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| In William Dyer's own hand: "to one most dearely beloved." |
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| "...my deare yokefellow" |
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Christy K Robinson is author of these sites:
- Discovering Love (inspiration)
- Rooting for Ancestors (history and genealogy)
- William and Mary Barrett Dyer (17th century culture and history of England and New England)
and of these books:
· We Shall Be Changed (2010)
· Mary Dyer Illuminated (2013)
· Mary Dyer: For Such a Time as This (2014)
· The Dyers of London, Boston, & Newport (2014)
· Effigy Hunter (2015)
· Anne Marbury Hutchinson: American Founding Mother (2018)
I have been researching my family history for the past 20 years and only recently came across the Dyers/Hutchinson's in my tree. On my mother's side - I am descended from the union of their children/grandchildren Samuel Dyer and Anne Hutchinson - they are my 8th Great Grandparents. Count backwards and Anne & William Hutchinson are my 10th / Mary & William Dyer my 9th.
ReplyDeleteAfter realizing this, I went immediately to amazon and purchased and read quickly both books. William & Mary's letters letters especially stood out to me. I could hear them speaking out loud. Their thoughts and feelings became alive. As I continued to read, it was if I were at a family reunion. Dr. John Clark is an 8th Great Grand Uncle!
William Dyer must have had an amazing love for his wife. His words were eloquent and his actions supported what he wrote. Since discovering who HE was, I have tried to share with my grandsons who THEY are descended from and what sort of man they can ascribe to be.
I was especially conflicted to discover that on my father's side, Rev John Cotton is my 8th Great Grandfather. Again, the characters in the book played out on the ancient roots of my family tree. Had it not been for these people, I would not exist, yet the actions of some caused great pain to the other.
I appreciate all your hard work, as well as those from days gone by who had the foresight to keep such treasures and make them available so that we could peer into the past. What a blessing and privilege it is to be able to glimpse into what went into the minds and hearts of these amazing individuals.
Thank you!
Charlotte
Thank you for commenting so specifically, Charlotte. As I was researching the books, and thinking the research through deeply enough to understand what the characters' motivations were, I was struck by how long and how intimately these people knew each other. Back in England, their families knew each other, or of each other for generations. Once in America, they had shared experiences of extreme hardship, religious beliefs, economic ties, and family ties. So when John Cotton renounced Anne Hutchinson, it was like opening a chasm.
ReplyDeleteI tried to write every character according to my research, not made-up fantasy, because they were real, multidimensional human beings who deserve to have their lives reexamined. I found humanity, compassion, and love in John Winthrop based on his letters and personal journal (not the public history one), though he was a villain when it came to Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer. Cotton was a man of grace until Rev. Wilson and the Massachusetts Bay government turned him into a hardliner--though I think he stayed friendly with William Hutchinson. But when it came to finding a scrap of decency in John Endecott--I couldn't. I didn't even write from his point of view. I let others describe him.
The deeper you go in genealogy, the more ties you'll find between unrelated people. They interacted with one another for good or bad, and their descendants married at some point, so you carry the genes of both (or several) facets of the conflict. I decided long ago NOT to take sides with ancestors! What's the point? They did what they did, and we can't change it, or continue the feud. Our characters evolve and learn to see so many more colors and depths than stark black and white.
Anonymous commenter said after reading the books "Mary Dyer Illuminated" and "Mary Dyer: For Such a Time as This,"
ReplyDelete"William & Mary's letters letters especially stood out to me. I could hear them speaking out loud. Their thoughts and feelings became alive. As I continued to read, it was as if I were at a family reunion."
#HappySigh #SheGetsIt