Famous kin in the Holbrook-Low Colonial Tree

From the Holbrook-Low Colonial Tree (trees/holbrook-low-colonial-tree.html, version of early October 2026), kept as written so nothing is lost when the tree page is retired. Famous people who share an ancestor with Frances, and how the lines meet. Their side of each line comes from compiled sources (MayflowerHistory.com, printed family genealogies, WikiTree) and has not been checked against records here. On the site they are the Notable connections page, Holbrook line (connections/famous-kin.yaml), and each ancestor's page links the famous kin through them.

People are given with their archive page ID in backticks. Tiers in brackets: [D] documented, [C] compiled, [I] inference, [T] tradition, [Q] unproven, [F] family record. "Frances" is Frances Fairchild Holbrook (b. 1931), from whom the tree is drawn.

Presidents and first ladies

John Adams (1735-1826)

Second President of the United States (1797-1801); signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Shared ancestor: William Cogswell (William Cogswell) and Susanna Hawkes (Susanna Hawkes) [C].

Their line: Susanna Cogswell (m. 1681) > Ann White (1685-1772) > Susanna Boylston (1708/9-1797) > John Adams (1735-1826).

Susanna Cogswell, a daughter of William Cogswell and Susanna Hawkes, married Benjamin White of Roxbury on 21 Jan 1681. Their daughter Ann, born 4 July 1685, married Peter Boylston of Brookline, and Ann's daughter Susanna Boylston was John Adams's mother. Frances descends from Susanna Cogswell's brother Adam.

Sources: Jameson, The Cogswells in America (1884), pp. 9-11 and 23 (https://archive.org/details/cogswellsinameri00jame); Wikipedia, Susanna Boylston (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_Boylston).

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

Sixth President of the United States (1825-1829), son of John Adams.

Shared ancestor: William Cogswell (William Cogswell) and Susanna Hawkes (Susanna Hawkes) [C].

Their line: Susanna Cogswell (m. 1681) > Ann White (1685-1772) > Susanna Boylston (1708/9-1797) > John Adams (1735-1826) > John Quincy Adams (1767-1848).

Through his father, John Adams; see that entry.

Sources: Jameson, The Cogswells in America (1884), pp. 9-11 and 23 (https://archive.org/details/cogswellsinameri00jame); Wikipedia, Susanna Boylston (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_Boylston).

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885)

18th President of the United States (1869-1877) and commander of the Union armies.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Philip Delano (Philip Delano) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Delano (1648-1720) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Susannah Delano (1724-1806) > Noah Grant (1748-1819) > Jesse Root Grant (1794-1873) > Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Jonathan was Philip Delano's son by his first wife, Hester Dewsbury. Frances descends from Philip's second wife, Mary Pontus, so this is a half relationship.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Grant-468 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Grant-468).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Nathaniel Warren (1624-1667) > Mercy Warren (1658-1728) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Susannah Delano (1724-1806) > Noah Grant (1748-1819) > Jesse Root Grant (1794-1873) > Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Mercy Warren married Jonathan Delano, son of Philip Delano, so Grant descends from both Richard Warren and Philip Delano.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Grant-468 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Grant-468).

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945)

32nd President of the United States (1933-1945).

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Philip Delano (Philip Delano) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Delano (1648-1720) > Thomas Delano (1704-1798) > Ephraim Delano (1733-1815) > Warren Delano (1779-1866) > Warren Delano II (1809-1898) > Sara Ann Delano (1854-1941) > Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

His mother's family name, Delano, comes down from Philippe de Lannoy. Frances descends from Philip by his second wife, so this is a half relationship.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Roosevelt-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Roosevelt-1).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Joseph Howland (1640-1704) > Nathaniel Howland (1671-1746) > Nathaniel Howland (1705-1766) > Joseph Howland (1749-1836) > Susan Howland (1779-1852) > Mary Rebecca Aspinwall (1809-1886) > James Roosevelt (1828-1900) > Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Roosevelt-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Roosevelt-1).

Line 3. Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Nathaniel Warren (1624-1667) > Mercy Warren (1658-1728) > Thomas Delano (1704-1798) > Ephraim Delano (1733-1815) > Warren Delano (1779-1866) > Warren Delano II (1809-1898) > Sara Ann Delano (1854-1941) > Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

WikiTree shows four more Warren lines for him, through his grandmother Deborah Church.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

William Howard Taft (1857-1930)

27th President of the United States (1909-1913) and 10th Chief Justice.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Capt. Michael Pierce (Michael Pierce) [C].

Their line: Mary Pierce (1654-1735) > Mary Holbrook (1686-1759) > David Daniels (1710-1776) > Chloe Daniel (1745-1823) > Anna Davenport (1765-1842) > Samuel Davenport Torrey (1789-1877) > Louisa Maria Torrey (1827-1907) > William Howard Taft (1857-1930).

Mary Pierce married Samuel Holbrook in 1675. Capt. Pierce's will of 1676 leaves "my daughter Mary Holbrook, twenty pounds." Taft is not on the MayflowerHistory list; these lines come from WikiTree.

Sources: WikiTree Taft-21 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Taft-21).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Thomas Holbrook (Thomas Holbrook) and Jane Powyes (Jane Powyes) [C].

Their line: Thomas Holbrook (1624-1697) > Peter Holbrook (1655-1712) > William Holbrook (1693-1775) > Deborah Holbrook (1732-1776) > William Torrey (1754-1817) > Samuel Davenport Torrey (1789-1877) > Louisa Maria Torrey (1827-1907) > William Howard Taft (1857-1930).

Thomas Holbrook Jr. was a brother of Frances's ancestor Capt. John Holbrook.

Sources: WikiTree Taft-21 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Taft-21).

George H. W. Bush (1924-2018)

41st President of the United States (1989-1993).

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Capt. John Holbrook (John Holbrook) and Elizabeth Stream (Elizabeth Stream) [C].

Their line: Hannah Holbrook (c. 1647-1719) > Mial Pierce (1693-1786) > Nathan Pierce (1716-1793) > Isaac Pierce (1763-1849) > Levi Pierce (1797-1838) > Elizabeth Slade Pierce (1822-1901) > Mary Elizabeth Butler (1849-1897) > Flora Sheldon (1872-1920) > Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972) > George H. W. Bush (1924-2018).

