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.
George Soule came on the Mayflower as a servant to the Edward Winslow family, indicating he was under 25 years old at the time; however, he did sign the Mayflower Compact, suggesting he was over 21. This puts his birth year at around 1595-1599. This matches well with his apparent marriage date of around 1625 at Plymouth: by the May 1627 Division of Cattle, he was married to Mary, and they had had one son, Zachariah.
George Soule and family moved to Duxbury very early on, and he was a deputy to the Plymouth Court for a number of years beginning in 1642. He had volunteered for the Pequot War of 1637, but Plymouth's troops were not needed. He was on various committees, juries, and survey teams, during his life in Duxbury. In 1646, for example, he was appointed to the committee to deal with Duxbury's problem of the disorderly smoking of tobacco.
George Soule made out his will on 11 August 1677, and added a codicil to it on 20 September 1677. The codicil is quite interesting as it gives a little insight into a family squabble between son John and daughter Patience:
"If my son John Soule above-named or his heirs or assigns or any of them shall at any time disturb my daughter Patience or her heirs or assigns or any of them in peaceable possession or enjoyment of the lands I have given her at Nemasket alias Middleboro and recover the same from her or her heirs or assigns or any of them; that then my gift to my son John Soule shall be void; and that then my will is my daughter Patience shall have all my lands at Duxbury and she shall be my sole executrix of this my last will and testament and enter into my housing lands and meadows at Duxbury."
Friday, January 1, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Interesting relationship
President Bush, Barack Obama and Sarah Palin all descend from Samuel and Sarah (Soule) Hinckley. Sarah’s uncle was George Soule, Mayflower passenger and signer of the Mayflower Compact. Samuel and Sarah’s son, Thomas Hinckley (1618-1706), held several governmental posts in the Plymouth Colony and served as its last governor from 1681 to 1692.
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