Person:George Soule (1)

Browse
George Soule
b.bet abt 1595 and 1599
m. 16 Oct 1598
  1. Robert Soule
  2. Thomas Soole
  3. Mary Soole
  4. Anne Soule
  5. George SouleAbt 1595 & 1599 - Bef 1679
  6. Sarah Soole1600 - 1656
  • HGeorge SouleAbt 1595 & 1599 - Bef 1679
  • WMary Buckett1589/90 - 1676
m. 29 Mar 1623
  1. Zachariah SouleBef 1627 - Bef 1663
  2. John SouleAbt 1632 - Bef 1707
  3. Nathaniel SouleAbt 1637 - Bef 1699
  4. George Soule, Jr.1639 - 1704
  5. Susannah SouleAbt 1642 - Abt 1684
  6. Mary SouleEst 1644 - 1720
  7. Patience SouleAbt 1645 - 1705/06
  8. Elizabeth SouleEst 1648 - Aft 1700
  9. Benjamin Soule1651 - 1676
Facts and Events
Name George Soule
Gender Male
Birth[7] bet abt 1595 and 1599
Marriage 29 Mar 1623 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United Statesbef 1626
to Mary Buckett
Will? 11 Aug 1677 Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Death[1] Bef 22 Jan 1679 Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Other[7]  Refuted parents?: Robert Soule and Elizabeth Tylson (1) 
Reference Number[2] Q5544702?
Questionable information identified by WeRelate automation
To fix:Invalid date(s); edit the page to see message(s)

George Soule sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 as a servant of Edward Winslow. Mary Bucket arrived three years later on the ship Ann and they were married a few years later.George Soule sailed on the Mayflower as a servant to Edward Winslow of Droitwich, England, who resided in an adjoining parish. According to Ridlon George Soule was educated and an instructor to Winslow's children during the journey. He had books and kept a diary. (Soule, Sowle and Solis History by Rev. G.T. Ridlon, Sr.(1926). This excellent reference has copies of wills and probate papers.Since George was a "servant" to Edward Winslow, his voyage to Plymouth was in a business, not a religious relation to the expedition. If he was an indentured servant he was not technically and legally a free agent, but was obligated to go with his employer.George served as a Representative to the General Court from Duxbury, 1645, 46, 50, 51 and 54.Early in 1637 the Pequot Indians fell openly upon the English at Connecticut. In response to a plea for assistance, the Plymouth General Court agreed forthwith to send fifty men. George Soule volunteered for this service, June 7, 1637 as one of 42 men under Lieutenant William Holmes and Reverend Thomas Prence as chaplain "but when they were ready to march, they had word to stay" for the enemy was as good as vanquished and there would be no need. The Society of Colonial Wars recognizes for membership any descendant of George Soule by reason of this "service" which, strictly speaking, was not actually performed.

George Soule joined, probably in London, a company of adventurers off to the New World. His status is clearly established as a "servant" to relatively wealthy Pilgrim Edward Winslow; also as a signer of the famed Mayflower Compact of 11 Nov. 1620, O.S. It appears logical, therefore, to assume that Winslow bore the cost of his passage to Plymouth aboard the Mayflower. The original New Plimoth Colony Records, William Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation, 1620-1647", Plymouth Registry of Deeds and Probates, Bristol County Registry of Deeds, Plymouth Town Records, Duxbury Town Records and other authoritative sources provide sufficient evidence upon which to base a comprehensive sketch of George Soule's life in New England. Unlike some of his colleagues, he never returned to his homeland. However, suffice to say that he became a relatively well-to-do leader, business man and office holder in Plymouth Colony. As early as July 1627 George Soule was one of a group of fifty-eight "Purchaser or Old Comers" who assumed Plymouth Colony's debt to "The Adventurers", the promoters and capitalists who financed the voyage of the Mayflower and other early ventures and expenses of the colony. In return the group received profitable trading concessions in Maine, at Cape Ann, on Buzzard's Bay and subsequently on the Connecticut River. The General Court voted 5 March 1639/40 to pay these "Purchasers or Old Comers" for the surrender of their patent. Existing land records show that he acquired extensive holdings in Duxbury, Dartmouth, Middleboro, Marshfield and Bridgewater but resided only in Plymouth and Duxbury or "Ducksburrow" as it was called originally.On 27 Sept. 1642 he appeared before the General Court as one of two "Deputies" or representatives from Duxbury, Plymouth Colony having established representative government in 1639 after finding it no longer practicable to have all of the colonists participate as individuals. The representatives were limited to terms of one year and denied the right of succession so we find George Soule serving each alternate year for many years, with increasing assignments such as forming a committee 26 Oct. 1646 with Anthony Thatcher "to draw up an order concerning disorderly drinking of tobacco".Early in 1637 the Pequot Indians "fell openly upon the English at Connecticut". In response to a plea for assistance, the Plymouth General Court agreed forthwith to send fifty men. George Soule volunteered for this service 7 June 1637 as one of 42 men under Lieutenant William Holmes and Reverend Thomas Prence as chaplain "but when they were ready to march...they had word to stay; for the enemy was as good as vanquished and there would be no need." The Society of Colonial Wars recognized the eligibility for membership of any descendant of George Sould by reason of this "service" which, strictly speaking, was not actually performed. An eye witness also has identified one "George Soule, Sr." as having occupied the fort at Middleboro for six weeks in 1675 during King Philip's War. Admitting that Pilgrim George Soule was an original proprietor of Middleboro, the disposal of his property there in 1668 and his advancing age, lend credibility to a theory that the member of the fort party was actually the Pilgrim's son George Soule (1639-1704).

George Soule came to Plymouth on the Mayflower as a servant of Edward Winslow.George Soule married after the voyage to Plymouth. His wife was named Mary. By the time of the Division of Cattle in 1627, they had one son Zachariah. Mary Soule is probably Mary Buckett, who is listed in the 1623 Division of Land. George and Mary Soule had 9 children.George Soule moved to Duxbury and acquired considerable property. He was a volunteer in the Pequot War and served as a deputy for Duxbury and as a member of numerous town committees.


Information obtained from "Our Family Tree II" by Martha Cummings Bradley who obtained some of her informatiom from "George Soule of the Mayflower and His Descendants" by Colonel John Soule found in Family History Library in SLC.

George is believed to have come to America on the Mayflower and to be the 35th signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was a close friend and neighbor of John Alden.

George Soule came to the United States on the Mayflower. His wife Mary Becket came over on the Anne. George was orphaned when fire destroyed his home . He was brought up by his brother, Robert Soule of Selter Co. He came as a teacher to Edward Winsows children. George and Mary were married in Plymounth. George Soule, Miles Standish and John Alden laid out the first town, Duxbury, and are buried there.

Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620-1691 Part Two: Topical Narratives Chapter 11: Man and Master

xxx Of the 104 people called 1620 Mayflower passengers, at least twenty were servants or wards: William Button, Robert Carter, "Carver's maidservant," Edward Doty, William Holbeck, John Hooke, John Howland, John Langmore, William Latham, Edward Lester, Desire Minter, the four More children, Solomon Prower, George Soule, Elias Story, Edward Thompson, and Roger Wilder. Of these, twelve died during the first year, and thus there is no way of knowing what they might have become. Servants were employed by both Separatist and non-Separatist alike. Carver's maidservant married and died within a few years. Edward Doty became a freeman and quite prosperous, as did John Howland, who also rose to some distinction as a leader and Assistant. William Latham and Edward Lester left Plymouth and apparently were not too successful elsewhere. Desire Minter returned to England and died there. Of the four More children, only Richard More survived the first year, and he eventually moved to Salem, where he became a prosperous merchant and sea captain. George Soule became a freeman and prosperous. Thus from the beginning there was upward mobility, at least for some.

Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620-1691 Part Three: Biographical Sketches Biographical Sketches Southworth, Constant

xxx _A 1620 Mayflower passenger, George Soule arrived as a servant to Edward Winslow. He became a Purchaser and was on the 1633 list of freemen. He moved to Duxbury and acquired considerable amounts of land in other places. Soule was a volunteer in the Pequot War and in 1642 was a duputy for Duxbury. He married a Mary, whose surname possibly was Becket. He died in 1679. His will, dated 11 August 1677, with codicil 20 September 1677, proved 1679, named his sons Nathaniel, George, and John, and his daughters Elizabeth, Patience, Susannah, and Mary. He also had sons Zachariah and Benjamin who predeceased him. MF 3, with its necessary Addendum, gives his first five generations. The Soule family history compiled by Gideon T. Ridlon is not reliable.

Origins

In Ancestral File, four sets of parents are listed:

FATHER: Robert SOULE MOTHER: Elizabeth TYLSON

FATHER: Thomas SOULE SP: 10 Oct 1951 SG MOTHER: Mary INDENDEN

FATHER: George SOULE MOTHER: Unknown

FATHER: John SOULE MOTHER: Mrs. SOULE

From; The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgram fathers by Charles Edward Banks 1984: He has been tentatively identified as son of John Soule of Eckington, Co. Worcester, and problably kinsman to Robert Soule, a wealthy London salter, who died in 1590 a native of Eckington. Robert Soule had a son Miles and a grandson of George, the Emigrant, also bore that name. All other George Soules found in England at that period have been satisfactorily eliminated. Fuller particulars of this identification will be found in the recently published Soule Genealogy for which a special extensive search covering a number of years was made by the compiler of this book. The Winslow family from which Edward was descended lived in the nearby parish of Kempsey, Co. Worcester, and it is probable that this early neighborhood association explains the apprenticeship of George Soule to the Governor. It is supposed that George Soule was in London when he joined Winslow on the voyage. Droitwich, the family home of the Winslows at that time, was a salt mining place connected in a business way with the Salters' Company of London in trade, and thus the Winslow-Soule association was established. The name of Mary Bucket, his wife, who came in the Anne, should be looked for in the parish of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, London. It is probably a variation of Beckett. The marriage is established through the sale by George Soule of that acre of land granted to her as a passenger, which he could do as her husband.

