Our Mayflower Project

Our ancestors sailed forward – to a new home. We have sailed backward into time to discover who our ancestors were!

By Teresa Anne Fortenberry

When I began this trip…. With you… for you….about you… I never fully understood the depth and breath nor the twists and turns it would take. Sure! ALL OF US “old folk” knew our Great Aunt Edna Simmons Campbell worked long years uncovering family history and following the generations further and further back until she was satisfied with her results. Along the way were those “cousins” who corresponded with Aunt Edna attempting to convince her that THEIR family pedigree was the correct one. But upon further consideration of the FACTS, Aunt Edna would discover a flaw in their work and so discard it. Dead-end leads are very discouraging, but the work continued!

My journey began with Aunt Edna. What better place to start than with a picture of the person responsible for this journey?

L. to R. Edna (with doll), Charlie, Mae (my Grandmother), Lewis, Elizabeth (Covington) Simmons, Richard and Bess (also with a doll). Flora is leaning on her mother, Elizabeth, our direct Mayflower ancestor!

The family of William Eli and Elizabeth (Covington) Simmons. (About 1902)

When I first requested membership into the society that is The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, I thought the process would be easy. After all, since Aunt Edna joined the Society in the 1950’s, I should have had very little work to do. I was not expecting to receive an email from the organization telling me that the membership rules had changed and I would have to prove the entire line all over again! I was devastated. I had no idea where to find all the information I needed to prove a family history that spanned almost 400 years! But then, surprisingly, a few days later, I received a second email stating that I would only have to prove about half of that. There were already several members whose ancestral information had been proven to the Society’s satisfaction and I could “build” on their family member.

Almost 400 years of family history had to be researched!

Arrival of the Mayflower in 1620

Making the connections to our generation

Ferman Fortenberry and Mae (Simmons) Fortenberry and some of their

grandchildren. Photo taken in 1951 and I am on Grandpa Ferman’s lap.

Francis Cooke

Hester le MahieuJane Cooke

Experience MitchellElizabeth Mitchell

John WashburnJoseph Washburn

Hannah LathamJoseph Washburn, Jr.

Hannah JohnsonSeth Washburn

Mary Harwood

Asa Washburn

Sally Upham

Asa Washburn, Jr.

Eunice WellingtonMary Jane Washburn

John Martin Covington Elizabeth Covington

William Eli Simmons Nellie Mae Simmons

Ferman Esco Fortenberry

For anyone to join, the ancestry MUST follow a direct line of relationship. This chart should be read beginning on the right with Francis Cooke and following the arrows to Grandmother Mae Simmons. As a time reference, Francis Cooke was born about 1583!

Because the relationship is following the Simmons line, ONLY the children of Ferman Esco Fortenberry and Nellie Mae Simmons and their descendants can connect to Francis Cooke.

ALL of the brothers and sisters AND children and any of the descendants of Nellie Mae Simmons are included.

NOTE: Hannah Latham also has a family history back to the Mayflower, so we could actually join through two “Pilgrims”.

Everett Elmo Adrian Jack Don Clyde

I have already proven the relationship from Ferman Esco Fortenberry and Nellie Mae Simmons to my dad, Adrian

Fortenberry. My cousins will need to prove the relationship between THEIR parents and Nellie Mae Simmons.

The proof you will need:

A COPY of the ORIGINAL BIRTH certificate for BOTH parents (ex. Don and Iris). If you don’t have an original (usually has an embossed seal in one lower corner), either go to the county courthouse where you think your dad and mom were born or call the probate court for instructions on how to obtain a copy. Typically $25 - $35.

A COPY of the ORIGINAL MARRIAGE certificate. SAME process and about the same price.

A COPY of their death certificates. On a death certificate should be noted the names of your parent’s parents. This is PROOF!!!

KEEP ALL of your originals in a notebook someplace safe. I use “pvc free” page protectors to keep these documents from deteriorating.

It isn’t hard, I promise. I’ll pick on Andie’s grandkids!!

This is Andie and her grandsons, Thomas and Will! If, one day, Thomas AND/ OR Will decide they want to become a member of the Mayflower Society, this is what would be needed:

A COPY OFHis birth certificate with both parent’s names showingHis dad’s birth certificate showing HIS PARENT’s namesHis mom’s birth certificate proving the relationship between Jenny and AndieHis PARENT’s marriage certificate John’s birth certificateAndie’s birth certificateJohn and Andie’s marriage certificate.Andie’s parent’s birth certificates (Adrian and Wanda), their death certificates and their marriage certificate.Thank goodness they don’t have to go any further than that!!! It’s done because the family connections from Francis Cooke down to Adrian Fortenberry have been accepted!

REMEMBER! If you are a member of the families of Everett, Elmo, Jack, Don or Clyde, you will also need birth certificates of both, marriage certificate and the death certificates of both to connect them to Nellie Mae (Simmons) Fortenberry… Granny. Grandpa and Granny’s information is already accepted.

The wives could not become members because there is no “blood relation” to the line; however, their names DO become a part of the record!

Standing (Left to Right): Everett with wife, Jane. Claudia standing behind husband Elmo. Jack with wife Caroline. Clyde standing behind wife Joyce. Adrian with arms around wife Wanda. Kneeling: Elmo. Don with wife Iris. Joyce.

HOW to join…… WHO to contactThe society I joined is called “The General Society of Mayflower Descendants”. They are, naturally, located in Massachusetts. When you contact them (there is an email address on the home page), you should state the fact that you are making application on a previously proven lineage and give them my membership number(88,254). They will send you a return email with a link to the Georgia society and they should also copy the Georgia society on that email. You have to go through “channels”. The Georgia society will contact you, welcome you and they SHOULD tell you what you need to become a member. IF THEY DO NOT ASK FOR YOUR DOCUMENTATION, SEND ANOTHER EMAIL WITH A REQUEST FOR ‘WHAT PROOF IS REQUIRED’? Please do NOT send original documentation to anyone…. Copies will be fine.

The cost to have the Mayflower Society review my application was $100.The cost to have the Georgia Society “help” me with my research was $35.The only recurring cost (annual membership into the Georgia chapter of the Mayflower Society) will be $35.

Read about the Mayflower Society at this site: https://www.themayflowersociety.org. Also you might be interested in reading about your ancestor, Francis Cooke at these sites :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_CookeAlso a blog article:http://minerdescent.com/2010/08/04/francis-cooke

Looking forward to 2020!! While you are on the Mayflower home page, take a look at the events scheduled for 2020. This will be the 400 year celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. It is pretty mind-blowing to think that if it weren’t for that little ship….. YOU might not be reading this right now!!

Interested in learning or doing more?

Have your DNA tested. I know this probably sounds silly, but …. Dang it!!! I’m a Fortenberry and MY DNA proves it! That is something no one can deny. It is very gratifying to see that my DNA points straight back to the countries our ancestors claimed as “home”. And then there are the “mystery” countries of my family that need further investigation!!! WHAT caused Finland to be in my DNA origins?

Join a Facebook page of interest to you. I am a member of Amite County (Mississippi), Progress (Mississippi), Fortenberry (from all over), Southwest Mississippi and others. I see many names associated with our family chatting with each other. You might even discover a cousin or two…. Or more! I did!

Start a Blog page…. Of any choice or design. Specific to your family if you like! All the stories our parents told us, all the adventures WE had growing up, the interactions YOU had with our grandparents that I never had… are too precious to lose!

Post, online, pictures old or pictures new then tell the story! Ask your family “If you could ask your great grandfather ONE question, what would it be?”

If you would like to help out on this blog a little, contact Andie or me. We would LOVE to hear from you!