A Truly Epic American Journey: Fourteen Generations from the Mayflower to the Modern Frontier

 

Four hundred years of American history are not merely read in books—they are lived through the bloodlines, footfalls, horse tracks, and paddle strokes of the families who built this nation. From the storm-tossed deck of the Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod in 1620, across the Revolutionary battlefields of New England, down the fur-trade waterways of the French-Canadian voyageurs, out to the rugged homesteads of big-sky Montana, and into the modern West, our family saga stands as a classic American odyssey.

Act I: Plymouth Rock & The First Generation on American Soil (Gens 1–4)

The story opens in late November 1620 aboard the cramped Mayflower. As icy Atlantic winds battered Cape Cod, William White (1587–1621) and his pregnant wife Susanna Jackson (1593–1680) waited in the ship's hold. While anchored in Provincetown Harbor, Susanna gave birth to Peregrine White (1620–1704)—the very first English child born to the Pilgrims in New England. Though William perished during the brutal first winter of 1621, Susanna endured, marrying Edward Winslow and helping secure the survival of Plymouth Colony.

Peregrine grew up to be a respected military captain and civic leader in Marshfield, marrying Sarah Bassett (1630–1711), daughter of Fortune passenger William Bassett. Their son Sylvanus White (1645–1688) and his wife Deborah Church (1656–1690) carried the line into the late 17th century, passing the pioneer mantle to William White (1683–1780) and Elizabeth Cadman (1685–1768) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, who carved out farms along the coast as New England transitioned from wilderness settlements into thriving colonial towns.

Act II: Patriots, Surgeons, and Dragoons (Gens 5–8)

By the mid-18th century, the family merged with the Brown lineage when Sarah White (1709–1795) married John Brown (1705–1773). Their son, John Jr. Brown (1734–1772), married Lydia Barker (1738–1791)—descendant of Rhode Island's early quakers and colonial builders.

When the fires of the American Revolution erupted in 1775, twelve-year-old Solomon Brown (1765–1839) stepped forward as a Revolutionary War Drummer Boy. Solomon would later marry Mary Sweet (1770–1846), uniting two extraordinary patriot lines. Mary’s father was Caleb G. Sweet (1732–1831)—a Revolutionary War surgeon who treated Continental soldiers (including service connected to General George Washington’s forces)—and her mother was Isabell Sherman (Babcock) (1727–1813), a relative of Founding Father Roger Sherman. SEE: https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-architects-of-republic-cousin-roger.html 

       [Revolutionary War]                [War of 1812]

     Solomon Brown (Drummer Boy)  ──►  Samuel R. Brown (NY Dragoons)

     === Mary Sweet                   === Maria (Mariah) Weeks

     (d/o Washington's Surgeon)

Solomon and Mary’s son, Samuel R. Brown (1798–1877), answered the call to arms a generation later during the War of 1812, serving as a Horse Soldier in Ball’s New York Light Dragoons. Samuel married Maria (Mariah) Weeks (1810–1890), anchoring the family’s westward gaze toward the vast interior of the continent.

Act III: Voyageurs & Montana Homesteaders (Gens 9–11)

The mid-19th century brought a dramatic new stream into the bloodline. Samuel’s son, John Galloway Brown (1833–1915), headed West to break soil as a pioneer Montana Homesteader. He married Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau) (1836–1917), bringing the spirit of the French-Canadian fur trade into the family tree. Lucy was the granddaughter of La Prairie voyageurs and coureurs des bois who had paddled freight canoes across the Great Lakes and Missouri River corridors.

Their son, Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864–1948), raised cattle and crops on the Montana frontier. Abe married Geneva (Neva) Plympton (1870–1939), whose father Charles Henry Plympton was a Union Civil War veteran.

In the next generation, Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971) married Franklin Jackson Bailey (1886–1968), a rugged Montana rancher who had served as a Private in Company H of the 2nd Montana Infantry. Together, they embodied the grit of early 20th-century Big Sky ranching.

Act IV: The Last Pioneer to the Drifting Cowboy (Gens 12–14)

Lydia and Franklin’s daughter, Velma Veda Bailey (1914–2004), was remembered as "The Last Pioneer"—a woman born into the open ranch country of Montana who bridged the old horse-and-wagon days with the modern era. She married Leonard John Head (1914–1998), a master home builder who was himself the son of a British immigrant and grandson of a foreman at London's historic Royal Arsenal carriage department.