Hannah Holbrook married Ephraim Pierce, son of Capt. Michael Pierce. Her brother John Holbrook married his sister Abigail Pierce, and they are Frances's ancestors. Two brother-and-sister pairs married each other, so Bush is a double cousin. Hannah's profile cites her father's will of 1699.

Sources: WikiTree Bush-7 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bush-7); WikiTree Holbrook-1316 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holbrook-1316).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Capt. Michael Pierce (Michael Pierce) [C].

Their line: Ephraim Pierce (c. 1651-1719) > Mial Pierce (1693-1786) > Nathan Pierce (1716-1793) > Isaac Pierce (1763-1849) > Levi Pierce (1797-1838) > Elizabeth Slade Pierce (1822-1901) > Mary Elizabeth Butler (1849-1897) > Flora Sheldon (1872-1920) > Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972) > George H. W. Bush (1924-2018).

Sources: WikiTree Pearce-4557 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pearce-4557).

Line 3. Shared ancestor: Rev. John Mayo (John Mayo) [C].

Their line: Samuel Mayo (1620-1664) > Mary Mayo (1645-1711) > Samuel Bangs (1680-1750) > Joseph Bangs (1712-1757) > Lemuel Bangs (1739-1824) > Elijah Keeler Bangs (1780-1856) > Mary Ann Bangs (1817-1876) > Martha Adela Beaky (1841-1917) > George Herbert Walker (1875-1953) > Dorothy Walker (1901-1992) > George H. W. Bush (1924-2018).

Sources: WikiTree Bush-7 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bush-7).

Line 4. Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Hope Howland (1629-1683) > Hope Chipman (1652-1728) > Hope Huckins (b. 1677) > Hannah Nelson (1699-1772) > Jabez Wood (1720-1793) > Joanna Wood (1750-1813) > Sarah Horton (1777-1856) > Elizabeth Slade Wheeler (1800-1881) > Elizabeth Slade Pierce (1822-1901) > Mary Elizabeth Butler (1849-1897) > Flora Sheldon (1872-1920) > Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972) > George H. W. Bush (1924-2018).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

George W. Bush (b. 1946)

43rd President of the United States (2001-2009).

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Capt. John Holbrook (John Holbrook) and Elizabeth Stream (Elizabeth Stream) [C].

Their line: Hannah Holbrook (c. 1647-1719) > Mial Pierce (1693-1786) > Nathan Pierce (1716-1793) > Isaac Pierce (1763-1849) > Levi Pierce (1797-1838) > Elizabeth Slade Pierce (1822-1901) > Mary Elizabeth Butler (1849-1897) > Flora Sheldon (1872-1920) > Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972) > George H. W. Bush (1924-2018) > George W. Bush (b. 1946).

Through his father he has every line George H. W. Bush has. Through his mother he has a separate Holbrook line (see Barbara Bush).

Sources: WikiTree Bush-7 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bush-7).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Thomas Holbrook (Thomas Holbrook) and Jane Powyes (Jane Powyes) [C].

Their line: Thomas Holbrook (1624-1697) > Peter Holbrook (1655-1712) > Sylvanus Holbrook (1685-1740) > John Holbrook (1717-1773) > John Holbrook (1748-1817) > John Holbrook (1778-1838) > Chloe Holbrook (1816-1886) > Jonas James Pierce (1839-1913) > Scott Pierce (1866-1945) > Marvin Pierce (1893-1969) > Barbara Pierce (1925-2018) > George W. Bush (b. 1946).

Sources: WikiTree Pierce-4 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pierce-4); MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Barbara Bush (1925-2018)

First Lady (1989-1993), wife of George H. W. Bush and mother of George W. Bush.

Shared ancestor: Thomas Holbrook (Thomas Holbrook) and Jane Powyes (Jane Powyes) [C].

Their line: Thomas Holbrook (1624-1697) > Peter Holbrook (1655-1712) > Sylvanus Holbrook (1685-1740) > John Holbrook (1717-1773) > John Holbrook (1748-1817) > John Holbrook (1778-1838) > Chloe Holbrook (1816-1886) > Jonas James Pierce (1839-1913) > Scott Pierce (1866-1945) > Marvin Pierce (1893-1969) > Barbara Pierce Bush (1925-2018).

Her Holbrook line runs through Thomas Holbrook Jr., brother of Frances's ancestor Capt. John Holbrook. MayflowerHistory confirms the steps from Chloe Holbrook down. The profile of John Holbrook (1717-1773) cites no sources.

Sources: WikiTree Pierce-4 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pierce-4); MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Edith Kermit Roosevelt (1861-1948)

First Lady (1901-1909), wife of Theodore Roosevelt.

Shared ancestor: Job Tyler (Job Tyler) and Mary (Mary Tyler) [C].

Their line: Hopestill Tyler (c. 1646-1734) > Daniel Tyler (b. 1676/81) > Daniel Tyler (1701-1802) > Capt. Daniel Tyler (1750-1832) > Gen. Daniel Tyler (1799-1882) > Gertrude Elizabeth Tyler (1836-1896) > Edith Kermit Carow (1861-1948).

Her grandfather Gen. Daniel Tyler was a West Point graduate and a Union general in 1861. Her children with Theodore Roosevelt share this descent; Alice Roosevelt Longworth, his daughter by his first wife, does not. Hopestill Tyler's wife Mary was among those accused in the Andover witch scare of 1692 and was found not guilty.

Sources: Brigham, The Tyler Genealogy (1912), entries 4, 31, 124, 462, 1432, 3386.

Writers

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Essayist, poet and lecturer, leader of the Transcendentalists.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Thomas Emerson (Thomas Emerson) and Elizabeth Brewster (Elizabeth Brewster) [C].

Their line: Rev. Joseph Emerson (c. 1620-1680) > Edward Emerson (1670-1743) > Rev. Joseph Emerson (1700-1767) > Rev. William Emerson (1743-1776) > Rev. William Emerson (1769-1811) > Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882).

Rev. Joseph Emerson of Mendon was a brother of Frances's ancestor Elizabeth (Emerson) Fuller.

