1. Fact or Fiction: Thanksgiving is held on the final Thursday of November each year.

Fiction. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. However, in 1939, after a request from the National Retail Dry Goods Association, President Franklin Roosevelt decreed that the holiday should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month (and never the occasional fifth, as occurred in 1939) in order to extend the holiday shopping season by a week. The decision sparked great controversy, and was still unresolved two years later, when the House of Representatives passed a resolution making the last Thursday in November a legal national holiday. The Senate amended the resolution, setting the date as the fourth Thursday, and the House eventually agreed.

2. Fact or Fiction: One of America's Founding Fathers thought the turkey should be the national bird of the United States.

Fact. In a letter to his daughter sent in 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the wild turkey would be a more appropriate national symbol for the newly independent United States than the bald eagle (which had earlier been chosen by the Continental Congress). He argued that the turkey was "a much more respectable Bird," "a true original Native of America," and "though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage."

3.Fact or Fiction: In 1863, Abraham Lincoln became the first American president to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving.

Fiction. George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all issued proclamations urging Americans to observe days of thanksgiving, both for general good fortune and for particularly momentous events (the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, in Washington's case; the end of the War of 1812, in Madison's).

4.Fact or Fiction: Macy's was the first American department store to sponsor a parade in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Fiction. The Philadelphia department store Gimbel's had sponsored a parade in 1920, but the Macy's parade, launched four years later, soon became a Thanksgiving tradition and the standard kickoff to the holiday shopping season. The parade became ever more well-known after it featured prominently in the hit film Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which shows actual footage of the 1946 parade. In addition to its famous giant balloons and floats, the Macy's parade features live music and other performances, including by the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and cast members of well-known Broadway shows.

5. Fact or Fiction: Turkeys are slow-moving birds that lack the ability to fly.

Fiction (kind of). Domesticated turkeys (the type eaten on Thanksgiving) cannot fly, and their pace is limited to a slow walk. Female domestic turkeys, which are typically smaller and lighter than males, can move somewhat faster. Wild turkeys, on the other hand, are much smaller and more agile. They can reach speeds of up to 20-25 miles per hour on the ground and fly for short distances at speeds approaching 55 miles per hour. They also have better eyesight and hearing than their domestic counterparts.

6. Fact or Fiction: Native Americans used cranberries, now a staple of many Thanksgiving dinners, for cooking as well as medicinal purposes.

Fact. According to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, one of the country's oldest farmers' organizations, Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, including "pemmican" (a nourishing, high-protein combination of crushed berries, dried deer meat and melted fat). They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow punctures and other wounds and as a dye for fabric. The Pilgrims adopted these uses for the fruit and gave it a name—"craneberry"—because its drooping pink blossoms in the spring reminded them of a crane.

7. Fact or Fiction: The movement of the turkey inspired a ballroom dance.

Fact. The turkey trot, modeled on that bird's characteristic short, jerky steps, was one of a number of popular dance styles that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The two-step, a simple dance that required little to no instruction, was quickly followed by such dances as the one-step, the turkey trot, the fox trot and the bunny hug, which could all be performed to the ragtime and jazz music popular at the time. The popularity of such dances spread like wildfire, helped along by the teachings and performances of exhibition dancers like the famous husband-and-wife team Vernon and Irene Castle.

8. Fact or Fiction: On Thanksgiving Day in 2007, two turkeys earned a trip to Disney World.

Fact. On November 20, 2007, President George W. Bush granted a "pardon" to two turkeys, named May and Flower, at the 60th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation, held in the Rose Garden at the White House. The two turkeys were flown to Orlando, Florida, where they served as honorary grand marshals for the Disney World Thanksgiving Parade. The current tradition of presidential turkey pardons began in 1947, under Harry Truman, but the practice is said to have informally begun with Abraham Lincoln, who granted a pardon to his son Tad's pet turkey.

9. Fact or Fiction: Turkey contains an amino acid that makes you sleepy.

Fact. Turkey does contain the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is a natural sedative, but so do a lot of other foods, including chicken, beef, pork, beans and cheese. Though many people believe turkey's tryptophan content is what makes many people feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal, it is more likely the combination of fats and carbohydrates most people eat with the turkey, as well as the large amount of food (not to mention alcohol, in some cases) consumed, that makes most people feel like following their meal up with a nap.

10. Fact or Fiction: The tradition of playing or watching football on Thanksgiving started with the first National Football League game on the holiday in 1934.

