William Brewster facts for kids
William Brewster (born 1566 – died April 10, 1644) was an important English leader. He traveled to America on the famous ship Mayflower in 1620. William Brewster was a strong religious leader. He guided people in both Europe and the new Plymouth Colony. He also helped create the Mayflower Compact, a very important agreement for the new colony.
William Brewster lived in a place called Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England. He went to Peterhouse, Cambridge, a famous university. At Cambridge, many people wanted to change the Church of England. These people were called Separatists because they wanted to separate from the main church. In England, Separatists were often put in jail.
Brewster worked for a man named William Davison in the Netherlands. Davison was also a Separatist and was sent to jail. After this, Brewster went back home to Scrooby. He became a postmaster, delivering mail. Brewster started a Separatist church in his own house. In 1607, he was briefly jailed for this. Brewster and other church members decided to move to the Netherlands in 1608. They hoped to practice their religion freely there. Leaving England without permission was illegal, so they left in secret. In 1609, he was chosen as the leader of their church group.
In Leiden, a city in the Netherlands, Brewster taught English. In 1616, he became a printer. He printed religious books to sell in England. In 1619, Brewster and Edward Winslow printed a religious booklet. This booklet disagreed with King James I and the Church of England. The King ordered Brewster's arrest. Brewster had to hide. The English ambassador took his printing press. Brewster's partner was arrested. The church group had already decided to leave Leiden for the New World. While Brewster was hiding, others like John Carver and Robert Cushman made the travel plans. Brewster escaped and, with Cushman's help, they boarded the Mayflower with their friends. His wife and two sons, Love and Wrestling, also traveled with them.
The Mayflower Journey and New Home
The Mayflower ship left Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620. There were 102 passengers and about 30 to 40 crew members. On November 19, 1620, the Mayflower reached land near Cape Cod. They officially landed on November 21. Before leaving the ship, they wrote the Mayflower Compact. This agreement set rules for how they would live and treat each other in their new home.
William Brewster became the main religious leader in Plymouth Colony. He also gave advice to Governor William Bradford. Brewster and his wife Mary had six children. Their names were Jonathan, Patience, Fear, an unnamed child, Love Brewster, and Wrestling Brewster.
Brewster's son, Jonathan, arrived in the colony the next year on a ship called the Fortune. His daughters, Patience and Fear, arrived later on a ship called the Anne.
Brewster received land on the islands of Boston Harbor. Four of these islands are named after him today. In 1632, Brewster also got land in a nearby area called Duxbury. He moved there from Plymouth Colony to build a farm.
In 1634, a serious epidemic (a widespread illness) affected the region. Many English settlers and Native Americans died. Sadly, William Brewster lost two of his daughters, Fear and Patience, during this time.
William Brewster died on April 10, 1644. He was buried at Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. There is a memorial there that honors him. It calls him "Elder William Brewster Patriarch (father) of the Pilgrims and their Ruling Elder 1609–1644." The exact burial place of his wife, Mary, is not known.
Images for kids
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The Book of the General Laws of the Inhabitants of the Jurisdiction of New-Plimouth (1685)
See also
In Spanish: William Brewster para niños
