John Cary, The Plymouth Pilgrim

Lynda McGinnis tells me that we are short the proof that Elihu is the son of Joseph Cary.  But there seems to be the assumption that our Cary line goes back to John Cary the Plymouth Pilgrim.  I am reading a book written about this family line tonight on Ancestry.

This book is found on Ancestry in the collection North America, Family Histories 1500-2000.

My notes from my visit to NEGHS library last week say that the Seth Cary book is also available on archive.org

Samuel F. Carey says in “Cary Memorials”:  “The writer has had access to a manuscript more than one hundred years old, and written by a grandson of John Cary which says that John Cary, when a youth, was sent by his father to France to perfect his education, and that while absent his father died.  On returning to Somersetshire he differed with his brothers about the settlement of his father’s estate.  He compromised by receiving one hundred pounds as his portion and immediately sailed for America”

Tradition says that he was the first Latin School teacher in the Plymouth Colony, and that he taught Elder Brewster the Hebrew;.

   

He removed to Duxbury where he had ten acres of land allotted to him.  At a Court of Assistants, held October 2, 1637, “A proporcon of land is granted to John Carew, about the lands graunted to Robte Mendall contyning X acrees.”  And at a Court of Assistants, January 7, 1639….”are appoynted to lay forth Robte Mendlouoes & John Carews Land:….

  

On page 83 of Seth Cary's book in Section 28-A, Seth says that Joseph Cary (son of Samuel) who was born in  Bridgewater in 1705 married Anne, Daughter of Elihu Brett, in 1732.

I find this to satisfy my mind that Elihu was the son of Joseph Cary and his wife Anne Brett.  It seems quite sensible that Joseph and Anne named a son after her father.  And as far as I know there was not an Elihu in the Cary family before the birth of our Elihu. And Linda McGinnis says that Elihu Cary and his wife, Catherine North named a son Elihu "Britt".  I will look for this information.

Where is Duxbury?  It is just north of Plymouth as shown by red marker on below map

Wikipedia says that the Pilgrims of Plymouth had been bound to stay together in one location for the first seven years.  But at the end of that time, the settlers began moving away from Plymouth.  At first the settlers farmed in Duxbury but went back to Plymouth during the winter months. But by 1637 settlers had built houses and moved to the area.  John Cary seems to have moved by 1639.

In 1656 the General Court ordered that Duxbury New Plantation was a separate township from Duxbury to be called Bridgewater.  So the family did not move.,,,the area in which they lived was renamed,

Plymouth Colony Records Vol 3, page 99 for 3 June 1656 name John Carew as constable of Bridgewater.  John Carew and John Cary seem to be interchangeable names for our Pilgrim ancestor.  He is listed both ways in the book below:

While in the NEGHS library I viewed.  This book is available on Ancestry.

On page 56 the following is found:

PCR is:

MD is Mayflower Descendant and TAG is The American Genealogist Vol 9 to present

At the end of the day, I feel confident that Elihu Cary is the son of Joseph Cary and his wife, Anne Brett.  It is quite clear to me that the couple named their son after Hannah's father, Elihu Brett.