Out of this convergence of builders, ranchers, and pioneers came Jerry Leonard Head-England (1942–present)—widely known to family, friends, and readers as "A Drifting Cowboy." Writer, local historian, outdoorsman, and horseman, Jerry captured the lore of the West, the history of California's film ranches, and his ancestral roots through his writing.

The journey continues into the 21st century with Jerry's son, Michael, and his wife Rosemary, daughter of Australian immigrants. As parents to Ryan, Kevin, and Ian, they carry forward a 14-generation legacy that spans from the windswept shore of Plymouth Colony to the infinite horizons of the American West.

The 14-Generation Lineage Summary

Gen	Ancestral Pair & Historical Role	Key Legacy / Context
1	William White (1587–1621) & Susanna Jackson (1593–1680)	Mayflower Passengers, 1620
2	Peregrine White (1620–1704) & Sarah Bassett (1630–1711)	1st English child born to Pilgrims in America
3	Sylvanus White (1645–1688) & Deborah Church (1656–1690)	Early Massachusetts Bay Settlers
4	William White (1683–1780) & Elizabeth Cadman (1685–1768)	Colonial Farmers of Dartmouth, MA
5	Sarah White (1709–1795) & John Brown (1705–1773)	Bridging Mayflower Whites to Brown Lineage
6	John Jr. Brown (1734–1772) & Lydia Barker (1738–1791)	Colonial Rhode Island & Connecticut Connections
7	Solomon Brown (1765–1839) & Mary Sweet (1770–1846)	Rev. War Drummer Boy & Daughter of Washington's Surgeon
8	Samuel R. Brown (1798–1877) & Maria Weeks (1810–1890)	War of 1812 Veteran (Ball's NY Dragoons)
9	John Galloway Brown (1833–1915) & Lucy Passino (1836–1917)	Montana Homesteader & French-Canadian Voyageur Roots
10	Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864–1948) & Geneva Plympton (1870–1939)	Montana Homesteader & Daughter of Union Civil War Vet
11	Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971) & Franklin J. Bailey (1886–1968)	Montana Rancher & 2nd Montana Infantry Private
12	Velma Veda Bailey (1914–2004) & Leonard John Head (1914–1998)	"The Last Pioneer" & Master Home Builder
13	Jerry Leonard Head (England) (1942–)	"A Drifting Cowboy" — Historian & Writer
14	Michael (1967–) & Rosemary(1969–)	Father of Ryan, Kevin & Ian; Australian Heritage

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

The Rebel Surgeon and the Hands of Warwick

 

In 1635, when Dr. John Greene stepped off the ship James onto the shores of Massachusetts Bay, he was a respected surgeon of 45 years. But New England was not a quiet sanctuary for a man who valued freedom of thought. In Salem, when Puritan magistrates sought to dictate how men worshipped and governed, Dr. Greene refused to remain silent. Openly declaring that the Boston court was arbitrary and unlawful, he was fined, threatened with imprisonment, and banished.

Gathering his wife, Joan Tattersall, and their children, Greene rode south into the wilderness. He linked arms with Roger Williams, becoming an original proprietor of Providence, and later joined Samuel Gorton in purchasing Shawomet—renaming it Warwick—where true liberty of conscience was codified into law.

When Boston puritans sent armed militia into Warwick to forcibly annex the land, Dr. Greene risked everything once more. Sailing back across the Atlantic to London in 1644, he successfully petitioned Parliament for an official charter, securing the fledgling town of Warwick from conquest.

While John Greene wielded the surgeon’s scalpel and the diplomat’s pen, a different kind of medicine took root in his household. His daughter, Mary Greene, married James Sweet, giving birth to Capt. Benoni Sweet. Inheriting both the independent spirit of his grandfather and a miraculous, tactile instinct for human anatomy, Benoni became the founding patriarch of Rhode Island’s legendary "Bonesetter Sweets".

Through Benoni, his son Thomas, and his surgeon grandson Caleb G. Sweet, this blend of rebel conviction and intuitive healing passed directly down the line to our grandmother, Lydia Corinna Brown.

NOTES:

Not only was Dr. John Greene a rebellious surgeon who defied the Puritan authorities of Massachusetts, but his marriage to Joan Tattersall also laid the foundation for the famous "Bonesetter Sweets"—a legendarily gifted line of folk healers in American history.

