Purpose

It has now been a little over a year since exploring my family tree. It was not hard to find out that I am a direct descendant of an original Mayflower family who arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in AD 1620. I am 12 generations down from William and Susana White through Resolved White, their son who was around 5 years old when he accompanied his parents on that long and arduous journey, almost 400 years ago.

After researching the direct line from this family down, and trying to gather all the facts I could through every generation, I went back to the original Mayflower family and tried to find out more about the first and second generations that settled in the Plymouth Colony. Needless to say, I found out more than I bargained for. It was not so much the tragic first year after the arrival of the Mayflower passengers that I found so intriguing, because this has been so well documented and fairly well-known for anyone reading just a few books on the subject, but it was, rather, what happened afterward with my ancestors that was most extraordinary.

What I discovered was that this White family became a very wealthy, prominent and powerful family, not only in Plymouth, but also in all of New England itself. It became part of the elite of New England. And, through the generations, not only did this family became a part of the history of the 17th and 18th centuries in colonial America, but it actually influenced history, and in some ways, to a degree of great significance.

This is the purpose of this blog-website, to explore this White-Winslow family and to show how it came to be, how it became so prominent, and how it actually influenced colonial history in the 17th and 18th centuries. The influence which this family and its descendants exerted, extended into the colonial histories of the United States and Canada.

Another purpose is to take certain events in the lives of this family, and to delve into the characters of the various members of this family. In others words, I want to find out what these people were like, what made them tick, and how their society influenced them, and their influence upon society. Simply because this family was fairly prominent, there has been a fair amount of material from which to pull, although amazingly enough, there is also little to no information on some family members, who which one should think we should know more about.

Below is a chart listing those family members I will be writing about. I will be also be writing about some of their selected descendants who can be traced centuries later. There will also be historical notes made throughout the text in order to help the reader understand the kind of society these people lived in, and the events of the day which they had to live through, and which influenced them heavily.

My direct line comes through William and Susanna White, and their eldest son, Resolved White. However, on this chart, everyone except Edward Winslow is a blood relative of mine, and thus their descendants are just as important to me as are those who are members of my direct line.

Susanna White - Matriarch of Mystery

Susanna White is my 9th great grandmother. She is also the xth great grandmother of virtually thousands of people living in the world today. There is more we do not know about her than what we do know about her. We do not know what her maiden name was, nor really when she was born, but it probably was England, somewhere. We have no physical description of her, or any record of her death. Given that she was the wife of a Plymouth governor, and also the mother of a Plymouth Colony governor, it seems all too strange that we know not even the year that she died.

However, we do know these things about her: she was the first English woman to give birth to a child in New England; she was the first widow of the Mayflower passengers; she was the first bride of the Mayflower passengers; and she was the first mother of a native born governor in New England.

We may not know when she died and was buried, but we at least know where she was buried - the Old Winslow Burying Ground, in Marshfield, Massachusetts. You can see her name inscribed on the monument in the link. Her actual grave site is long gone.

We also know this characteristic about her - Susanna was one very tough woman, in body, mind and spirit. In October of 1621, about a year after the Mayflower arrived with its 102 passengers at Cape Cod, there were 4 adult English women taking part in the thanksgiving festival with the other survivors and Indians friends. However, one year before, there had been 18 adult women passengers on the ship when it arrived. Susanna was one of the 4 surviving women. When one considers these life changes - a new born baby, a deceased husband, a new husband - all within a span of 12 months, not mentioning near starvation conditions and the cold and dampness of a North American, New England winter, it is a wonder that she was left still standing. I wonder how well behaved was my 8th great grandfather, little 5 year old Resolved White, during all these life changes as well. He had to go through these life changes with his mother too. Perhaps he inherited his mother's resolve.

William White - A Man with a Plan

Susanna's first husband was William White. Mr. White is my 9th great grandfather. He, like many other Mayflower passengers, seemed to have had a good education. Even knowing how to read and write in 17th century England was a rarity. There was no universal educational system in effect in that century. In fact, total government sponsored education did not happen until around the year 1900. If one was literate in the 17th century, it usually meant that one was from a relatively wealthy family. William also had two male servants accompany his family on the Mayflower: William Holbeck and Edward Thompson. Having servants amongst the Pilgrims on the Mayflower was not that uncommon though. Nearly 20% of the passengers were servants. These two servants of my great grandpa White were not indentured, so that means he actually paid them money for their services.

I believe that William had a plan, as any good gentleman would. He was hoping that he would be granted a goodly sized land allotment in the New World, and have his two male servants do all the labour while he and his family would reap the rewards. He was a "Mr." William White, and in the 17th century, the term "Mr." meant something special. It meant that he was a gentleman, and gentlemen were designated by the "Mr." in front of their name. Mr., of course is an abbreviation for "Mister" and Mister was a derivation from the word "Master."

