Our family can claim a Mayflower connection through James Chilton. Much of the following information was provided to us by Marion Emmons. Her information comes from Volume Two of the Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, published 1978. Additional information was found in Volume 15 of the Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: James Chilton – Richard More, published 1997.
JAMES CHILTON was the oldest passenger on the Mayflower. He was born about 1556 in Canterbury, Kent County, England. He was a tailor by trade and was listed as a freeman of Canterbury in 1583. Sometime before 1587 he was married, possibly to Susanna Furner, daughter of his step-mother and her first husband, Francis Furner. James and his wife had 10 children. Baptismal records list seven of those children as being baptized in Canterbury, England. About 1600 the family moved to Sandwich, England where the last three of his children were baptized. It was in Sandwich where he met other Pilgrims who later went to Holland, and he was drawn into the Separatist movement.
Our descent from James Chilton has been proved through only his eldest child, Isabella. Governor Bradford wrote that among those on the MAYFLOWER, were James Chilton and his wife, and Mary his daughter. (They had another daughter that was married who came to Plymouth afterward. It is this ‘other’ daughter, Isabella, from whom the Pearls descend.) In 1650 Gov. Bradford wrote “James Chilton and his wife also died in the first infection, but their daughter Mary is still living and hath nine children; and one daughter is married and hath a child. So their increase is ten.” James died on 18 December 1620, scarcely a month after signing the Mayflower Compact. He was the only signer who died at Cape Cod, while the MAYFLOWER was docked in Provincetown Harbor. His wife died soon after, sometime after 21 January 1620/1.
From the book, Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, published in 2006, comes some additional though scant, information about James Chilton and his family. The MAYFLOWER left Provincetown Harbor on Dec. 15, 1620. They hoped to start building houses on the mainland. They explored the area around Plymouth Harbor and on Wednesday, Dec. 20ththey decided where they wanted to build their settlement. However the weather was so stormy they were forced to wait. “In the meantime, the wind-lashed MAYFLOWER had become a grim hospital ship. In addition to colds, coughs, and fevers, scurvy tormented the passengers. James Chilton had died even before the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor.”*Others followed him in death. “With two, sometimes three people dying a day throughout the months of February and March 1621, there might not be a plantation left to defend by the arrival of spring. Almost everyone had lost a loved one….Three families were entirely wiped out by death….Thirteen-year old Mary Chilton, whose father had died back in Provincetown Harbor, became an orphan when her mother passed away that winter.”** (info: Mayflower,by Nathaniel Philbrick. * Page 81. **Page 89.)
ISABELLA CHILTON, James Chilton’s eldest child, was born in St. Paul’s Parish, Canterbury, Kent, England 15 Jan. 1586/7. No death record found. In fact, Bradford’s statement that James Chilton “Had another daughter, that was married, came afterward,” provides the only evidence that Isabella came to Plymouth. She married in Leyden, Holland 21 July 1615 to Roger Chandler. She died between 1658 and 3 Oct. 1665 prob. Duxbury, MA. Roger and Isabella Chandler likely came to Plymouth in 1629 or 1630, when according to Bradford the Leyden contingent arrived. Roger Chandler was taxed in Plymouth 25 March 1633, and listed as a freeman the same year. This was the earliest record of him in this country. He was enumerated among those able to bear arms in Duxbury in 1643, and he sold land there in 1644. He was listed among freemen of Duxbury in a tally presumed taken in 1658. Roger and Isabella had 4 children. (info for Isabella and that of her family and the families of Sarah Chandler, Jacob Leonard, Sarah Leonard and Jane Orcutt, which follow, are from Mayflower Families Through Five Generations).
Children of Isabella Chilton and Roger Chandler:
i. Samuel b. Leyden, Holland, before 15 Oct. 1622; probably died young.
ii. Sarah b. Leyden before 15 Oct 1622. Our family descends through Sarah Chandler.
iii. Mary b. after 1622 probably in Leyden.
iv Martha b. after 1622 probably in Leyden.
SARAH CHANDLER b. Leyden before 15 Oct. 1622. She m. in Duxbury, MA circa 1640 to Solomon Leonard, b. probably Monmouthshire, England circa 1610. He d. Bridgewater, MA before 1 May 1671.
Children of Sarah Chandler and Solomon Leonard:
i. Samuel b. circa 1643 in Duxbury, MA.
ii John b. circa 1645 in Duxbury.
iii Jacob b. circa 1647 in Duxbury. Our family descends through Jacob Leonard.
iv Isaac b. circa 1650 in Duxbury.
v Solomon b. after 1650 in Duxbury in that part of town later called Bridgewater.
vi Mary b. after 1650 in Duxbury in what was later called Bridgewater.
JACOB LEONARD b. circa 1647 in Duxbury, MA. He d. Bridgewater, MA between 9 May and 19 Dec. 1717. He m. circa 1680 to Susanna King, his 2ndwife. She was b. Weymouth 6 May 1659. She was the daughter of Samuel and Experience (Phillips) King. Jacob Leonard served in King Philip’s War 1676. He and Susanna had seven children.
Children of Jacob Leonard and Susanna King:
i Abigail b. Weymouth, MA 11 Nov. 1680.
ii Susanna b. Weymouth 27 Dec. 1683.
iii Experience living 14 Dec. 1716.
iv Mary
v Solomon b. circa 1693 (based on age at death).
vi Sarah b. Bridgewater, MA 11 June 1699. Our family descends through Sarah Leonard.
vii Jacob b. Bridgewater 13 June 1702, d. there 1722.
