On both my mother and father’s side of the family, my 10th great grandfathers and their families traveled in the Winthrop fleet to avoid persecution. On my mother’s side, Bygod Eggleston’s family rebelled against Henry VIII, and lost their claim to their land as lords and ladies. Additionally, the Egglestons were some of the very first believers of a democracy. While John Winthrop believed that the government should be run by only a few people, the reverend Bygod followed believed that the country should be run by the people through a freely elected leader. Bygod lived longer than two of his wives and died in 1674 in the Connecticut Colony. On my father’s side, Robert Lockwood was a member of the Puritan church and wanted to reform the Catholic church. Robert Lockwood was an indentured servant for 7 years in Watertown, Massachusetts, but then moved to Fairfield, Connecticut and was granted freedom once again. While they fled on different ships, the Eggleston’s on the Mary and John and the Lockwood’s on the Arbella, they were still in the same fleet and were members of the same colony. Both the Lockwoods and the Egglestons came over as indentured servants and were granted their freedom later on. They were each given their own plot of land after granted their freedom, and continued on their lineage. While it is highly unlikely that the two sides of my family every interacted during this time, it's intriguing to think that it was possible and even though they didn't know it yet, down the line they would be related.

– KT

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more