The quarters of the Mayflower ship were quite cramped, although each family was allocated a spot for storage of those articles they wanted to bring along with them to the New World. Obviously, they would bring those things which would have been useful for them as pioneers - perhaps tools, seed, or farming implements - or, perhaps those articles that meant the most to them. What my 9th great grandfather brought with him on the Mayflower, which was quite heavy and took up a lot of valuable space, was a writing cabinet. This would have been perhaps the most impractical object he could have brought, but he did anyway. I have the suspicion that William was a very studios man, and not much for physical labour. Thus, he also brought his two male servants, both of which were young - in their early 20s - and just perfect to do all of the manual labour that farming might demand. 

William White's Writing Cabinet

Unfortunately, William did not foresee that his plans were all for naught. Almost half of the Mayflower passengers died in the first year. The first of his servants to die, was Edward Thompson, and that was in December of 1620, shortly after the Mayflower arrived. This must have been a severe blow to William. However, a few days later there was some joy, as his wife Susanna gave birth to his second son. William named this new boy, Peregrine, pronounced, "para-green," derived from the Latin term, peregrinus, meaning foreigner or stranger, as surely his new son was a foreigner in this New World to which they had come. Peregrine was the first Englishman to be born in New England. Any educated man in the 17th century was well versed in Latin, and I guess William used his knowledge to the best that he could.

Of the 51 Mayflower passengers who died in the first year after their arrival, 17 of them died in the month of February, 1621, and William and his remaining servant, William Holbeck, were among them. The main cause of death amongst these new arrivals was lung disease due to exposure to the elements, scurvy, and typhoid fever. William's plans died with him, and his wife Susanna, became a widow, with a newborn in her arms, and a 5 year old wrapped around her leg, mourning for his deceased father.

The Pilgrims and the Pilgrim Story - Part 1

This article is a brief interlude from family member discussion. In order to understand the people I am writing about, it is important to know what in the world motivated them to come thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620 to pioneer an untamed land, and who were these Pilgrims at the very least.

These Mayflower Pilgrims did not call themselves Pilgrims, nor did anyone else at the time call them such. They called themselves the saints of God, and others called them Separatists. Some would have called them heretics. They were originally from England, the core having arisen from a place called Scooby in Yorkshire. In a nutshell, a man by the name of John Robinson, formed a little illegal prayer and Bible study group. It was illegal because this group did not form under the auspices of the state church - the Church of England. Such groups were frowned upon in England at the time, and Mr. Robinson and all of the members of this group were subject to being charged for heresy, since heresy was a crime in 17th century England. They eventually had to flee to The Netherlands, to the town of Leiden, in order to escape prosecution. The Dutch were a bit more tolerant of religious dissidents

In essence, this group of "Pilgrims" was considered a dangerous and heretical cult, by the English authorities. These Robinsonites rejected the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, and instead, dared to rest upon the Bible as their authority in matters of faith. Needless to say, there are many similarities between this group and today's Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christians, except today in the English speaking world, religious persecution is seldom practiced.

After living in Holland for many years, these Robinsonites were becoming slowly absorbed into the Dutch culture, and this worried them. Their children were beginning to speak Dutch better than English. They did not want to lose their English heritage, and they still considered themselves as Englishmen. They also did not live the lifestyle they were used to - many of this group came from well-to-do homes and families in England and they were employed as mere menial labourers in Leiden. They could only return to England facing possible imprisonment or even death, but there was a New World that had been partially charted in the Americas, and there they could practice their own religion, free from fear of prosecution by the English authorities.

I will not go into the details as to how they arrived in the New World. Personally, I find the details rather tedious. The fact is, these Robinsonites were sponsored by investors and they came to the New World in a ship named, The Mayflower. They picked up some passengers in England along the way, and that is where I believe, William, Susanna and Resolved White boarded the ship, since it is doubtful they were part of the Leiden community.

These Robinsonites were not the only passengers on board, however. About half of the passengers were what they called, "Strangers" - those who were not Robinsonites. These Strangers were farmers, carpenters, and others with the needed skills to form a viable colony. For you see, the investors were wise. They knew that these "Pilgrims" or Robinsonites, which is what I prefer to call them, would not survive in a pioneer environment. They had the skills of only common labourers in Holland, and prior to that, they had come from wealthy families in England, and were thus well "book-learned," but totally useless for survival in a harsh frontier. Their servants, which were many, did not have the needed skills either.

Initially, the voyage was to set out in the Spring of 1620, but due to many long and involved setbacks, it finally set out in late summer. It was supposed to have arrived in what was then called "Northern Virginia," which was what we now know as Manhattan Island and Long Island - where New York City is now. However, instead, the Mayflower landed at in what we now know as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Yes, the eastern coast of North America had been fairly well charted by 1620, and many places already given names. They knew where they were, and that caused some trouble.