Fiction. The American tradition of college football on Thanksgiving is pretty much as old as the sport itself. The newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game on Thanksgiving Day in 1876. At the time, the sport resembled something between rugby and what we think of as football today. By the 1890s, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football games were taking place on Thanksgiving, and championship match-ups between schools like Princeton and Yale could draw up to 40,000 fans. The NFL took up the tradition in 1934, when the Detroit Lions (recently arrived in the city and renamed) played the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium in front of 26,000 fans. Since then, the Lions game on Thanksgiving has become an annual event, taking place every year except during the World War II years (1939–1944).

11. Myth: The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and the pilgrims celebrated it every year thereafter.

Fact: The first feast wasn't repeated, so it wasn't the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn't even call the day Thanksgiving. To them, a thanksgiving was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities that the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast--dancing, singing secular songs, playing games--wouldn't have been allowed. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the pilgrims minds.

12. Myth: The original Thanksgiving feast took place on the fourth Thursday of November.

Fact: The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians. In 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed in New England of annually celebrating thanksgiving after the harvest.

During the American Revolution a yearly day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated it with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941)

13. Myth: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments, and shoes.

Fact: Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown.

14. Myth: The pilgrims brought furniture with them on the Mayflower.

Fact: The only furniture that the pilgrims brought on the Mayflower was chests and boxes. They constructed wooden furniture once they settled in Plymouth.

15. Myth: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Fact: The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered "Northern Virginia," but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south.

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Cross -Sections of the Mayflower

Forecastle: Where the crew's meals were cooked, and where the crew's food and supplies were kept.
Poop House:  Nothing to do with a bathroom, the poop house was the living quarters for the ship's master (Christopher Jones) and some of the higher ranking crew, perhaps master's mates John Clarke and Robert Coppin.
Cabin:  The general sleeping quarters for the Mayflower's twenty or thirty other crewmembers.  The crew slept in shifts.
Steerage Room: This is where the pilot steered the Mayflower.  Steering was done by a stick called a whip-staff that was moved back and forth to move the tiller, which in turn moves the rudder.
Gun Room:  This is where the powder, shot, and other supplies were stored for the ship's guns and cannons.
Gun Deck:  The gun deck is where the cannon were located.  On merchant ships, this deck was used to hold additional cargo.  In the Mayflower's case, the gun deck is where the passengers lived on the voyage to America.
Capstan and Windlass:  Large apparatus which were used to lift and lower heavy cargo between the decks.
Cargo Hold:  This is where the Pilgrims would have stored their cargo of food, tools, and supplies during the voyage.

The Gun Deck, sometimes referred to by the Pilgrims as "betwixt the decks" or the "tween deck," is where the Pilgrims lived for most of the voyage.  They occasionally ventured to the upper deck, especially during calmer weather when they would be less likely to get in the way of the seamen and there was less danger of being swept overboard.  The gun deck had about four gun ports on either side of the ship for cannon.  Even though the Mayflower was a merchant ship, it needed to be able to defend itself from pirates, and needed to be prepared for the possibility of conscription (when England was at war, the King or Queen could turn merchant ships into military vessels.)  The height of the gun deck was around five and a half feet.

The Gun Deck Floor Plan

During the voyage, the 102 Mayflower passengers lived primarily on the gun deck, or the 'tween deck.  The length of the deck from stem to stern was about 80 feet, of which about 12 feet at the back belonged to the gun room and was probably off-limits to the passengers.  The width at the widest part was about 24 feet.  Various hatches provided access to the cargo hold below.  The windlass and capstan, both used to haul heavy items by rope between the decks, also took up floor-space, as did the main mast in the middle, and the sprit sail mast in the front.  Many of the families built themselves small little "cabins," simple wooden dividers nailed together, to provide a small amount of privacy.  Others, especially the young single men, just took up any old spot--many found shelter within a shallop, a 30-foot sailing vessel that the Pilgrims brought with them, and which they had dismantled and stowed on the gun deck.  The two month voyage, with many young men living inside of it, caused considerable damage to the shallop, and cost the Pilgrims several weeks of time to fix after they arrived.

The  Mayflower after the Pilgrims

The Mayflower stayed with the Pilgrims in America the first winter, and departed home for England in April, arriving back home in May 1621.  Master Christopher Jones, the ship's captain, died the next year, in March 1622.  Christopher Jones owned a fourth of the ship, and when he died the ownership of his share passed to his widow, Josian. 

