Did You Know #53

    With Thanksgiving coming up I thought this item may be of interest to visitors of this family blog. Four hundred years ago a little ship called the Mayflower brought a group of pilgrims to The New World. Arriving in what is now Massachusetts on November 21, 1620, the Mayflower was only about 90 feet long, and the living quarters, where the 102 passengers spent their 66-day voyage, was about the size of a volleyball court. One hundred and two passengers finally disembarked on December 21st (the two births en route offset the two deaths). In those first harsh winter months half of the pilgrim population died.
    But did you know that our family has a link (by marriage) to the Mayflower? Dad's 3rd-Great-Aunt, Alzina Nettleton Bragg was the fifth-great-granddaughter of Priscilla Mullins who, along with her father, William and brother, Joseph, were all passengers on the Mayflower. Their other siblings, William and Sarah, stayed behind in England.
    Also on the Mayflower was Priscilla's future husband, John Alden. Priscilla Mullins was also a main subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1858 poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish.
    So here is the connection that comes through William and Alzina Bragg:

Don C. Bragg (1920)
Orval Bishop Bragg (1895)
Franklin Martin Bragg (1867)
William Bragg (1834)
Hugh Lewis Bragg (1795)         <brothers>	William M.Bragg (1808) married Alzina Nettleton (1814)
	Barnabas Nettleton (1780) married Phoebe Stafford (1785)
	Daniel Nettleton (1740) married Phebe Stannard (1748)
	Lemuel Uriah Stannard married Ruth Grinnell (1722)
	Paybody Grinnell (1691) married Ruth Nettleton (about 1700)
	Daniel Grinnell (1668) married Lydia Pabodie (1667)
	William Pabodie (about 1620) married Elizabeth Alden (about1624)
	John Alden (about 1598) married Priscilla Mullins (about 1602)
	William Mullins (about 1572) married Alice (last name unknown)

NOTE: Each generation's principle individual in bold.

Attached are pictures we took in August 2007 of the John and Priscilla Alden's house in the Duxbury, MA (visit Alden Kindred of America for more information).

Getting Through Life Alive

     Under the dark shadow cast by COVID-19 during the summer of 2020 more American families opted for vacationing in the great outdoors. With camping and campers on the rise, the National Park Service issued guidelines for safety when encountering a bear in the wild. Their advice ...

    • don't run (bears will chase you)
    • don't climb a tree (bears can climb too)
    • don't push!
NPS officials actually warned campers, “Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course)” (Kootenai Valley Times, Bonners Ferry, Idaho).
    We are all pilgrims on this physical journey through life (1 Peter 1:1). Our goal is to fully realize the eternal life Jesus promised to those who obey and follow Him (John 14:1-4). On this journey we need the support and encouragement of fellow Christians. Satan, however, uses any means possible to keep us from attaining those precious promises, even if it is getting us to turn on each other, "pushing each other to the bears."
    Isn't it wonderful that the church of the New Testament is infused with love? Love for God. Love for the Son. Love for the Bible. Love for one another (1 John 4:21). As Christians, we need each other to help us get out of this life to live forever.

David Bragg