Sources: B. K. Emerson, The Ipswich Emersons (1900) (https://archive.org/details/ipswichemersonsa00emer).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Hope Howland (1629-1683) > Lydia Chipman (1654-1730) > Lydia Sargent (1682-1725) > Hannah Waite (1709-1789) > Hannah Upham (1734-1819) > Ruth Haskins (1768-1853) > Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882).

An all-female line, so Emerson carried Elizabeth Tilley's mitochondrial DNA (MayflowerHistory).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Emerson-46 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Emerson-46).

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Author of Walden and Civil Disobedience.

Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Elizabeth Warren (1616-1670) > Abigail Church (1648-1677) > Sarah Thaxter (1668-1720) > Samuel Dunbar (1704-1786) > Asa Dunbar (1745-1787) > Cynthia Dunbar (1787-1872) > Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862).

Abigail Church was a sister of Benjamin Church. This line is from WikiTree only, and Abigail Church's profile is thinly sourced, so treat it with care.

Sources: WikiTree Thoreau-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thoreau-1).

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

Novelist, Nobel Prize in Literature 1954.

Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Anna Warren (1612-1676) > Abigail Little (1635-1660) > Josiah Keene (1660-1732) > Lydia Keen (1685-1734) > Sarah Partridge (1716-1799) > Ziba Hunt (1745-1820) > Tryphena Hunt (1766-1858) > Sarah Plumb (1790-1857) > John Wesley Edmonds (1813-1898) > Adelaide Edmonds (1841-1923) > Clarence Edmonds Hemingway (1871-1928) > Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961).

Sources: WikiTree Hemingway-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hemingway-1).

Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957)

Author of the Little House books; "Pa" was her father Charles Ingalls.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Philip Delano (Philip Delano) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Delano (1648-1720) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Jabez Delano (1708-1752) > Jonathan Delano (1735-1814) > Margaret Delano (1773-1836) > Lansford Whiting Ingalls (1812-1896) > Charles Phillip Ingalls (1836-1902) > Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Ingalls-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ingalls-1).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Nathaniel Warren (1624-1667) > Mercy Warren (1658-1728) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Jabez Delano (1708-1752) > Jonathan Delano (1735-1814) > Margaret Delano (1773-1836) > Lansford Whiting Ingalls (1812-1896) > Charles Phillip Ingalls (1836-1902) > Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

George Washington Cable (1844-1925)

Novelist of New Orleans, author of The Grandissimes.

Shared ancestor: Felix Carter (Felix Carter) and Margaret (Margaret Carter) [C].

Their line: Julian Carter (bp. 1583) > Samuel Boreman (1615-1673) > Daniel Boreman (b. 1658) > Benjamin Boardman > Thaddeus Boardman > Amos Boardman (d. 1839) > Rebecca Boardman (b. 1813) > George Washington Cable (1844-1925).

Julian Carter was a sister of Frances's ancestor Elizabeth Carter. Her husband Christopher Boreman was a grandson of Thomas Boreman "the elder," also Frances's ancestor, so Cable descends from that couple too.

Sources: Goldthwaite, Boardman Genealogy (1895) (https://archive.org/details/boardmangenealog00gold).

Edgar Wilson "Bill" Nye (1850-1896)

Humorist and newspaperman.

Shared ancestor: Lt. Matthias Ellis (Matthias Ellis) and Mercy [Nye?] (Mercy Ellis) [C].

Their line: Malachi Ellis (1689-1762) > Joshua Ellis (1728-1769) > Deborah Ellis (1765-1840) > Bartlett Nye (1788-1840) > Franklin Nye (1817-1861) > Edgar Wilson Nye (1850-1896).

Malachi Ellis was a brother of Frances's ancestor Capt. Joel Ellis. Bill Nye also descends from Benjamin Nye in the male line and from Robert Bartlett and Mary Warren.

Sources: WikiTree Nye-3433 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nye-3433); WikiTree Ellis-1114 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-1114).

Science, flight and invention

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)

Aviator, first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Anna Warren (1612-1676) > Ephraim Little (1650-1717) > Mercy Little (1678-1755) > Ephraim Otis (1708-1794) > Ephraim Otis (1734-1816) > Ephraim Otis (1772-1850) > Isaac Otis (1798-1853) > Alfred Gideon Otis (1827-1912) > Amelia Otis (1869-1962) > Amelia Earhart (1897-1937).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Earhart-1 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Earhart-1).

Alan Shepard (1923-1998)

First American in space (1961); walked on the Moon on Apollo 14.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Philip Delano (Philip Delano) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Delano (1648-1720) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Sylvanus Delano (1720-1796) > Ann Delano (b. 1760) > Abner R. Johnson (1783-1872) > Rosina E. Johnson (1817-1886) > Frederick Johnson Shepard (1851-1931) > Alan B. Shepard Sr. (1891-1973) > Alan B. Shepard Jr. (1923-1998).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Shepard-1194 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shepard-1194).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Nathaniel Warren (1624-1667) > Mercy Warren (1658-1728) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Sylvanus Delano (1720-1796) > Ann Delano (b. 1760) > Abner R. Johnson (1783-1872) > Rosina E. Johnson (1817-1886) > Frederick Johnson Shepard (1851-1931) > Alan B. Shepard Sr. (1891-1973) > Alan B. Shepard Jr. (1923-1998).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Bill Nye (b. 1955)

"Bill Nye the Science Guy," science educator.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Lt. John Ellis (John Ellis) and Elizabeth Freeman (Elizabeth Freeman) [C].

Their line: Elizabeth Ellis (1645-1688) > John Briggs (1676-1727) > Elizabeth Briggs (1718-1777) > Ward Nye (1741-1818) > Jonas Ward Nye (1795-1877) > Luther Blodgett Nye (1840-1911) > Luther Bertram Nye (1883-1968) > Edwin Darby Nye (1917-1997) > Bill Nye (b. 1955).

Elizabeth Ellis was a sister of Frances's ancestor Lt. Matthias Ellis, and a granddaughter of Edmund Freeman.

Sources: WikiTree Nye-1401 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nye-1401).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Benjamin Nye (Benjamin Nye) and Katherine Tupper (Katherine Tupper) [Q].

Their line: Jonathan Nye (1649-1747) > David Nye (1706-1796) > Ward Nye (1741-1818) > Jonas Ward Nye (1795-1877) > Luther Blodgett Nye (1840-1911) > Luther Bertram Nye (1883-1968) > Edwin Darby Nye (1917-1997) > Bill Nye (b. 1955).