Josian, with the other three owners, stopped using the ship, and by May 1624 it had fallen into ruins.  It was appraised at that time to a value of just over £128, and because of its very poor condition it was almost certainly broken up and sold off as scrap.

Shortly before the 300th anniversary of the Mayflower's voyage (1920), a historian by the name of J. Rendell Harris published a book, The Finding of the Mayflower, in which he claimed to have rediscovered the Mayflower, as a barn in Jordans, England.  However, his evidence was extremely speculative, much of it based on oral tradition that he himself may have initiated and encouraged; and the possible family connections between the barn owners and the Mayflower's owners has not stood the test of subsequent research.  The barn likely is the remains of a 17th century ship, but there is no evidence it is actually the Mayflower.

The  Mayflower's Crew

The Mayflower likely carried a crew of about 25 or 30.  Unfortunately there was no list of the names of the crewmembers recorded, so only a few names are actually known.

MASTER: Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones was originally from Harwich, Essex, England, born about 1570, the son of Christopher and Sybil Jones.  One of his first ships was the Marie Fortune, which he received from his father after his death.  In 1593 he married Sarah Twitt in his hometown of Harwich, but she died in 1603.  He remarried to Josian (Thompson) Grey, daughter of Thomas Thompson and widow of Thomas Gray.  Christopher Jones was master of the ship Josian, named after his wife.  About 1609 he bought a quarter share in the 180-ton Mayflower and moved his family to Rotherhithe, near London, shortly thereafter.  He used the Mayflower primarily in the wine trade, frequenting the French ports of Bordeaux and La Rochelle.  He brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620, and returned to his old profession of transporting cargo to and from France.  He died a couple years later, in March 1622, and is buried at St. Mary's Church in Rotherhithe.

MASTER'S MATE: John Clark
John Clark was perhaps the John Clark baptized on 26 March 1575 in Rotherhithe, Surrey, England.  He first went to Jamestown, Virginia in March 1610 as a ship's pilot.  There, at Point Comfort, he was captured by the Spanish in June 1611.  He was taken captive to Havana, Cuba, where he was interrogated, and then sent to Seville, Spain, and then on to Madrid in 1613.  He was held as a prisoner until he was exchanged for a Spanish prisoner held by the English in 1616.  He immediately went back to his occupation as a ship's pilot, and took a shipment of cattle to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 under some-time pirate Thomas Jones.  In 1620, he was hired to be the master's mate and pilot of the Mayflower, on its intended voyage to Northern Virginia.  While the Pilgrims were exploring Cape Cod and Plymouth Harbor, the shallop was caught in a storm and Clark brought them safely ashore at an Island, which is to this day known as Clark's Island.  After returning, John Clark decided to settle in Virginia himself.  He went to Jamestown in 1623 on the ship Providence, with the intention of settling there, but died not too long after his arrival.

MASTER'S MATE:  Robert Coppin
Robert Coppin probably came from Harwich.  He held a share of Virginia Company stock in 1609, and had been to the Massachusetts coastline on a previous trip, although it is not known exactly when.  He recalled that the last time he was there, some of the Indians stole a harpoon from their ship, so they nicknamed the area Thievish Harbor. 

SHIP SURGEON: Giles Heale
Giles Heale had become a freeman in London on 3 April 1619, and had served out his barber surgeon's apprenticeship with Edward Blaney.  His voyage on the Mayflower must have been one of his first.  On February 10, Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton gave him a book written by Henry Ainsworth.  And on February 21, he witnessed the will of William Mullins.  After he returned, he was a barber surgeon practicing on Drury Lane, St. Giles in the Field, London.  He died in 1653, apparently having no surviving children: he willed everything to his brother Henry and wife Mary.

SHIP'S COOPER: John Alden
John Alden was born about 1599, most likely in Harwich, Essex, England, related by marriage to Christopher Jones and also to Mayflower passenger Richard Gardinar.  Alden was hired at Southampton to be the Mayflower's cooper, the individual responsible for the construction, repair and maintenance of the ship's barrels.  Alden was given the choice to stay at Plymouth, or return to England.  He chose to stay, and his young blood and carpentry skills were much welcomed by the colonists.  He married a year or so later to Priscilla Mullins, and raised his family at Plymouth and later helped found the town of Duxbury.