This was when the famous Mayflower Compact came into being. Since due to the weather conditions, they were not able to go where their assigned "land patent" was located, at the mouth of the Hudson River, they had to settle where they were - in and around Cape Cod Bay. The Strangers were particularly upset. So under the authority of Governor John Carver the Mayflower Compact was drafted, which in essence said that they would agree to the the mutual benefit of all. It was "signed" by 41 men, even including male adult servants. William White was the 11th signatory, and I am sure he signed his actual name, rather than leaving "his mark." Many of these Robinsonite men could write as well as read.

... to be continued...

The Pilgrims and the Pilgrim Story - Part 2

I will only give a synopsis of the immediate events for the Pilgrims after they landed in Cape Cod Bay in November, 1620. Others have written more detailed accounts. One is a modern source: Nathaniel Philbrook, Mayflower (2006), which is a fairly good read. Another is a much older account by an eyewitness, William Bradford who was the second governor of the Plymouth Colony: History of Plymouth Plantation, which can be read online.

The Mayflower Compact was written (most likely by Mr. William Brewster, their spiritual leader, as John Robinson never did make it to the New World), and signed on the Mayflower. Some of the men set out exploring Cape Cod Bay in a smaller boat called a shallop, while the Mayflower was still anchored in what is now known as Provincetown Harbor. They hugged the shoreline, and discovered mounds of earth near the shore. When they examined these mounds, they found out that within them were huge amounts of harvested corn. They did what any starving people would do, they took the corn back with them to the ship.

The Pilgrims in the shallop also encountered some of the natives, who were not very congenial to say the least, and the Pilgrims had to use their muskets to scare them off. The Indians were quite familiar with ships filled with white people, and their previous encounters with slavers made them very suspicious of these white strangers even daring to raid them of their winter store of food. What was God's providence to the Pilgrims, was viewed as theft by the Indians. Later on, the Pilgrims did repay the corn they took to this particular group of Indians.

Having decided to stay the course, the Pilgrims found a place to settle directly west on the Bay at the place we now know as Plymouth, MA. Even though the harbor there was not the best for larger ships, it would do. This was in December of 1620, at the start of a cold, damp and snow-filled North American winter. I am sure they all longed for the milder climates of England and Holland.

A reproduction of a Pilgrim storage building

Since the Mayflower needed to return to England in the upcoming Spring, the Pilgrims had to build houses for shelter quickly. This is what probably killed many of them, having to work hard and long in the cold, ice and snow, building houses. The only type of dwelling made out of wood they were familiar with, was the frame house. So that is what they built, or, at least, sorry excuses for frame houses. Their houses were more like clapboard dwellings. It took them several weeks to just build one house, since each and every board had to be tediously sawed out of the logs from the trees they cut down. If only they had known how to build the log cabin, but this skill was learned much later from the German and Swedish pioneers who came to the New World. Two or three skilled woodcutters could throw together a large and sturdy, two-storey log house in a couple of days. The poor Pilgrim suffered for lack of knowledge.

They were always on the watch for Indians, having had such a negative first encounter with them across the Bay. They tried to bury their dead secretly in the night, so that if any Indians were watching, they would not realize how weak and how few in numbers the Pilgrims were becoming. Since so many died in the first year, half of the 102 passengers, I am sure some wondered if even enough of the living would be left to bury all of the dead. Every person among the passengers was affected by loss that winter. At the very least, one would have lost several good friends. Most lost close family members. Being cold, hungry and in dire grief, was not a good introduction to the New World. They did survive though, otherwise, there would be no story to tell.

Edward Winslow - The Impeccable Statesman

Edward Winslow is not a blood relative of mine, but he did marry my 9th great grandmother, Susanna White. Therefore, his children and their descendants through Susanna, do become my blood relatives. He also adopted both Resolved and Peregrine White, as these were Susanna's children from her previous marriage. He became their father for all intents and purposes. Only Resolved, who was about 6 years of age when he gained a new father, would have had some memories of his real father, William White.

Edward Winslow - 1651

This portrait of Edward Winslow is a very significant image. It is the only known image created from life that we now have available, that represents any of the Mayflower passengers. It was painted in London, England in 1651, by an unknown artist, when Edward was about 56 years of age. Only the wealthy could afford portraits of this nature in the 17th century, and Edward was quite wealthy and was a relatively prominent English statesman for the time. This portrait was done when Edward was sitting in council with Oliver Cromwell, but I am getting ahead of myself. Let us step back a bit.

Edward Winslow was born into a wealthy English family in October of 1595. He was the eldest son, and attended St. Martin's, a private (though called public school) in Worchester. He was trained as a printer, and this was a useful skill for the John Robinson group of Separatists exiled in The Netherlands, and which Edward joined as a young man. The Robinsonites loved to make religious tracts, have them printed in Holland, and then distributed in England. English authorities were very upset with this group that we now call, the Pilgrims.

