Love Brewster was born 15 May 1611 in Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands to William Brewster (1567-1644) and Mary Brewster (1569-1627) and died 6 October 1650 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States of unspecified causes. He married Sarah Collier (1613-1691) 15 May 1634 in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States.
Biography
Love Brewster was a Mayflower passenger at age 9 and early Pilgrim settler of Plymouth Colony.
Elder Love Brewster (born ca. 1611) was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the Mayflower reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. Brewster had two sisters, Patience and Fear, and two brothers, Jonathan and Wrestling, along with an unnamed sister who died young. He was a founder of the town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
Birth in Holland
Love Brewster was born at Leiden, Holland, in about 1611, although no birth records have been found, and died at Duxbury, Massachusetts, sometime between October 6, 1650, and the "last day" of January 1651. This latter date is based on the date of his will and when the inventory of his estate was taken.
He was the son of Elder William Brewster, (ca. 1567 – April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim colonist leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony and his wife, Mary. At the age of 9, he traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the Mayflower to help establish Plymouth Colony in 1620.
Colonial Career
He was admitted a Freeman of the Colony on March 2, 1635/1636, which granted him the right to own land and to vote. Love and Sarah settled in Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, around 1636/7 next door to his father. Love was a successful farmer through his adult life. He served in the Pequot War as a volunteer in 1637, and was a member of Captain Myles Standish's Duxbury Company in 1643. He served on the grand jury from Duxbury in 1648 and was one of the founders of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, although it is believed that he never lived there.
Death
He died about January 1650/1 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Governor William Bradford reported that "Love lived till this year 1650 and dyed, & left 4 children, now living". He was probably buried in Duxbury, but his place of burial is unknown.
Vital Statistics
- Son of William Brewster (1567-1644) and Mary Love
- Born circa 1611
- Migration to Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower
- Died circa 1650
- Married on 15-May-1634 to Sarah Collier, daughter of William Collier (PCR 1:30).
Marriage & Family
He married at Plymouth, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1634, Sarah Collier, Sarah was baptized on April 30, 1616, at St Olave's Church, in the parish of Southwark St Olave, an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, England; and died on April 26, 1691 at Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Jane Clark and William Collier, one of the investors, or Merchant Adventurers, and an initial shareholder in the Plymouth Colony. She was the sister of Mary Collier, the wife of Thomas Prence, a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657–73). Thomas' first wife, Patience Brewster, was a sister of Love's. Sarah, Love's widow, married sometime after September 1, 1656, Richard Parke of Cambridge, Massachusetts,[6] and he died there in 1665. He also gave her a life's interest in his estate, which was later sold to Thomas Parke in 1678.[
The wife and four children are listed in Love's will dated 6-Oct-1650:
- Sarah Brewster (1638-1668) - married to Benjamin Bartlett
- Nathaniel Brewster - married by spouse's name is unknown.
- William Brewster (1646-1723) - married to Lydia Partridge, daughter of George Partridge. Noted in many civil affairs in Plymouth Colony and Duxbury MA.
- Wrestling Brewster (1644-1697) - wife's name is Mary
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Brewster (1638-1668) | 1635 Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 1668 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | Benjamin Bartlett (1633-1691) |
| Nathaniel Brewster (1637-1676) | |||
| Wrestling Brewster (1644-1697) | 1644 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 1 January 1697 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | Mary Holland (1661-1742) |
| William Brewster (1646-1723) | 3 March 1646 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 3 November 1723 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | Lydia Partridge (1650-1743) |
| Benjamin Brewster (1688-1752) | 7 July 1688 Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 7 November 1752 Preston, New London County, Connecticut | Elizabeth Witter (1694-1741) Sarah Calkins (1716-1765) |
Siblings
Vital Records
Bradford's Passenger List
From Gov. Bradford's list of Mayflower passengers (written circa 1650).
Mr. William Brewster; Mary, his wife; with two sons, whose names were Love and Wrasling; and a boy was put to him called Richard More; and another of his brothers (sic: sister Mary). The rest of his children were left behind, and came over afterwards.
Mr. Brewster lived to very old age; about 80 years he was when he dyed, having lived some 23 or 24 years here in the countrie; and though his wife dyed long before, yet she dyed aged. His sone Wrastle dyed a young man unmaried; his sone Love lived till this year 1650 and dyed, and left 4 children, now living. His doughters which came over after him are dead, but have left sundry children alive; his eldest sone is still living, and hath 9 or 10 children; one maried, who hath a child or 2.Richard More, his brother (sic: sister Mary) died the first winter; but he is married, and hath 4 or 5 children, all living.
Last Will of Love Brewster
Will of Love Brewster, Oct. 6, 1650:
"The last will and Testament of Love Brewster Deseassed exhibited at the general Court holden at New Plym: the 4th of March 1650 upon th e oath of Captaine Miles Standish
Witnesseth these psents that I Love Brewster of Duxburrow in New England and in the government of New Plym: being in pfect memory doe ordeaine & appoint this to bee my last will and Testamente And first my will is that if the lord shall please to take mee out of this life that my body bee buried in a decent mannor and that my funerall expences bee taken out of my whole estate;Next my will is; That all my Just and lawfull debts bee paied out of the Remainder of my said estate allso I give unto my Children that is to say Nathaniell, William, Wrasteling and Sara each of them a kettle and further my will is that my three sonns shall have each of them a peece that is to say a gun; allso I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Sara Brewster all the Residue of my whole estate both goods and Chattles and land at Duxburrow for her bringing up of her and my Children the time of her life and after her decease I doe give the aforsaid lands to my eldest sonn and heire apparent Nathaniell Brewster and in Case god should take him away out of this life without Issew I give and bequeath the said lands to Duxburrow to my second sonn William Brewster and in like case to my youngest sonn Wresteling Brewster;
And for those books I have that my wife would destribute them to herselfe and Children at her discresion allso my will is and I doe by the same give unto my three sonns equally to be devided amongst them all such land as of Right due to mee by Purchase and first coming into the land Which was in the yeare 1620 allso I doe make Constitute and appoint my beloved wife Sara Brewster sole executrix of this my last will and Testament in Witnes Whereof I have put to my hand and Seale this sixt of october 1650
Winess heerunto Love Brewster Myles Standish"
Pilgrim Monument
National Monument to the Forefathers, commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims, (including this person) who came to Plymouth Colony in 1620 on the Mayflower. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it is thought to be the world's largest solid granite monument. Located on an 11 acre hilltop site on Allerton Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
References
- Mayflower and Her Passengers by Caleb Johnson - Genealogical research on all Mayflower pilgrims. 292 pages (Pulb 2006).
- Love Brewster - disambiguation
- Brewster in Plymouth County, Massachusetts - first families genealogy
- 1623 Plymouth Land Census
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Footnotes (including sources)
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