OTHER CREWMEMBERS
The above crewmembers are the only ones that can be conclusively identified.  There are a couple of "mystery men" that were likely to have been crewmembers.  The first is a "Master Leaver", mentioned on one occasion in the Pilgrims' journal "Mourt's Relation".  There is a Thomas Lever listed just a few names before Robert Coppin on the list of Virginia Company investors made in 1609.  In another place in "Mourt's Relation", mention is made of a "Master Williamson", and a "Master Williamson" is mentioned in the 1621 will of William Mullins as well.  Some have suggested this might be a pseudonym for William Brewster, who was still a fugitive from English authorities.  Others have suggested that perhaps Master Williamson was a member of the Mayflower's crew.  In 1929, Charles Banks noted there was a will for an Andrew Williamson, seaman, in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.  In 1750, John Phillips made a deposition to the Superior Court of Massachusetts, indicating that he was told by his father that his ancestor John or Thomas Parker was a mate on Mayflower.  However, 130 years is a long time for accurate oral tradition to survive.  The Pilgrims also hired a couple of seaman for themselves, to stay in New England for a year: William Trevore, Mr. Ely, and perhaps Richard Gardinar. 

What  Happened on the Voyage

The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, and anchored off the tip of Cape Cod on November 11.  During those two months crossing the Atlantic Ocean to America, many things happened on the Mayflower.

The first half of the voyage was actually fairly smooth.  The wind and weather were good for sailing, and they made good progress.  Aside from sea-sickness, the health of the passengers was generally very good.  One of the sailors, however, continually laughed and scoffed at the passengers, "cursing them daily" and saying that he hoped to throw their dead bodies overboard and take their belongings for himself.  But it turned out that this sailor would be the first to get sick and die: Passenger William Bradford wrote "it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard.  Thus his curses light on his own head, ... for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him."

Of the 102 passengers onboard the ship, three of them were pregnant women.  One of the women, Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, gave birth during the voyage.  Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins named their newborn son Oceanus.  The other two women would give birth shortly after arrival.

After they had sailed more than half way to America, the Mayflower began to encounter a number of bad storms, which began to make the ship very leaky, causing many of the passengers below deck to be continually cold and damp.  During one of the storms, a main beam in the middle of the ship cracked, causing some of the passengers and crew to wonder if the ship was strong enough to make all the way to America.  But Master Christopher Jones felt his ship was strong, and so they fixed the main beam with a large screw, caulked the leaky decks as best they could, and continued on.

During another storm, a twenty-five year old man named John Howland came up on deck, but the ship suddenly rolled and he lost his balance and fell into the cold Atlantic ocean.  Luckily, he managed to grab a hold of a rope that was hanging down from one of the topsails, and held on as he sunk many feet below the surface of the water.  The Mayflower's crew hauled him back up to the surface with the rope, and then grabbed him with a boathook. 

Wet and cold and cramped in their small quarters, some of the passengers began to develop coughs and colds.  As the Mayflower finally began to approach America, one of the passengers, a young boy named William Butten, a servant to the passengers' doctor Samuel Fuller, died.  William Butten died on November 6, just three days before land was sighted.

Route  and Maps of the Voyage

The Mayflower was hired in London, and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage--much of which was purchased at Southampton.  The Pilgrims were mostly still living in the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands.  They hired a ship called the Speedwell to take them from Delfthaven, the Netherlands, to Southampton, England, to meet up with the Mayflower.  The two ships planned to sail together to Northern Virginia.  The Speedwell departed Delfthaven on July 22, and arrived at Southampton, where they found the Mayflower waiting for them.  The Speedwell had been leaking on her voyage from the Netherlands to England, though, so they spent the next week patching her up.

On August 5, the two ships finally set sail for America.  But the Speedwell began leaking again, so they pulled into the town of Dartmouth for repairs, arriving there about August 12.  The Speedwell was patched up again, and the two ships again set sail for America, about August 21.  After the two ships had sailed about 300 miles out to see, the Speedwell again began to leak.  Frustrated with the enormous amount of time lost, and their inability to fix the Speedwell so that it could be sea-worthy, they returned to Plymouth, England, and made the decision to leave the Speedwell behind.  The Mayflower would go to America alone.  The cargo on the Speedwell was transferred over to the Mayflower; some of the passengers were so tired and disappointed with all the problems, that they quit and went home.  Others crammed themselves onto the now very crowded Mayflower. 

