Commentary
This spring, I found a card sent to me as a child from my paternal grandmother. In addition to her usual expressions of love and advice, my grandmother suggested that one of my ancestors came across the ocean on the Mayflower. Forgetting she had made such a statement years ago, and wanting to personally connect with a significant part of American history, I spent the last few months tracing every line on her side to find the connection.
While I did not find any Pilgrims on my father’s side of the ledger, I did find them on my mother’s. Mary Chilton, reputed to be the first female to disembark upon Plymouth Rock, is my 12th great-grandmother. Caring for Mary and her compatriot Pilgrims on the first Thanksgiving was Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag Tribe. His granddaughter married an English settler and established a progeny that resulted in thousands of descendants—including me—only ten generations later….