QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE... November 2017 Governor s Message Greetings to all our members, So much has happened since our annual meeting in April. At that event, the slate of officers and assistants was elected and then were officially recognized at the recent General Society s 41st Triennial Congress. We appreciate the dedication and fine work of the previous Board of Assistants and count on their continued support. In September over 600 delegates from fifty-three member societies attended two days of business sessions at the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) 41st Triennial Congress in Plymouth. The newest society in Europe sent a delegate, as did the far western state of Hawaii. Any member may register and attend, but only delegates participate in discussion and voting. Eight delegates represented SMD-RI: William Skip Taylor, Immediate Past Governor; Robert Allen Greene and Bruce MacGunnigle, Former Governors General and Former Governors; Allison Morrison, Former Governor; Todd Holden, Historian; Kevin England, Captain; Anne Wagner, Member, and me, Bill Ulmschneider, Governor. Perhaps the biggest subject for discussion and voting concerned the First Parish Church of Plymouth. The current stone building, constructed upon the site of the Pilgrim s first fort and meeting house, is over 100 years old and needs major repairs, which the dwindling church membership cannot afford. The GSMD has been meeting with the First Parish to discuss solutions to the problem and presented the tentative agreement to the assembled delegates. A unanimous vote favored the arrangement, which involves a three-year effort to raise about $3,000,000 as an endowment fund to produce annual income for the upkeep of the meeting house. GSMD envisions using the meeting house for educational events, lectures and rentals for weddings. Also receiving enthusiastic approval was the plan to modify the buildings on the Mayflower House property to increase efficiency and to bring the structures up to code. A detailed assessment of current conditions and suggested upgrades resulted in three levels of work with three estimated costs. Fundraising for those campus improvements will go into high gear following the year 2020. A collaboration between the GSMD, FamilySearch (FS) and the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) to digitize and index historic GSMD membership applications and construct pedigree trees will make it easier to research Mayflower lineages and attract more people to the Society. Digitizing the paper applications and storing them in the cloud will preserve the information into the forseeable future. Log in procedures will provide access to the searchable databases on FS and NEHGS, yet protect the information. After being assured that GSMD will retain ownership of the information, delegates voted in favor of this plan. Genetic testing is in the news and GSMD has launched a DNA project with Family Tree DNA to establish genetic lines to the original Mayflower families. Recommended tests for men include Y-DNA 67 marker, mtdna full sequence, and Family Finder. Women should take mtdna full sequence and Family Finder. If GSMD members have already taken any of these tests at ancestry.com or 23andMe.com those results can be uploaded to the FTDNA Mayflower Project at no cost. A discounted price is available when members purchase test kits from Mayflower DNA Project. To join the project, go to FTDNA.com, click Projects, and type Mayflower in the search box. For those concerned about privacy issues, the project information states that at FTDNA the test taker owns the data, not FTDNA and not the purchaser. Members are urged to participate in the project. The year 2020 will be the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower and the establishment of Plymouth Colony. Excitement is building in preparation for celebrations in both the United States and England. You may already have received a brochure promoting travel to the UK in 2020. Boston and Provincetown will host events in addition to those planned for Plymouth. Member Societies are selling special items to raise funds and commissioning art projects to publicize the anniversary. GSMD has commissioned a life-sized sculpture of Governor Bradford with an eternal flame to commemorate the event. Read The Mayflower Quarterly to keep informed of plans. In This Issue Officers and Board of Assistants Membership Renewal The newly-elected Governor General George Garmany has been in the forefront of plans for 2020. He and his committee are lobbying the Federal Government strongly for both a commemorative stamp and coin. We are honored that the Governor General will be our guest speaker at our Forefathers Day meeting on December 3. Don t miss it! And don t miss Compact Day, November 5, when Naval Historian John Hattendorf, a descendant of William Brewster, will be our guest. Volunteer with us New Members Pilgrim Progress I feel honored to be selected as the 40th Governor of SMD-RI and will do my utmost to fulfill our mission as stated in our Act of Incorporation to perpetuate the memory of Our Pilgrim Fathers; to maintain and defend civil and religious liberty as set forth in the Compact of the Mayflower. The Board of Assistants works diligently on behalf of the society. We d be honored to have you join a committee and take an active role in SMD-RI. Forefather s Day Junior Members