Mr. Winslow married Elizabeth Barker in Leiden, and they had two sons, both of which died as infants. However, when they boarded the Mayflower to set out to the New World in 1620, their family group also included 3 others: George Soule, a servant; Ellen Moore, an indentured servant; and Elias Story, a youth in the care of Edward Winslow. Those of Edward's status, just like William White, brought with them servants.

Mr. Winslow was very prominent in the Plymouth Colony, after the likes of men such as William Bradford and William Brewster. He seemed to be completely and totally absorbed in every way he could to make the colony succeed, even to the point of jeopardizing his own life. For instance, when the first formal meeting was held to negotiate a treaty with Massasoit, the premier sachem (chief) of the Wampanoag nation, Winslow volunteered to be held hostage by Massasoit's warriors while the treaty negotiations were in process. In other words, Mr. Winslow displayed an act of pure courage to further the success of the colony.

In 1623, a couple of years after the treaty was finalized between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims, the chief sachem, Massasoit, fell gravely ill. Winslow, without hesitation, journeyed to Massasoit's village and was allowed to treat the sachem with the Western medical means of the day. He determined that Massasoit was suffering from typhus. Mr. Winslow scraped the gray coating from Massasoit's tongue and mouth, and fed him basic foods in liquid form. After a couple of days, Massasoit recovered, and was exceedingly touched by this kindness shown by a white man, and it is recorded that he stated the following: "whilst I live I will never forget this kindness they have showed me." There was lasting peace between the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag for over half a century.

In order to ensure the colony's success, in 1624, Winslow journeyed to England and brought back with him the first shipload of English cattle for the New World. He was proactive, resourceful, and not shy from taking a risk. Most certainly, his being well connected by being born into a wealthy English family helped him in all his endeavours. He was a gentleman, well educated and eloquent in speech. Although his enemies did accuse him of being "smoothed mouthed and cunning," being the impeccable statesman that he was, having such well-spoken enemies was more of an honour.

Edward Winslow served three terms as governor of Plymouth Colony - 1633, 1636, and 1644 - and when he wasn't serving as governor, he was an assistant governor, or, he served as the colony's representative in the courts of London, England - 1623, 1624, 1644, and 1655. Once, while in England, he was thrown into prison for several months on the accusation of performing a wedding without being an ordained minister. As a Separatist (a Pilgrim), it was always a danger visiting England. The Pilgrims performed only civil marriages, and as governor at Plymouth, had performed some. Regarding marriage as being under civil authority was something the Pilgrims picked up while living in Holland. Edward did have his political enemies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

His political expertise seemed concentrated upon his diplomatic skills, and he was appointed to serve as a commissioner representing Plymouth at the formation of the United New England Confederation, wherein most of the New England colonies in the mid 1640s gathered together to align themselves together as one group, with one voice, to be able to exert more influence upon English authorities in London. Regardless, he was quite conservative by nature, and not a radical by any means. He continually pushed to have the Plymouth Colony to succeed and to prosper.

Winslow's kindness seemed to transcend his political alignments. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was the biggest and most influential colony in New England. It was also the most oppressive one, having been formed by and run by Puritans whose intolerance of those of varying religious beliefs was well known. The Bay colony had tried to exile a minister by the name of Roger Williams. He escaped exile to England by leaving the Bay colony and taking refuge in an area just west of the Plymouth Colony, now known as Rhode Island. When Mrs. Roger Williams travelled to join him, she passed through Plymouth, and stopped by to see their old friend, Edward Winslow. Winslow, understanding her plight, gave her a large sum of money to buy provisions for her and her husband, so that they would not starve in the upcoming winter. Even though Roger Williams and Edward Winslow did not see eye to eye in their theology, and even though Winslow knew that giving the Williams a chance for survival was something the Massachusetts Bay Colony would not hold well with them, Winslow chose compassion over political expediency. Rhode Island eventually became a refuge for many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony dissidents.

Oliver Cromwell - 1653

The English Civil War occurred between the years 1642-1646. The Parliamentarians, led by Puritan Oliver Cromwell won the war, and Cromwell, wanting to surround himself with trusted Puritan-like thinkers from all over, called upon Edward Winslow to join his administration. Winslow complied without hesitation and left for England, never to return. However, he did bring with him his adopted son, Peregrine White, who was about 25 years old at the time. Peregrine did not stay with him for very long and left within a few months. Regardless, Winslow, the perpetual politician, I am sure used Peregrine's status as the first born Englishman in New England as a symbol to Oliver Cromwell of Plymouth's importance to England. Peregrine White, my 8th great granduncle, became a celebrity even to the English court; of this, I am fairly certain.