His Nye surname line, from Benjamin Nye of Sandwich. Frances's own link to Benjamin Nye runs through "Mercy [Nye?]," which is unproven, so the Ellis line above is the secure one.

Sources: WikiTree Nye-1401 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nye-1401).

Benjamin Spock (1903-1998)

Pediatrician, author of Baby and Child Care.

Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Hope Howland (1629-1683) > Lydia Chipman (1654-1730) > Jonathan Sargent (1677-1754) > Jonathan Sargent (1701-1777) > Phineas Sargent (1746-1776) > Lucretia Sargent (1768-1858) > Sarah W. Denny (1802-1888) > Adeline Denny Ripley (1825-1902) > Ada Ripley Hooper (1847-1917) > Mildred Louise Stoughton (1876-1968) > Benjamin Spock (1903-1998).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Spock-2 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spock-2).

Earl Tupper (1907-1983)

Inventor of Tupperware.

Shared ancestor: Edmund Freeman (Edmund Freeman) and Bennett Hodsoll (Bennett Hodsoll) [C].

Their line: Edmund Freeman (1620-1704) > Edmund Freeman (1655-1720) > William Freeman (1700-1786) > Hannah Freeman (1728-1796) > Silas Freeman Tupper (1768-1845) > Ezra Ladd Tupper (1819-1894) > Silas Jerry Tupper (1853-1928) > Ernest Leslie Tupper (1879-1941) > Earl Tupper (1907-1983).

The profile of William Freeman (1700-1786) is thinly sourced. He also has a Tupper surname line from Thomas Tupper, which depends on the unproven Mercy [Nye?] on Frances's side.

Sources: WikiTree Tupper-758 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tupper-758).

Stage, screen and kitchen

Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)

Actor, Casablanca and The African Queen.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: William Bassett (William Bassett) [C].

Their line: Sarah Bassett (1628-1711) > Daniel White (1649-1724) > Ebenezer White (1691-1733) > Rebecca White (1718-1769) > Dorcas Root (1742-1830) > Samuel Stiles (1758-1813) > Philemon Stiles (1794-1852) > Julia A. Stiles (1833-1868) > Belmont DeForest Bogart (1867-1934) > Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957).

Sarah Bassett's husband was Peregrine White, born aboard the Mayflower, so Bogart descends from him too. This line is from WikiTree.

Sources: WikiTree Bogart-6 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bogart-6).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Joseph Howland (1640-1704) > Lydia Howland (1674-1733) > Prudence Jenkins (1709-1793) > Bethia Baker (1737-1820) > Dyer Perkins (1753-1818) > Elizabeth Rogers Perkins (1808-1859) > John Perkins Humphrey (1836-1891) > Maud Humphrey (1868-1940) > Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Bogart-6 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bogart-6).

Orson Welles (1915-1985)

Actor and director, Citizen Kane.

Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Anna Warren (1612-1676) > Ephraim Little (1650-1717) > John Little (1683-1767) > Fobes Little (1713-1801) > Ruth Little (1742-1793) > Jonathan Head (1774-1866) > Orson Sherman Head (1817-1875) > Mary Blanche Head (1847-1942) > Richard Head Welles (1872-1930) > Orson Welles (1915-1985).

Sources: WikiTree Welles-458 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Welles-458); MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Bing Crosby (1903-1977)

Singer and actor, "White Christmas".

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Edmund Freeman (Edmund Freeman) and Bennett Hodsoll (Bennett Hodsoll) [C].

Their line: John Freeman (1626-1719) > John Freeman (1651-1721) > Mercy Freeman (1687-1720) > Chillingsworth Foster (1707-1779) > Chillingsworth Foster (1737-1815) > Ruby Foster (1780-1837) > Nathaniel Crosby (1810-1856) > Nathaniel Crosby (1835-1885) > Harry Lowe Crosby (1870-1950) > Bing Crosby (1903-1977).

Maj. John Freeman married Mercy Prence, Gov. Prence's daughter by his first wife, so Crosby is also a half-cousin through Gov. Prence.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants); WikiTree Crosby-82 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Crosby-82).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Gov. Thomas Prence (Thomas Prence) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Mercy Prence (1631-1711) > John Freeman (1651-1721) > Mercy Freeman (1687-1720) > Chillingsworth Foster (1707-1779) > Chillingsworth Foster (1737-1815) > Ruby Foster (1780-1837) > Nathaniel Crosby (1810-1856) > Nathaniel Crosby (1835-1885) > Harry Lowe Crosby (1870-1950) > Bing Crosby (1903-1977).

Mercy Prence was Gov. Prence's daughter by his first wife, Patience Brewster, and Frances descends from a later wife, so this is a half relationship. Mercy married Maj. John Freeman, son of Edmund Freeman.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Hal Holbrook (1925-2021)

Actor, famous for Mark Twain Tonight!.

Shared ancestor: Thomas Holbrook (Thomas Holbrook) and Jane Powyes (Jane Powyes) [C].

Their line: William Holbrook (1620-1699) > Cornelius Holbrook (1662-1742) > William Holbrook (1709-1784) > Abner Holbrook (1741-1788) > David Holbrook (1774-1844) > Jason Holbrook (1810-1892) > George Holbrook (1841-1894) > Allen Vining Holbrook (1866-1937) > Harold Rowe Holbrook Sr. (1902-1982) > Hal Holbrook (1925-2021).

The same surname line: William Holbrook was a brother of Frances's ancestor Capt. John Holbrook. Two profiles in the chain (George Holbrook and Hal himself) are thinly sourced.

Sources: WikiTree Holbrook-5640 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holbrook-5640).

Richard Gere (b. 1949)

Actor.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: John Rider (John Rider) and Hannah Barnes (Hannah Barnes) [C].

Their line: Samuel Rider (1698-1757) > Mariah Rider (1724-1798) > Consider Fuller (1754-1820) > Lucinda Fuller (1792-1880) > Sarah E. Tewksbury (1825-1911) > George Lane Gere (1848-1932) > Albert William Gere (1889-1967) > Homer George Gere (1922-2023) > Richard Gere (b. 1949).

