The Ancestors of Faith Constance Rogers Major who arrived during the Great Migration (1620-1640)

 

The Ancestors of Faith Constance Rogers Major who arrived during the Great Migration (1620-1640)

 

The Great Migration of immigrants from England to the colonies occurred between the landing of the Mayflower in 1620 to 1640. Over 20,000 immigrants came to New England, mostly between 1634-1640. The first large group of about 1000 immigrants came in the Winthrop Fleet of 11 ships in 1630 supplementing the first wave of colonists at Plymouth.

 

 

Arrival of the Winthrop Colony, by William F. Halsall. W. F. Halsall - Tappan, Eva March. An Elementary History of Our Country. New york: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1914. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winthrop_Fleet.jpg)
 

The line of my mother, Faith Constance Rogers Major, has deep roots in colonial New England and a number of ancestors have been identified as among those that came in the Great Migration. Most of these immigrants are highlighted in Anderson (2015) and in the “great” Great Migration series of 12 volumes available from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. A partial list is the following (page numbers refer to Anderson (2015)).

• Henry Adams arrived about 1639 from Somerset and settled in Braintree, MA, p. 2. He is the 3^rd g.grandfather of President John Adams and my 10^th g.grandfather.
• William Buell arrived about 1640 and settled in Windsor, CT p. 48. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• William Denison and sons (especially Capt. George Denison) arrived on the “Lion” in 1631; settled in Stonington, CT, p. 92. Father of Capt. George Denison of Stonington and New London, CT. He was from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire and is my 10^th g.grandfather.
• John Frary, arrived about 1637 and one of the founders of Dedham, MA, p. 121. My 10^th g.grandfather.
• Edward Fuller, arrived on the “Mayflower” in 1620. P. 123. One of the Pilgrim’s, he and his wife died the first winter 1620-21, but his sons Mathew and Samuel survived. The Fullers were from Reddenhall, Norfolk. My 10^th g.grandfather.
• Matthew Fuller, son of Edward Fuller, was in Barnstable County by 1640. He came later during the Great Migration. My 9^th g.grandfather. [MacGunnigle, 1990].
  
• Robert Goodale arrived on the “Elizabeth” in 1634 with his family and settled in Salem, MA, p. 134. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• Robert Jennison arrived about 1635 and was a settler of Watertown, MA, p. 184. My 9^th g.grandfather. My 9^th g.grandfather. [Hill, 1908]
• Robert Lay arrived before 1637 and settled in Saybrook, CT. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• Thomas Lord and wife arrived on the “Elizabeth and Ann” and settled in Hartford and Stonington, CT, p. 211. One of the first founders of Hartford. The family was from Towcester, Northamptonshire. My 10^th g.grandfather.
•  Joseph Morse arrived on the “Increase” in 1635 with his family and settled in Medfield, MA, p. 233. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• Henry Rowley arrived about 1632 to Scituate and Barnstable. His son, Moses Rowley married Elizabeth Fuller, daughter of Matthew Fuller and granddaughter of Pilgrim Edward Fuller, p. 290. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• Thomas Skidmore came about 1635 and settled in Saybrook, CT and then Huntington, Suffolk, Long Island, p. 306. He was from Westerleigh, Gloucestershire. My 9th g.grandfather.
  
• Thomas Stanton arrived on the “Bonaventure” in 1637. Eventually settled in Stonington, CT. p. 318. One of the founders of Stonington. He was a native American interpreter during the Pequot War. My 9^th g.grandfather.
• William Tuttle and wife Anna arrived on the “Planter” in 1635. The family was from Ringstead, Northamptonshire; settled in New Haven, CT, p. 344. My 9^th g.grandfather.

 

Source:

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640: A Concise Compendium (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015).

 

Edwin A. Hill, “The Descendants of Robert Lay of Saybrook, Conn.” New England Historic and Genealogical Register 68 (1908), pp.172-173.

 

Bruce Campbell MacGunnigle, Edward Fuller of the Mayflower: Mayflower Families Through Five Generations (Plymouth: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1990) 4:5-6.