Part I: Genealogical Review

1. Dr. John Greene, Immigrant (c. 1590–1659)

• Origins & Profession: Born at Bowridge Hill in Gillingham, Dorset. He trained as a surgeon and apothecary in Salisbury, Wiltshire, practicing there for over 16 years at St. Thomas Parish.
• New England Arrival: Emigrated in April 1635 aboard the ship James to Salem, Massachusetts.
• The Rebel Founder: Quickly clashing with the rigid Massachusetts Bay Magistrates over their religious tyranny, Greene was fined and banished from Massachusetts in 1637. He joined Roger Williams as one of the 12 original proprietors of Providence Plantations.
• Founding Warwick: In 1642, along with the radical religious reformer Samuel Gorton, John Greene purchased the "Shawomet Lands" from the Narragansett sachem Miantonomi, founding the town of Warwick, Rhode Island. When Massachusetts sent armed soldiers to arrest the settlement's leaders, Greene escaped to England in 1644 with Gorton to secure a royal charter directly from Parliament, successfully protecting Warwick’s independence.

2. Joan Tattersall (c. 1598–c. 1643) — ⚠️ DEATH DATE CORRECTION

• Marriage: Married John Greene on November 4, 1619, at St. Thomas Church in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.
• Mother of the Line: She was the mother of all seven of Dr. John Greene’s children, including our ancestor Mary Greene (1633–1686).
• Death Correction: Modern scholarship confirms she died in Rhode Island around 1643. (Online trees often list her death as April 6, 1635, in Warwick, but Warwick wasn't purchased until 1642/43, and she crossed the Atlantic with her husband in mid-1635.)

Part II: The Medical Dynasty & The "Bonesetter Sweets"

When Dr. John Greene’s daughter Mary Greene married James Sweet, two distinct healing traditions merged.

   Dr. John Greene (Surgeon)  ===  Joan Tattersall

                               │

                          Mary Greene  ===  James Sweet

                                       │

                         Capt. Benoni Sweet (1663–1751)

                            ["Dr. Sweet" Bonesetter]

                                       │

                         Thomas Sweet (1703–1763)

                                       │

                      Caleb G. Sweet (1732–1831) [Surgeon]

                                       │

                           [OUR BROWN LINEAGE]

• Capt. Benoni Sweet (1663–1751): The son of Mary Greene and James Sweet, Benoni inherited an extraordinary natural talent for orthopedics. Known affectionately across New England as "Doctor Sweet," he possessed an intuitive knack for manipulating severe dislocations, fractures, and sprains without formal surgical tools.
• An Inherited Gift: The Sweets were not academic doctors; they were farmers, stonemasons, and craftsmen who passed down this spatial and tactile understanding of bones from generation to generation. Our 6th great-grandfather, Caleb G. Sweet (1732–1831), carried this lineage forward as a battlefield surgeon and physician during the Revolutionary era.

     Salisbury, England ──► Salem, MA (1635) ──► Providence, RI (1637)

                                                       │

                                                       ▼

                                              Warwick, RI (1642)

                                             [The Shawomet Charter]

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Timber, Trade, and the New London Shore

 

When William Hough left Cheshire, England, in the late 1630s, he carried with him the essential skill set of a timber framer and house-carpenter. Landing at Gloucester, Massachusetts, he joined the pioneer community centered around the Reverend Richard Blinman. There he married Sarah Calkins, daughter of Deacon Hugh Calkins, binding his family to one of New England’s prominent early families.

In 1650, seeking new opportunities along the Long Island Sound, William joined his father-in-law in moving south to help establish New London, Connecticut. As one of New London's premier builders, William's broadaxe and chisel helped construct the first meetinghouses, homes, and civic buildings that anchored the frontier seaport.

His son, Capt. John Hough, inherited both his father's tools and his standing in the community. Settling near Norwich and New London, John established himself as a master builder. In 1683, he raised Norwich’s very first formal schoolhouse, and by 1694 he was commissioned to oversee the construction of New London's major new meetinghouse. Promoted to Captain of the local militia, John was a respected leader across eastern Connecticut. Tragically, in August 1715, while working high on a roof frame, a scaffolding collapse ended his life.