This was probably the down side of Edward Winslow - he was married to his career as a politician. He left his wife, Susanna, in 1646 and never returned to the Plymouth Colony and to her. He died on board ship, and was buried at sea in 1655, on the service of Oliver Cromwell as head commissioner for a task in the Caribbean. He died of a fever - perhaps yellow fever or malaria. He left Susanna a widow after being absent from her for 9 years. It was good that Susanna had a large family for support. It was hard for just one woman to run such a vast estate all by herself, without the help of someone. The Careswell Estate in Marshfield, the home of the White-Winslow family was 1200 acres is size; almost 2 square miles. The dwelling was described as a fortified medieval manor house. Apparently Peregrine stepped in to help his mother manage the estate, but then, he had his own problems too, but that is another story.


Bibliographical Online References:

Genealogy of Edward Winslow of the Mayflower and His Descendants, from 1620 to 1865

Hypocrisy Unmasked, by Edward Winslow

New England's Salamander Discovered, by Edward Winslow

Note: Although Edward Winslow was not a prolific writer, what he did write had a specific purpose. What he wrote, he published and printed himself; and thus, the inclusion of the two original works by him, above.

New England 17th Century Historical Sketch

The following is a very brief historical sketch of 17th century New England to establish the background for the history of the first, second and third generations of the White-Winslow Family.

1620 - The Mayflower arrives with 102 passengers, and the Plymouth Colony is established.

1630 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony is established, north of Plymouth around Boston and Salem.

1630-1640 - The Great Migration occurs wherein at least 20,000 new immigrants from England, most being Puritans, arrive by ship to become new colonists. The vast majority of these new arrivals choose the Massachusetts Bay Colony over the Plymouth Colony.

1636 - The Pequot War - a war between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Pequot Indian nation. It was a savage but brief war, concluded as a victory by the Bay Colony.

1636 - Roger Williams established a colony which will eventually be called Rhode Island. Williams was a refugee from the religious intolerance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1636 - Colonies are also established in what eventually became the Connecticut Colony, as a result of other refugees from the Massachusetts Bay Colony seeking religious freedom.

1642-1646 - The period of the English Civil War, which had a reverse effect on immigration wherein many Puritans from the colonies went back to England to fight for Oliver Cromwell and his Parliamentarians.

1649 - Charles I of England is beheaded, and England becomes a Commonwealth under the rule of Oliver Cromwell - Lord Protector. Thus, Puritanism becomes legitimized.

1660 - The Restoration, when England becomes a monarchy again and Charles II ascends the throne. Puritanism loses its political power.

1675-76 - King Philip's War. King Philip is the name of the leader of the Indians. The colonialists won, but suffered a severe economic downturn as a result of the war for many years after. Several Indian nations were almost annihilated.

1691 - Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony are united into one Massachusetts Colony, by order of the British Crown.

1692 - The Salem Witch Trials.

White-Winslow Children - The Second Generation

Above we have discussed the first generation: William and Susanna White, and Edward Winslow. Now is a good time to discuss their children, the second generation: Resolved and Peregrine White, and Josiah and Elizabeth Winslow.

Susanna White and Edward Winslow married in May, 1621. Both had lost their spouses through the sicknesses that plagued the Pilgrims in the first year, and this was the first English marriage in New England. Edward adopted Resolved and Peregrine, and thus became their step-father. Susanna and Edward tried to have children of their own, and after 5 pregnancies, 2 of their children survived to adulthood - Josiah, born circa 1628, and Elizabeth, born circa 1632.

Plimoth Plantation Reproduction - 1627

For the first 15 years, this family lived in New Plymouth, sometimes called Plimoth Plantation. Each household was allocated a 50 X 100 foot plot in the village. However, a few were allocated a double-sized plot for their dwelling, such as Mr. Edward Winslow and family. In 1627, Plymouth looked like the adjacent picture, which is a reproduction as how the village would have looked, 7 years after Mayflower landing. The dwellings were crude, small and not fancy at all, although the White-Winslow house may have been a bit larger than most, considering it had a 100 X 100 foot lot. It took a while for the Pilgrims to figure out that thatched roofs, although fine for the damp English climate, were impractical for the hot and dry North American summers. Too many dwellings burned to the ground in the warm dry months of July-August when live sparks from the continually burning hearths caused the damage. They eventually learned that shingled roofs were best.

In what kind of society were these 4 children raised? I can not emphasize enough that they lived in a society more reflective as to how 17th century English society was, rather than it being a Pilgrim society. It was still a medieval world, wherein one was either a master or a servant. The White-Winslows were classified as the "masters." Without a doubt, Susanna had little housework to do as having indentured servants do all of the menial tasks was part of her station in life, being married to a gentleman. Most certainly, servants would look after the children as well.

Resolved was the eldest, being 5 years older than Peregrine. Peregrine became the middle child when their half brother Josiah was born and survived infancy. Elizabeth was their only daughter and was the youngest of the family, so perhaps she was the most spoiled, if any of them were "spoiled" as children. In 1630, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded about 20 miles north of them, Resolved would have been 15, Peregrine 10, Josiah about 2, and Elizabeth had yet to be born. So Susanna had her 3 little "masters" to take care, with the help of her servants, of course.

