Many in Wilcox County are likely descended from the 102 original Mayflower passengers

Signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620.

The year 2020 marks the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival with the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. This important anniversary has generated much interest in the Alabama Mayflower Society, a lineage society for the descendants of the 102 original Mayflower passengers.

According to Kevin Sellew, the Lt. Governor of the Gulf Coast Colony of the Alabama Mayflower Society, statistically, Alabama has about 161,000 Mayflower descendants, an average of around 2,400 per county. No doubt a number of these descendants live in Wilcox County, including some who probably have no idea that they are directly descended from this historic group of colonial settlers.

Many Mayflower descendants in Southwest Alabama (including Sellew and I) are directly descended from Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins. Hopkins was one of the 41 signers of the historic Mayflower Compact and served as assistant to the governor of the Plymouth Colony for many years. Hopkins was also the only Mayflower passenger with previous experience in the New World, having helped settle Jamestown, Virginia after surviving a shipwreck on the island of Bermuda in 1609.

Hopkins has numerous descendants in and around Butler County, including many in Conecuh, Monroe and Wilcox counties. Many of these descendants are related to Hopkins through Margaret McPherson Baldwin, the wife of Dr. John Augustus Baldwin of Butler County; Sarah Marble Sellers, the wife of John F. McPherson of Butler County; and Elizabeth N. Cromartie, the wife of Duncan Sellers of Butler County. All of these individuals died in the 19^th Century, and if any of them are in your family tree, you are a direct descendant of Hopkins.

I say all that to say that a free family history workshop for those interested in researching the possibility that they are descended from the original 102 Mayflower passengers will be held at the Evergreen-Conecuh County Public Library on Wed., Jan. 29, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Susan Hatter Crowson of Mobile, who is a member of numerous lineage societies including the Jamestown Society and the Society of Mayflower Descendants, will be the guest presenter during the program.

Crowson, who is also a Hopkins descendant, has worked with over 50 Mayflower Society members to complete their society applications, and she volunteers at the Mobile Public Library Local History and Genealogy Library once a month. The upcoming workshop in Evergreen will focus on Hopkins descendants in Southwest Alabama, but the workshop will also be helpful to people researching other Mayflower family lines. Everyone attending is asked to bring their basic family lineage chart to the event.

The workshop will also address how to join the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the organizational structure of the Mayflower Society and the types of documentation and proof needed to apply for membership. In addition to the Gulf Coast Colony, there are three other colonies in Alabama, including the Capital Colony, the Tennessee Valley Colony and the Cahaba River Colony. According to Sellew, the colony “boundaries” are not absolute and members can support whatever colony they choose. For example, while Wilcox County is closer to the Capital Colony in Montgomery by driving distance, the Gulf Coast Colony has members from Greenville, Thomasville, Andalusia, Butler, Jackson and Enterprise.

The Jan. 29 workshop in Evergreen is a free program, but those planning to attend are asked to reserve a spot by contacting library historian Sherry Johnston at 251-578-2670 or canebrakesociety@yahoo.com. Attendees are asked to call ahead so that organizers can ensure that everyone has a seat and receives the appropriate number of handouts. Attendees are asked to call by Jan. 27.

In the end, I am sure that there are a number of Mayflower descendants living in Wilcox County, and the upcoming workshop presents you with a golden opportunity if you’re even remotely interested in learning more about your family history and the Mayflower Society. I know that organizers are hoping to have a nice crowd, plus you may end up meeting some distant cousins that you didn’t know you had. For more information about the society, visit www.AlabamaMayflowerSociety.com or www.GulfCoastMayflowerColony.org.