 

Finally, on September 6, the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, and headed for America.  By the time the Pilgrims had left England, they had already been living onboard the ships for nearly a month and a half.  The voyage itself across the Atlantic Ocean took 66 days, from their departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on November 9, 1620.  The first half of the voyage went fairly smoothly, the only major problem was sea-sickness.  But by October, they began encountering a number of Atlantic storms that made the voyage treacherous.  Several times, the wind was so strong they had to just drift where the weather took them, it was not safe to use the ship's sails.  The Pilgrims intended to land in Northern Virginia, which at the time included the region as far north as the Hudson River in the modern State of New York.  The Hudson River, in fact, was their originally intended destination.  They had received good reports on this region while in the Netherlands.  All things considered, the Mayflower was almost right on target, missing the Hudson River by just a few degrees.

As the Mayflower approached land, the crew spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9.  The Pilgrims decided to head south, to the mouth of the Hudson River in New York, where they intended to make their plantation.  However, as the Mayflower headed south, it encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked.  The Pilgrims then decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south, they would just stay and explore Cape Cod.  They turned back north, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor.  The Pilgrims would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation.  On December 25, 1620, they had finally decided upon Plymouth, and began construction of their first buildings.

   
Complete  Mayflower Passenger List   

John Alden	John Carver	Richard Gardinar	Ellen More	Edward Tilley
Isaac Allerton	• Katherine (White) Carver	John Goodman	Jasper More	• Ann (Cooper) Tilley
• Mary (Norris) Allerton	James Chilton	William Holbeck	Richard More	John Tilley
• Bartholomew Allerton	• Mrs. Chilton	John Hooke	Mary More	• Joan (Hurst) Tilley
• Remember Allerton	• Mary Chilton	Stephen Hopkins	William Mullins	• Elizabeth Tilley
• Mary Allerton	Richard Clarke	• Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins	• Mrs. Alice Mullins	Thomas Tinker, wife, and son
John Allerton	Francis Cooke	• Constance Hopkins	• Priscilla Mullins	William Trevore
John Billington	• John Cooke	• Giles Hopkins	• Joseph Mullins	John Turner, and two sons
• Eleanor Billington	Humility Cooper	• Damaris Hopkins	Degory Priest	Richard Warren
• John Billington	John Crackston	• Oceanus Hopkins	Solomon Prower	William White
• Francis Billington	• John Crackston	John Howland	John Rigsdale	• Mrs. Susanna White
William Bradford	Edward Doty	John Langmore	• Alice Rigsdale	• Resolved White
• Dorothy (May) Bradford	Francis Eaton	William Latham	Thomas Rogers	Roger Wilder
William Brewster	• Mrs. Sarah Eaton	Edward Leister	• Joseph Rogers	Thomas Williams
• Mrs. Mary Brewster	• Samuel Eaton	Edmund Margesson	Henry Samson	Edward Winslow
• Love Brewster	Thomas English	Christopher Martin	George Soule	• Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow
• Wrestling Brewster	Moses Fletcher	• Mary (Prower) Martin	Myles Standish	Gilbert Winslow
Richard Britteridge	Edward Fuller	Desire Minter	• Mrs. Rose Standish
Peter Browne	• Mrs. Fuller		Elias Story	"Mr. Ely"
William Button	• Samuel Fuller		Edward Thompson	Dorothy, Carver's maidservant
Robert Carter	Samuel Fuller

* The bullets by some of the names are simply used to visually indicate family structure--those with bullet points are the wife and/or children of the earlier-listed individual.

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Famous  Descendants of Mayflower Passengers

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There are millions of Mayflower descendants living today, but very few descendants actually know it.  Eight U.S. presidents are known to be descended from Mayflower passengers, and a number of other famous people including astronauts, poets, politicians, actors and actresses, directors, inventors and others are descendants as well.  Below are a list of some of the most famous individuals that have Mayflower ancestries.  Their blood lineage back to the Mayflower passenger is included (in red).  Many of these lineages were originally published by Gary Boyd Roberts of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, who regularly publishes new discoveries and article on his Notable Kin website.

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The Presidents

Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.  Descendants of John Alden, and William, Alice, and Priscilla Mullins. John Quincy Adams → John Adams → John Adams → Hannah Bass → Ruth Alden → JOHN ALDEN

President Zachary Taylor.  Descendant of Isaac Allerton, and William and Mary Brewster. Zachary Taylor → Richard Taylor → Elizabeth Lee → Sarah Allerton → Isaac Allerton → Fear Brewster → WILLIAM BREWSTER

Civil War Union General, and President Ulysses S. Grant.  Descendant of Richard Warren. Ulysses S. Grant → Jesse Grant → Noah Grant → Susanna Delano → Jonathan Delano → Mercy Warren → Nathaniel Warren → RICHARD WARREN

