Mary (Unknown) (mtDNA)

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Revision as of 10:36, 11 October 2020 by Wing genealogist (Talk | contribs) (Biography)

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Status summary

As of November 9, 2016

  • Page created for Mary (Unknown), wife of Elder William Brewster
  • recruitment of individuals who are mtDNA descendants of Mary (Unknown) Brewster. Folks who are mtDNA descendants are encouraged to contact Raymond T. Wing (email: wing.genealogist AT gmail DOT com)

Background

Biography

Not much is currently known about Mary, wife of Elder William Brewster. She filed an affidavit at Leydon (with her husband and eldest son Johnnathan) on 25 Jun 1609 stating she was then aged 40, so she was born circa 1569.[1] It is likely she was from either the Scrooby, Nottinghamshire area (where Elder Brewster was from) or the Doncaster, Yorkshire area (which is where the Brewster family is believed to have originated).[2] She is believed to be the only wife of Elder Brewster, and the mother of all of his children. They were probably married about 1592 (as their oldest child was born in Aug 1593). [3] She died 17 Apr 1627 which was shortly before the 1627 Division of Land.[4]

  1. NEHGReg. 18:20
  2. Caleb Johnson's MayflowerHistory.com
  3. Brewster Book, written by her son Johnnathan, see the Mayflower Descendant 1:1 and ff.
  4. ibid.

mtDNA Results

The Mayflower DNA Project currently lists one mtDNA descendant of Mary and states this individual falls under Haplogroup I4a. This is a relatively rare haplogroup and has been found in England & Scotland and occasionally in Finnisterre, France. It also supports the belief that Mary was likely from either Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire (both in northern England).

This individual's line is as follows:

 Mary ______ (1569-1627)
   Patience Brewster (c1600-1634)
     Rebecca Prence (c1625-1647/8)
       Patience Freeman (c1646-1725/6)
         Dorothy Burge(ss) (1670-c1726)
           Jane/Jean Clifton (1697/8-1751)
             Sarah Bowerman (1724/5-1802)
               Elizabeth Gifford (1744-1816)
                 Abigail Gifford (1767-1846)
                   Martha Bowerman (1795-1863)
                     Eleanor/Elnore Hathaway (1832-1908)
                       Anna Frances McTigue (1868-1926)
                         (mother)
                           (tester)


mtDNA Descendants

Mary & William had two daughters (Patience & Fear). Fear married Isaac Allerton and died before 12 Dec 1634. Fear had one daughter, Sarah, born before the land division at the end of April 1627. It is believed Sarah died, presumably unmarried, before 1651 so the matrilineal descendants of Mary are limited to descendants of Patience.

SECOND GENERATION Patience Brewster was born, presumably at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire about 1600. She married Thomas Prence on 5 Aug 1624, being called the "ninth marriage at New Plymouth". They had one son, Thomas (III) (1627-1672) and three daughters (Rebecca, Hannah, & Mercy).

THIRD GENERATION Rebecca Prence was born about 1625. She married Edmund Freeman (III) at Sandwich 22 Apr 1646 and she was buried there on 23 Mar 1647/8. In this short time span, Rebecca had two daughters (Patience & Rebecca).

Hannah Prence was born in Plymouth about 1629. She married twice, first to Nathaniel Mayo at Nauset (now Eastham) on 13 Feb 1649/50. They had six children (4 boys & 2 girls [Hannah & Bathsheba]) before his death which occurred circa Feb 1662. The widow then married (Capt) Jonathan Sparrow at Eastham about 1668 and they had two sons & a daughter (Patience).

Mercy Prence was born in Plymouth about 1631. She married (Maj.) John Freeman (brother to Edmund who married her sister, Patience) at Eastham on 13 Feb 1649/50. They had seven sons and four daughters (Patience, Mercy, Hannah & Bennett)

Related Families

Thomas Prence married Patience Brewster

Edmund Freeman (III) married Rebecca Prence and John Freeman married Mercy Prence

Nathaniel May was the first husband to Hannah Prence

Jonathan Sparrow was the second husband to Hannah Prence


External Links