BREWSTER, Elder William Mayflower Passenger 1620

BREWSTER, Elder William Mayflower Passenger 1620

Male Abt 1566 - 1644  (~ 78 years)

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  • Name BREWSTER, Elder William   [1
    Suffix Mayflower Passenger 1620 
    Birth Abt 1566  Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 227
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 227
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 228
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 228
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 229
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 229
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 230
    BREWSTER, William - The Great Migration Begins Volume 1 Page 230
    Gender Male 
    Biography/Personal History William Brewster was born about 1566, the son of William Brewster. He was educated in both Greek and Latin and spent some time at Cambridge University, although he never completed a full degree. He went into the service of William Davison, then Secretary of State, while his father back home maintained a position as the postmaster of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire. Under Davison, Brewster first traveled to the Netherlands. After Davison's departure as Secretary of State, Brewster worked himself into his father's postmaster duties and maintained Scrooby Manor. Brewster was instrumental in establishing the small Separatist church with Richard Clyfton, and they often held their meetings in the Manor house. Brewster and the others were eventually found and forced out, and fleeing prosecution and persecution they headed to Amsterdam in 1608, and moving to Leiden, Holland in 1609. Brewster became the church's Elder, responsible for seeing that the congregation's members carried themselves properly, both helping and admonishing them when necessary.
    In Leiden, Brewster working with Thomas Brewer became working a printing press and publishing religious books and pamphlets which were then illegally conveyed into England. Brewster also employed himself teaching University of Leiden students English. By 1618, the English authorities were onto him and his printing press, and had the Dutch authorities in pursuit of him. Thomas Brewer was arrested and held in the University of Leiden's prison, but Brewster managed to evade the authorities and went into hiding for a couple years.
    When the Leiden church congregation decided to send the first wave to set up and establish a colony that everyone could eventually move to, their pastor John Robinson decided to remain behind in Leiden with the majority of the congregation, intending to come later. The smaller group that went on the Mayflower desired the next highest ranking church official, Elder Brewster, go with them; so he agreed. He brought his wife Mary and two youngest children, Love and Wrestling, on the Mayflower with him.
    Brewster continued his work as Church Elder throughout his life at Plymouth Colony. His wife Mary died in 1627, and he never remarried. He lived to be nearly 80 years old, dying in 1644. Shortly after he died, William Bradford wrote a short but concise biography of Brewster, just a couple pages, in his history Of Plymouth Plantation.

    - http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/WilliamBrewster.php 
    Find-A-Grave Memorial # Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16195888 
    Immigration 11 Nov 1620  Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    On Mayflower 
    HISTORY - PASSAGE 1620 - Mayflower Passenger
    HISTORY - PASSAGE 1620 - Mayflower Passenger
    Death 10 Apr 1644  Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I02390  Schuler
    Last Modified 28 Oct 2016 

    Father BREWSTER, William II,   b. 1534, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1590, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 56 years) 
    Mother SMYTHE, Mary,   b. 1535, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1567, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 32 years) 
    Marriage 1560  Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F01361  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family BREWSTER, Mary ()   d. 17 Apr 1627, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage Abt 1592  Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Children 
    +1. BREWSTER, Fear Anne Passenger, 1623
     2. BREWSTER, Jonathan,   b. 12 Aug 1593, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location
    +3. BREWSTER, Patience Anne Passenger, 1623,   b. Abt 1603, Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Dec 1634, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 31 years)
    Family ID F00928  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 8 May 2009 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Abt 1566 - Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsFind-A-Grave Memorial # - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16195888 - - Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - Abt 1592 - Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - On Mayflower - 11 Nov 1620 - Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 10 Apr 1644 - Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S00119] Anderson, Robert Charles, Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1630-1633, Vol I-III, The, (New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996-2011), William Brewster, Volume I, Page 227-230.

    2. [S3922814029] FindAGrave.com, (Find A Grave, Inc.), http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16195888.

    3. [S00093] Caleb Johnson, MayflowerHistory.com, (www.mayflowerhistory.com), http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/WilliamBrewster.php, document online.