James Cole of Plymouth

Although no Mayflower Ancestor has been found in the family, there is an early Plymouth Colonist -- James Cole, who was in Plymouth by 1633.  James Cole is a direct ancestor in our Hatfield Wilson family lines.  Below is a photo of the James Cole memorial marker on Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Cole's Hill is directly across the street from Plymouth Rock.

James Cole memorial marker on Cole's Hill
Plymouth, Massachusetts

Below is the James Cole fact sheet from the Plimoth Plantation.

James Cole Fact Sheet

Recently while doing research at the GSMD (General Society of Mayflower Descendants) Library in Plymouth, MA, I was excited to find a new book published in 2017 by Susan E Roser about our Pilgrim ancestor James Cole and his early descendants.

Since the GSMD Library did not have the book for sale, I ordered one as soon as I returned home. The author has a website: www.friendsofthepilgrims.com.  The book arrived just before Thanksgiving, so I was able to spend Thanksgiving weekend reading about my Pilgrim ancestor, James Cole.

Pilgrims at Plymouth - loc.gov

Information about James Cole of Plymouth can be found in many places online.  The best is the New England Historic Genealogical Society's website,  www.NewEnglandAncestor.org  which has a profile of James Cole in their Great Migrations Study Project.  Much can also be found on Ancestry.com, especially in their public family trees -- just be careful because there is a lot of "junk" posted there also. James Cole also has a profile on both FamilySearch and Find-a-Grave.  I will post another article on James Cole once I sift through all the information.😊

View from James Cole Memorial Marker
on Cole's Hill (see above). 
Down the hill and across the street is the
Plymouth Rock Memorial.
 

Related Posts:

Our 'First Families' in America
Nathan Cole - Patriot
Nathan Cole's Revolutionary War Button

Plymouth Colony and Plimoth Plantation

Last month while on a visit to Cape Cod, I was able to visit Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation.

Plymouth Colony was home to the Mayflower colonists who landed in 1620.  Although I do not have Mayflower ancestry, my children and grandchildren do.  Their ancestors who arrived on the Mayflower were John Alden and Priscilla Mullins.  John Alden came as a single man and was the ship's cooper, responsible for maintaining the ship's barrels.  Priscilla Mullins came with her family, although her father, William Mullins, step-mother, and brother all died that first winter.  John and Priscilla married on 12 May 1622 and were the parents of 10 children.  My children descend through their eldest daughter, Elizabeth Alden, who married William Pabodie.

John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Info

Plymouth Rock is known as the point where the Mayflower passengers first set foot on their new homeland.  Plymouth Rock is much smaller than I imagined.  Supposedly, over time pieces of the rock were chipped off as souvenirs. So, when the Pilgrims landed almost 400 years ago the rock was somewhat larger than it is now.

Plymouth Rock

Plimoth Plantation was our next stop.   "Plimoth" is an old-fashioned spelling of the word Plymouth used by Governor William Bradford in his history of the colony.  Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  

Plimoth Plantation

John Alden Home at Plimoth Plantation

Guess who got to meet his ancestor "John Alden"?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about the romance between Priscilla Mullins and John Alden called The Courtship of Miles Standish.  The poem focuses on the love triangle between Priscilla Mullins, John Alden, and fellow Mayflower passenger Miles Standish.  Both Alden and Standish vied for Priscilla's affection, but in the end Priscilla chose John Alden to marry.  

Priscilla Mullins, Illustration from The Courtship of Miles Standish, 1903 printing

Descendants can find their Mayflower ancestors on the big world family tree at FamilySearch.  First find great-grandma Dawn.  From her parents follow the ancestry back: Hazel > Cynthia McClellan > Juliette Chase > Ezra Chase > Timothy Chase > Jonathan Simmons > Joseph Simmons > William Simmons > Mercy Pabodie > Elizabeth Alden > John Alden & Priscilla Mullins.

Edward Winslow, the brother of another direct ancestor Kenelm Winslow, was also a Mayflower passenger.  It is thought that ancestor Kenelm Winslow came to America on the second Mayflower in 1629.  Kenelm Winslow lived in Plymouth Colony once he arrived.

James Cole, an ancestor from grandma's side of the family, also lived in Plymouth.  To read about his story, click here.