| Notes |
- Every record states that Experience married Jane Cooke. Her father, Francis Cooke, came on T he Mayflower so her descendants are also descended from The Mayflower, thereby making it possible for her children and descendants to be members of the elite Mayflower Society. However , records at the Mayflower Society Historical Library now tell us they have found that only Thomas and Elizabeth were Jane Cooke's children.
Our genealogy says Mary was a wife of old age. Mary is mentioned in Experience's will and his son Edward was designated to take care of her. It is more believable that she would have been his mother. The daughter Mary may have been named for her mother.
Experience had eight children. Elizabeth married John Washburn in 1645. Mary married James Shaw; Sarah married John Hayward; Hannah married Joseph Hayward. We found many with these last names in the Old Bridgewater Cemetery near the Mitchell's, as well as Fobes, Ames and Connants. All are names found in our genealogy book.
Experience's sons were Thomas, John, Jacob and Edward. Thomas I've already mentioned. John stayed at Duxbury along with Miles Standish, John Alden, Edward Winslow, Elder Brewster and sons, Love, Jonathan, Sampson, Bassett, Soule and Collier. "The move of so many of this type of citizen at so nearly the same time left a disheartening gap in the Plymouth settlement. "
- In the July 1934 issue of The Mayflower Descendant, there is an article about the Will of Experience Mitchell. There had been some question about when the Will was written, when he died , and when it was probated. The author saw the handwritten Will which had been folded and apparently partly eaten by mice. He stated the date it was written was 5 December 1684. An inventory of his estate was taken by Ensign John Haward and Lieutenant Thomas Hayward dated 14 May 1689. (This was the way the names were spelled when they signed the document). They were probably his sons-in-law and/or grandsons. Then the Will was probated September the 4th 1689 in Plymouth County. He must have died after the date of his Will and before the inventory of his estate - - probably early 1689. The article had a copy of the Will but it was almost illegible and the xerox copy was impossible to read.
In the Will of Experience, he gave 1 cow to grandson Thomas and 1 cow to granddaughter Mary - - Jacob's children. Grandson Jacob is not mentioned. Experience had land in several places . He gave 80 acres of upland and 4 acres of meadow at Duxborough to son, John. His land lying in the town of Middlebery was given to daughters, Mary Shaw, Sarah Hayward and also to grandson Experience, son of John. He gave land to Edward, both upland and meadow lying the town Duxborough.
He provided for his wife, Mary - - if she survived him he wanted Edward to take care of her provided she would live with him at Bridgewater. If she would rather live at Duxborough, then half the rent of the land there should go to her during her lifetime. After that Edward could have it as well as a bed, bolster, two pillows, one pair of sheets and two blankets.
In his Will three of his children are not mentioned. Jacob was dead, but Thomas and Elizabeth, the oldest two are not mentioned.
Using the above information, it would appear that Experience died in early 1689 and that his second wife Mary was still living in December 1684 when his will was written.
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1606 - 1685 (79 years)