Page 2 November 2017 Society of Mayflower Descendants Rhode Island Officers and Board of Assistants 2017-2018 Governor: Deputy Governor: Treasurer: Elder: Captain: Secretary: Historian: William Ulmschneider Peter J. Sarazin Ronald W. Ulmschneider Dean Barden Holt, III Kevin England Linda Becker Todd M. Holden Surgeon: Louise Shovelton, R. N. Counsellor: Membership: Junior Membership: Genealogical Research: Entertainment: Hospitality: Finance: Publications: Nancy Ellen Wildes, Esq. Todd M. Holden Charlene K. Butler Donald K. Clark Nancy Ellen Wildes, Esq. Carol Wernquest Robert Allen Greene Anne B. Wagner Carol K. Ulmschneider Ronald W. Ulmschneider Immediate Past Governor: William Watson Taylor, Jr. (Skip) Past Governors: Allison H. Morrison Gilbert Pemberton, II John Stafford Adams Priscilla G. Usher Bruce Campbell MacGunnigle Harold Jencks Hubbard Membership Renewal Fees Do you need to renew your membership? Don t delay and miss out on all the activities, information, and fun you get by being part of the Mayflower Descendants. Send your dues to Ron Ulmschneider To the address listed on the title page of this newsletter. Share Your Talents with Our Group! Do you have a passion or talent or just simply want to lend a hand? We want to hear about it? It s a win-win for all! When you share your talents, ideas, or help others, it helps yourself as well as them. Enhancing someone else s life is a great way to boost self-esteem and de-stress for both parties. Connecting with people in a positive, productive manner is essential our mental well-being and having a purpose greater than oneself. Why not start with the Mayflower Descendants? In addition, larger goals can be accomplished by working together with others. Projects can be completed when we pool our talents and resources. The impact of sharing talents and passions with others can have life altering effects. Let someone on the board know if you are interested or even if you simply have some ideas on how to make the club the best it can be. We d love to hear from you!
Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode and Providence Plantation Page 3 Welcome to our New Members
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Society Page 6 of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode and Providence Plantation, Forefather s Day 2016 Page 5. November 2017
Page 6 November 2017. Junior Membership Page As we celebrate Compact Day in November we extend a special welcome to our Junior members under 18. Hurricanes have been in the news recently and Junior Member Chairman Charlene Butler chose this story about our Pilgrim ancestors as a mighty storm of wind and rain swept down upon them with no warning for you and parents, too! They had no telephones, not one cell phone, not one landline; no radios; no Coastguard; no electricity. How do we know about the Great Hurricane of 1636? Because Governor William Bradford wrote about it. The bold print sections are quotes from his descriptions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today in Our History August 14-15, 1635 A Mighty Storm of Wind and Rain The seasons of the year are fall, winter, spring and summer, but the Pilgrims did not plan for the unpredictable hurricane season. The year of 1635 had been a busy one, with new settlers coming ashore; but August 15 was an unforgettable day for them all. They did not know then what we know today. Hurricane season is between June 1 and November 30 and most of the storms that have reached the New England coast have struck during August and September. Of course, the colonists had no warning that a fierce storm was about to blow over the land and no possible way to know that walls of water twenty feet high were about to wash over their colonies. History was about to be made in New England. Plymouth Colony Photo is courtesy of Plimoth Plantation The fierce storm first entered land at Narragansett Bay and passed between Plymouth and Boston. The first recorded New England storm was about to leave a huge path of destruction. The tremendous winds and storm surge caused wooden ships to break apart. Homes, crops, livestock and lives were lost. It had been fifteen years since the Pilgrims built their first modest homes and now they were in pieces. The damage the high water and hurricane caused is described below and gives a great understanding of just how bad the 1635 storm was. Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford, described what must have been a nightmare to the Pilgrims and English settlers: This year the 14th or 15th of August being Saturday was such a mighty storm of wind & rain as none living in these parts either English or Indians ever saw It blew down sundry houses & uncovered others, diverse vessels were lost at sea and many more in extreme danger. It caused the sea to swell to the southward of this place above 20 foot right up & down and made many of the Indians to climb into trees for their safety. It took off the boarded roof of a house which belonged to the plantation at Manomet and moved it to another place, the posts still standing in the ground It blew down many hundred thousands of trees turning up the stronger by the roots and breaking the higher pine trees in the middle and the tall young oaks & walnut trees of good bigness were wound like a withe, very strange & fearful to behold Continued on page 7...
Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode and Providence Plantation Page 7..... Continued from page 6 Today in Our History - A Mighty Storm of Wind and Rain Page 2 A hurricane is a wide, powerful storm with high-speed winds, sheets of rain and rising water that can last hours or even days. Governor Bradford wrote that the August storm lasted about five hours. He also explained how the sea swell to the southward of this place above 20 foot. He was describing a storm surge which we now know is caused when fierce winds change the level of the sea water near ocean shores. The winds push huge amounts of water up and out of the sea. When this happens the water has nowhere to go but onto the land where it does tremendous damage to anything in its path. Governor Bradford wrote that many Native Americans climbed into trees hoping to escape the fast-rising water. Internet photo Internet photo William Bradford was among the first to record this historical New England hurricane. Reverend Richard Mather, a passenger on an anchored ship named the James, wrote in his journal that trees in pieces and others turned up by y rootes ; John Winthrop, leader of the Massachusetts Bay Company, also recorded this horrific event, writing that the storm blew down many hundreds of trees overthrow some houses and drove ships from their anchor. Without these eye witness accounts in hand-written journals we would know very little about any of the historic events of the 1600 s in Plymouth and New England. Governor William Bradford s interesting personal journal notations can be read today in the published book, Of Plimoth Plantation: 1620-1647. Before the unexpected storm hit the southern coast of New England, several ships were along the coast bringing new settlers and supplies, also called provisions, from England. Among the ships were the James, the Great Hope and the Angel Gabriel. There were more than one hundred passengers on the James and all of them survived. Some of the settlers who had been on the Angel Gabriel had gone ashore before the hurricane, but the nine crew and passengers that remained on the ship did not survive. Smaller ships, including the Mary, the Bess and the Diligence, outran the storm and sailed ahead of it landing in Newfoundland. Land, homes and lives were altered for the settlers who had risked so much to begin new lives in New England. Fortunately another such storm did not happen there again until the year 1815. The signs and marks of it (the storm) will remain this hundred years in these parts where it was sorest. The moon suffered a great eclipse the second night after it. -William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation: 1620-1647 Sources: Of Plimoth Plantation: 1620-1647 by William Bradford, Pages 279-280 http://www.everettfirema.com/newenglandhurricanesofnote.htm http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/gh1635.htm http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hurricane/resources/surge_intro.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/great_colonial_hurricane_of_1635 https://archive.org/stream/journalrichardm02mathgoog#page/n14/mode/2up http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/ pre1900s/septembergale/ http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/pre1900s/septembergale/ https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/ https://www.sail1620.org/articles/natural-disasters-hit-new-plymouth
GSMD Junior Facebook Page/You must be a Facebook member to access the site: "GSMDJrMayflowerDescendantsSocialNetworking" SMD-RI s Good Works in 2016-2017 Made a contribution toward the repair of the Cole s Hill Sarcophagus Donated 3 sets of Silver Books, published by the General Society, to East Greenwich Free Public Library, Peace Dale Library and the Rhode Island Historical Society Contributed to the cost of repairing Mayflower II Contributed to the 1620 Club, to support the General Society Donated funds to the First Parish Meetinghouse in Plymouth towards repairs Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Wakefield, RI Permit #1620 Address Service Requested