Mary Gye - 10x Great-Grandmother

Mary Gye is an interesting woman. She is one of my 10th great-grandmothers, an ancestor of several famous Americans (and at least one President) and descendent of European Royalty. At first I doubted that last as I do not yet know who has done the research, how careful they were, whether or not there was some hidden agenda in finding the various ancestral links, or what the researchers' sources are/were. However, just for the sake of argument, let's go with it and accept that multiple people believe that she was indeed (as were her brothers and sisters) descended from royalty/rulers going back to before 677 or more than 1300 years. As follows:

Warinus Count; brother to Saint Léger, Bishop of Autun ( - 677)

Saint Liéven Bishop of Trèves 685-704 ( - 713) son of Warinus Count; brother to Saint Léger, Bishop of Autun

Routrou de Trèves daughter of Saint Liéven Bishop of Trèves 685-704

Pepin "The Short" (714 - 768) son of Routrou

Charlemagne King of France, 768-814; Holy Roman Emperor (747 - 813) son of Pepin "The Short"

Pepin King of Italy, 781-810; Consecrated King of Lombardy on 15 April 781) ( - 810) son of Charlemagne King of France, 768-814; Holy Roman Emperor

Bernard King of Italy, 813-December 817 (797 - 818) son of Pepin King of Italy, 781-810; Consecrated King of Lombardy on 15 April 781)

Pepin Count of Senlis,Peronne & St. Quentin (817 - 840) son of Bernard King of Italy, 813-December 817

Herbert I de Vermandois Count de Vermandois; Seigneur of Senlis, Peronne & St. Quentin (840 - 902) son of Pepin Count of Senlis,Peronne & St. Quentin

Herbert II de Vermandois Count de Vermandois & Troyes (890 - 943) son of Herbert I de Vermandois Count de Vermandois; Seigneur of Senlis, Peronne & St. Quentin

Albert I "The Pious" Count de Vermandois (920 - 987) son of Herbert II de Vermandois Count de Vermandois & Troyes

Herbert III, Count de Vermandois (955 - 1000) son of Albert I "The Pious" Count de Vermandois

Otho/Eudes/Otto Count de Vermandois (1000 - 1045) son of Herbert III, Count de Vermandois

Herbert IV, Count de Vermandois (1032 - 1080) son of Otho/Eudes/Otto Count de Vermandois

Adelaide de Vermandois Countess of Vermandois & Valois ( - 1120) daughter of Herbert IV, Count de Vermandois

Isabel de Vermandois Countess of Leicester ( - 1131) daughter of Adelaide de Vermandois Countess of Vermandois & Valois

Waleran de Beaumont Count de Meulan; Earl of Worcester (1104 - 1166) son of Isabel de Vermandois Countess of Leicester

Robert de Beaumont Sir, Count de Meulan ( - 1207) son of Waleran de Beaumont Count de Meulan; Earl of Worcester

Maud/Mabel/Mabirie de Beaumont daughter of Robert de Beaumont Sir, Count de Meulan

Mary Riverson de Vernon daughter of Maud/Mabel/Mabirie de Beaumont

William Prowse son of Mary Riverson de Vernon

William Prowse son of William Prowse

William Prowse son of William Prowse

William Prowse Sir ( - 1270) son of William Prowse

William Prowse Sir (1245 - 1316) son of William Prowse Sir

William Prowse son of William Prowse Sir

John Prowse son of William Prowse

Roger Prowse son of John Prowse

Nicholas Prowse son of Roger Prowse

Thomas Prowse son of Nicholas Prowse

Mary Prowse daughter of Thomas Prowse

Robert Gye (1540 - 1605) son of Mary Prowse

Mary Gye (1580 - 1666) daughter of Robert Gye

and also she is supposed to be descended from Henry III thusly:

Henry Plantagenet III, King of England

Edmund Plantagenet 1st Earl of Lancaster son of Henry Plantagenet III, King of England

Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Lancaster son of Edmund Plantagenet 1st Earl of Lancaster

Eleanor Plantagenet daughter of Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Lancaster

John FitzAlan 1st Baron Arundel son of Eleanor Plantagenet

Joan FitzAlan daughter of John FitzAlan 1st Baron Arundel

Joan Echyngham daughter of Joan FitzAlan

Henry Baynton son of Joan Echyngham

Joan Baynton daughter of Henry Baynton

Mary Prowse daughter of Joan Baynton

Robert Gye (1540 - 1605) son of Mary Prowse

Mary Gye (1580 - 1666) daughter of Robert Gye

It isn't all that much to get excited about. Reportedly, 20% of western Europeans are descended from Charlemagne. That's one of every 5. It is far less likely that I would be a Mayflower descendant even though, of the current US population approximately 2.5 million are Mayflower descendants. What we also see with Mary is a willingness, at that time, for some rather older people to make the trip from England to the New World for any number of reasons, with any sort of background despite the dangers of the trip and once one was living here.

Mary's husband, the Reverend John Maverick was born to Rev. Peter Maverick, a vicar in Awliscombe, Devon in 1578. In 1595, Maverick enrolled in University of Oxford. Five years later, in 1600, he married Mary Gye. Two of their sons, Samuel and Moses, are notable people in early Massachusetts history. In 1603, Maverick received his MA from Oxford. He was the curate for his uncle, Rev. Radford Maverick, from 1606-1614 (Radford was Mary's guardian after the death of her mother and arranged for John and Mary's marriage). Afterwards, he was rector of a church in Beaworthy, Devon until 1629.

Maverick became a Puritan before migrating to the Massachusetts Bay Colony at Dorchester, Massachusetts on 30 May 1630, where he served as the first minister of the First Parish Church of Dorchester with Rev. John Warham. He became a freeman in 1631 and helped establish the government in Dorchester. He died February 3, 1636. His eulogy was by Cotton Mather and Governor John Winthrop (12 Jan 1587 26 Mar 1649, a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) who said, “...near sixty, a man of very humble spirit and faithful in furthering the work of the Lord here, both in church and in civil state.” The Maverick family was one of prominence in colonial days, and noted for hospitality, religious tolerance, and active philanthropy.

We are descended from their son Elias.