Elder William Brewster born about 1566 in England and died April 10, 1644 in Plymouth Massachusetts. He married Mary. Although her maiden name has not been proven it could be Wyrall.
William Brewster was a leader of the Pilgrims, who established Plymouth Colony. In England he studied briefly at Cambridge, the only Pilgrim father to have some university training. A member of the local gentry in Scrooby, Yorkshire, he helped organize a separatist religious congregation in 1606 and financed its move to Holland in 1608. His influence was instrumental in winning the approval of the Virginia Company for the proposal to resettle the congregation in America, and he one of the few original Scrooby separatists who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. As the church's ruling elder in Leyden and then in Plymouth, Brewster shared with William Bradford and Edward Winslow in the leadership of the Pilgrim enterprise. ( Oscar Zeichner Bibliography: Sherwood, M. B., Pilgrim 1982 )
There is a tablet erected by the Pilgrim Society of Plymouth, Mass. to mark the site of the ancient manor-house where William Brewster lived from 1588 to 1608. And where he organized the Pilgrim Church of which he became ruling Elder.
At the time of the burial of Elder William Brewster's child in St. Pancras, Saturday June 20 1609, as recorded at Leyden, he lived in Stinksteeg, a short lane near the Hoogwoerds Bridge and five days later he moved to St. Ursulusteeg.
The Dutch Reformed Church in Delfs-haven, Holland was built in 1416. In this church the Pilgrims held a farewell service just previous to their departure to the New World in 1620. This church stood at the edge of the canal neat where the Speedwell was moored.
The Mayflower was charted by the Merchant Adventures of London, to transport part of the Leyden Church congregation to this country. She sailed from Southampton, England, August 15 and then from Plymouth, England Sept 16 and then onto and anchored in Cape Cod Harbor November 21 1620.
William Brewster was born during the last half of 1556 or the first half of 1557. This is determined by an affidavit made at Leyden, Holland, June 26 1609, in which he, his wife Mary an his son Jonathan declared their ages to be respectively 42, 40 and 16 years old. His father William Brewster of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, held various offices of responsibility in that place, was of goo family, and belonged to the gentleman class.
The ancestral tree of the Brewster family in America finds its root in the advent of Elder William Brewster, the organizer and head of the pilgrims who came to Plymouth in 1620.
The name Brewster appears among the old families in the reign of Edward III, as ranking with the "English landed gentry". John Brewster was witness to a deed in the parish of Henstead, in Suffolk in the year 1375. Not long after that in the reign of Richard II a John Brewsterwas presented to the rectory of Godwich, in the county of Norfolk. This Norfolk branch became connected by marriage with the distinguished houses of DeNarburgh, Spelman, Gleane and Coke of Holkham; and in the county of Suffolk, Robert Brewster of Mutford, possessed also lands in Henstead, and it is stated that William Brewster of Henstead and Robert Brewster of Rushmore, died possessed of these estates prior to 1497.
From this Suffolk connection a branch became established at Castle Hedington, in Essex, and formed a connection with several knightly families.
Elder William and Mary Brewster had the following children:
Jonathan Brewster
Love Brewster
Fear Brewster
Patience Brewster
Wrestling Brewster
and another child who died young. some say his name was Edward.
