Show g Make c o o U T r i I 1 a w 3 II k I i L F p y t I lees t b is Mayflower E a 1 Descendants Now Number Over i By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN G according to American tradition Is le Intimately Inti connected with the ij Pilgrims and New England Li while at Christmas any thought of ot the beginning of the American celebration of the day takes us back to Virginia and to the jolly Dutch burghers of New Amsterdam And this Is historically correct For Forthe Forthe Forthe the mass In Christmas shows that It was wag an annual church festival In celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Christ The Pilgrims as everyone everyone ev should know had separated from the Established Church of England England Eng Eng- land In part because of their dislike for Its ritual Therefore while accepting accepting ac ac- ac- ac the great event of ot Christmas day they disparaged Its Its' observance Thanksgiving day however established established Itself Itsel naturally as the outgrowth outgrowth out out- growth of the conditions of the col colony ony The turkey which the friendly Indian hunters offered to them came naturally to be the big thing of ot the Thanksgiving feast And so did the pumpkin pie for this was the agriculture ture of ot the Indian corn In hills with witha a climbing bean pumpkins between the rows So If anyone should celebrate Thanksgiving day with tI enthusiasm l lis It ItIs ItIs t Is the descendants of the Pilgrims Pilgrim who came over oer In the Mayflower N NobOdy Nobody No No- a body knows Just how many of them there are toda today but more than five live thousand are enrolled In fn the membership membership membership member member- ship of the General Society of Mayflower Mayflower May May- flower Descendants and the society 1 Is g growing Its It's no easy matter to ge geon get geton geton t on the rolls either There Is a his general who traces ell eli lines Unes o of f descents Altogether there are probably probably ably en and descendants descendants descendants descend descend- ants scattered all over the country There were passengers on th the e Mayflower when she sailed from Plymouth Plym England on September 16 10 1620 1020 One man died on board ship and on one e male child Oceanus Hopkins was bor borIn born n In mid It might seem that with an original band of the there re might be bo scores of lines of descent but such Is not the case The Mayflower May May- flower scions In this country today ar arin are e In reality descended from only 23 p pow pos possible s- s Bible sible lines Th The Intermarriage of ot th the e Pilgrim families Is responsible for this s reduction Four lines Unes are rire are practically practical y extinct Louis Effingham de Forest historian n of the New York Society of ot Mayflower r Descendants says sas that many lines have hav e been extremely prolific while others other a through the centuries have almost dl dIsappeared disappeared dis dIs- s appeared from the earth The Bradford Bradford Brad Drad- ford Brewster Howland and Alden Alde n lines perhaps have been the most pr prolific pro pro- a while the number of ot a and Is comparatively small The descendants of the original Governor Governor Gov Guv Winslow are now living In Can Can- ada When the Revolutionary wa war r broke out they decided for the cause causo o of the king and moved across th the e border The of Mayflower r descent now found In this country ar arof are e of or the line of the original Governor Go r Winslows Winslow's brother The 10 more or less prolific fame family y lines Ines are those of John Alden Isaac Iana c Allerton William Bradford William m Brewster James dames Chilton Frond Francis a Cooke Edward Doty Edward Edard Fuller r Dr Samuel Fuller Stephen Hopkins Hopkin q John Degory Priest Thomas Thoma s Rogers Henry Samson George Soule Soul e Miles MUes Standish Richard Warren Wl I 9 h a 9 s aW aWl J l 2 I A ar aa K d llama lIam White and Edward Winslow The lines Imes of John Billington Peter Brown Drown Francis Eaton and Richard More are I the ones practically extinct New York state has bas about mem mem- memI I bers belll The total enrollment to date Is about members Here lIere Is the NewYork New NewYork NewYork York table to descendants The proportions proportions proportions pro pro- portions probably hold all over the country The table John Alden Isaac Allerton 40 I Francis Billington second generation O 0 Or John BillIngton 0 William Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford tord Love Loe Brewster second generation gen 27 William Brewster Peter leter Brown 3 James Chilton 15 Francis Cooke 74 John Cooke second generation 28 23 Edward Doty 16 10 Fran Fran- I Francis rancis ran ran- cis Eaton 0 Samuel I Eaton second generation 0 Edward Fuller Juller 34 3 Samuel l Fuller second generation 33 Dr Samuel Fuller 2 Gyles Hopkins second generation 17 Stephen lop Hop kins 02 62 John Howland Richard Richard tUch- tUch Rich Rich- ard d More 0 William Mullins Degory Priest 11 Joseph Rogers Hoger II second second sec see ond end generation 14 Thomas Rogers 43 Henry Samson 7 George Soule Smile 8 Miles Standish 29 20 John Tilley Richard Warren Peregrine PeregrinA White second generation 0 Resolved White second generation 0 6 William White 15 Edward Winslow 10 Man Many members It is pointed out have numerous nu nu- numerous lines Imes of ot descent r Capt Richard Henry Greene a Civil war veteran formed a Mayflower society society so so- clety In New York state In 1804 Con Con- Massachusetts and Pennsyl vanla vanIa quickly follow followed d the example These four tour states met In 1897 at st