Degory Priest, "Mayflower" Passenger - Concerning the relationship between Degory Priest and John Priest (1613-1704) and John Priest (1648)

John Priest ( John Priest ), John Priest ( John Priest, "of Woburn" )
Many family trees on the internet make this linkage as father, son, and grandson. My own belief is that unless someone actually goes to Netherlands and does the research we'll not have a definitive answer to this question. Please feel free to contribute what you know. Here is some interesting information I have found from:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=11221...

"from WorldConnect:

Entries: 9205 Updated: Fri Apr 26 12:15:06 2002 Contact: Forrest H. Blanding

Lived in Woburn, Mass until about 1688, then to Bare Hill, Lancaster (now Harvard) Mass. Property owner in Lancaster in 1688. Was in service in King Phillips War as one of 13 Woburn men in Service. Engaged in battle of Naragansett Fort Dec 19, 1675 and probably defended Lancaster from Indians for many years. for service heirs were granted tract of land in Templeton, Mass in 1735. (Note this is place of our grandfather's birth). No proof that he was related to Degory Priest of Mayflower, but this is possible as most early Priests probably were relations. Earlier Priests were of Saxon and Welsh origin. Inventory of his estate was 134 pounds, quite substantial for that time.

according to Pope he is descended from James Priest and Elizabeth Hopkins:
JAMES PRIEST* 1
Sex: M
Birth: 1610 in Chessham, Bucks, England
Death: 1676 in Lancaster, Mass
Note: Progenitor of the American Priest Family. A marriage listed in 1637 suggests he came to America before then.

Father: ABRAHAM PRIEST b: ABT. 1580 in England
Mother: ELIZABETH NUENS

Marriage 1 ELIZABETH HOPKINS* b: ABT. 1620 in pr England
Married: 1638 in Dorchester, Mass

and another:

Ancestors of Brian J. Wilson
Entries: 8066 Updated: Sat Aug 25 21:42:17 2001 Contact: Brian Wilson

ID: I22670391
Name: JOHN PRIEST
Sex: M
Birth: 1648 in WOBURN,MIDDLESEX,MASS.,USA
Death: 1704 in LANCASTER,WORCESTER,MASS.,USA
Note:
REFN578
This John, the son of John Priest, is discussed by Geo. Foster in "The Priest
Family" (Ithaca, N.Y. 1900). He also lists the children of JOhn and Rachel.
This John was in the battle of Narragansett.
Descendents of John and Rachel in line with Edward Garfield of Chester,
England b. 1577 (desc. of the Garfields of Teddington, Middlesex, England).
Edward Garfield came with colonists under Gen. Winthrop, landing in Boston 30
June 1630.
This John also had a son, John, b. 1681 who died inBolton 29 Sept. 1756 at age
75. (from "the Priest Family").
This John, the son of John Priest, is discussed by Geo. Foster in "The Priest
Family" (Ithaca, N.Y. 1900). He also lists the children of JOhn and Rachel.
This John was in the battle of Narragansett.
Descendents of John and Rachel in line with Edward Garfield of Chester,
England b. 1577 (desc. of the Garfields of Teddington, Middlesex, England).
Edward Garfield came with colonists under Gen. Winthrop, landing in Boston 30
June 1630.
This John also had a son, John, b. 1681 who died inBolton 29 Sept. 1756 at age
75. (from "the Priest Family").

REFN1156
In "The Priest Family" by Geo. E. Foster (Ithaca, N.Y. 1920) Foster states
that there were very few Priests in England, so it is likely that all the New
England Priests are indeed related as they believe. MOreover, he states that
Gen. Kneeland is said to have found a record that Degory had a son John and
this is accepted by many genealogists. He has seen statements that Degory had
two sons and two daughters and teh former stayed with relatives while the
latter came to America with their mother (who had since married Cuthbert
Cuthbertson). Degory went to Leyden from London. THis John, whose name was
discovered by Gen. Kneeland, is the father of another John, who married Rachel
Garfield. This John, son of Degory, married Sarah Allerton who was a first
cousin (daughter of Isaac Allerton, while Degory's wife was a sister of Isaac).