President James A. Garfield.  Descendant of John Billington and his son Francis Billington. James A. Garfield → Eliza Ballou → Mehitable Ingalls → Sybil Carpenter → Jotham Carpenter → Desire Martin → Mercy Billington → FRANCIS BILLINGTON → JOHN BILLINGTON

President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Descendant of Richard Warren; Isaac and Mary Allerton and their daughter Mary; Degory Priest; Francis Cooke and his son John Cooke; John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley and her parents John and Joan Tilley. Franklin D. Roosevelt → Sara Delano → Warren Delano → Warren Delano → Ephraim Delano → Thomas Delano → Mercy Warren → Nathaniel Warren → RICHARD WARREN Franklin D. Roosevelt → Sara Delano → Warren Delano → Warren Delano → Elizabeth Cushman → James Cushman → Eleazer Cushman → MARY ALLERTON → ISAAC ALLERTON Franklin D. Roosevelt → Sara Delano → Warren Delano → Warren Delano → Elizabeth Cushman → James Cushman → Elizabeth Coombs → John Coombs → Sarah Priest → DEGORY PRIEST Franklin D. Roosevelt → Sara Delano → Warren Delano → Deborah Church → Deborah Perry → Samuel Perry → Ebenezer Perry → Esther Taber → Esther Cooke → JOHN COOKE → FRANCIS COOKE Franklin D. Roosevelt → James Roosevelt → Mary Aspinwall → Susan Howland → Joseph Howland → Nathanial Howland Jr. → Nathanial Howland Sr. → Joseph Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

Presidents George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.  Descendants of John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley, and her parents John and Joan Tilley; and Francis Cooke.  George W. Bush, through mother First Lady Barbara Bush, is also descended from Henry Samson. George W. Bush → George H. W. Bush → Prescott Bush → Flora Sheldon → Mary Butler → Courtland Butler → Samuel Butler → Sarah Herrick → Silence Kingsley → Samuel Kingsley → Mary Washburn → Elizabeth Mitchell → Jane Cooke → FRANCIS COOKE George W. Bush → George H. W. Bush → Prescott Bush → Flora Sheldon → Mary Butler → Elizabeth Pierce → Betsy Wheeler → Sarah Horton → Joanna Wood → Jabez Wood → Hannah Nelson → Hope Huckins → Hope Chipman → Hope Howland → JOHN HOWLAND George W. Bush → Barbara Pierce → Marvin Pierce → Scott Pierce → Jonas Pierce → Chloe Holbrook → John Holbrook → John Holbrook → Zilpha Thayer → Mary Samson → Stephen Samson → HENRY SAMSON

Alan B. Shepard, Jr.  First American in space, fifth man to walk on the moon (remembered for his lunar golf shot.) Alan B. Shepard, Jr. → Alan B. Shepard → Frederick Shepard → Rosina Johnson → Abner Johnson → Anna Delano → Silvanus Delano → Jonathan Delano → Mercy Warren → Nathaniel Warren → RICHARD WARREN

Marilyn Monroe.  Actress and model. Marilyn Monroe (a.k.a. Norma Jean Baker) → Charles Stanley Gifford → Frederick Gifford → Charles Gifford → Lydia Tompkins → Uriah Tompkins → Micah Tompkins → Sarah Coe → Sarah Pabodie → Elizabeth Alden → JOHN ALDEN

Orson Welles.  Actor and director.  Famous for the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, and for acting and directing "Citizen Kane." Orson Welles → Richard Welles → Mary Head → Orson Head → Jonathan Head → Ruth Little → Fobes Little → Constant Fobes → Martha Pabodie → Elizabeth Alden → JOHN ALDEN

Noah Webster.  Of Webster's Dictionary fame.  Noah Webster → Mercy Steel → Eliphalet Steel → Mercy Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

Clint Eastwood.  Actor. Clint Eastwood → Margaret Runners → Waldo Runners → Sophia Bartholomew → Cordelia Kellogg → Edward Kellogg → Ephraim Kellogg → Ruth Hosmer → Susanna Steele → Thomas Steele → Mary Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

Alec Baldwin (and brother Stephen).  Actor. Alexander 'Alec' Baldwin → Alexander Baldwin → Alexander Baldwin → Sylvester Baldwin → Roswell Baldwin → Esther Brown → Eunice Palmer → Prudence Holmes → Joshua Holmes → Fear Sturgis → Temperance Gorham → John Gorham → Desire Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