Samuel Rider was a brother of Frances's ancestor Mercy (Rider) Harlow. Samuel's wife Mercy Sylvester was a granddaughter of Joseph Bartlett, so Gere's Bartlett line joins this one at Mariah Rider.

Sources: WikiTree Gere-23 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gere-23).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: Robert Bartlett (Robert Bartlett) and Mary Warren (Mary Warren) [C].

Their line: Joseph Bartlett (1639-1712) > Hannah Bartlett (1665-1754) > Mercy Sylvester (1697-1769) > Mariah Rider (1724-1798) > Consider Fuller (1754-1820) > Lucinda Fuller (1792-1880) > Sarah E. Tewksbury (1825-1911) > George Lane Gere (1848-1932) > Albert William Gere (1889-1967) > Homer George Gere (1922-2023) > Richard Gere (b. 1949).

Joseph Bartlett was a brother of Frances's ancestors Rebecca and Sarah Bartlett.

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Julia Child (1912-2004)

Chef, author and television cook.

Shared ancestor: Philip Delano (Philip Delano) (a half relationship) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Delano (1648-1720) > Jonathan Delano (1680-1752) > Joan Delano (1706-1798) > Mercy West (1726-1806) > Mercy Grant (1748-1818) > Hannah Lathrop (1773-1817) > William G. Dana (1811-1849) > Clara Maria Dana (1846-1932) > John McWilliams (1880-1962) > Julia Child (1912-2004).

Through Mercy Warren this line also descends from Richard Warren.

Sources: WikiTree McWilliams-675 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/McWilliams-675).

Public life

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)

Mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Shared ancestor: Alice Freeman (Alice Freeman) and John Tompson, gent. (John Tompson) [Q].

Their line: Dorothy Tompson > Dorothy Parke (1653-1704) > Margaret Morgan (b. 1686) > Keziah Hibbard (1722-1770) > Lucy Bishop (1747-1783) > Dr. Joseph Strong (1770-1812) > Eleanor Strong (1805-1863) > Ellen Wood (1831-1877) > Frances Eleanor Work (1857-1947) > Edmund Maurice Burke Roche (1885-1955) > Frances Ruth Roche (1936-2004) > Diana Frances Spencer (1961-1997).

Dorothy Tompson was a sister of Frances's ancestor Mary (Tompson) Wise. Diana's side is from G. B. Roberts, American Ancestors and Cousins of the Princess of Wales (1984). On Frances's side, R. C. Anderson calls Mary only a "probable" daughter of Alice Freeman, so this connection is not proven. Princes William and Harry share it.

Sources: WikiTree Freeman-1326 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Freeman-1326).

Sarah Palin (b. 1964)

Governor of Alaska (2006-2009) and 2008 vice-presidential nominee.

Line 1. Shared ancestor: Jeremiah Howes (Jeremiah Howes) and Sarah Prence (Sarah Prence) [C].

Their line: Ebenezer Howes (1672-1726) > Thomas Howes (1699-1764) > Deborah Howes (1727-1797) > Deborah Sears (1750-1817) > Desire Collins (1790-1866) > Abigail Hawes (1813-1898) > Arthur Collins Gower (1852-1944) > James Carl Gower (1882-1954) > Helen Louise Gower (1910-1985) > Sally Sheeran (1940-2021) > Sarah Palin (b. 1964).

Ebenezer Howes was a brother of Frances's ancestor Sarah (Howes) Mayo. MayflowerHistory confirms the steps from Abigail Hawes down. The Howes, Sears and Collins steps are from WikiTree only.

Sources: WikiTree Gower-14 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gower-14); MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Line 2. Shared ancestor: John Howland (John Howland) and Elizabeth Tilley (Elizabeth Tilley) [C].

Their line: Desire Howland (1624-1683) > Desire Gorham (1644-1700) > Ebenezer Hawes (1678-1727) > Ebenezer Hawes (1705-1741) > Ebenezer Hawes (1735-1809) > Isaiah Hawes (1777-1852) > Abigail Hawes (1813-1898) > Arthur Collins Gower (1852-1944) > James Carl Gower (1882-1954) > Helen Louise Gower (1910-1985) > Sally Sheeran (1940-2021) > Sarah Palin (b. 1964).

Sources: MayflowerHistory.com, Famous Descendants (https://mayflowerhistory.com/famous-descendants).

Sir Charles Tupper (1821-1915)

Prime Minister of Canada (1896) and a Father of Confederation.

Shared ancestor: William Bassett (William Bassett) [C].

Their line: William Bassett (1624-1670) > William Bassett (1656-1721) > William Bassett (1678-1745) > Mary Bassett (1709-1753) > Charles Tupper (1748-1821) > Charles Tupper (1794-1881) > Sir Charles Tupper (1821-1915).

He also descends from Richard Warren through Abigail Warren, and from Thomas Tupper of Sandwich in the male line.

Sources: WikiTree Tupper-249 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tupper-249).

Seth Low (1850-1916)

Mayor of Brooklyn and of New York City, president of Columbia University.

Shared ancestor: Sgt. David Low (David Low) and Mary Lamb (Mary Lamb) [C].

Their line: Capt. David Low (1701-1771) > David Low (bp. 1728-1782) > Capt. David Low (c. 1755-1797) > Seth Low (1782-1853) > Abiel Abbot Low (1811-1893) > Seth Low (1850-1916).

The Low surname line. Capt. David Low was a brother of Frances's ancestor Caleb Low. Through Mary Lamb, Seth Low also descends from Joseph Wise and Thomas Lamb.

Sources: Merriam, Ancestors of the John Lowe Family Circle (1901) (https://archive.org/details/ancestorsofjohnl00merr).

Rufus Choate (1799-1859)

Lawyer, orator and US Senator from Massachusetts.

Shared ancestor: Cpl. Thomas Varney (Thomas Varney) and Abigail Proctor (Abigail Proctor) [C].

Their line: Mary Varney (b. 1669) > Francis Choate (b. 1701) > Capt. William Choate > David Choate (b. 1757) > Rufus Choate (1799-1859).

Mary Varney was a sister of Frances's ancestor Thomas Varney. The Choate genealogy says: "Mrs. Mary (Varney) Choate was a niece of John Proctor, who was executed Aug. 19, 1692."

