Which First Thanksgiving attendee are you most closely connected to?

Question

This week's Example Profile of the Week is Massasoit, Wampanoag leader and attendee of the First Thanksgiving celebrated with the surviving passengers of the Mayflower.

Featured alongside him are others who were there:

• Edward Winslow
• William Bradford
• Priscilla Mullins Alden
• Mary Brewster
• Myles Standish
• Mary Allerton Cushman
• George Soule
• Elizabeth Tilley Howland

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 20,982,000 of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can also check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them? Your Relationship Finder Quick Links page (see your profile pull-down menu under "Relationships") has quick links for several notable groups.

Let us know below!

P.S. Help us choose and improve profiles for next week's Rock Legends feature.

Comments

I am a direct of Elinor unknown Billington Armstrong, her husband, John and their son, Francis, a much maligned family undeserving of negativity from Bradford as recorded in his writings.

Elinor was one of only 4 adult women who had survived the prior year and helped prepare the feast.

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Agreed, undeserving. We know Elinor (Ellen) spoke her mind and John was said to have been garnering support to take over as governor so could be part of the issue. I have been trying to research other journals and accounts due to the bias in an effort to see what they were really like. If you see the things they were involved in and people that liked them, it really doesn't fit with what Bradford has directly said about them. Where did you see that she helped prepare for the feast? I hadn't read that yet so very excited to see new information (new to me).

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Massasoit appears to be unconnected to the main tree. How was he featured as an example profile of the week??

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He was obviously Connected at the time, but all Connections are subject to change if new evidence is found that changes lines of descent or ascent.

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Same. George Soule, my 9th great grandfather.

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I am not sure how degrees work but Myles Standish and Edward Doty, are my 9th great grandfathers; Peter Browne, and Francis Cooke, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley Howland are my 10th great grandparents; John Tilley, Joan Hurst Tilley, and William Bradford are my 11th great grandparents; and William Brewster  and Mary X Brewster are my 12th great grandparents. Eleven so far. There may be more that I haven’t had verified yet.

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I love how you give us the additional ways to connect our family's - my closest of many is George Soule. This explains why I have no many roads to follow - my lineage from myself goes to the Mayflower:  Families ALDEN, ALLERTON, BREWSTER, CHILTON, COOKE, EATON, HOPKINS, STANDISH, TILLY and WINSLOW. Thank you so much for doing this!  Diane Kepus

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I'm also a descendent of Stephen Hopkins - he is my 9th G-Grandfather.  I'm descended through his daughter Damaris Hopkins Cooke.

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Priscilla Mullens Alden is my 9th GGrandmother. Some of the others are related through marriage . . . like Bradford married my 9th GGrandmother, Alice Carpenter Southworth.

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Priscilla is my 10th great grandmother. The others are within 13 to 15 degrees.

Answer 1

Edward Winslow Jr. is my 9th great grand uncle and is 12 degrees removed.  His brother John Winslow was my 9th great grandfather married to Mary Chilton who also a Mayflower passenger. John Winslow was on the Fortune.  The Fortune was the second ship to bring immigrants to Plymouth in 1621.

Also 12 degrees from Priscilla Alden and Myles Standish

Answer 2

13 degrees to Edward Winslow

15 Degrees to William Bradford

15 Degrees to Priscilla Mullins Alden

16 Degrees to Mary Brewster

15 Degrees to Myles Standish

14 degrees to Mary Cushman

13 Degrees to George Soule

15 degreees to Elizabeth Howland

32 degrees to Massasoit Wampanoag

Answer 3

I have a few Mayflower passengers that I am related to. 

 

Edward Doty Sr. 10^th Great Grandfather – arrived as a servant to Stephen Hopkins and was a signer of the Mayflower Compact

Peter Browne 11^th Great Grandfather – came over as a passenger and signed the Mayflower Compact

Richard Warren 12^th Great Grandfather - came over as a passenger and signed the Mayflower Compact

Agnes (Cooper) Tilley 5^th Cousin 15 times removed – came over as a passenger and died during the first winter

Henry Sampson 6^th Cousins 16 times removed – came over at age 16 with his Uncle Edward & Aunt Agnes Tilley

Richard Moore Sr. 7^th Cousins 14 times removed – came over at age 5 and was assigned to the care of William Brewster

Edward Winslow Jr. 10^th Great Grand Nephew –  a well-known passenger and served as governor 3 times. He was the 3^rd signer of the Mayflower Compact

John Howland 11^th Great Grand Nephew – came over as a manservant to John Carver, he was a signer of the Mayflower Compact

 

 

Answer 4

It’s Elizabeth Holland: 14 degrees.

Answer 5

I find myself connected to most of the attendees by 14 to 17 degrees, except for Massasoit, I connect to him, through my Dutch anscestors at 31 degrees

Answer 6

I am either 14 or 15 degrees from all the Mayflower attendees, but not related to any of them genealogically. Massassoit is 32 degrees.

Answer 7

Looks like a whole heap-a cousins here!  I have discovered, since first becoming interested in genealogy, that the further back you go, well, the smaller the world gets--particularly in this country 400 years ago.  Small gene pool then, right?

So, mine:  You are 32 degrees from Massasoit Wampanoag, 

13 degrees from Priscilla Alden, 

13 degrees from William Bradford, 

13 degrees from Mary Brewster, 

15 degrees from Mary Cushman, 

13 degrees from Elizabeth Howland,

13 degrees from George Soule,  11th GGpa (This is the only direct descendancy on this list, but we are also descended from Richard Warren, who I think was there as well.)

14 degrees from Myles Standish, 

14 degrees from Edward Winslow 

and 20 degrees from Dave Ebaugh.

Answer 8

Ellinor Billington is my 11th great grandmother. She was one of 4 adult women in charge of the feast, later called the "first thanksgiving. Since arriving 14 of the 18 women who came on the Mayflower had died. They fed 22 men, 25 children and about 90 Wampanoeg tribe people. She and her family, John and two boys, John Jr and Francis, had not become sick during the year previous. They were among those who tended the sick and provided for the colony during that time. Bradford mentioned that some had served in that way but as we now know, Bradford disliked the Billington's and they were not mentioned by name in his account.

Answer 9

I am amazed - and I feel honored to be in this line of ancestors:

Candyce (Wright) Fulford and Edward Winslow Jr. are both descendants of Edward Winslow Sr..

1. daughter of [private father] [confident]
2. [Private] son of George Edward Wright Jr (1901-1992) [confident]
3. son of George Edward Wright Sr (1858-1931) [confident]
4. son of George Wright (1828-1916) [confident]
5.son of Sarah (Reed) Wright (1796-1838) [confident]
6. daughter of Abigail (Dagget) Reed (1760-1837) [unknown confidence]
7. daughter of Abigail (Turner) Dagget (1733-1760) [confident]
8. daughter of Sarah (Howard) Turner (abt.1701-bef.1768) [unknown confidence]
9. daughter of Susanna (Latham) Howard (1656-1703) [unknown confidence]
10. daughter of Susanna (Winslow) Latham (abt.1630-bef.1685) [unknown confidence]
11. daughter of John Winslow (1597-bef.1674) [confident]
12. son of Edward Winslow Sr. (abt.1570-aft.1628) [confident]

Answer 10

On my mother's side I am:

14 degrees from Priscilla Mullins Aldon - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Barrett, Redfield, Grinnell, Pabodie, Aldon, and Mullins.

15 degrees from Mary Brewster - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Barrett, Whitmore, Park, Parke, Collier, Brewster, and Unknown. (Is Mary really Unknown? Maybe I'll have a look.)

15 degrees from Miles Standish - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Barrett, Newton, Dingley, and Standish.

16 degrees from Mary Allerton Cushman - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Whitmore, Harris, Maverick, and Allerton.

16 degrees from Edward Winslow - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Barrett, Newton, Smith, Bourne, and Winslow.

16 degrees from William Bradford - Crawford, Schultz, Board, Alexander, Barrett, Newton, Smith, Bourne, and Bradford.

And on my father's side:

15 degrees from George Soule:  Crawford, Hogue, Moore, Bell, Drake, Walker, and Soule.

15 degrees from Elizabeth Howland:  Crawford, Hogue, Smith, Wells Allen, (Elizabeth, Henry, & John) Howland, and (Elizabeth) Tilley. (Are Elizabeth Tilley and Elizabeth Howland the same person? Or is she an Unknown too.)

This has been fun. Oh, and I'm 34 degrees from Massasoet. 

AND I am 20 degrees from Dave Ebaugh but even better we are 17th cousins 3 times removed. 

Comments

Hi Nancy,  I noticed that your answer almost completely matched  my and my wife, Kathleen's connections (as the two of us are cousins) ,then, by my wife's Crawford ancestors found she is your 11th cousin and by another line I am your 14th cousin twice removed.........Does this qualify as a Thanksgiving weekend present?

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Yes of course it qualifies!   Your wife is my 11th cousin so she and I are a few clicks more closely related than I am wirh you. But it is stunning to see that once you and I reach our predicted MRCA, the relationship finder blows up and says we have 230+ more common ancestors!  Beats me how so many far-distant relationships ever got sourced, but wow.

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Nancy, It's great to hear back from you.......Kathleen's grandmother is Cornelia Sheaffer-182..... I'll tell Kathy about her connection to you. I've been studying those "far- distant relationships" and how they got sourced since I started researching in 2002.

Answer 11

That would be more than a lifetime of "prove it."  3 each 9th and 10th ggp, 2 13 degree connections, and Massasoit at 31.

Answer 12

No blood but 22 degrees otherwise. Not sub-14 so not related in my mind. Others were 23 to 25.

Answer 13

Edward Winslow is my 10th Great grandfather as is William Brewster. Alice Carpenter, wife of Wm Bradford is my 10th great grandmother through her first husband Edward Southworth. Also, George Soule is my 9th great grandfather.

Answer 14

10 degrees to John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.  They are my 8th great grandparents, making her parents my 9th great grandparents.  Also descend from Richard Warren and the Fullers.

Answer 15

I have two direct ancestors in this list: Wiliam Bradford is my 9th great-grandfather, and Mary Brewster is my 11th great-mother.

Answer 16

You are 30 degrees from Massasoit Wampanoag,

 12 degrees from Priscilla Alden,

 12 degrees from William Bradford,

 13 degrees from Mary Brewster,

 13 degrees from Mary Cushman,

 12 degrees from Elizabeth Howland,

 11 degrees from George Soule,

 13 degrees from Myles Standish, 

15 degrees from Edward Winslow and

 21 degrees from Dave Ebaugh.

George Soule wins at 11.

Answer 17

I saw video on Facebook thought I try to figure out what was done. I have 2 of them at 15th degree. Priscilla Mullins Alden and George Soule both 15th degree it don’t look like I have any direct connections though.

Billie

Answer 18

I am most closely connected to Joseph Rogers. His father Thomas, from whom I am directly descended, died during the first year and therefore would not have been alive at the first Thanksgiving.I am not certain if Joseph was present but I think he may have been since he was alive to become a Lt. with the responsibility of drilling the Nauset (which became Eastham)Militia. He is buried at Cove Burying Ground in Eastham

Answer 19

Scott is 35 degrees from Massasoit Wampanoag, 14 degrees from Priscilla Alden, 17 degrees from William Bradford, 16 degrees from Mary Brewster, 15 degrees from Mary Cushman, 13 degrees from Elizabeth Howland, 16 degrees from George Soule, 16 degrees from Myles Standish, 17 degrees from Edward Winslow and 20 degrees from Dave Ebaugh on our single family tree.

13 degrees from Elizabeth Howland. She's also my 11th Great Grandmother.

Answer 20

Mary Cushman is my 9th Great Grandmother through my Fathers mothers side the Robins. Elizabeth Tilley is my 11th Great Grandmother, same side. Most of my 12 direct mayflower ancestors are on my fathers side. There are more like Aunts and cousins. The one I can not find is Priscilla Mullins, the story is that my great grandmother (mullin) is related, I have not found the connection yet.