Mayflower Lynes GOVERNOR S GREETINGS. Society Of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Delaware

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1 Mayflower Lynes Society Of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Delaware Volume 55 Fall 2013 www. mayflower-de.org Editor: Harline Dennison GOVERNOR S GREETINGS Compact Day, the signature event of our Mayflower Society, will be held on Saturday, November 23, at the Vicmead Hunt Club. This day is filled with tradition, pageantry, and the best opportunity for our members to be together. I hope you will come. We are thrilled that our speaker will be one of our own, Geoff Gamble, descended 13 th generation from Stephen Hopkins. The title of his talk will be The Mind of the 17 th Century Pilgrim! It promises to educate you, make you laugh, and give you new conversation when you are talking to others about your association with The Delaware Mayflower Society. Our Society has struggled for the past several years about how best to use fastmoving technology to our advantage. To date we have identified many ways to protect our documents, communicate with our members, and use a web page both for our members use and to recruit new members. The possibilities for good use of web pages and social media to our benefit are endless. We are committed to taking at least the first steps to accomplish this initiative but we will need help and resources to do so. If you know of someone who could help us for a modest stipend, please let me know. We have also wrestled with ways to involve our junior members. Often they are given a membership at the time of their birth or when they are still too young to be involved. These children grow, others come in when they have had some history in school, and suddenly it is the time to get our young people more involved with our Society. We believe proper use of social media may be a way to connect. We are fortunate that our new Junior Membership Chair, Rachel Greene, is brimming with ideas and enthusiasm to help us turn our good intentions into reality. This is an exciting time to be on the Board of Assistants. We are always looking for new blood and those interested in helping to perpetuate the mission of The Mayflower Society. Do not hesitate to speak up if you are one with such an interest. The time commitment is minimal and the duties varied enough to match nearly any particular interest. Please let me hear from you. Barbara Welch, Governor

2 SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE 0FFICERS GOVERNOR Barbara G Welch DEPUTY GOVERNOR Gregory J Weinig Esq SECRETARY Kristin K Jones ASSISTANT SECRETARY Barbara J Wideman TREASURER Andrew W Edmonds Jr HISTORIAN W Andrew Cottle COUNSELOR David M Bradford ELDER Robert J Hanson Jr CAPTAIN John L Crossan SURGEON Samuel F DuPont Bayard JR MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY J Rachel Greene ASSISTANT Marshall E Baker ASSISTANT Susan S Bunting ASSISTANT Harline D Dennison EDUCATION EVENTS FINANCE LIBRARY MEMBERSHIP PUBLICATIONS DEPUTY GOV. GENERAL ASSISTANT GENERAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS GENERAL SOCIETY NEW MEMBERS Susan S Bunting Leslie K Swanson Marshall E Baker Elizabeth Ann Happoldt John Kai Lassen Harline D Dennison Noel H Kuhrt Jr Robert J Hanson Jr Richard Henry Bayard Gen# DE# 413 Elected 26 Mar th from John Bradford Samuel E McFarlin V Gen# DE# 414 Elected 29 Mar th from John Bradford Christiana W Lassen Gen# DE# 415 Elected 29 Mar th from George Soule Stuart Faulcnor Glasby Jr Gen# DE# 416 Elected 13 May th from John Billington John Murray Whitford IV Gen# DE# 417 Elected 18 Mar th from John Billington Alexandra Victoria Davis Gen# DE# 418 Elected 12 Jul th from John Howland Life Member Robert Bruce Whitford Gen# DE# 419 Elected 31 July th from John Billington COMPLETED VOYAGES Wallace B. Thompson, Jr. Gen# DE# 233, died June 26, Frances Twisden Bowden Balmer, Gen# DE# 206, died March 13, Ann Blood Lenher Robinson, Gen# DE# 44, resigned in Was a Charter Member of the Delaware Society, died June 12, THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG HISTORIAN S REPORT You know what they say about the tip of the iceberg? Well, the job of a state historian is a lot like that. A Web dictionary says: Floating icebergs have a significant proportion of their mass below the surface of the water. As a parallel, there is a lot that goes on in the Mayflower Society application process that you never see, but might like to know more about. The part of the iceberg that we can see (and celebrate) is represented by the 11 new members who have joined us this year. Other reasons for celebration are the nine supplemental applications that have been approved by the Historian General. Almost everybody knows, but as a reminder - a supplemental application is appropriate if you have more than one line of descent from the Mayflower. That is, more than one Mayflower passenger or more than one lineage from the same passenger. So, those are 20 clear victories for those applicants. Beneath the surface, however, are the 18 individuals who currently are in some stage of the application process. We have two completed applications being processed in Plymouth, and one in the applicant s hands, awaiting signature. Also, we have 15 applications that have anywhere from two to about 20 documents lacking at this time. Unfortunately, there has been sadness and disappointment regarding four applications. We have had to inform those individuals that their family traditions could not be documented. That is, applicants have had to be told that we could not send their applications to Plymouth because they had major problems. One individual submitted three different lines which were not provable (at least so far). That makes the total number of applications researched come to 42. In addition there have been data that required correction in a couple of files. And finally, initial contacts from seven people have been answered and encouraged. We can be happy about the 11 new members that have risen above the surface; the supplemental lines are all victories; and the 18 seekers should help us reach additional glistening exposure in the near future. This job is great fun and the work load has not been too much. You might want to train as an assistant and share in the fun. Just let me know and we will set it up. Andy Cottle, Historian JUNIOR MEMBERS REPORT There are currently 141 Junior Members. No new Junior Members have enrolled in Seventeen Juniors will age out as of 12/31/2013. Jennifer Rachel Greene, Junior Membership Secretary

