The Hon. John Davis, who in 1826 published an edition of Morton's New England's Memorial, with many illustrative notes, states that he had been informed by a certain Mrs. White, an old lady whose mind was richly stored with anecdotes of the "FirstComers," that Mrs. Alice Southworth's original name was Rayner, and that she was sister to John Rayner who was for some time settled as a minister in England, but becoming a Puritan and Separatist, he joined the colony in New Plymouth, and was their pastor from 1636 to 1654, while both Bradford and Brewster were living. This received some slight countenance from the fact that in 1644, there was a Puritan lady, Mrs. Constance Rayner, living in the parish of St. Botolf without Aldgate, London, Constant being, as may be remembered, the name of one of the sons of Mrs. Alice Southworth. It also derived a slight degree of probability from the fact that there were Rayners living in Basset-Lawe in good position. But I have been favoured by Mr. H. G. Somerby to whom the people of New England are so much indebted for

Mrs. South his genealogical researches in the old

worth sup

to have been

posed by some country, with a copy of the will of John Rayner, which, though it cannot be said

a Rayner

to disprove the alliance, affords no presumption in favour of it, and it entirely disproves the connection with the Rayners of East Drayton, and places him in the midst of a wide-spread family of the name, persons of ancient descent, possessing lands in the parishes of Batley and Birstal in the clothing district of Yorkshire. John Rayner the pastor of the New Plymouth people, their first pastor, unless we count Brewster as one, bequeaths to his widow and sons lands at Gildersome in the parish of Batley. But Dr. Young has produced evidence which is almost conclusive, that Mrs. Alice bore another name before her marriage, in the following entry in the records of the Plymouth church: "1667: Mary Carpenter, sister of Mrs. -or CarpenAlice Bradford, the wife of Governor

ter.

Bradford, a member of the church at Duxbury, died in Plymouth, March 19-20, being newly entered into the 91st year of her age. She was a godly old maid, never married." We do not trace families of this surname in Basset-Lawe. She might be a half sister.

But there is a still more difficult and curious genealogical question connected with the

Bradfords. The American writers on this

subject allege that a sister of the Governor

Supposed marriage of a

George Mor

ton and a Bradford,

and Nathaniel

of that mar

riage.

Morton a son named Sarah married George Morton, and was mother of Nathaniel Morton the author of New England's Memorial, first printed in 1669; and they are supported by the strong fact that Nathaniel Morton does in that work call Governor Bradford his uncle. On the other hand, we have no trace in the register of Austerfield, which was well kept, of any sister of the Governor named Sarah, nor is the marriage of a Morton to any of the Bradfords to be found in that register. Nor is this the only difficulty which presents itself when we compare the histories and traditions of America with the evidence of record in our own country. This George Morton is said to have been an inhabitant of the same village with Bradford, and to have come to New Plymouth with his family of four children in July, 1623, and that there, in less than a year, he died.55 Now certain it is, that there were many Mortons, people however of small consideration, living at Austerfield in the time of the Bradfords, and certain also it is, that there was among them a George Morton baptised February 12th, 1597-8, one of many children

55 New England's Memorial, Judge Davis's Edition, prefatory

matter.

of a Thomas Morton. This is the only George Morton; but as we find a number of children of a George Morton baptised at Austerfield between 1624 and 1631, it would seem that, according to the testimony of the register, this must be the George, son of Thomas, who could not therefore have emigrated in 1623.

I fear it is in vain to hope to identify the George Morton, father of Nathaniel, by means of English evidence. My well-informed friend and correspondent, Mr. Savage, tells me that he has discovered that the wife of this George Morton was not named Sarah but Juliana, and that she married after his death one Manassed Kempton. This is unfavourable to the tradition or history which connects him with Austerfield, for the people of that homely village showed no taste or refinement in the selection of the names given to their children; and yet when we read the words in which Governor Bradford records his death, "a gracious servant of God, an unfeigned lover and promoter of the common good and growth of this plantation, and faithful in whatever public employment he was entrusted with," it is impossible not to wish that we could support by our own evidences the

traditions of New England, and could show that he as well as Brewster and Bradford sprung from the country around Bawtry-the cradle of the AngloAmericans. He also, whoever he may have been, occupies a conspicuous place in the early history of this emigration, as the English correspondent of the first settlers, the person to whom Bradford and Winslowe transmitted their Relation of the proceedings during the first year of the Settlement,' and who superintended the publication of it at London in 1622; if we admit, as in all likelihood we may do,5 that Dr. Young is right in his conjecture that the "G. Mourt," which is the name subscribed to the preface is really intended for this George Morton, the father of Nathaniel. It is manifest also that the writer of that preface contemplated emigration, or, as he expresses it, “to put his shoulder to this hopeful business," as we know that the father of Nathaniel Morton did ere another year was past.

56

While we are pursuing these inquiries with what may be called by some a trifling minuteness, I cannot

56 I venture to introduce this qualification, remembering that we have names of two Puritan families in England which approach nearer in orthography to "Mourt" than Morton does-Mort in Lancashire, and Moult in Derbyshire.