SARAH LEONARD b. Bridgewater, MA 11 June 1699. Living in Stafford, CT 1743. She m. in Bridgewater 27 Feb. 1720/1 to William Orcutt, Jr. b. possibly Weymouth, MA 13 Aug. 1695. He was living in Stafford, CT in 1743. He was possibly the son of Andrew and Frances (Ward) Orcutt. Sarah and William had nine children.
Children of Sarah Leonard and William Orcutt, Jr.:
i. Jacob b. 2 May 1723 in Bridgewater and d. Stafford, CT 1745.
ii William b. 25 April 1725 in Stafford, CT.
iii Susanna b. 29 Sept 1727 in Stafford. She d. Stafford 26 June 1744.
iv Solomon b. 4 May 1730 in Stafford.
v Simeon b. 2 Aug. 1732 in Stafford.
vi Lemuel b. 26 Aug 1735 in Stafford.
vii Moses b. 10 Dec. 1737 in Stafford.
viii Sarah b. 7 Nov. 1740 in Stafford.
ix Jane b. 26 July 1743 in Stafford. Our Pearl family is descended through Jane Orcutt.
JANE ORCUTT b. 26 July 1743 in Stafford, CT, m. JAMES PEARL on 23 June 1763 in Willington, CT. Our narrative from this point on can be traced in the PEARL & JEWETT FAMILY GENEALOGY & HISTORY by Dorothy Vander Meulen, published in 2003. James Pearl is designated as Generation 3 from our immigrant Pearl ancestor, John Pearl. James Pearl is found on page 4 of that history and his unique identifying number is [16].
For those who do not have a copy of the PEARL & JEWETT FAMILY GENEALOGY & HISTORY, the following is an abbreviated tracing of the family down to AUSTIN EUGENE PEARL. The identifying numbers are as they are given in the HISTORY.
[16] JAMES PEARL (Timothy, John) b. 24 March 1739 in Windham, CT. He married JANE ORCUTT on 23 June 1763 in Willington, CT. She was the daughter of William ORCUTT and Sarah LEONARD. Jane was b. 26 July 1743 in Stafford, CT. James Pearl d. 2 May 1831 at age 92 in Willington, CT. Jane d. 2 March 1795. (info: Marion Emmons from estate records). (Florence Pearl Morey – reports that Jane was born and died in Stafford, CT.) James and Jane had eight children. Our line is descended from their 6thchild, [30] JEROME PEARL.
[30] JEROME PEARL (James, Timothy, John) b. 8 Sept. 1775 in Willington, CT m. AMARYLLIS ALLWORTH/ALWORTH on 14 May 1800 in Hampton, Windham, CT. Amaryllis b. 20 May 1780 in Pomfret, CT. Her parents were William Allworth, Jr. and Beulah Moseley. Jerome Pearl d. 17 April 1824 at the age of 48 and Amaryllis d. 28 Dec. 1850 at age 70. (info: Florence Pearl Morey). Jerome and Amaryllis had nine children. Our line is descended from their 6thchild, [38] JOHN PORTER PEARL.
[38] JOHN PORTER PEARL (Jerome, James, Timothy, John) b. 14 Oct. 1813 in Hampton ( info: Florence Pearl Morey) or Wethersfield (info: Marion Emmons), m. MARIA JENNINGS JEWETT on 23 Feb. 1847 in Hampton, CT. Maria, b. 3 Jan. 1826 in Hampton, was the daughter of Ebenezer JEWETT II and Nancy Maria JENNINGS. John Porter Pearl d. 2 April 1881 at age 67 years. Maria (Jewett) Pearl d. 28 June 1909 at age 83. John and Maria had 8 children. Our line is descended from their 3rdchild, [44] AUSTIN EUGENE PEARL. (info: Florence Pearl Morey).
[44] AUSTIN EUGENE PEARL, ( John Porter, Jerome, James, Timothy, John) b. 11 Jan. 1851 in Hampton, CT m. on 25 July 1875 to MARY EMMA WEEKS, b. 27 June 1857 in Eastford, CT. She was the daughter of Sylvanus Decatur WEEKS and Minerva Maria SNOW. Austin Pearl d. 3 Feb. 1927 and Mary d. 15 Nov. 1923. (info: Marion Emmons). Austin and Mary had 7 children.
Children of Austin Eugene Pearl and Mary Emma Weeks:
[86] i. Eva Maria PEARL b. 30 June 1876, d. 8 July 1901.
[87] ii Arthur Eugene PEARL b. 28 May 1878, d. 5 June 1967.
[88] iii William Austin PEARL b. 15 May 1880, d. 4 March 1971.
[89] iv Reuben Everett PEARL b. 30 Nov. 1885, d. 14 Dec. 1957.
[90] v Mary Almeda PEARL b. 20 Oct. 1888, d. 26 April 1948.
[91] vi Florence “Flora” Belle PEARL b. 30 April 1891, d. 5 Oct. 1947.
[92] vii Evelyn Martha PEARL b. 13 April 1899, d. 20 May 1977.
From here you should be able to continue the line to yourselves and your children and grandchildren. I want to thank Marion Emmons for her help in compiling this history.
……………..Dot Vander Meulen, Pearl Family Historian; July 2007
Abbreviations Used: b = birth, d = death, m = married.
The Pearls of Hampton 
Thank you – I do have this. My grandmother, Alice Pearl Krupula and her sister, Florence, did keep in touch with Marion Emmons. I also have your mother’s histories so a lot of the work has been done for me. And thank you for your part in keeping the history alive with the website and photography! Deb
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