From MayflowerHistory.com: George Soule's origins in England have not been discovered. The most promising record found to date is the baptism of a George Soule on 9 February 1595 at Tingrith, Bedford, son of William. Other Soule families using the name George can also be found in Sudbury, Suffolk, and Flitwick, Bedford.

Will

The will of George Soule, probated in 1679, reads:

In the Name of God AmenI Gorge Soule Senir of Duxbury in the Collonie of New Plymouth in New England being aged and weake of body but of sound mind and Memory praised be God Doe make this my last Will and Testament in Manor and forme following Imprimis I comitt my soule into the hands of Almighty God whoe Gave it and my body to be Decently buried in the place appointed for that use whensoever hee shall please to take me hence; and for the Disposall of my outward estate which God of his Goodness hath Given mee first I have and already formerly by Deeds under my hand and seale Given unto my two sonnes Nathaniel: and Gorge All my lands in the Township of Dartmouth; Item I have formerly Given unto my Daughters Elizabeth and Patience all my lands in the Township of MiddleberryItem I Give and bequeath unto my Daughters Susannah and Mary twelve pence a peece to be paid by my executor hereafter Named after my Decease; And forasmuch as my Eldest son John Soule and his family hath in my extreme old age and weakness bin tender and careful of mee and very healpfull to mee; and is likely soe to be while it shall please God to continew my life heer therefore I give and bequeath unto my said son John Soule all the Remainder of my housing and lands whatsoever to him his heires and Chattles whatsoever Item I Give and bequeath unto my son John Soule all my Goods and Chattles whatsoever Item I Nominate and appoint my son John Soule to be my sole Executor of the my last will and Testament; and lastly I doe heerby make Null and vlyde all other and former wills and Testaments by mee att Any time made; and Declare this instrument to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I the said Gorge Soule have heerunto sett my hand and seale this eleventh Day of August in the year of our Lord one Thousand six hundred seaventy and seaven:Gorge Soule and a sealeThe above named Gorge Soule Did signe seale and Deliver this Instrument to be his Last Will and Testament in the presence of usNathaniel ThomasThe Marke D T of Deborah ThomasApparently, as often happens in families when property is concerned, John Soule was displeased with the amount of property given to his sister Patience and his displeasure came to the notice of his father for he delivered this caveat in a codicil:Item the twentyeth Day of September 1677 I the above Named Gorge Soule Doe heerby further Declare that it is my will that if my son John Soule above named or his heires or Assignes or any of them shall att any time Disturbe my Daughter Patience or her heires or Assignes or any of them in peacable Posession or Injoyment of the lands I have given her att Namassaket allies Middleberry and Recover the same from her or her heires or Assignes or any of them That then my Gift to my son John Soule shall shalbe voyd; and shee shalbe my sole executrix of this my last Will and Testament And enter into my housing lands and meddowes att Duxburrow,

In Witness wherof I have heerunto sett my hand and seale;

Gorge Soule and A seal

The above Named Gorge Soule Did Signe and seale to this addition in the presence of us Nathaniell Thomas The Marke D T of Deborah Thomas

His inventory was taken Feb. 1 1680, according to "The Mayflower Descendant" vol. 2 p. 81.

References
  1. Johnson, Caleb. MayflowerHistory.com
    [1].
  2. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
    George Soule.

    the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

    George Soule or Soulé may refer to:

  3.   Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Duxbury, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1911).
  4.   Winsor, Justin. History of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with genealogical registers. (Boston: Crosby & Nichols, 1849)
    310.
  5.   George S. Brown. Yarmouth Nova Scotia Genelaogies Transcribed from the Yarmouth Herald. (1901).
  6.   By William T. Davis. Genealogical Register of Plymouth Families. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore 1975)
    246.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Johnson, Caleb. The Search for the English Origins of Mayflower Passenger George Soule
    http://www.sole.org.uk/georges1.htm.
The Mayflower (1620)
The Mayflower was the first settlement voyage to New England, carrying primarily English Separatists known as Pilgrims. It was destined for the mouth of the Hudson River, but landed at Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts.
Sailed: 6 Sep 1620 from Southampton, England under Captain Christopher Jones
Arrived: 11 Nov 1620 at Plymouth, Massachusetts
After spending the winter aboard ship, the surviving passengers moved ashore on 21 Mar 1621.
Next Vessel: The Fortune (1621)

Passengers:
104; 24 families left descendants (Full List)
Pilgrim Families: Allerton (Asst. Gov. Isaac) - Bradford (Gov. William) - Brewster (Rev. William) - Chilton - Cooke - Fuller (Edward) - Fuller (Samuel) - Priest - Rogers - Sampson - Tilley (Edward) - Tilley (John) - White - Winslow (Edward)
Other Families and Servants: Alden - Billington - Browne - Doty - Eaton - Hopkins - Howland - Mullins - Soule - Standish (Capt. Miles) - Warren - Winslow (Gilbert)

Resources: Primary Sources: Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation - Mourt's Relation - Pilgrim Hall (wills and other contemporary documents)
Wikipedia: Mayflower (voyage) - Passenger List - Pilgrims - Plymouth Colony - Captain Christopher Jones