The HAMILTON - MATHIESON Family History. Dixie Dunn

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      Benjamin Franklin Hamilton 1834-1860

      We have traced my father, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HAMILTON’S ancestry all the way back to the Mayflower and beyond to 1465.

      Benjamin’s father: GEORGE BENJAMIN HAMILTON (1855-1936) married EMMA AUGUSTA VANOCKER (1860-1937).

      George’s parents were BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HAMILTON1834-1860) married SILVIA WOODBRIDGE (1834-1900)

      Silvia’s father: GUSTAVUS C. WOODBRIDGE born in Vermont(1802-1900). He married AMARET SELEY first and she died, then he later married PHEBIE ANN CAMPBELL b. 1806 in Ohio.

      Gustavus’ father was TIMOTHY WOODBRIDGE (1775-1841)) who married LIDIA CHIPMAN (1784-1861)

      Lidia’s father was DARIUS CHIPMAN (1756-1832) who married LYDIA DICKSON (1805-1802)

      Darius’ father was SAMUEL CHIPMAN (1661-1723)

      Samuel’s father was JOHN CHIPMAN (1613-1703) who in 1647 married HOPE HOWLAND (1629-1682)

      Hope Howland’s father was JOHN HOWLAND (1592-1673) born in England, and died in Plymouth, Massachusetts. John married ELIZABETH TILLEY(1607-1686) in Plymouth, Massachusetts. John and Elizabeth were both on the Mayflower when it landed in 1620.

      John Howland’s father was HENRY HOWLAND (-1635) He married ANN MARGARET AIRES (-1629) They both died in England.

      Elizabeth Tilley’s father was JOHN TILLEY (1530-1620) Born in England, who in 1596 married JOAN HURST ROGERS (1530-1620/21). Joan was first married to Thomas Rogers (-1593) They had one child, Elizabeth. JOHN, JOAN, and ELIZABETH were all ON THE MAYFLOWER when it landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. John and Joan both died soon after landing at Plymoth, leaving Elizabeth orphaned.

      Joan’s father was WILLIAM HURST (1530-1571) in England. Her mother was ROSE MARSHE.

      John Tilley’s father was ROBERT TILLEY (1540-1612/13) who married ELIZABETH in England.

      Robert Tilley’s father was WILLIAM TILLEY (1515-1578) who married AGNES in England.

      William Tilley’s father was THOMAS TILLEY (1490-1556) who married MARGARET in England.

      Thomas Tilley’s father was HENRY TILLEY (1465-1520) who married JOHAN in England.

      John Howland and the Mayflower

      John and Joan Tilley came from London, England in 1620 on the Mayflower with their daughter Elizabeth. John Howland was also a passenger on the Mayflower. He was a manservant in the employ of John Carver.

      Already half way to America, the storm at sea was so rampant, one of the main beams that held the ship’s hull firmly in position, had cracked and was in danger of breaking in two. If this happened the ship would begin to break up. They found a long screw that someone had brought on board to bring to America for use in the new colony. So they decided if they use the metal screw to strap to the main beam like a metal collar this would keep the split from spreading and opening up, then it might be possible to head up into the wind again and proceed on their proper course. This they did and also plugged the leaks in the hull, then they headed for America.

      Within the violent storms, at times the Captain was compelled to allow the ship to drift helplessly like a piece of driftwood about the ocean. Thrown high, only to pitch forward again in a steep dive, the passengers rattled about the holds like a load of rocks in a giant sieve. For days on end the galley fires remained washed out and hot meals were out of the question. Seasickness broke out again, and there was such a stuffy stench in the passenger holds, the conditions became almost intolerable. Attempts to relieve the stench and to drive out the stale air by opening the scuttles and hatches were frustrated by the rush of seawater that soaked the bedding, the clothing and the bodies of the passengers. The Pilgrims, in the depths of misery, must have been torn between being almost asphyxiated in the atmosphere below decks, and risking the hazards of the open deck.

      One who braved the latter at the height of the storm was John Howland. He volunteered to check to see that none of the fittings were working loose and in danger of breaking adrift. He climbed up the gratings to get a good look at them, when, suddenly, he was caught off-balance as the ship reared up, and he was pitched overboard. By an incredible stroke of luck and a swift re-action, he succeeded in grabbing a thin rope. His weight carried him deep under the surface of the water, but he held on grimly. Half a dozen men caught hold of the rope which was attached to the deck, and careless of their own danger on the heaving sea-swept deck, they hauled young Howland to the surface. Then he was dragged close alongside with a boathook. As the roll of the ship brought him within reach, the men’s outstretched hands grabbed him by the hair and clothing and pulled him aboard.

      There had been deaths, and births, seasickness, and discouragements, but it was strange indeed that, in their weakened condition and helplessness, no epidemic broke out on board.

      After sixty-four days, on 9 November 1620, “land ahoy” was called, but it was some time before that land could be identified positively as Cape Cod, which was three hundred miles north of their destination, near the Hudson River. At the point of their landing was a large rock, which they kept as a marker of where they landed. It is still a landmark at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

      Elizabeth Tilley’s parents both died soon after landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts, leaving Elizabeth orphaned at 13 years. Elizaberth Tilley and John Howland fell in love and were married some time after their arrival at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and a daughter, Hope Howland was born.

      When we lived in Boston around 1971, we saw the land marker rock, which marks the place of their landing. An exact replica of the Mayflower is on display to the public at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was built and sailed from England to Massachusetts. Our family was able to go inside the replica of the Mayflower to see how the pilgrims lived on board the ship. It was indeed, cramped quarters. The people aboard had to be much shorter in height than the average person today. The bunks were short and the ceiling wasn’t very high.

      Our ancestors on this ship went through much duress for the sake of freedom of religion. There was a covenant made aboard the Mayflower ship, binding America and the Lord together, in the same way that the nation of СКАЧАТЬ