Plymouth Plym ouch Mass and organized the General General Gen Gen- eral Society of Mayflower Descend ants A state society was chartered I In n Illinois In June 1807 The societies of ot the District of Columbia and Ohio came Into being In March 1898 1809 New Net s Jersey followed In August 1000 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wis WIn Rhode thode Island and Michigan in t February 1001 Later state societies e were ere chartered In Minnesota Maine Main e and Colorado There followed a period parts d of ot steady growth until 1003 1009 when California formed Its society Th The e state of Washington's branch bronch wee was s chartered In 1012 and later charters charter s were granted grunted to societies In la Kansas Ransa Indiana and Bad Nebraska The Minne lInne- Minnesota sota sots society is now inactive Roughly speaking the tho Society o of t Mayflower Descendants has I should shoal say about members declared declare Frederick Dwight secretary of the lh e New York State society Massachusetts as might be expected heads beads lh the list with a membership of ot more than 11 1000 1600 while New York state has about t 8 I doubt If the national membership membership member member- ship Is s more than a small percentage e of ot the persons who have Pilgrim blood bloot 1 In them In this country Our congrEsses congresses con greases at Plymouth are becoming better bet ter attended each ach time they are het held d At the last congress there were present present pres pres- ent ant 17 officers of ot the general socket society and Bad qualified delegates from all el allover over oer the country Some of them came cam e from as far west as Nebraska an and d California The membership of the Society of May flower De Descend Descendants ants Is la not made up of persons of ot a single sin gle glass b by an any manner of means meRn It Is far from being bIng be be- ing lug limited to Hack Back ack bay bar and Park ave aT due nue Persons from all walks of life life- soldiers workmen came ame over on the Mayflower The Society So So- clet clety of Mayflower l Descendants Is 13 a thoroughly demo- demo body It Il hasla hasIn has hasIn In la It members from every trade and calling ca as well as many leading figures figures figures fig fig- ures In our social fabric The western west west- ern farm fann and shop era are Just as much represented as 81 are tho the eastern astern bank bante and drawing room The Mayflower hA tAsk t Ask 1 z stock Is virile the virile the descendants of the original Pilgrims have very largely pushed their way to the front In local state and national affairs We do not Intend merely to sit lilt around and glorify the past last continued contin Mr Dwight Tho The General Society Society So So- clety of Mayflower Descendants Is U Isnow now actively engaged In a definite program program pro pro- program gram of patriotism We are striving to educate the foreigner who does docs not know the history of the country to which he has come coma as an Immigrant We want to make him realize the tremendous tremendous tre tr background there Is In earl early Colonial history The Society of D Ma May Mayflower Sa y flower Descendants Isn't an Ion formed for tor mutual approbation It Is an active working force torce for tor Amer Amer- The membership of the society Ison Is Ison on the Increase Since the last congress congress congress con con- gress was held at Plymouth In 1021 the names of ot new members have been heed added to Its rolls In the last las 0 year alone new members have bee been heem enrolled In the West Vest and the Middle West Vest the membership Is Increasing t tsuch to 0 such an nn extent as to make probable In the future a meeting In Chicago In 18 states there are regularly regular y chartered state societies which taken as a whole form the General Society of ot Mayflower Descendants with what Is defined ns os sentimental headquarters at Plymouth and actual national headquarters at Boston Doston The Increase In the membership li is declared to be due to a healthy growth and a newly awakened Interest Inthe Inthe In Inthe the founders of our country Man Many other patriotic organizations have not much more than held their own since the war losing members steadily through an Increasing death rate while the Society of Mayflower Descendants has gone steadily ahead Its requirements requirements require require- ments meats for membership are high When at the Plymouth congress It was voted to have the line lino of descent of all prospective prospective pro pro- members traced b by the historian his torian general of the national society before permitting these applicants tobe to tobe be certified by the state societies It was simply making milking a part of the constitution con something which was alread already a u custom Not Nut only must the pro pro- member have state sanction but he must also have national sanction sane sanc tion before he can join Iola the Mayflower descendants When Rhen hen congress voted to take partIn part partIn In the tercentenary of the Pilgrims the following was made a part of the records The landing of the Pilgrims sym syra- one of the worlds world's great ad ad- ventures The hardships of ot the voyage vo voy voyage age the perils perUs of the wilderness th the ravages of that first dreadful winter winter- these are but circumstances that fram frame the picture Acting for tor the nation our concern today with the solemn story Is that than It rivets Imagination on the noblest pages es of ot human nature- nature lofty purpose dauntless courage stead stead- lust fust endurance pious enthusiasm holy faith a. a e |