REFNGX1N-B0
From Church ancestor file.
Geo. E. Foster "The Priest Family" (Ithaca, N.Y. 1900) says all branches of the
New England Priest family have traditions that they descended from Degory
Priest which can't be proven conclusively.
He says Gen. Kneeland is said to have found a record that Degory had a son,
John, and this is accepted by prominent genealogists. Foster had seen
statements that Degory had two sons and two daughters and that the former
stayed with relatives while the latter came to America with their mother
(who had since married Cuthbert Cuthbertson).
There are very few Priests in England, so it is highly likely that the NE
Priests are indeed related.
Degory was a hatter in London.

(Still does not appear certain that he is a descendant of Degory Priest of the Mayflower - GJR)

from WorldConnect:

The Family of John Nichols of Harvard, MA.
Entries: 369 Updated: Wed Aug 15 07:05:00 2001 Contact: J. Dudley Richards

Ref. FG186 shows that John Priest moved from Woburn, MA to Lancaster, MA about 1686-87. He lived in that part of Lancaster which became a part of Harvard, MA when this town was founded in 1732. This ref. also shows that John was inpressed from Woburn for service in King Philips War about Dec. 1, 1675. He was in Capt. Nathaniel Davenport's company, which engaged in the battle at the Narragansett Fort Dec. 19, 1675. He was still serving in the same company in the summer of 1676 in the garrison at Chelmsford, [MA].

Ref. FG271, which is "Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 8, Family of Degory Priest," Edited by Robert S. Wakefield, compiled by Mrs. Charles Townsend, Robert S. Wakefield, and Magaret H. Stover, Pub. 1994, disputes the exisistence of this John Priest as son of Degory Priest and father of John Priest of Harvard - Lancaster by stating "No indication of any additional Priest children [other than two daughters of Degory] has been found and it would appear that any supposition that there was a son or other children is a misinterpretation of the records." Conversely, Refs. FG 252 and FG269, "The Priest Family, A Collection of Data, Original, Contributed and Selected Concerning Various Branches of the Priest Family," Compiled by Geo. E. Foster, Pub. 1900 and "Seven Centuries in The Kneeland Family," Stillman Foster Kneeland, Pub. New York 1897, clearly delineate the existence of such a John Priest as son of Degory. The key basis for the latters' conclusions stem primarily from (1) Stillman Kneeland having seen it in "some ancient reords but he fails to remember where" and (2) second hand information from an aunt in Middletown, CT. reported in a letter from a Rev. Charles Priest Hall to Geo. E. Foster. This hardly constitutes proof that John Priest son of Degory Priest did exist, but it does suggest that he might have existed. On the other hand, the fact that Robert Wakefield et al, working a hundred years later than Foster and Kneeland, don't appear to have found anything to substantiate John Priest's existence nor to firmly negate against it, cannot per se be accepted as final proof that he didn't exist. However, this is said without my doing a thorough study of Wakefield et al's references, nor am I in a position to do so at this writing. I should add that I have no reason to doubt the diligence of Wakefield et al's work except to wonder what is the meaning of their statement: "misinterpretation of the records."
With the proviso that the above statement implies, I am including this John Priest in the lineage that would appear to connect Degory Priest of Leyden, Holland and Plymouth, MA. with John Priest of Lancaster-Harvard. I would quickly comment that this does not mean that this lineage could be expected to be accepted as means of gaining membership in the General Society of Mayflower Descendants until such time as Wakefield et al's conclusion might be legitimately superceded.
Godbert Cuthbertson, his wife Sarah (Allerton)Vincent Priest, and three children came from Leyden, Holland to the Plymouth colony on the ship "Ann" between his marriage in 1621 and 1627. Two of the children were Mary and Sarah Priest, daughters of the deceased Degory Priest. The third child is not named but could have been the subject John Priest, presumed son of Degory Priest, Refs. FG271, FG252, and FG269"