There was no school for them to attend. Such an institution as a public school was not built in the Plymouth Colony for another 50 years, and besides, such institutions were not part of 17th English society. Whatever education they received, would have been from their father Edward, or from a willing neighbour. Mr. Winslow was probably much too busy to attend to their education, and he was not around very much anyway, attending to his duties as Deputy Governor, or taking trips to England representing the colony to the English court.

I would guess that both Resolved and Peregrine learned to read, at the least. These skills were helpful for their success when they assumed their adult duties as gentlemen land owners. However, I doubt Peregrine ever learned how to write, since his will shows his "mark" rather than his signature. As for Josiah Winslow, their half brother, he became a Harvard graduate; so Edward ensured that his only flesh and blood son received one of the best educations possible. Harvard was established in the Bay Colony in 1636, and the Bay Colony also had grammar schools for younger children fairly early on. Therefore, I would imagine that Josiah was absent much of the time from the family as a child, being in residence while attending various schools in Boston. As for Elizabeth, well, if she received any education at all, this would have been the exception, since she was a woman living within 17th century English society.

In the mid 1630s, Edward Winslow received a huge land grant in the Green Harbour-Marshfield area. It was 1200 acres, which is almost 2 square miles. He named it the Careswell Estate. Upon this land, he built a huge fortified medieval-style manor house. Marshfield is about 5 miles north of Plymouth. Given that Elizabeth was very young at the time, this would have probably been the first home she remembered. Since Josiah was off to school in Boston, he probably did not have much time to enjoy this mansion much as a child. Resolved was now a young man, and Peregrine was a teenager.

These 4 children would have regarded each other as brothers and sister, as any siblings would. Only Resolved would have had memories of his real father, William White. Given their station in society, each of these siblings married into families of wealth and power. The society they lived in though, was quite alien to us. Four hundred years does make a very big difference, even if this was English society.


Society and Culture

Even the language that they spoke would be hard for us to understand. They did speak modern English, but more specifically, early modern English - the language of William Shakespeare, and in the English that the Authorized King James Bible is written. They were also a very religious society, but this is more of a reflection of 17th century English society, than that they were also Pilgrims. Everyone attended church on Sunday, and no work or travel was performed on the Sabbath. If someone did not attend church on Sunday without a good reason, i.e., they were on their deathbed, they were fined by the court.

English society was also, what we would consider, superstitious. Witchcraft was a crime punishable by death. What made the Salem Witch Trials so famous, was the quantity of witches executed within such a short span of time. But hanging witches was quite common in England, and in Plymouth, there were a couple of people accused of witchcraft, but nothing much came of these accusations. However, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where the Salem trials occurred in 1692, many witches were accused and found guilty prior to 1692. It was part of their life and times. Witchcraft was a crime in England until it was repealed in 1736.

The Plymouth Colony was more tolerant in many ways, than was the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Robinson who founded the Separatists, the Pilgrims, taught that there should be a separation of church and state, and he also taught that there should be a tolerance of other religions. The Pilgrims did practice tolerance of other religions, up to a point. For instance, they did not hang Quakers, whereas the Massachusetts Bay Colony did. As for the concept of separation of church and state, that is another matter. Even though the Pilgrims of New Plymouth and the Puritans of the Bay Colony, came to the New World to escape religious persecution, this did not automatically translate into their setting up of colonies based upon the separation of church and state principal. But rather, they set up their colonies based upon the form of government they were used to - a government whose power and direction came from the prevalent religion. Thus, in both colonies, only those who belonged to the "right" church were allowed to vote or hold public office.

As it was, one had to be white, male, of legal age, and a landowner to even qualify as a Freeman, which was one who could vote. One also had to belong to the correct church, in order to be classified as a Freeman. English society, and thus the societies of the Pilgrim and the Puritans in the colonial era of history, were quite prejudicial by our modern standards. It is not a matter of how they should have been, by our judgment, but it is a matter of accepting historical facts for what they were.

Going to the Family Heart

This was the society in which these 4 White-Winslow children were raised. They had the advantage though, since they were at the top of the heap. There is evidence that they had great affection for one another, as reflected in the wording of their wills that survive. This is an extract from Josiah Winslow's will, "I give to my loving sister Elizabeth Corwin my pocket watch... I give unto my brother Peregrine White my Spanish rapier & buff belt with silver clasps." Josiah also left to Resolved's son, William, some bedding. Apparently Josiah's nephew, William, was living on the Careswell estate and being cared for by Josiah and his wife. We are not sure what William's condition was, but he was disabled in some way. I am guessing that Susanna, William's grandmother, offered to look after her grandson and Josiah continued his care after she died. Later on, Resolved and his other sons, gave a gentleman a large portion of land as payment to look after William. The point is, they were all one family who did care for one another and looked out for the other's welfare.

