Mary Prower (c1575-1621)

Mary Unknown Prower Martin was born circa 1575 in Essex, England and died 1621 onboard Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts of unspecified causes. She married Edward Prower (c1575-1605) 1592 in Essex, England. She married Christopher Martin (c1582-1621) 27 February 1607 in Great Burstead, Essex, England.

Research Notes

Mary Prower traveled with her 2nd husband, Christopher Martin (c1582-1621), and son Solomon to Plymouth Colony onboard the Mayflower in 1620, but they all died aboard there. She is survived by some children who remained in England.

In the parish registers of Great Burstead are found the baptisms of Edward Prower's children John (2 December 1599, buried 11 December 1599), and Mary (21 June 1601), along with the burial of an unnamed daughter on 26 October 1603. Two older children, Edward (born about 1594) and Solomon (born about 1596) are also found in later Billericay records. Edward Prower was likely married to Mary. In 1596, he had three sheets stolen from him, which led to a brief mention of his name in an Essex Quarter Sessions record. Edward died around 1603-1606, his widow Mary remarried to Christopher Martin. She came on the Mayflower with her second husband, and her son Solomon Prower.

Marriage & Family

Christopher Martin married widow Mary Prower in Great Burstead parish, co. Essex, on February 26, 1606/07.[1][20]

Mary (______) Prower may have been born in the mid-1570s due to her first child having been born about 1594. Her ancestry is unknown.[1] After extensive research, Author Caleb Johnson believes the name of her first husband was Edward Prower who first appears in Billericay, co. Essex, about 1586, possibly from Hallingbury. He married to Mary (_____) about 1592.

Edward and Mary Prower had the following children, all born or baptized in Great Burstead:

Edward Prower (Jr), born about 1594. Possibly named for his father. No baptism record for he or his brother Solomon in Great Burstead parish as no records exist from 1579 through 1596.
Solomon Prower, born possibly between 1595 and 1598. He was a Mayflower passenger with Bradford referring to him as a servant. He died in Plymouth on December 24, 1620.
John Prower, baptized December 2, 1599, buried December 11, 1599.
Mary Prower, baptized June 21, 1601. Possibly named after he mother.
Unnamed child, buried October 26, 1603.

Although no burial record or probate exists for Edward Prower, Johnson believes that he died between 1603 (had infant buried in October 1603) and February 1606/07, when his widow Mary married Christopher Martin.[21]

Author Caleb Johnson additionally states that since Mary (Prower) Martin came as a passenger on the Mayflower, her five children are rightfully Mayflower descendants. It is known that her son Solomon came on the Mayflower as a "singleman" and died in December 1620. Two other children – John and an unnamed child, died in infancy.

Johnson further states that if there are any descendants of Mary (Prower) Martin alive today, they must be descendants of eldest son Edward Prower (Jr.) or daughter Mary Prower. Johnson has found no record to prove that daughter Mary survived, but he states that there is proof that Edward Prower did survive, married and had several children. There is a record that on August 19, 1621, that Edward Prower and his wife Dorothy registered the baptism of their first child at Greaat Burstead, naming him Solomon Prower. Johnson believes that Edward had heard about the death of his brother Solomon in Plymouth seven months earlier and had named his first-born for him. This infant died in January 1622, so in memory Edward Prower named his next child, baptised in November 1622, also Solomon. In August 1628 they baptised a daughter Martha.[22]

It is possible that the grandchildren of Mayflower passenger Mary (Prower) Martin did survive to adulthood, married, and left descendants behind who may be ancestors of persons alive today in England or elsewhere.

Children

Offspring of Edward Prower (c1575-1605) and Mary Prower
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Edward Prower (1594-)	1594 Great Burstead, Essex, England	9999 England
Solomon Prower (1596-1620)	1596 Great Burstead, Essex, England	24 December 1620 onboard Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
John Prower (1599-1599)	2 December 1599 Great Burstead, Essex, England	11 December 1599 Great Burstead, Essex, England
Mary Prower (1601-)	21 June 1601 Great Burstead, Essex, England	9999 England
Child Prower (1603-1603)	1603 Great Burstead, Essex, England	26 October 1603 Great Burstead, Essex, England

Offspring of Christopher Martin (c1582-1621) and Mary Prower
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Nathaniel Martin (c1608-c1618)

Siblings

Vital Records

Bradford's 1651 Journal

List drafted circa 1651 by Gov Wm Bradford:

Mr. Christopher Martin, and his wife, and 2 servants, Salamon Prower and John Langemore.
Mr. Martin, he and all his, dyed in the first infection; not long after the arrivall.

Cole's Hill Memorial

A large monument was erected in 1921 on Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts to honor the many pilgrims who came to Plymouth Colony in the Mayflower but died during the first terrible winter and were buried here. This person is one of those person's listed thereon.

Mary Prower (c1575-1621)

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