The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-15
MAYFLOWER RELICS.

| READ with great interest the arti-
Gle, "The Log of the Mayhower," by
Mr. Charles G. Storrs, in a recent
number of The UNIvERsALIsT. While
| am not, that know Of, descended
directly from the pilgrims, my mo-
Their was a descendant of some of the
earliest settlers of New England; and
my father was the son of a Revolu-
tionary soldier. But all Americans,
and especially those of New England
stock, are interested in all that relates
to the Mayfower; and any relics as
sociated with her memorable voyage
ought to possess to them inestimable
value. In such cases patriotism be-
comes kind of religion, and we re-
gard its sacred tokens with some
such feelings as we do the early tokens
of Christianity, the ancient manu-
scripts, and the sacred places, u look
upon them some as the crusaders
did upon the Holy Land and the
tomb of the Saviour
In the winter of 1889 40, l was
teaching district school in the town
of Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., N. Y, in
locality called the Brewster neigh
borhood. There were several famil
les there of that name, brothers, and
lineal descendants of Rev. William
Brewster, one of the two ministers
who came over in the Mayfower. As
the custom was then and there,
boarded alternately with the patrons
of the school. One of the brothers
was named William, and while board
ing at his house he showed me an
old dictionary published in England
early in the seventeenth century, and
which, according to the tradition of
the family, was brought over in the
Mayhower by the ancestor, William
Brewster, and had been kept as an
heirloom in the family since his
death. 1t was given to son named
William, with an injunction that it
should descend perpetually to one of
that name. The injunction had been
faithfully kept for 200 years, but this
William, though he had large fam
lily of boys and girls, had no one of
this name, and declared he did not
know what would become of the book
at his death. He was a peculiar man,
with fair common school education
and bad been teacher, but was ad-
dicted to drink, though protesting to
be, or to have been, a Christian of the
Campbellite school of Baptists, but
had no interest in books, and seldom
read anything. He was a man of
considerable mind, though unculti-
waited; and all his children promised
to be inferior to him, both in native
powers ana cultlVatlOn.
No doubt he is dead long since, for
my acquaintance with him was nearly
sixty years ago, but probably the old
dictionary has been preserved, and
could be found, and obtained; and
there could be no doubt of it's gen
uineness as a relic. 1t seems to me
it would be we'll worth the pains, to
preserve beside the LOG of the May
flower" so fortunately obtained
through the influence of Senator
Hoar and others. If it should be
deemed worth while to make the eff
fort, l would be glad to assist. and
have no doubt that the relic could
be found and obtained, without much
cost.
Mr.. Brewster told me there was a
Bible, | think it was, belonging to
the ancestor, and which came over in
the Mayaower, that had descended
through another branch of the family;
but whether that could now be
traced is uncertain. He did not seem
to know himself exactly where it then
was. All such precious relics ought
to be preserved, or they will soon
perish and be lost from the face of
the earth. j. B. SAKE.
FIT. SCOTT. Kan.