Sources: Jameson, The Choates in America (1896) (https://archive.org/details/choatesinamerica00jame).

Harriet Stanwood Blaine (1828-1903)

Wife of James G. Blaine, Secretary of State and 1884 Republican presidential nominee.

Shared ancestor: Philip Stanwood (Philip Stanwood) and Jane (Jane Stanwood) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Stanwood (1661-1745) > Ebenezer Stanwood (b. 1699) > Ebenezer Stanwood (b. 1724) > Capt. Isaac Stanwood (b. 1755) > Jacob Stanwood (1785-1845) > Harriet Stanwood (1828-1903).

Jonathan Stanwood was a brother of Frances's ancestor Sgt. John Stanwood.

Sources: Bolton, The Stanwood Family (1899) (https://archive.org/details/historyofstanwoo00bolt).

Horace Capron (1804-1885)

US Commissioner of Agriculture (1867-1871), then adviser to Japan's development of Hokkaido.

Shared ancestor: Banfield Capron (Banfield Capron) [C].

Their line: Jonathan Capron (b. 1705) > Elisha Capron > Dr. Seth Capron (1762-1835) > Horace Capron (1804-1885).

Jonathan Capron was a brother of Frances's ancestor Mary (Capron) Tyler. Holden: "Jonathan Capron, son of Banfield Capron, was born March 11, 1705."

Sources: Holden, Genealogy of the Descendants of Banfield Capron (1859) (https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdesce00hold).

Close kin of our ancestors

John Proctor (c. 1632-1692)

Farmer of Salem, hanged for witchcraft on 19 Aug 1692; the John Proctor of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

Shared ancestor: John Proctor Sr. (John Proctor) and Martha (Martha Proctor) [D].

Their line: John Proctor (c. 1632-1692).

Brother of Frances's ancestor Abigail (Proctor) Varney; he is the "John Procter 3" on the 1635 passenger list with his parents. The Ipswich petition for John and Elizabeth Proctor in 1692 was signed by Rev. John Wise, by Abigail's husband Thomas Varney and by Deacon Thomas Low: an ancestor's brother and two of Frances's ancestors.

Sources: Salem Witchcraft Papers, no. 107 (https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n107.html).

In 1666 he moved from Ipswich to Salem Farms, leasing the large Downing ("Groton") farm, and from 1668 he also kept a licensed tavern there. He married three times: Martha Giddings, Elizabeth Thorndike and, in 1674, Elizabeth Bassett. [C]

When his servant Mary Warren had fits in March 1692, Samuel Sibley heard him say the afflicted girls "should rather be had to the Whipping post," and that he would "fetch his jade Home & thresh the Devil out of her." The clerk noted: "Procter Ownes he meant Mary Warren." [D]

On 11 April 1692, at his wife Elizabeth's hearing, the girls cried out on him too ("there is Goodman Proctor going to hurt Goody Bibber," called Abigail Williams), and he was jailed. [D]

From Salem prison on 23 July he wrote to five Boston ministers that his son William, refusing to confess, had been tied "Neck and Heels till the Blood gushed out at his Nose." He asked for a trial at Boston or for new magistrates. [D]

He and Elizabeth were condemned on 5 August. Robert Calef (1700) says the sheriff seized his cattle and goods, "emptied a Pot of Broath, and took away the Pot." He was hanged on 19 August; Calef says his request that Rev. Nicholas Noyes pray with him "was wholly denied, because he would not own himself to be a Witch." Elizabeth, who was pregnant, was spared. [D]

Elizabeth later petitioned that "som body had Contrived awill and brought it to him to sign" that left her nothing. In 1710 a committee recommended £150 for the couple, the largest sum on its list, and an act of 1711 reversed his conviction by name. [D]

Rev. John Wise (1652-1725)

Minister of Chebacco; jailed for resisting Governor Andros's taxes in 1687; early writer on democratic church government.

Shared ancestor: Joseph Wise (Joseph Wise) and Mary Tompson (Mary Tompson) [D].

Their line: Rev. John Wise (1652-1725).

Brother of Frances's ancestors Mary Wise and Abigail (Wise) Cogswell; baptized at Roxbury 15 Aug 1652 as a son of Joseph. He was the first signer of the 1692 petition for John Proctor.

Sources: Salem Witchcraft Papers, no. 107 (https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n107.html); Wikipedia, John Wise (clergyman) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wise_(clergyman)).

He graduated from Harvard in 1673, preached at Branford, Connecticut, and served as a chaplain with the troops in King Philip's War in December 1675. Chebacco parish ordained him in 1683 for "an annual salary of £60, one-third in money and two-thirds in grain," plus "forty cords of oak wood" and "eight loads of salt hay" a year. [C]

On 23 August 1687 Ipswich town meeting voted that taxes should not be levied "without consent of the Assembly chosen by the Freeholders," and refused to choose a tax commissioner under Governor Andros. Wise and five other men were arrested as "seditiously inclined and disaffected to his Majesty's government" and jailed at Boston. [C]

He was convicted, fined £50 and costs (one Ipswich account says £100), bound in £1,000 and suspended from preaching. A judge told him: "Mr. Wise, you have no more privileges left you, than not to be sold as slaves." Ipswich paid his fine. After Andros fell in 1689, Wise sued Chief Justice Joseph Dudley for refusing him habeas corpus. [C]

In 1690 he was chaplain on Sir William Phips's failed expedition against Quebec. In 1703 he joined the calls to reverse the witchcraft convictions of 1692. [C]

His books defended the independence of each congregation: The Churches Quarrel Espoused (1710) and A Vindication of the Government of New-England Churches (1717), which says "the first human subject and original of civil power is the people." In 1721 he supported Dr. Zabdiel Boylston's smallpox inoculations. [C]

Local tradition says he was a famous wrestler who threw Capt. John Chandler of Andover over a fence. He died at Chebacco on 8 April 1725. [T]

Benjamin Church (c. 1639-1718)

Plymouth Colony commander in King Philip's War.

Shared ancestor: Richard Warren (Richard Warren) and Elizabeth Walker (Elizabeth Walker) [C].

Their line: Elizabeth Warren (1616-1670) > Benjamin Church (c. 1639-1718).

Grandson of Richard Warren through his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Richard Church, so a first cousin of Frances's ancestors Rebecca and Sarah Bartlett.

