Mary Brewster (April 17, 1627) was a

Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

and one of the women on the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...

''. She was the wife of Elder William Brewster. She was one of only five adult women from the Mayflower to survive the first winter in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, and one of only four such to survive to the "first

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

" in 1621, which she helped cook. As such, she is included in

Plimoth Plantation Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts founded in 1947, formerly Plimoth Plantation. It replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English coloni ...

's reenactment of that Thanksgiving. She had six children with William: Jonathan, Patience,

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

, an unnamed child who died young,

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

, and Wrestling. Her son, Jonathan Brewster (1593-1659) and his wife Lucretia Oldham, had nine children. One of those children was also named Mary Brewster. Her life in England is unknown, as is her maiden name; maiden names of Wentworth, Love, Wyrall, and others have been suggested.

References

* ''Of Mary Brewster: the identity of Mary, wife of elder William Brewster of the Mayflower voyage of 1620 from Plymouth, England, to New Plymouth, New England'', by John Griffiths Hunt (1984)
''The Brewster Genealogy, 1566–1907: a Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the "Mayflower," ruling elder of the Pilgrim church which founded Plymouth Colony in 1620''
by Emma C. Brewster Jones, New York: Grafton Press. (1908) Year of birth uncertain 1560s births 1627 deaths People of the Plymouth Colony 17th-century English women 17th-century American women Mayflower passengers 17th-century American people 17th-century English people {{US-bio-stub

References

Further reading