3 Chuck Welch Kai Lassen & Karen Kuhrt Josephine and William Amos Madeline & Christiana Davis Emily Read Booth Mohr, Madeline Davis, Christina Davis, Catherine Davis, Alexandra Davis

4 DELAWARE SOCIETY MEMBER HAS TWENTY NINE PROVEN LINES AND DESCENDS FROM TWENTY MAYFLOWER PASSENGERS The Mayflower Society's Historian General reports that there are proven lines of descent from 51 of the Mayflower's 102 passengers. Until recently only 23 male passengers' lines were recognized: the other 28 come from wives and children accompanying those recognized male passengers. The Historian General has previously acknowledged that only a scant handful of descendants could prove descent from all 23 of those recognized male lines. No one has yet proven descent from all 51 passengers. Our Delaware Society has three members from one family who have 29 proven lines from 20 passengers. Laura Lassen Fox at present has had 29 lines of descent approved by the Historian General; her brother, Christian K. Lassen, and her daughter, Alexandra, are both Delaware Society members as well, and share those 29 lines, but have not formally submitted the supplemental paperwork for all of those additional lines. How does a person have so many lines? There are two contributing factors. The first is that Laura's parents, both of whom are members of the Delaware Society, are Mayflower descendants; her father has three lines and her mother has 26. As is so often the case where there are large numbers of Mayflower ancestors, the 26 lines occurred when one of the member's families lived in or around Plymouth for several centuries. This resulted in that relatively small community's numerous Mayflower descendants intermarrying over multiple generations. No doubt, after five or six generations, many of those fourth, fifth and sixth cousins did not even realize that they were related! Laura descends from the following 20 passengers. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of lines, if more than one, from the Mayflower passenger: 1. John Alden (2) 11. Priscilla Mullins (2) 2. Isaac Allerton 12. Degory Priest 3. Mary Norris Allerton 13. Thomas Rogers 4. Mary Allerton 14. Joseph Rogers 5. Francis Cooke (2) 15. George Soule 6. Francis Eaton 16. Myles Standish (2) 7. Stephen Hopkins (3) 17. John Tilley 8. Constance Hopkins 18. Joan Tilley 9. John Howland 19. Elizabeth Tilley 10. William Mullins (2) 20. Richard Warren (3) Laura is still researching more possible lines. Genealogical research is a treasure hunt; one keeps searching and frequently discovers more lines. No doubt many Delaware Society members have undiscovered lines - keep digging, the search can be quite fun! Kai Lassen, Membership Chairman GENEALOGY CORNER The Delaware Public Archives carries numerous books about our Swedish heritage that would be helpful for anyone searching Swedish lineage. Their catalog is online as part of the Delcat system. Less known are the many books about New Netherlands and the era immediately after the Dutch. My favorites are the four volumes of the Genealogical and Geographical Directory to Persons in New Netherland from 1613 to 1674 by David M. Riker with support of the Holland Society. These volumes contain information about everyone in New Netherlands not only the Dutch. Isaac Allerton is found on page 30 of Vol. 1. It gives vital information about Isaac, his wife and children. References are listed. Therefore, if you suspect your ancestor, regardless of ethnicity, was in New Netherlands during this period these are the books to check! Allerton Alerts! The Colonial Dames of the 17th Century is questioning some of the proofs for the Allerton Family in Virginia. For more information, contact Ann Happoldt at

