Degory Priest, Mayflower Passenger--Related to Me?

From Wikimedia Commons: Pub. by Smith's Inc., Plymouth, Mass. Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass. - Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection #61532, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46122563

Is it possible that I am descended from one of the 102 Mayflower passengers who sailed in 1620 from Plymouth, England to the shores of America? Perhaps, or perhaps not--but it's an intriguing thought.

WikiTree, a free online collaborative database for genealogists, has published a list of Mayflower passengers and a way to find their relationship with anyone else. Here are my results:

Degory Priest (c.1579-c.1621) is the 9th great grandfather of Clair (Uncertain)

1. Clair is the daughter of Elva (Crabtree) Rodriguez 
2. Elva is the daughter of David Jewett (Crabb) Crabtree Sr. 
3. David is the son of Sarah Ann Kinney 
4. Sarah is the daughter of John Shepherd Kinney 
5. John Shepherd is the son of Stephen Kinney 
6. Stephen is the son of Israel Kinney 
7. Israel is the son of Daniel Kenney 
8. Daniel is the son of Mary (Richards) Kinne 
9. Mary is the daughter of Susan Sarah (Pratt) Richards [uncertain] 
10. Susan is the daughter of Marah (Priest) Pratt [unknown confidence] 
11. Marah is the daughter of Degory Priest [unknown confidence] 

This makes Degory the ninth great grandfather of Clair.

***

Why the uncertainty and "unknown confidence?" Since I haven't researched those relationships, which were supplied by the WikiTree database, I can't really say, but I am guessing that there is no clear documentation proving them. 

You must remember that according to Family History Daily there are probably 35 million living Mayflower descendants. Although I am honored to possibly be one of them, I have lots of company!

A New Family

February 18, 1985

My mother, Elva Crabtree Harris Rodriguez, was widowed at the age of 57 in 1972 when my father, Daniel Lawrence Harris, died of complications following a heart attack and stroke. They had been married for almost 32 years. 

Although she still traveled to all the places they had planned to see together, she was lonely. She once told me she never expected to be alone for so very long. But then she met Ernie (Ernest Raymond Rodriguez) and they married when she was 70, on February 18, 1985. Their life together was truly wonderful and she greatly enjoyed her expanded family.

I'm so glad that someone thought to take this photo of the combined family--the newly married couple; Elva's two daughters, Clair (that's me) and Jean; Ernie's three daughters, Linda, Diana, and Patt; plus our children. Many thanks to Linda Griswold for helping me with all the names I wasn't sure of.

In the front row, left to right:

Benjamin Daniel VandenBoom (Clair's son)

Breca Rodriguez Griswold (now Mariscal--Linda's daughter)

Ernie Lopez (Patt's son)

Colin Rodriguez Griswold (Linda's son)

Middle row:

Clair Harris Zarges (Elva's daughter)

Jocelyn Elise Goldsmith (Now de Sena--Jean's daughter)

Diana Rodriguez Muñoz (Ernie's daughter)

Linda Rodriguez Griswold (Ernie's daughter)

Patt Rodriguez Lopez (Ernie's daughter)

Back row:

Bill Zarges (Clair's husband)

Jean Harris (Elva's daughter)

Elva Crabtree Harris Rodriguez (the bride)

Andy Muñoz (Diana's son)

Ernie Rodriguez (the groom, holding his grandson, Andy)

We think the man who is partly out of sight on the right is Jerry Griswold (Linda's husband)

My Parents as Children

Elva Crabtree Harris Rodriguez

1914-1998

Daniel Lawrence Harris

1907-1972

Progress Report: My Mother's Family

The first chart below shows several generations back for my mother's family. A lot has been added since I first posted her family tree on this blog. Of course, each of these people has many more pages showing relatives of their own, which you can see by clicking on any name.

When I first started this research, it was difficult to know where to begin, as there were so many blank generations to be filled in. I knew my mother's parent's and grandparent's names, but my knowledge stopped there. This chart shows both the progress and the places where more research is needed. Clearly, I will need to be concentrating on my great-grandmother, Martha Grant, and her ancestors. 

This chart doesn't tell the whole story, however. There just isn't enough room on this page to represent all the known generations. If you will scroll down to the second chart, which starts with my great great grandfather, John Shepherd Kinney (1802-1872) who is in the fourth column from the left in the first chart, you will see that there is more to the story.

Elva Myrtle Rodriguezformerly Crabtree Born 27 Dec 1914 Died 29 Sep 1998 Sister of Alma Adelia Nickerson , Clifford Alden Crabtree, Beecher Henry Crabtree, Jesse Howard Crabtree, Hope McLeod, Bess Lelia York, Anna Avis Middleton, Sarah Norma Ariel, Gladys Laversa Hudgins, Lois Carrow Stockson, Muriel Evelyn Blakely  and David Jewett Crabtree Jr.  Wife of Daniel Lawrence Harris   Wife of Ernest Rodriguez  Mother of Clair Marie Zarges   and Jean Lee Harris		David Jewett Crabb Sr.   20 Jun 1875 - 17 Apr 1954		William Henry Crabb Jr.   1837 - 28 Jun 1890		William Henry Crabb Sr.   1802 - 1868		John Crabb Jr.   1770 - Nov 1853
								Elizabeth Mary Cram   abt 1759 - aft 1803
						Elizabeth Nason   abt 1805 - aft 1840		[Great-Great-Grandfather?]
								[Great-Great-Grandmother?]
				Sarah Ann Kinney   03 Oct 1842 - abt 14 Aug 1935		John Shepherd Kinney   1802 - 15 Dec 1872		Stephen Kinney   1771 - 03 May 1837
								Merab Ives   1776 - 23 May 1843
						Sarah Crabtree   1820 - abt 1887		Richard Arnold Crabb   30 Nov 1789 - 12 Jun 1867
								Mary Giggey   02 Nov 1788 - 26 Dec 1863
		Edith Rae Giberson   10 Mar 1880 - 26 Sep 1946		William Giberson   1856 -		Samuel Giberson   10 Aug 1826 -		James Giberson   03 Jul 1791 -
								[Great-Great-Grandmother?]
						Elizabeth Campbell   1837 -		Tamberlane Campbell   Sep 1813 - 05 Nov 1892
								[Great-Great-Grandmother?]
				Martha Grant   abt 1858 - bef 1890		[Great-Grandfather?]
						[Great-Grandmother?]

This second chart takes us back to my ggggggg grandparents, if I've counted correctly. WikiTree's concept of a "worldwide collaborative family tree" makes this chart possible. The further back we get in family history research, the more genealogists have worked on our common ancestors and the more information we have to share.

But wait, there's more! If you will locate Daniel Kenney (1705-1780) in the chart below, we can take a look at his ancestors as well. Just scroll down to the third chart. I hope you'll be surprised to find out just how far back we can go. I certainly was!

John Shepherd "Sugar John, Praying John"Kinney Born 1802 Died 15 Dec 1872 Brother of Israel Kinney,Israel Kinney , Stephen Kinney, Daniel Kinney, Josiah Kinney , James Kinney,Elijah Kinney, Ruth Kinney,Esther Kinney, Susan Kinney,Abigail Kinney and Eunice Kinney Husband of Sarah Crabtree   Father of John Shepherd Kinney  , Aaron Kinney ,Sarah Ann Kinney  , Susan Kinney , Adelia M. Kinney ,Richard Wayman Kinney and Charles Allen Kinney		Stephen Kinney   1771 - 03 May 1837		Israel Kinney   23 Oct 1739 - 24 Dec 1791		Daniel Kenney   19 Oct 1705 - abt 1780		Daniel Kinne   23 Jul 1682 - 28 Mar 1766
								Mary Richards   1684 - 28 Mar 1766
						Elizabeth Stockwell   1706 - abt 1795		William Stockwell   - 1747
								Elizabeth Shaw   - 1716
				Susannah Hood   27 Oct 1745 - 14 Jan 1812		Nathaniel Hood   1707 - 08 Jun 1755		Nathaniel Hood   09 Jun 1669 - 30 Oct 1748
								Joanna Dwinnell   05 Jul 1685 - 01 Mar 1732
						Abigail Potter   06 Sep 1713 -		Samuel Potter   1657 - 02 Aug 1714
								Sarah Chilson   04 Jun 1673 - 05 Oct 1737
		Merab Ives   1776 - 23 May 1843		Capt. David Ives   -		[Great-Grandfather?]
						[Great-Grandmother?]
				[Maternal Grandmother?]

I have to send out thanks to all the genealogists who have spent many thousands of hours compiling this information. Perhaps, working together, we actually can build a collaborative family tree for the entire world's population. Anything is possible, I suppose. 

One last note: It's almost an embarrassment of riches, but if you click on Henry Kinne's (1623-1696) name below, then on "family tree" on his page, you can see that his information reaches back for at least another four generations.

Daniel Kenney Born 19 Oct 1705 Died about 1780 Brother of Israel Kenny and Mary Kenny Husband of Elizabeth Stockwell Father of Daniel Kenney andIsrael Kinney	Daniel Kinne (23 Jul 1682 - 28 Mar 1766)	Thomas Kinne Sr. (11 Mar 1655 - 01 Jun 1687)	Henry Kinne (08 Jul 1623 - 19 Jun 1696)	John Kinne (1602 - 1670)
				Sarah Cheever (abt 1600 - 1663)
			Ann Putnam (1637 - 1680)	Edmund Putnam (1603 - 1675)
				Anne Compton (1607 - 1680)
		Elizabeth Knight (07 Apr 1658 - 06 Feb 1694)	Joseph Knight (abt 1624 - 13 Aug 1687)	John Knight (abt 1595 - 22 May 1674)
				Mary Pickering (1598 - 16 May 1676)
			Hannah Lamb (17 Dec 1633 - 13 Jan 1695)	Edward Lamb (bef 1608 - bef 1650)
				Margaret French (1610 - 1650)
	Mary Richards (1684 - 28 Mar 1766)	Joseph Richards (1653 - 24 Feb 1695)	William Richards (23 Jan 1619 - 25 Jul 1682)	John Richards (1578 - )
				Grace Weightman (08 Oct 1592 - )
			Grace Shaw (15 Aug 1621 - aft 1682)	Abraham Shaw (14 Nov 1585 - 10 Oct 1638)
				Elizabeth Best (09 Apr 1592 - abt 1649)
		Susan Richards (1654 - 1680)	____________________ [Great-Grandfather]	____________________ [G-G-Grandfather]