Speculations about Mercy Bradford, the only daughter of Gov. William Bradford of Plymouth

It is also known that she married Benjamin Vermayes on Dec. 21, 1648 in Plymouth. She would have been 23 years old at that time. It is not known where Benjamin was born, but there is evidence that arrived in Plymouth from Boston MA, where he became a freeman on May 18, 1642. But it is not likely that he would have been born in Boston. He probably arrived in Boston on an English or Dutch ship. From his surname, one might guess that Benjamin was born in about 1624, probably in Holland or Flanders, but possibly in England. Benjamin died before Nov. 28, 1665 in "Ginne", according to the records revealed in Mayflower Increasings by Susan E. Roser 2nd Ed, (Gen Pub. Co., Baltimore, 1997), page 21. Speculation over what is meant by "Ginne" is discussed below.

It is also not known if, or how long, Benjamin Vermayes and Mercy stayed in Plymouth. It is possible that Benjamin came to Plymouth with every intention of moving back to Boston, from where he came, and then on to somewhere else, after marrying Mercy.

Gov. Bradford did not include any mention of Mercy or Benjamin in his will. There are several possible reasons why this might be:

• Mercy had died before the will was written in 1657.
• Mercy and Benjamin left for distant shores and made no further contact with Plymouth.
• Gov. Bradford may have disliked Benjamin, and resented losing his daughter to him.
• Gov. Bradford may have held that Benjamin could and should assume full responsibility for Mercy's welfare, and she wouldn't need, or couldn't use, his inheritance.
• Some complicated family dysfunction arose.

Most genealogies of Gov. Bradford's descendants assume the first case, that Mercy died before 1657.

Also, most genealogies, including this one, indicate the Mercy had no "known children". However, in the book: Bradford of Plymouth, (Lippincott , 1951) the author, Bradford Smith, states on page 312: "His daughter Mercy, marrying in 1648, must have given him grandchildren, though no record of them has been found." The author of these web pages believes that it is possible that Mercy and Benjamin did have some children and may have emigrated to Dutch Guyana (now Suriname), sometime before 1657. This conjecture is supported by the following gleanings from a broad overview of the history of the period, and the circumstances in Plymouth:

• There is no record or, gravestone for Mercy's death in Plymouth, and Benjamin was said to have died in "Ginne" according to the records revealed in Mayflower Increasings by Susan E. Roser 2nd Ed, (Gen Pub. Co., Baltimore, 1997), page 21. "Ginne" might be Dutch Guyana in South America, which had a similar Dutch/English history of colonization as Plymouth.
• In Leyden before the Mayflower sailed, Bradford participated In the separaratist's discussions over where to go in the Americas and one of the candidate locations under discussion was Dutch Guyana. Once settled in the Plymouth Colony and realizing the harsh winter conditions which had taken a terrible toll on the lives of the colonists, some of the elders may have wondered what it might have been like in tropical Dutch Guyana rather than in Plymouth.
• From his name alone, Benjamin Vermayes appears to have been Dutch or Flemish, perhaps speaking both Dutch and English, and he would have been somewhat familiar with the progress being made in the Dutch Colony in Dutch Guyana, and he may have thought that there was a better future there than in Plymouth.
• According to the history of Dutch Colonization of Guyana, the first Dutch Colony was established there in 1613, when 50 Dutch families were settled there. Thus, it was larger and was settled earlier than the Plymouth Colony, and may have been seen as a better place by Mercy and Benjamin. The first English colonists arrived in Dutch Guyana in 1630, and in 1650 it became the property of Sir Francis Willoughby of England, and remained under English control until the re-conquest by the Dutch Zeelander, Abraham Crijnssen, in 1667. The time period of 1650-1667, corresponds nicely with the Vermayes' approximate disappearence from Plymouth and death in "Ginne". Perhaps he died defending the English Colony of Guyana from attacks by the Dutch, who prevailed (or vice-versa).
• Another possibility is that the Vermayes went to Virginia ("Ginne"?), also a Colony that would have been more advanced at the time, however, it would seem likely that there would be a record of their existance there, and possibly more communication with Plymouth than is evident.
• The quote from Bradford Smith's biography of Gov. Bradford seems to be derived from Smith's analysis of his household capacity, and the limits it imposed on his ability to provide for the numerous children (including adoptees) for which he and Alice were responsible. There is no evidence that Benjamin Vermayes and Mercy had owned a house of their own in Plymouth, and Gov. Bradford may have had difficulty in allowing Mercy to leave his houshold as the only female to aid and accompany his wife, Alice, who looked after the daily needs of more than a dozen men and boys. Thus, Benjamin may have sensed that his family with Mercy would be better suited to leave Plymouth and go far away. Smith points out that when the Governor's oldest son, John Bradford, came over from Holland in 1627 at the age of 11, there was little room in his father's house, and John may have felt neglected and was disappointed that more attention was given to his father's many adopted children rather than to him, and perhaps had little rapport with his stepmother. John did not stay in Plymouth, but married in 1653 to Martha Bourne, and quickly moved to Duxbury, then to Norwich, Connecticut, as one of its first settlers. Smith suggests that John and Martha had no children because of the dysfunctional crowding that occurred in the Governor's busy household.

  Mercy grew to the age of matrurity in this crowded household, and she might have felt threatened, and "ran away" with Benjamin, perhaps with her children (if she had any), fearing that her children would also become victims of such dysfunctions, and seeking a less demanding life, free of so much domestic drudgery as a servant to the men and boys.

Occupants in Governor Bradford's household

• Governor William Bradford (b. 1589/90), using his house also as his "office".
• His wife, Alice (Carpenter) (Southworth) Bradford (b. 1590/91), performing both domestic duties and "first lady" responsibilities.
• The Governor's oldest son, John (b. 1615), by his first wife, Dorothy. John moved out in c1645.
• The Governor's oldest son, William (b. 1624), by Alice. William moved out in c1651.
• The Governor's only daughter, Mercy (b. 1626). Mercy moved out in c1648.
• The Governor's youngest son, Joseph (b. 1630). Joseph moved out in c1664.
• Alice's son, Constant Southworth (b. 1615), from her previous marriage. Constant moved out in c1637.
• Alice's son, Thomas Southworth (b. 1616), from her previous marriage, Thomas moved out in c1641.
• Alice's nephew, Nathaniel Morton (b. c1613), son of George Morton and Juliana Carpenter (Alice's sister). Nathaniel moved out in c1635
• Joseph Rogers (b. 1609/10), orphaned son of Thomas Rogers of the Mayflower. Thomas died in the first winter, 1621. Joseph moved out in c1631.
• Thomas Cushman, orphaned son of Deacon Robert Cushman. Thomas moved out in c1636.
• William Latham (b. c1608), orphan, possibly a delinquent youth. William moved out in c1638
• Samuel Cuthbertson, orphaned son of a passenger on the ship, Anne, which arrived in Plymouth in 1623. It is not known when Samuel moved out.
• Mary Carpenter (b. c1596), younger sister of Alice. Mary never married, and lived to the age of 90 in the Governor's house.

The search for Mercy is an ongoing genealogical mystery, and interested persons with ideas are invited to contact Phillips V. Bradford