Just as a touching side note, that Spanish rapier given to Peregrine through Josiah's will, was passed down to one of Peregine's sons, Jonathan, through Peregrine's will. This very same rapier (sword), may be on display at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, having been last owned by one of Peregrine's grandsons. The sword was probably picked up in London England by Josiah Winslow when visiting his father Edward. Josiah later became in charge of the military in the Plymouth Colony, and when King Philip's War began, Josiah was appointed Commander-in-Chief for all the New England Confederation military. This was more than likely the very sword Josiah used when he held this auspicious military command. The sword obviously held great sentimental value to the White-Winslow sons.

What Did They Look Like?

Amazingly enough, I have a better insight into the physical appearance of a few of these second generation Mayflower descendants, going back 350 years, than I do of my own great grandparents, going back by about only 100 years. As for Resolved White, my 8th great grandfather, or Elizabeth Winslow, my 8th great grandaunt, no records are left of their physical appearance. The same is not so for the other two: Peregrine White, and Josiah Winslow, my 8th great granduncles.

Josiah Winslow - 1651

Josiah Winslow was described as being thin, and somewhat sickly throughout most of his life. He died fairly young at the age of 52, and yet given his physical weaknesses, he took his role as Commander-in-Chief very seriously. During King Philip's War, he led an army of about 1,000 soldiers into the swamps of Rhode Island in the month of December to destroy an Indian stronghold. As to the wisdom of this assault upon a neutral tribe of Indians is another matter, but regardless, uncle Josiah led this army and showed deeds through example, in spite of his physical frailties. As well, the adjacent painting is the oldest image from life I have found of a blood relative of mine. It was painted in London England in 1651, when Josiah was visiting his father. Josiah would have been about 23 years of age. His clean shaven appearance reflects how by the mid 17th century, shaved facial hair for men became the style. For the most part, beards did not become popular again for men within English society until around the mid-1800s. Josiah Winslow also became the first native born Englishman of the New World, to become a governor of a colony. He was governor of Plymouth from 1673 to 1680. He died in office in 1680.

As for my other 8th great granduncle, Peregrine White, physical descriptions, and other interesting records, have been left about him. He was described as being "comely," which is an early modern English expression meaning "attractive." Therefore, uncle Perry must have been a handsome man, by 17th century standards. Perhaps he inherited his looks from his mother, Susanna, which I believe was probably an exceptionally beautiful woman - well, Edward Winslow snapped her up fast after being a widower for only 2 months.

Peregrine was known to be very devoted to his mother. His estate bordered on the Careswell Estate in Marshfield, and the image of his riding to visit his mother daily, was apparently a familiar one to the Marshfield inhabitants. He rode his horse wearing his dark Spanish coat, with large shiny buttons, glistening in the sun. His comely appearance was a sight for all to see on his daily rides to see his mother. I would imagine that these visits occurred for years, particularly when Edward Winslow had left for England, never to return. Someone had to help her in running the estate, for it was hardly a woman's task to do so. The lands these people owned were not farms, per se, but estates. They were not farmers, in the sense we know. They managed servants and tenants, and did not milk the cows after the evening meal, nor work in the field at harvest time. They supervised this kind of work, but only if their overseers were being negligent. I have read the records - the White-Winslows were equivalent to the "landed gentry" of England.

Elizabeth Winslow: Which Witch Is Which?

I wanted to discuss each of these 4 children from the White-Winslow Family. I am starting with the youngest, Elizabeth, upon the courteous principle of ladies first. Elizabeth Winslow was the half sister to my 8th great grandfather, Resolved White. This makes Elizabeth my 8th great grandaunt.

Elizabeth was the youngest sibling in the White-Winslow family living on the Careswell Estate, Marshfield. Her father had been a Plymouth Colony governor, her brother Josiah was a Harvard graduate and commander of all Plymouth armed forces and a governor to be, and her brother Peregrine was a colonial celebrity, being the first Englishman to be born in New England. It was not long before she was married out, being such a catch. I am sure she longed to be released from Careswell though, given that her new sister-in-law, Penelope Winslow, Josiah's new bride, was living at the manor house too. There can be only one lady of the house. Although, in all fairness, we really do not know what the family dynamics were. All of them, Susanna, Penelope and Elizabeth could have been a wonderful congenial trio of women living in perfect harmony. I doubt it very much though. The real mystery is what did they do with themselves all day long, having servants performing every necessary task of the day.

In the mid-1650s, around the time when Elizabeth's father died at sea, never to be seen again, and Penelope, her new sister-in-law, did come to live at Careswell, she married a Robert Brooks and moved to Charlestown, just outside of Boston. Elizabeth and Robert were around the same age, in their early 20s. They had one son, John, who never married and who died quite young. Robert died in 1667-68, leaving Elizabeth a widow, but with a new name: Elizabeth Winslow-Brooks.



