The journey to proving my Ancestral connection to the Mayflower is frustrating, painfully slow, and everything I hate about Genealogy. The goal of the Mayflower Society is to prove your Ancestors’ existence. I know they existed. I am living proof of that.

When I started looking into my Ancestral history, it was with the intention to tell their stories… correctly. By discovering who they were and how they lived their lives, I made discoveries about myself. Their blood flows through my veins. Their DNA is in every cell of my body. Their thoughts and actions are recorded somewhere in my genetic makeup and sometimes influence me even today.

I want more than just a name in a lineage. I want a relationship. If their stories can help me prove their existence to the satisfaction of the Mayflower Society, that will be wonderful. If not having proof of their exact dates of birth, death, or marriage(s) keeps me on the outside looking in, then so be it. I have to remember what is most important…