Sources: Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, Ford ed. (1912), 2:407 n.; WikiTree Warren-66 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Warren-66).

He married Alice Southworth at Duxbury on 26 December 1667. When war began in 1675 he was starting a farm at Sakonnet, now Little Compton, Rhode Island; his memoir says "I was the first Englishman that built upon that neck, which was full of Indians." [D]

Plymouth commissioned him a captain on 24 July 1675. He fought at the Pease Field near Sakonnet that summer and was wounded at the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island on 19 December 1675. [C]

In 1676 he led a mixed company of English and Native soldiers. On 12 August 1676, in a swamp at Mount Hope, Philip (Metacom) was shot by Alderman, one of Church's Native soldiers. Church wrote that the body was dragged out of the mud and "a doleful, great, naked, dirty beast he looked like," and that because Philip had left many English bodies to rot, "not one of his bones should be buried." He had the body beheaded and quartered. [D]

He gave Philip's head and scarred hand to Alderman "to show to such gentlemen as would bestow gratuities upon him." Plymouth paid the company thirty shillings a head for enemies killed or taken, "and Philip's head went at the same price." Soon after he captured Philip's senior captain, Annawon. [D]

In the later French wars he led expeditions to Maine and Acadia, the last in 1704, when he raided Grand Pré. His memoir, Entertaining Passages Relating to Philip's War, was written up by his son Thomas and printed in 1716. [C]

He died at Little Compton on 17 January 1717/18. A 1772 account says his horse stumbled and threw him, and that, "being exceedingly fat and heavy," he burst a blood vessel and died about twelve hours later. [C]

Peregrine White (1620-1704)

Born aboard the Mayflower in Cape Cod Harbor, November 1620.

Shared ancestor: William Bassett (William Bassett) [C].

Their line: Sarah Bassett (1628-1711) > Peregrine White (1620-1704), her husband.

Not a blood relative, but their son Daniel White is Humphrey Bogart's ancestor.

Sources: WikiTree White-1129 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/White-1129).

His father William White died in the first winter, and on 12 May 1621 his mother Susanna married Edward Winslow, so he grew up in the Winslow household. About 1636 the family moved to the new settlement of Marshfield. [C]

He married Sarah Bassett. On 6 March 1648/9 the court presented them both for fornication before marriage; their first son Daniel was born in 1649. [C]

He served in the militia as lieutenant and later captain, sat on the colony's council of war from 1658 and was deputy for Marshfield in 1662. The court granted him land as "the first of the English that was borne in these partes," and in 1673/4 another 100 acres at Titicut. [C]

Late in life he joined the Marshfield church; the record says he was admitted "in his 78th year." [C]

He died at Marshfield on 20 July 1704. The Boston News-Letter reported that he was "Aged Eighty three years, and Eight Months ... He was vigorous and of a comly Aspect to the last." He is buried in the Winslow Cemetery, and his will of 14 July 1704 is at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth. [D]

Edward Tilley (c. 1588-1621)

Mayflower passenger and signer of the Compact; died the first winter.

Shared ancestor: Robert and Elizabeth Tilley of Henlow, Bedfordshire (not in the tree); the tree's side starts at John Tilley (John Tilley) [C].

Their line: Edward Tilley (c. 1588-1621).

Brother of Frances's ancestor John Tilley; both were in the First Encounter party of December 1620 with John Howland and Richard Warren.

Sources: Caleb Johnson, MayflowerHistory.com: Edward Tilley (https://mayflowerhistory.com/tilley-edward).

He was baptized at Henlow, Bedfordshire, on 27 May 1588, son of Robert and Elizabeth Tilley, and married Agnes (Ann) Cooper there on 20 June 1614. A Leiden notary record of 25 April 1618 shows him in Holland. [C]

On the Mayflower he and Ann had charge of two young relatives of hers, Bradford's "2. children that were their cossens, Henery Samson and Humillity Coper." [D]

On 15 November 1620 sixteen armed men went ashore on Cape Cod under Myles Standish, "unto whom was adjoined, for counsel and advice, William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins, and Edward Tilley." This was the trip that found buried Native corn at the place they named Cornhill. [D]

He also went on the third expedition in the shallop on 6 December, when the spray froze on their coats. Mourt's Relation says "Edward Tilley had like to have sounded [swooned] with cold." The party was attacked at dawn on 8 December and went on to sound Plymouth harbour. [D]

Bradford wrote: "Edward Tillie and his wife both dyed soon after their arivall; and the girle Humility, their cousen, was sent for into England, and dyed ther. But the youth Henery Samson is still liveing, and is maried, & hath 7. children." [D]

Rev. John Wilson (1588-1667)

First minister of the church at Boston.

Shared ancestor: William Wilson (c. 1515-1587), their common grandfather (not in the tree); the tree's side starts at William Briscoe (William Briscoe) [C].

Their line: Rev. William Wilson (c. 1542-1615) > Rev. John Wilson (1588-1667).

First cousin of Frances's ancestor William Briscoe. Wilson's will left 40s "To my cosin Benjamin Briscow," William's son.

Sources: Spencer, Dearborn and Dearborn, NEHGR 178 (2024) (https://www.americanancestors.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/register-178-1-winter-2024-entire.pdf).

A son of Rev. William Wilson, a canon of Windsor, he went to Eton and King's College, Cambridge (B.A. 1609/10), and became a Puritan after reading Richard Rogers's Seven Treatises. As minister at Sudbury, Suffolk, he was suspended several times for nonconformity. [C]

He came in Winthrop's fleet in 1630 and was installed teacher of the new church at Charlestown on 27 August 1630; the congregation moved across the river to Boston, and he became its pastor in November 1632. He sailed back to England more than once, partly to persuade his wife Elizabeth Mansfield to come over. [C]

In the Antinomian controversy Anne Hutchinson and her followers said he preached a "covenant of works." At the election of May 1637 at Newtown he was lifted into a tree and urged the crowd to look at the charter. In March 1638 he pronounced Hutchinson's excommunication: "I doe cast you out and ... deliver you up to Sathan ... account you from this time forth to be a Hethen and a Publican." [C]

He went as chaplain in the Pequot War of 1637 and was a fierce opponent of the Quakers. At the hanging of Mary Dyer on 1 June 1660 he called to her, "Mary Dyer, O repent, O repent, and be not so deluded." [C]

He was known for witty anagrams on people's names. Cotton Mather wrote that "great zeal, with great love, would be the two principal strokes" of his portrait. He died on 7 August 1667 and is buried in King's Chapel Burying Ground. [C]

John Foster (1648-1681)

Boston engraver and printer.

