Edward Doty

Edward Doty (died August 23, 1655) was a "Mayflower" passenger, a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and a permanent settler at the Plymouth colony. His surname sometimes appears as Doten, Dotey, or Day.

Doty's ancestry is unknown. Statements that he was born in Shropshire, England, on May 14, 1598, or baptized on the same date in St. Mary le Strand, Thurburton Hills, Suffolk, England, are complete fabrications. While there are no fewer than eight authentic Edward Doty baptisms recorded between 1585 and 1605, it has not been possible to identify any of them with Edward Doty of the "Mayflower".

Doty was one of two indentured servants under Stephen Hopkins, the other one being Edward Leister, and as such accompanied Hopkins and his family aboard the "Mayflower." [Bradford, William, and Charles Deane. [http://books.google.com/books?id=tYecOAN1cwwC&printsec=titlepage#PPA448,M1On "History of Plymouth Plantation."] Little, Brown and Company, 1856, p.448.] November 11, 1620, while the "Mayflower" was anchored off Cape Cod, forty-one of the adult males, including servants, signed the Mayflower Compact; Doty and Leister were among the signers.

Doty was a member of the exploratory party, led by Myles Standish and including John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, John Tilley and his son Edward, John Howland, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, and several crewmen from the "Mayflower", that departed on December 6, 1620, in a shallop to search for a suitable site for settlement. [ [http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/plymouth/mourt1.html "Mourt's Relation"] A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1622, Part I.]

The first duel in Plymouth Colony occurred June 18, 1621, when Doty and Edward Leister fought with swords and daggers until one was wounded in the hand and the other in the thigh. They were to be punished by having their ankles tied to their necks for twenty-four hours without food or drink. Within an hour they were begging to be released, which the Governor allowed upon their promise to behave. [Prince, Thomas. "Chronological History of New England, in the Form of Annals." 1736 quoted in Doty, Ethan Allen. "The Doty-Doten Family in America." published by the author, 1897, p.11.]

Doty's name appears in the lists of freemen for 1633 and 1636 and in the 1643 list of males that are able to bear arms. His name also appears many times in the records of the Plymouth colony as either plaintiff or defendant in various lawsuits. Doty was on the losing side in the majority of these cases.

Doty was married twice, but the name of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was Faith Clarke, daughter of Thurston Clarke, both of whom arrived at Plymouth on the "Francis" in April 1634. Doty and Faith Clarke were married on January 6, 1635. They are the progenitors of a large American family. They had nine children, 76 grandchildren, and at least 358 great-grandchildren.Hill, Peter B., ed., "Edward Doty of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations", Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1991.]

Notable Descendants

Generations in this list begin with Edward Doty's children as the first generation.

* James Otis, Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783), 4th generation, lawyer
* Mercy Otis Warren (September 14, 1728 – October 19, 1814), 4th generation, playwright
* James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865), 6th generation [Doty, Ethan Allen, "The Doty-Doten Family in America", published by the author, 1897.] , territorial governor
* Roger Nash Baldwin (January 21 1884 – August 26 1981) , civil libertarian
* Roger Sessions (28 December 1896 – 16 March 1985) , composer
* Vincent Price (May 27 1911 – October 25 1993) , actor
* Kingman Brewster, Jr. (June 17, 1919 – November 8, 1988) , educator
* Dick Van Dyke (December 13 1925) , actor
* Warren Buffett (August 30, 1930), investor
* John Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003), actor
* Jordana Brewster (April 26, 1980) , actress

References

Additional Reading

* [http://www.edward-doty.org/ The Pilgrim Edward Doty Society]
* [http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/EdwardDoty.php Edward Doty - Mayflower History]
* [http://www.pilgrimhall.org/doteyedwardrecords.htm Edward Dotey in the 17th Century Records]