Humphrey Bogart.  Actor. Humphrey Bogart → Maud Humphrey → John Humphrey → Elizabeth Perkins → Dyer Perkins → Bethia Baker → Prudence Jenkins → Lydia Howland → Joseph Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

Dick Van Dyke.  Actor. Dick Van Dyke → Hazel McCord → Charles C. McCord → Susan Child → David Lorenzo Child → Susannah Tinkham → Isaiah Tinkham → Nathan Tinkham → Isaac Tinkham → Ephraim Tinkham → Mary Browne → PETER BROWNE Dick Van Dyke → Hazel McCord → Charles C. McCord → Susan Child → David Lorenzo Child → Susannah Tinkham → Isaiah Tinkham → Nathan Tinkham → Isaac Tinkham → Esther Wright → Hester Cooke → FRANCIS COOKE Dick Van Dyke → Hazel McCord → Charles C. McCord → Susan Child → David Lorenzo Child → Susannah Tinkham → Isaiah Tinkham → Sarah Soule → Zachariah Soule → Benjamin Soule → JOHN SOULE → GEORGE SOULE Dick Van Dyke → Hazel McCord → Charles C. McCord → Susan Child → David Lorenzo Child → Susannah Tinkham → Isaiah Tinkham → Sarah Soule → Zachariah Soule → Sarah Standish → Alexander Standish → MYLES STANDISH Dick Van Dyke → Hazel McCord → Charles C. McCord → Susan Child → David Lorenzo Child → Susannah Tinkham → Isaiah Tinkham → Sarah Soule → Zachariah Soule → Sarah Standish → Sarah Alden → JOHN ALDEN

Christopher Lloyd.  Actor. One of his more notable characters was "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy. Christopher Lloyd → Samuel R. Lloyd → Adele Ferrier Peck → Francis Peck → Sarah Gorham → Isaac Gorham → Isaac Gorham → Isaac Gorham → Jabez Gorham → Desire Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

Richard Gere.  Actor. Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller → Archippus Fuller → Seth Fuller → Samuel Fuller → Samuel Fuller → SAMUEL FULLER Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller → Archippus Fuller → Seth Fuller → Mercy Eaton  → SAMUEL EATON → FRANCIS EATON Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller → Archippus Fuller → Sarah Wright → Adam Wright → Hester Cooke → FRANCIS COOKE Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller → Archippus Fuller → Sarah Wright → Sarah Soule → JOHN SOULE → GEORGE SOULE Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Elkanah Elms → Sarah Bennett → Ruth Coombs → Francis Coombs → Sarah Priest → DEGORY PRIEST Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere → George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller → Maria Ryder → Mary Sylvester → Hannah Bartlett → Joseph Bartlett → Mary Warren → RICHARD WARREN

Christopher Reeve.  Actor (Superman). Christopher Reeve → Barbara Lamb → Horace Lamb → Burt Lamb → Charles Lamb → Ebenezer Lamb → Jerusha Ripley → Ebenezer Ripley → Joshua Ripley → Hannah Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

Sarah Palin.  2008 Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate, Governor of Alaska. Sarah Palin → Charles Heath → Nellie Brandt → May Ruddock → Thomas Ruddock → Rhoda Damon → Rhoda Thayer → Micah Thayer → Elizabeth Samson → Stephen Samson → HENRY SAMSON Sarah Palin → Sarah Sheeran → Helen Gower → James Gower → Arthur Gower → Abigail Hawes → Isaiah Hawes → Ebenezer Hawes → Ebenezer Hawes → Ebenezer Hawes → Desire Gorham → Desire Howland → JOHN HOWLAND Sarah Palin → Sarah Sheeran → Helen Gower → James Gower → Arthur Gower → Cornelius Gower → Susan Norton → Lydia Claghorn → Susannah Gibbs → Abigail Smith → Abigail Skiffe → Lydia Snow → Abigail Warren → RICHARD WARREN Sarah Palin → Sarah Sheeran → Helen Gower → Cora Strong → Augusta Godfrey → James Godfrey → Benjamin Godfrey → Knowles Godfrey → Knowles Godfrey → George Godfrey → Deborah Cooke → Deborah Hopkins → GILES HOPKINS → STEPHEN HOPKINS Sarah Palin → Sarah Sheeran → Helen Gower → Cora Strong → Augusta Godfrey → James Godfrey → Benjamin Godfrey → Knowles Godfrey → Knowles Godfrey → Mercy Knowles → Richard Knowles → Mercy Freeman → Mercy Prence → Patience Brewster → WILLIAM BREWSTER

