Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving, A Little Early

 The Mayflower has landed!


After 66 days of rough seas and during the height 
of the North Atlantic storm season, 
the Mayflower with it's 102 passengers
and 28 crew sighted land,
 Cape Cod on November 9,1620.

This isn't where they were suppose to go.
But after such a terrible journey, this is where
they decided to stay!

Look what I finished.



"Coming to America"
The Women of the Mayflower
Celebrating 400 Years

a design by Brenda Gervais

The cross stitch listed the 18 married women
who travelled on the Mayflower
with their husbands.


Only 5 women survived the first winter 
and only 4 were there for the famous Thanksgiving,
Ellen Billington, Elizabeth Hopkins, 
Mary Brewster, and Susannah White who later
married Elizabeth Winslow's widowed husband.

 My Mayflower descendant,
Francis Cooke arrived with his son, John.
(My 9th great grandfather)


They had decided that Hester and the other 4 children
were to remain in Leiden, Netherlands until later.

And I'm glad they decided to do that!

Hester and the kids arrived in 1623 on the ship, Anne.
And the Cooke's had one more child, 
Mary, who I am descended from.


The Pilgrims didn't leave a list of the
provisions that they brought with them, but
based on other lists, historians have 
taken a educated guess.
Did you know two dogs travelled on the Mayflower?
An English Spaniel and an English Mastiff


The Pilgrims survived.
They would celebrate their arrival
in the New World and all that the
 Wampanoag Indians had done for them
with a feast on the one year anniversary of 
their arrival in the autumn of 1621.

Well, Francis lived a very long life (80 years)



and Hester (82 years).
I would have to say they were strong and
determined people.   
I feel honored to have these two people
in my family and hope
to keep their story alive for generations to come.

Wishing you and your family 
a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

****
Confession!
I have fallen down the cross stitch 
rabbit hole.  I've started another project
by Blackbird Designs.

I knew this might be a problem!

Until Next Time-
Kyle

21 comments:

  1. You have an interesting history! That stitchery is perfect.

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  2. I cannot believe you posted this!!!! I just found out I am a descendent of William Brewster!!!! I have not crossed stitched in a long time, but I am going to make this too. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  3. Kyle, your cross-stitch is a work of art. Congratulations on the finish. It is rather spectacular!

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  4. Wow...that is beautiful. Lots of work but well worth it. Hugs

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  5. What a fabulous finish. And, how exciting to be descended from those hearty souls that made this long and arduous journey. I can see the site of the "Popham Colony" (established 1607) from our house in the summer, but that is as close to this early history as I can come. I think you have fallen down a beautiful rabbit hole indeed and I look forward to seeing the end result. Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving.

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  6. What a gorgeous stitchery! And an amazing story to share with your grandchildren. My sister and her son are the genealogy buffs in the family and have traced our family back to John Alden. Many years ago when my children were very young we visited Plymouth, I'd love to make that trip again.

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  7. I love the results of your rabbit hole! Your did an excellent job of it. This is a great sampler, and if I thought I would ever get it made, I would want to know the pattern source. Susannah White is my 10th great-grandmother. Her son, Peregrine, who was apparently born on the ship as they sat in Cape Cod, was my 9th great-grandfather.
    But I saved 2 sampler patterns I was determined to complete when I gave up cross-stitch decades ago, and I saved all my floss. I have never made those two samplers. Who am I kidding that I would get this made. But I love yours! Thanks for sharing it, and your knowledge of their story!

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  8. Your cross stitch sampler is wonderful! I am descended from William and Mary Brewster - I have the genealogy all laid out on paper and I think they are my 13th great grandparents on my mother's side of the family. (I should count back again to be sure!) I cross stitched a lot for the 5 years before I started quilting, but have not been tempted to go back to it even though there are lots of fabulous patterns out there. Enjoy!

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  9. I have seen several people that are in the process of working on that same cross stitch design. It is an inspirational piece.
    I have not totally fallen down the rabbit hole on cross stitch. I have purchased some floss and patterns but not started. I am going to have a laser treatment on both my eyes starting Monday. I hope I can see the small print better afterwards.

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  10. This is so lovely Kyle! It has such a softly aged look to it. Meaningful and beautiful 😃 Have fun with your next project!

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  11. Beautiful cross stitch, Kyle. I can see how you could get addicted. I just downloaded the book The Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. Should be interesting. Maybe I’ll run into your relative!

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  12. Such a beautiful heirloom and remembrance of your family history. There is still a lot of history of the Pilgrim fathers kept here in Leiden.

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  13. Oh My your cross stitch is absolutely stunning! Thank you for all the fun and interesting facts.
    I'm sure I learned things in grade school but that was back in the dark ages, lol
    Blackbird Designs are so beautiful - enjoy!

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  14. What a wonderful sampler, and such an intriguing tale. Amazing that you can trace your family line back to the Mayflower. A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Kyle.

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  15. What a beautiful finish leading up to Thanksgiving! The fact that you have a family connection makes it even more special. I've been working on my geneology almost every day since March and have yet to make a Mayflower connection, oh well;). How exciting for you to know those stories and have that heritage. I have never done a counted cross stitch but these designs are very tempting!

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  16. How fun to have such a wonderful family history! And it seems cross-stitch is making a big comeback! Your work is beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving.

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  17. What a fascinating family history. Thanks so much for sharing it with us - love it!

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  18. Thanks for the great story! I wish the Pilgrim story had been presented with more personal details when I was a schoolgirl - or maybe I needed the prism of age to really appreciate the grit and courage required for their undertaking. Anyway, congrats on a wonderful finish!!

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  19. Wonderful post, Kyle! I loved reading about your ancestors and the names of the women who came over on the Mayflower. It is such an inspiring story. Your work is beautiful and I can totally understand how you fell down the rabbit hole! Have fun with your next project :)

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  20. So interesting! And it's good (cross stitch) problem to have. LOL

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  21. What a great family story! I too am glad that Hester stayed behind so she could live to give birth to your ancestor. The cross stitch is wonderful too. I did a lot of cross stitch back in the day.

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