William Brewster (1566-1644)

Mayflower Passenger, Senior Elder and the Leader of Plymouth Colony

The portraits and illustrations attributed to him were romantic creations imagined up in the 19th century - Edward Winslow is the only original Plymouth colonist with an extant portrait painted from life. Brewster was married to a woman known only as Mary and five of their children (listed) survived infancy, four of whom survived to adulthood. Their famous descendants include Henry Longfellow, Zachary Taylor, Nelson Rockefeller, Katharine Hepburn, Oliver Hazard Perry, Ashley Judd etc.
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 24/03/2023 and last updated on 25/03/2023.