George Eastman.  Inventor in the photography field.  One of the founders of Eastman-Kodak. George Eastman → Maria Kilbourn → Mary Ballard → Alice Fuller → Mary Edgerton → Alice Ripley → Hannah Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

George McClellan.  Commander of Union forces, Civil War. George McClellan → George McClellan → James McClellan → Rachel Abbe → Mary Ripley → Joshua Ripley → Hannah Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

Bing Crosby.  Singer, most remembered for his rendition of White Christmas. Bing Crosby → Harry Crosby → Nathaniel Crosby → Nathaniel Crosby → Ruby Foster → Chillingworth Foster → Chillingworth Foster → Mercy Freeman → John Freeman → Mercy Prence → Patience Brewster → WILLIAM BREWSTER

Dan Quayle.  Vice President under George H. W. Bush. Dan Quayle → James Quayle → Marie Cline → Delia Burras → Oscar Burras → Sally Standish → Peleg Standish → Zachariah Standish → Zachariah Standish → Ebenezer Standish → Alexander Standish → MYLES STANDISH Dan Quayle → James Quayle → Marie Cline → Delia Burras → Oscar Burras → Sally Standish → Peleg Standish → Zachariah Standish → Zachariah Standish → Ebenezer Standish → Sarah Alden → JOHN ALDEN

Charles Curtis.  Vice President under Herbert Hoover. Charles Curtis → Orren A. Curtis → William Curtis → Thomas Curtis → Thomas Curtis → Jacob Curtis → Jacob Curtis → Mary Tinkham → Hezekiah Tinkham → Mary Browne → PETER BROWNE

Hugh Hefner.  Publisher, founder of Playboy. Hugh Hefner → Glenn Hefner → Lois Householder → Lurena Woodward → Masury Woodward → Asa Woodward → Mary Bradford → James Bradford → Thomas Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD

Deborah Sampson.  Fought in several battles during the Revolutionary War, disguised as a man.  Deborah Sampson → Deborah Bradford → Elisha Bradford → Joseph Bradford → William Bradford → WILLIAM BRADFORD Deborah Sampson → Jonathan Sampson → Jonathan Sampson → Lydia Standish →Alexander Standish → MYLES STANDISH

Anna Mary Robertson (i.e. "Grandma Moses").  Folk artist. Anna Mary Robertson → Russell Robertson → Sarah King → Hezekiah King → John King → Sarah Reed → Esther Tomson → Mary Cooke → John Cooke → FRANCIS COOKE Anna Mary Robertson → Russell Robertson → Sarah King → Hezekiah King → John King → Sarah Reed → Esther Tomson → Mary Cooke → Sarah Warren → RICHARD WARREN

Joseph Smith.  Mormon founder and leader. Joseph Smith → Lucy Mack → Lydia Gates → Lydia Fuller → Hannah Crocker → Hannah Howland → Joseph Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Famous poet. Ralph Waldo Emerson → Ruth Haskins → Hannah Upham → Hannah Waite → Lydia Sargent → Lydia Chipman → Hope Howland → ELIZABETH TILLEY (an entirely female line, meaning Ralph Waldo Emerson carried the mitochondrial DNA of Mayflower passenger Elizabeth Tilley).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Famous poet. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow → Zilpha Wadsworth → Peleg Wadsworth → Mercy Wiswall → Priscilla Pabodie → Elizabeth Alden → JOHN ALDEN

William Cullen Bryant.  Famous poet. William Cullen Bryant → Sarah Snell → Ebenezer Snell → Zachariah Snell → Anna Alden → Jonathan Alden → JOHN ALDEN

Cokie Roberts.  Political analyst for ABC News and NPR. Cokie Roberts → Marie "Lindy" Claiborne → Martha Morrison → Eustasia Harriss → Thomas Harriss → Julia Packwood → Sarah Hinman → Katherine Green → Mary Pickett → John Pickett → Adam Pickett → Ruth Brewster  → Jonathan Brewster → WILLIAM BREWSTER

Dr. Benjamin Spock.  Pediatrician and author of the influential childcare book, Baby and Child Care (1946). Benjamin Spock → Louise Stoughton → Ada Hooper →Adeline Ripley → Sarah Denny → Lucretia Sargent → Phineas Sargent → Jonathan Sargent → Jonathan Sargent → Lydia Chipman → Hope Howland → JOHN HOWLAND

President Richard Nixon, President Gerald Ford, and Winston Churchill are all descended from brothers of Mayflower passenger John Howland.