George Corwin - Great Aunt Elizabeth's Second Husband

A year later, Elizabeth married again, to man by the name of George Corwin, thus taking on an even longer name: Elizabeth Winslow-Brooks-Corwin. George was a recent widower himself, and he was more than 20 years Elizabeth's senior. He also had several children from a previous marriage, some of whom were not that much younger than Elizabeth, who became their step-mother.

When George Corwin died in 1685, he left Elizabeth well looked after in his will, and so he should have. It is estimated that by the size of his estate, he was probably the wealthiest man in all of New England. He had been well connected too, given that one of his sons, John, was married to Margaret Winthrop, her grandfather being the very famous and long-term governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Another son by the name of Jonathan, was a judge - Judge Jonathan Corwin - who was one of the judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials.
(Yes, I knew that if I dug far enough into my ancestors and their relatives, that I would find some sort of connection with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, and I did. However, as I go on, it gets even better, or is that, it gets even worse.)

So it ended up that our little great grandaunt Elizabeth, became the step-mother to one of the premier judges of the Salem Witch Trials. And, oh yes, Judge Jonathan Corwin is right up there with the likes of Judges John Hathorne and Bartholomew Gedney, all from Salem and presiding over the court of Oyer and Terminer, and all "hanging judges." How can it get any worse?

Aunt Lizzy's other step-son, John, had a son by the name of George. This George Corwin became the High Sheriff of Essex County, and was my great aunt Elizabeth's step-grandson. Georgy was married to a Gedny woman, who was the daughter of the Judge Gedney who also sat on the Salem Witch Trial court. So it seems like this was very much a family affair in so many ways. The following is some text to describe the activity of little Georgy:



The Pressing of Giles Corey

George Corwin (1666-1696) was the High Sheriff of Essex County and carried out the arrests of the accused and the executions at the gallows of those condemned during the Salem witchcraft trials beginning with Bridget Bishop, the first to be executed. On September 16, 1692, the Court of Oyer and Terminer ordered Sheriff Corwin to pile rocks on Giles Corey, an 80-year-old farmer, who refused to stand trial for witchcraft. On September 19th, Corey was stripped naked and a board was placed upon his chest. As rocks were piled on the board, he was interrogated by the magistrate. He is reported to have pleaded for "more weight" so his death would come more quickly. Judge Samuel Sewall reported "About noon, at Salem, Giles Corey was press'd to death for standing mute." In a report, Robert Calef, who opposed the trials, observed that Corey's "tongue being prest out of his mouth, the Sheriff with his cane forced it in again, when he was dying." Witnesses claim they heard Corey say, with his dying breath, "Damn you Sheriff I curse you and Salem!" Four years later, at age 30, Sheriff George Corwin had a fatal heart attack. In Haunted Happenings (Salem, Mass.: Old Saltbox Pub Co., 1995) by Robert Ellis Cahill, former High Sheriff of Essex County, Cahill noted that every Sheriff since Corwin, including himself, a period of almost 300 years, each headquartered at the Salem Jail overlooking the spot where Corey was pressed to death, had died while in office or had been forced out of his post as the result of a heart or blood ailment.

Source: http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=682&lotNo=56037

There were in total 19 people executed for being found witches, 1 was tortured to death (Giles Corey), and 5 died in prison. High Sheriff George Corwin was responsible for the executing of the warrants, for administering the hangings, and for confiscating the wealth of those executed for being witches. The only amusing part of this whole black period in colonial history, was that the executions stopped only after Governor Phips' wife was "called out upon" for being a witch. After that, the remaining accused were either pardoned or found not guilty, and the Court of Oyer and Terminer was dismissed.

Governor William Phips

As for how great aunt Elizabeth reacted to all these goings on, is completely open to speculation. I know that she was still living during this period of 1692-93, and that she was living right in the midst of the events. She would have been around 60 years old at the time. For the Puritans, demons and Satanism were a living reality, and to deny them, was heresy. Anyone who spoke out against the Salem Witch Trials when they were ongoing, was more than likely to find themselves accused shortly thereafter. The accusers were a group of allegedly afflicted girls in what we would call their "tween" years. Spectral evidence, such as one of these girls having a bad dream about someone hurting them, and then accusing this person of being in league with the Devil, is the reason why most of the accused were hanged. When the court, through the gentle nudging of the Governor after his wife was accused through spectral evidence, stopped accepting such evidence as being valid, the trials soon ended.

The Judge Jonathan Corwin House

However, witch trials were fairly common in English society for centuries. The Massachusetts Bay Colony merely was a reflection of English society. Prior to the Salem Witch Trials, there had been at least a dozen "witches" hanged in the colony after going to trial, but the only difference was, these were one witch at a time type trials. In Salem, in 1692-93, 25 people died as a result of these trials. That was what was so uncommon about the Salem Witch Trials.

In Salem today still stands the house that was owned by Judge Jonathan Corwin, my great aunt's step-son. It is known as the last "Witch House" standing, and it is a tourist spot.