Shared ancestor: Capt. Hopestill Foster (Hopestill Foster) and Mary Bate (Mary Bate) [C].

Their line: John Foster (1648-1681).

Son of Capt. Hopestill Foster and Mary Bate, and brother of Frances's ancestor Ensign Hopestill Foster. Blake's Annals say he "made the Seals or Arms of the Colony, viz an Indian with a bow and arrow."

Sources: Pierce, Foster Genealogy (1899) (https://archive.org/details/fostergenealogy01pier).

He was baptized at Dorchester on 10 December 1648 and graduated from Harvard in 1667. From October 1669 to 1674 he was the Dorchester schoolmaster, at £25 and later £30 a year. [C]

He cut a woodcut portrait of Rev. Richard Mather, printed in Increase Mather's life of his father (Cambridge, 1670). It is counted as the first portrait print made in the English colonies. [C]

In 1675 he took over Marmaduke Johnson's press and opened Boston's first printing office "over against the sign of the Dove." Evans's bibliography lists Increase Mather's sermon The Wicked Mans Portion (1675), preached when two men were hanged "who had murthered their master," as "The first book printed in Boston." [C]

In 1677 he printed William Hubbard's Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in New-England, with a woodcut map of New England. Evans says the map "was the first cut in the United States." A London edition the same year has a version reading "Wine Hills" where Foster's reads "White Hills," and which block came first is disputed. [C]

He compiled almanacs ("An Almanack of Coelestial Motions") each year from 1675 to 1681, and about fifty editions came from his press. He died of tuberculosis on 9 September 1681, aged about 33, and is buried in Dorchester North Burying Ground. [C]

Samuel Kneeland (1697-1769)

Boston printer.

Shared ancestor: John Kneeland (John Kneeland) and Mary Green (Mary Green) [C].

Their line: Samuel Kneeland (1697-1769).

Brother of Frances's ancestor Rachel Kneeland. He married Mary Alden, a great-granddaughter of John and Priscilla Alden. Mary Green's own parentage is unproven.

Sources: Kneeland, Seven Centuries in the Kneeland Family (1897) (https://archive.org/details/sevencenturiesin00knee).

He served his apprenticeship with Bartholomew Green, printer of the Boston News-Letter, and set up for himself about 1718 in Prison Lane (now Court Street), at the corner of Dorset's Alley. Isaiah Thomas says the building was a printing house for eighty years. [C]

When the Boston Gazette started in December 1719, James Franklin (Benjamin's brother) printed it, but within months the new postmaster, Philip Musgrave, gave the work to Kneeland. In 1727 he lost the Gazette and started his own paper, the New-England Weekly Journal. [C]

Four months later he went into partnership with Timothy Green (the second printer of that name) as Kneeland & Green, which lasted twenty-five years, until Green left for New London in 1752. About 1741 they bought the Gazette and merged the papers as The Boston Gazette, and Weekly Journal. In 1743-44 they printed Thomas Prince Jr.'s weekly Christian History, later claimed as the first religious newspaper. [C]

Thomas says Kneeland & Green secretly printed a quarto Bible for the bookseller Daniel Henchman with a false imprint, "London: Printed by Mark Baskett," to avoid prosecution under the royal patent, making it "the first Bible printed, in America, in the English language." The historian George Bancroft questioned this, and later searches for a copy failed. [Q]

He was for many years printer to the governor and council and printed the laws and House journals. Thomas says he "worked at case when far advanced in years" and left four sons, all printers. He died on 14 December 1769, aged 73; the Evening Post said "He sustained the character of an upright man and a good Christian." [C]

Mary Post (b. 1664)

Accused in the Andover witchcraft outbreak, tried at Salem in January 1692/3.

Shared ancestor: Job Tyler (Job Tyler) and Mary (Mary Tyler) [C].

Their line: Mary Tyler (c. 1644-?) > Mary Post (b. 1664).

Granddaughter of Job Tyler. Brigham prints her indictment for afflicting Timothy Swan of Andover. Her mother Mary (Tyler) Bridges and her half-sister Mary Bridges, aged 12, were also accused, as were Hopestill Tyler's wife Mary and their daughters Martha and Joanna.

Sources: Brigham, The Tyler Genealogy (1912), vol. 1, pp. 23-27.

Brigham says her father, Richard Post, was killed by Indians at Mendon on 14 July 1675, and that her mother then married John Bridges, a blacksmith of Andover. [C]

On 2 August 1692 Timothy Swan of Andover and Mary Walcott and Ann Putnam of Salem Village complained to Justice Dudley Bradstreet that "Mary Post of Rowley hath Sorely Afflicted them." The Rowley constable, Joseph Jewett, brought her to Salem on 3 August. [D]

On 25 August, at the examination of Hannah Post of Boxford, Mary Post "affirmd that She had Seen Church Clark Goody Hutchins of Haverill & Abigale forkner of andiver & Wilford & Goody Eames & her Son Dan'll at a witch Metting at andivor & that She knew them to be witches." [D]

At Salem on 12 January 1693 she was tried on two indictments: making a covenant with the Devil at Rowley "about three years agoe," and afflicting Timothy Swan in July 1692. The jury found her guilty on both. She, Sarah Wardwell and Elizabeth Johnson Jr. were the three convicted at that sitting; Governor Phips wrote that of fifty-two tried, all "were cleared saving three." Stoughton signed their death warrant and Phips reprieved them. [D]

Hannah Post of Boxford and Susannah Post of Andover, whom Hannah called her sister, were tried the same month and acquitted. Hannah is probably the "Joanna Post, born Sept. 18, 1666" in Brigham. [I]

In 1710 she said she had "suffered Imprisonment above eight months" and had paid the jail keeper, the sheriff and for her own food, £8 14s 10d in all, "before she could obtain a Release." She asked that "The Attainder may be taken off," and the 1711 act reversed her conviction by name. [D]