abe Denholz, Mrs Berger, Mr and Mrs Robinson Goodale, Mr and Mrs Robert Dillilngham Sr, Mr and Mrs Lawrence Hulse, Mr and Mrs Roscoe Palmer, Mr and Mrs Halsey Penny, Mr and Mrs Henry Vail, Mr and Mrs William Vail, Mr and Mrs Raymond Young, Mr and Mrs William Young, Mr and Mrs Horace K. Hallock, Mrs Hulda Diamond, Mrs Milie Downs, Mrs Roswell Corwin, Mrs Florrie Mammen, Mrs Ted Breiling, Mrs. Addison Whitman Sr, Mrs Robert Guy Sr, Mrs Iona Wright, Mr and Mrs Milton Warner Sr, Mr and Mrs Hollis Warner, Mr and Mrs Olin Warner Sr, Mr and Mrs Olin Warner Jr and Mr and Mrs Allen Farrell.

We don’t often get to know how our ancestors celebrated this type of occasion or who our ancestors’ friends were or who would have been at a party like this.

What fun to look back in time and see what was done, say for an anniversary party, in 1958.  As for my questions I now know:

• the “Hall” that was rented was at the Aquebogue Congregational Church
• the party was on a Saturday night (8^th) and wasn’t on their actual anniversary on the 9^th.   Renting of a church ‘Hall’ would make sense that the party was on Saturday night instead of Sunday.
• the clock was one of many gifts given

The newspaper article gives a little more information but is very close to the account found in my grandmother’s list.  What fun to add the newspaper article to my grandmother’s list.  This helps the event become alive for me and I feel like an observer of the 40^th anniversary party.

If I had been able to search for this online it would have been difficult to find without just using the word 'Warner' and searching through pages and pages of findings.  I would never have thought to look for ‘J W Warner’.  A good reminder not to limit yourself when searching in online databases.

Was the picture above found amongst my grandparent’s photos a picture of Alice & Wesley from this party?  I have no way of knowing.  It could have been.  What a handsome couple! Alice and Wesley never had any children, so, I am honored to remember them here today. 

Happy Anniversary Alice and Wesley!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby