Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of George Soule

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Descendants of George Soule

Generation No. 1

1. GEORGE² SOULE (ROBERT¹) was born 1593 in Eckington, Worcestershire, England, and died Jan 22, 1679 in Duxbury, Plymouth, MA. He married MARY BECKETT 1623 in Duxbury, daughter of SYLVESTER BECKETT and ELIZABETH HILL. She was born Jan 17, 1590 in St. Botolph, Aldersgate, London, England, and died Jan 22, 1679 in Duxbury.

Notes for GEORGE SOULE:
George was most likely the son of Robert Soule of Eckington. He was orphaned when fire destroyed his parents' home.

He sailed in the Mayflower as one of two servants to Edward Winslow. The Winslow family from which Edward was descended lived in nearby Kempsey Parish and this early neighborhood association may explain the apprenticeship of George to the future Governor. George was probably in London when he joined Edward Winslow on the Mayflower voyage. Droitwich, the Winslow family home at the time, was a salt-mining community connected in a business way with the Salter's Company of London and thus the Winslow-Soule association was established.

George was the 35th signer of the Mayflower Compact (at Cape Cod in 1620). He sold his lands in Plymouth and moved to Duxbury before 1645, at which time he was Deputy to the General Court at Plymouth; he was also an original Proprietor of Bridgewater in 1645. George, Myles Standish and John Alden laid out the town of Duxbury and all are probably buried there.

George became a relatively well-to-do community leader, businessman and office holder. In 1668, he gave his land in Middleboro to his sons-in-law John Haskell and Francis Walker and their wives (his daughters) Patience and Elizabeth. When he died, his possessions included a gun, books, chest and chair, shears, trammel and wedge, bed and wearing clothes.

As often happens in families when property is concerned, his son John Soule was displeased with the amount of property willed to his sister Patience, and his displeasure came to the notice of his father for he delivered this caveat in a codicil to his Will:

Item the twentyeth Day of September 1677 I the above Named Gorge Soule Doe heerby further declare that it is my will that if my son John Soule above named or his heires or Assignes or any of them shall att any time Disturbe my Daughter Patience or her heires or Assignes or any of them in peacable Posession or Injoyment of the lands I have Given her att Namassakett allies Middleberry and Recover the same from her or her heires or Assignes or any of them That then my Gift to my son John Soule shall shalbe voyd; and that then my will is my Daughter Patience shall have all my lands att Duxburrey And she shalbe my sold executrix of this my last Will and Testament And enter into my housing lands and meddowes att Duxburrow, In Witnes wherof I have heerunto sett my hande and seale.

There is a marker for George Soule at Duxbury which reads: "Nearby Rests George Soule, Pilgrim, A signer of The Mayflower Compact on Nov 11th 1620, who died in January 1679-80. Erected by Soule Kindred 1971." The Plymouth Genealogy Society isn't sure where he's buried but believes he was buried on his property. Being a founder of the town, he was given a place in the cemetery.

Mayflower: The English ship the Mayflower (a three-masted merchant ship that had originally been constructed for transporting wine). The 180-ton ship was about 12 years old. It was chartered by John Carver who had gone to London to make arrangements for the voyage to America. On Jul 22, 1620, Leiden Separatists, who had initiated the venture, sailed for Southhampton, with 35 of the congregation and their leaders, William Bradford and William Brewster aboard the 60-ton Speedwell. Both the Speedwell and Mayflower sailed from Southhampton on Aug 15, but were twice forced back by dangerous leaks in Speedwell. At the English port of Plymouth, some of Speedwell's passengers were regrouped on Mayflower and on Sep 16, 1620, the historic voyage began. The colonists had been granted territory in Virginia by the London Company, but probably headed for a planned destination near the mouth of the Hudson River. The Mayflower turned back, however, and dropped anchor at Provincetown. The Mayflower crew sighted land off Cape Cod on Nov 9, 1620 and first landfall was made Nov 11, 1620. It is often stated that there were 101 passengers on Mayflower. There were, however, exactly 104 including men, women and children. Of these, just 50 died within a year from the time they sailed from England, most of whom within a few months after their arrival at Plymouth. From the list of 104 passengers, 49 left descendants. Of the 49 who left descendants, 10 were wives, 9 were sons, and 6 were daughters of other passengers. Eliminating these 25 as duplicate ancestors, there remains 24 "heads of families." Of the 24 heads of families, however, there should also be eliminated those of William Mullins and John Tilley, because each left only a daughter, and each of these daughters married one of the other 24. From the remaining 22 are descended all persons who are now members of the various State Societies of Mayflower Descendants, and from no other persons with descent will be accepted. The 22 heads of families are: John Alden, Isaac Allerton, John Billington, William Bradford, William Brewster, Peter Brown, James Chilton, Francis Cook, Edward Doty, Francis Eaton, Edward Fuller, Stephen Hopkins, John Howland, Degory Priest, Thomas Rogers, Henry Samson, George Soule, Myles Standish, Richard Warren, William White and Edward Winslow.

Notes for MARY BECKETT:
The passenger ship "Anne" arrived in Plymouth in July 1623 accompanied by the Little James, bringing new settlers along with many wives and children who had been left behind in Leiden when the Mayflower departed. Mary Beckett was one of the passengers in "Anne" in 1621. Her marriage to George is established through George's sale of an acre of land granted to Mary as a ship passenger, which he could do as her husband.

Children of GEORGE SOULE and MARY BECKETT are:

ZACHARIAH³ SOULE, b. 1627, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA; d. Bef. Dec 11, 1663, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; m. MARGARET FORD, Nov 22, 1646, Plymouth; d. Aft. Mar 1664.

Notes for ZACHARIAH SOULE:
He died during the 1663 Canadian Expedition and his estate went to his brother John.

Notes for MARGARET FORD:
Researchers believe Margaret was again married and took her children to another part of the Colony where they may have been among the unaccounted-for Soules who settled in the southern states.

2.	ii.	JOHN SOULE, b. 1632, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA; d. 1707, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA.
3.	iii.	NATHANIEL SOULE, b. 1637, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA; d. Oct 12, 1699, Dartmouth, Bristol, MA.
4.	iv.	GEORGE SOULE, JR., b. 1639, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. May 12, 1704, Dartmouth, Bristol, MA.
5.	v.	SUSANNAH SOULE, b. Apr 25, 1642, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. Jan 2, 1684, North Kingstown, Washington, RI.
6.	vi.	MARY SOULE, b. May 1644, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. 1720, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA.
7.	vii.	ELIZABETH SOULE, b. 1645, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. 1700, Woodbridge, Middlesex, NJ.
8.	viii.	PATIENCE SOULE, b. 1648, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. Mar 11, 1706, Middleboro, Plymouth, MA.
	ix.	BENJAMIN SOULE, b. 1651, Duxbury, Plymouth, MA; d. Mar 26, 1676, Pawtucket, Providence, RI.

Notes for BENJAMIN SOULE:
Killed in action by Indians before Pawtucket, RI, on March 26, 1676 during King Philip's War. Nothing has been found to suggest that he married or ever sired any children.

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