5 NEW MEMBERS Lois Elaine (Blake) Schlegel is an 11 th generation descendant from Richard Warren. Although she knows little about the first few generations, she does have copies of Taunton MA land transfer deeds from the 18 th Century passed down from her great great grandfather. Also in her possession are 18 th and 19 th Century wedding dresses and other memorabilia from 5 th and 6 th generation descendants. Lois and her husband Mahlon live in Newark, have two daughters and six grandchildren. She taught school for many years and also worked for an investment firm before retiring in She is active at the local and state level of P.E.O., volunteers for several organizations, and enjoys several hobbies. Robert Bruce Whitford is an eleventh generation descendant from John Billington as well as Mayflower passengers Elinor and Francis Billington. His great grandfather was John M. Whitford, managing editor and treasurer of the Every Evening newspaper in Wilmington. He is the founder and owner of Precision Marine Construction, specializing in commercial and residential waterfront construction for the Delmarva Peninsula. Rob and his wife Cathy have two children, Caitlin and John Robert Whitford. They live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Stuart Faulcnor Glasby, Jr is a twelfth generation descendant of John Billington as well as Mayflower passengers Elinor and Francis Billington. Stuart served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves during the first Gulf War. He earned a B. A. degree in Political Science from Susquehanna University, and a M. S. degree in Criminal Justice and advanced certificate in Cyber Security from Armstrong Atlantic State University. He works as a Cyber Forensic Analyst at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Stuart lives in Savannah, Georgia. Dr. Ellen V. Whitford is an eleventh generation descendant from John Billington as well as Mayflower passengers Elinor and Francis Billington. She earned a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Theory Policy and Administration from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She has served as the Chairperson of the Education Department at Salisbury University, Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies and Interim Provost at Central Connecticut State University, and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. She is currently a Professor of Education and lives in Savannah, Georgia. Ellen has two sons, Stuart F. Glasby, Jr. of Savannah, Georgia and John A. Glasby who lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania Samuel E. McFarlin V Gen# DE# 414 Elected 29 Mar th from John Bradford Richard Henry Bayard is an 11 th generation descendant from Governor William Bradford. His great grandfather, first U.S. Ambassador to England (the Court of St. James), Thomas F. Bayard, secured the repatriation from London of Governor Bradford s long-absent, hand-written journal Of Plimoth Plantation, the source of much of our knowledge about Mayflower history. His father, Alexis I. dupont Bayard, and aunts and uncles were charter members of this Society. Rick and his wife, Josephine, live in Wilmington and have three children and two grandchildren. He has been an attorney for many years, was Delaware s Democratic National Committeeman and Democratic State Party Chair for seventeen years, and currently is a lobbyist and principal of Delaware Government Relations, LLC. Christina W Lassen, an 11th generation descendant from George Soule, is also a descendant, as proven through her daughter Laura Lassen Fox, of eighteen other Mayflower passengers with twentysix other lines of descent. Tina was born in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania and was educated at the Agnes Irwin School, Radcliffe College and Yale University School of Architecture. She is an active member of the Swedish Colonial Society and the Delaware Swedish Colonial Society. Her hobbies include genealogy and figure skating. She has two children and five grandchildren. Alexandra Victoria Davis is an 11th generation descendant from John Howland, as well as a descendant through her mother Laura Lassen Fox of nineteen other Mayflower passengers with twentyeight other lines of descent. Alex is a native Delawarean who is a senior at Alexis I. DuPont High School, where she is a member of the National Honor Society and is a member of the varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams. Her brother and three sisters are junior members of our Society. They live in Greenville, Delaware. Alex is our second Junior Life Member. John Murray Whitford IV is an eleventh generation descendant from John Billington as well as Mayflower passengers Elinor and Francis Billington. Jack earned a degree in Business from the University of North Texas. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. He is the owner of Minit Man Oil, a company that specializes in automobile repairs, with 5 locations in Corpus Christi, Texas. Jack and his wife Karen have two daughters, Leslie and Julie, and two grandchildren. They live in Corpus Christi, Texas. Barbara Anne Edmonds is an 14th generation descendant from Richard Warren, and the fifth generation of her family to be a member of the Mayflower Society. She is a Tower Hill School graduate, and a freshman majoring in ethnography at Northeastern University, spending her first semester abroad in London.