When John’s daughter, Hannah Hough, married Oliver Manwaring Jr. in 1705, she linked this builder dynasty with one of New London's maritime merchant lines. Their daughter Bathsheba Manwaring would marry Peleg Barker, merging the Connecticut Hough-Manwaring lines with the Plymouth Mayflower descendants—a legacy carried down through the Brown family to your grandmother Lydia Corinna Brown.

NOTES:

Here are key genealogical additions, vital clarifications, and historical context for your William Hough and Capt. John Hough branch, followed by an authentic historical narrative.

Key Genealogical Additions & Corrections

1. William Hough (Immigrant) (c. 1619–1683)

• Origins: Cheshire records identify William as the son of Edward Hough (and likely his widow Ann Hough) of West Chester, Cheshire, England. 
• Spouse: Married Sarah Calkins (1627–1684) on October 28, 1645, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Sarah was the daughter of Deacon Hugh Calkins (1), a founding member of the "Cape Ann Company". 
• Migration Route: Arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts, before 1645. Around 1650, he migrated with his father-in-law Hugh Calkins to New London, Connecticut. 
• Trade & Civic Roles: He was a master house-carpenter by trade and served as a town selectman and appointed deacon of the church. 

2. Capt. Jonathan "John" Hough (1655–1715)

• Given Name Clarification: Primary vital records, court filings, and his own 1711 will record him consistently as John Hough (his younger brother born in 1659 was named Jonathan). 
• Marriage: Married Sarah Post (1659–1754) on January 27, 1680, in Norwich, Connecticut. Sarah was the daughter of John Post and Hester Hyde. 
• Life & Public Service: Like his father, John was a skilled builder and carpenter. In 1683, he co-built the first schoolhouse in Norwich. He was commissioned as an Ensign in 1694 and later rose to Captain in the local militia. 
• Death Details: On August 26, 1715, while working on a house frame in New London, he tragically fell from the scaffolding and died within an hour. His estate inventory totaled a substantial £796, including lands in both New London and Norwich. 

3. Hannah Hough (1688–1754)

• Birth & Death: Born January 30, 1688, in New London; died September 20, 1754. 
• Marriage: Married Oliver Manwaring Jr. (1679–1754) on March 15, 1704/5, at New London. 

Lineage Structure

                      EDWARD HOUGH & ANN

                              │

                  WILLIAM HOUGH (c. 1619–1683)

              === Sarah Calkins (1627–1684)

                              │

                 CAPT. JOHN HOUGH (1655–1715)

              === Sarah Post (1659–1754)

                              │

                   HANNAH HOUGH (1688–1754)

              === Oliver Manwaring Jr. (1679–1754)

                              │

               BATHSHEBA MANWARING (1714–1746)

              === Peleg Barker (1712–1784)

                              │

                  LYDIA BARKER (1738–1791)

              === Solomon Brown

                              │

                 [SOLOMON BROWN ➔ SAMUEL R. BROWN ➔

             JOHN G. BROWN ➔ ABRAHAM LINCOLN BROWN ➔

                   LYDIA CORINNA BROWN]

             Cheshire, England  ──────► Gloucester, MA (c. 1640s)

                                              │

                                              ▼

                                     New London, CT (1650)

                                    [Carpenters & Builders]

(1) Deacon Hugh Calkins (1603–1690) was a prominent Puritan settler, a founding member of the settlement at Cape Ann (Gloucester, Massachusetts), and a key founder of New London and Norwich, Connecticut. He arrived in America from Wales/England around 1640 as part of the "Welsh Company" led by Reverend Richard Blinman.

Life and Public Service

• Cape Ann / Gloucester (1640s–1650): Settled with Blinman's group on the rough promontory of Cape Ann, where they cleared land, farmed, and dug the early Blynman Canal. Served as a selectman, commissioner, and deputy to the Massachusetts General Court.
• New London, Connecticut (1651–1659): Moved with the company to New London (then Pequot) because the Cape Ann climate proved too harsh for farming. Served as a townsman, war committee member, and deputy to the Connecticut Assembly multiple times.
• Norwich, Connecticut (1659–1690): Helped found the town of Norwich alongside his family. Served as one of the first deacons of the Norwich Congregational Church and represented the town as a deputy to the legislature. He died in 1690 at the age of 87.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy