Happy Thanksgiving! Although no Mayflower ancestors have been found, we do have an ancestor who lived in early Plymouth -- James Cole. James Cole is on our Wilson Family line and it is through his descendant, Nathan Cole, that we can join the DAR.
According to historians, James Cole, came to America in about 1632 - twelve years after the Mayflower. In 1633, James Cole was admitted as a freeman in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The following is taken from the book 'The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth 1633' by Ernest Byron Cole (1908, Grafton Press), page 21-22
"His name appears upon the tax list of Plymouth in 1634; Jan. 2, 1636, he had a grant of ten acres of land; Jan. 2, 1637, the court deeded him seven acres of land to belong to his dwelling house... His dwelling stood on the lot next below the Baptist Church. He was the first settler of and lived upon what is still known as "Cole's Hill," the first burial ground of the Pilgrims. This land probably included the ground upon which rests Plymouth Rock... He was surveyor of highways in the years, 1641, 42, 51, and 52; was constable in 1641 and 1644. In 1637 his name appears upon a list of volunteers against the Pequot Indians.
Soon after his arrival at Plymouth he opened the first inn or public house of Plymouth, and one of if not the first, public house in New England."
The children of James Cole were: James, Hugh, John & Mary.
Here are some Pilgrim websites:
http://www.plimoth.org/ and their kids page: http://www.plimoth.org/kids/
2 comments:
What fun! Isn't an "Inn" or "public house" also a tavern?
Some things never change, I should have known that one of my ancestors would have had one of the first "public houses"!
Have done DNA on Ancestry. Tree and DNA matched to Cole. If anyone would like to connect it's public tree equinet11 would be excited to hear from distant family.
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