6 COMPLETED VOYAGES Wallace B. Thompson, Jr. died on June 26, 2013 at Cokesbury Village in Hockessin, DE. He was born Jan. 31, 1924 on a dairy farm in Collinsville, CT. Wally graduated in 1942 from the Loomis Chaffee School and later from Williams College, Williamstown, MA as a member of the Class of He earned a master's degree in chemical engineering at Worchester Polytechnic Institute, Worchester, MA. He married Katharine "Kitsy" Van Buskirk Foster of Philadelphia on Sept. 9, He worked at the DuPont Company, starting in 1950 in plastics and ending in central research when he retired in Among many civic activities, he served on the vestry of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Wilmington and as president of the board of St. Michael's Nursery in Wilmington. He was a distinguished member of the Delaware Society of Mayflower Descendants where he held the offices of AG; Deputy Governor, Publications Chair, and Governor of the Society from 1999 to Descended from John and Elinor Billington, William and Mary Brewster, and Steven Hopkins. ******************************************* Frances Twisden Bowden Balmer died March 13, 2013 at the age of 94 at her daughter s home in Millersville, MD. She received a bachelor s degree from Simmons College, Boston, MA. She was a member of long-standing of the Delaware Society of Mayflower Descendants and belonged to many other genealogical societies, including Colonial Dames of the XVII Century and Daughters of Founders and Patriots. Descended from Steven Hopkins. ******************************************* Ann Blood Lenher Robinson died June 12, She was a Charter Member, who resigned 31 Dec Her two brothers George DE# 45 and John Lenher DE# 46, also Charter Members, are still members. Their Mother, Irene Kirkwood Lenher (Mrs. Samuel), was Secretary ; Deputy Governor and Governor Descended from William Bradford. REMINDER Compact Day Luncheon Saturday, November 23, 2013 Vicmead Hunt Club Guest Speaker will be Geoff Gamble, world traveler and accomplished historian MAYFLOWER COMPACT In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620.

7 COMMUNITY NEWS Friday-Sunday November th Anniversary New Sweden Conference Newark, Delaware American Swedish History Museum is proud to be one of the organizers for the annual New Sweden History Conference, in partnership with the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology and the University of Lund, Sweden. The conference commemorates the 375th Anniversary of the New Sweden Colony, and is titled "Encountering 'Others' in the Atlantic World: Perspectives from the Material World." The conference will take place at the University of Delaware's Clayton Hall in Newark, Delaware and will focus on the archaeological findings related to the New Sweden Colony. Special features of the conference weekend include a live video feed of concurrent sessions at the University of Lund, Friday tours, and a banquet on Saturday evening. The Early bird registration fees (offer only valid until October 1) are $50 for members, $65 for non-members, and $35 for students. Tours, meals and the banquet have additional fees. Full conference details contact americanswedish.org NOEL KURHT speaks at the LET FREEDOM RING 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION IN NEW CASTLE A patriotic crowd gathered on Independence Day at Immanuel on the Green to join the National Let Freedom Ring Celebration. Committee member, Noel Kuhrt, noted in his remarks that there are 31 Revolutionary War Patriots buried at Immanuel. Rev. Robert Clay served as a private and later was Immanuel s rector for 36 years. He is buried under the center aisle of the church. There are eight without markers, 22 with grave markers. After his remarks, Mayor Donald Reese introduced Russ Smith, First State National Monument Superintendent. Greg Austin lead the singing of our National Anthem and This Is My Country. Leading the Celebration was the SAR Color Guard, introduced by Brian Roberts, Secretary of the Robert Kirkwood Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Afterwards 13 children rang the bell once for each of the 13 colonies. Article above taken from CROSSROADS, 7/7/2013 KAI LASSEN chairs Centennial Project at H. Fletcher Brown Park Rotary To Make a Mark on City Park Centennial Project will remodel the park s landscape. The Rotary plans to upgrade H. Fletcher Brown Park in the Midtown Brandywine neighborhood, which sits in the shadow of Wilmington s downtown. Kai Lassen, Delaware s Mayflower member, is Centennial Chairman of this project. FYI: Split-Rail Fences When colonists first arrived in America, there was an abundance of trees. In fact, wood was so plentiful that two or three men could split rails and build close to a mile of fencing per week. A man skilled in using an ax and a wedge could cut almost 200 rails in a day for about 200 yards of fencing. By comparison, it would take two men to lay a ten foot stone wall in the same amount of time. In early time, fence rails were cut (by law in some places) at a length of eleven feet. This was exactly one sixth of that old measuring device, the chain, which was a linked measure of sixty-six feet long and used by surveyors instead of the foot and inch calculations we use now. Probably our first fences were the worm, snake, or zigzag. These were portable rail fences requiring neither posts not holes. Such split-rail fences, built in a zigzag fashion, usually rested on a flat rock placed on the surface of the ground. This method has been used in New England since at least 1685, when the minutes of the Town of Salem, Massachusetts in that year record construction of a new worm fence about the meeting house at Alloway s Creek. Article above taken from The Denison Homestead Summer Update Summer 2013, Volume Excerpts from Eric Sloan, Diary of an Early American Boy 1805 & The Colebrook Historical Society, Early Types of Fencing.

8 Society of Mayflower Descendants In the State of Delaware Barbara Wideman Wildel Avenue New Castle, DE FIRST CLASS Visit us at: www:mayflower-de.org