“President [Russell M.] Ballard said he sees the hand of the Lord in John Howland’s life. He recalled viewing earlier this year John Howland’s headstone in Plymouth.
John Howland’s headstone memorializes him as a “godly man” and “ancient professor in the ways of Christ.”
But President Ballard saw something much greater in the life of John Howland. It is something we can all see in our own lives as well.
“Brothers and sisters, please look for the Lord’s hand in your lives and in the lives of your family, as I do in the lives of my ancestors and family,” said President Ballard. “Expect it. Do not dismiss it.” Source Here
I have listened to one of the Come Follow Me podcasts where Rod Meldrum was interviewing Tim Ballard. If you haven’t seen it, you can at the end of this blog below. It is podcast 6.1. Tim Ballard also spoke at our FIRM Foundation Conference on Fri April 10th, 2020.
While listening to Tim, he told of a story I couldn’t ever remember hearing before then, about a Pilgrim named John Howland, who landed at Plymouth Rock as a young unmarried man. His story is fascinating and it affects every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord is definitely involved in our lives, each and every one of us individually. What a blessing.
During that historic voyage, the crew and passengers of the Mayflower encountered many turbulent storms, which kept the passengers below deck. In the middle of one storm, John emerged and was swept overboard.
William Bradford, also a passenger on the Mayflower, reported:
“In these storms the winds were so fierce and the seas so high the Pilgrims were forced to remain below deck. And one of them John Howland came above and, with a roll of the ship, he was thrown into the sea; but it pleased God that he caught hold of a rope that was trailing in the water and held on though he was several fathoms under water till he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim of the water, and then with a boat-hook and other means got him into the ship again and his life was saved; and though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after, and became a profitable member both in church and commonwealth.”
Speaking the following day in the DCU Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 20, President Ballard continued the story.
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“When the Mayflower finally arrived in the New World, they discovered they were more than 250 miles north of their intended location. Because of the lateness of the season and lack of supplies, they decided to stay there.
“When they explored their new home, they found land already cleared, corn supplies and an abandoned village whose inhabitants had died in the disease epidemic of 1616 to 1618.
“Later, a leader of one of the villages arrived in the struggling settlement to help the Pilgrims. They formed an alliance, and during the second fall after their arrival in the New World, 52 colonists and some 90 natives celebrated Plymouth’s first successful harvest — the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth.
“At the time, John Howland was not as famous as fellow passengers William Bradford, John Carver and Myles Standish. However, standing where we now stand, with nearly 400 years between us and these courageous Pilgrims, he may have had a greater impact on the history of the United States than any of them.”
President Ballard explained that four years after arriving in the New World, John married fellow Mayflower passenger Elizabeth Tilley. From that union came 10 children and nearly 90 grandchildren.
Today, an estimated 5 million Americans trace their roots to John and Elizabeth, according to President Ballard.
Their descendants include three U.S. presidents — Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush; American poets Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; and two influential 19th-century American religious leaders — the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum Smith, explained President Ballard. Here I share more history about John Howland on my blog.
Protestant Reformation- John Howland, Brownists, or Separatist Puritan Who was John Howland?
The son of Margaret and Henry Howland, John Howland was born in Fenstanton, a parish and village located on the Cambridgeshire border, sometime in the 1590s.
He had two brothers, Henry and Arthur, who later emigrated from England to Marshfield, Massachusetts.
Although his brothers were both Quakers, John himself held to the original faith of the Separatist Pilgrims.
Howland boarded the Mayflower in Plymouth in September 1620 as a manservant of Governor John Carver. In later years, he also acted as Carver’s executive assistant and personal secretary.
Time in Plymouth Colony
John Howland was one of the 41 “true” Pilgrims who signed the Mayflower Compact, and in 1624 he married fellow Mayflower passenger Elizabeth Tilley – daughter of John and Joan Tilley.
The couple had 10 children who all survived until adulthood. They were named Desire, John, Hope, Elizabeth, Lydia, Hannah, Joseph, Jabez, Ruth, and Isaac.
The Pilgrims were the English settlers who came to North America on the Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts, named after the final departure port of Plymouth, Devon. Their leadership came from the religious congregations of Brownists, or Separatist Puritans, who had fled religious persecution in England for the tolerance of 17th-century Holland in the Netherlands.
They held many of the same Puritan Calvinist religious beliefs but, unlike most other Puritans, they maintained that their congregations should separate from the English state church, which led to them being labeled Separatists. After several years living in exile in Holland, they eventually determined to establish a new settlement in the New World and arranged with investors to fund them. They established Plymouth Colony in 1620, where they erected Congregationalist churches. The Pilgrims’ story became a central theme in the history and culture of the United States.” Wikipedia Plymouth Colony
When did protestants separate from the catholic church [1534]
Why were the Protestants unhappy with the Catholic Church?
Protestants and Catholics They felt that the church was corrupt. They also attacked the ‘cult of saints’ – they argued that relics were fakes which could not cure illness or perform miracles. They believed that the Catholic Church simply used them to make money.
Why did Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church?
It was the year 1517 when the German monk Martin Luther pinned his 95 Theses to the door of his Catholic church , denouncing the Catholic sale of indulgences — pardons for sins — and questioning papal authority. That led to his excommunication and the start of the Protestant Reformation.
Which came first Protestant or Catholic?
Protestants arose about 500 years ago as a protest against the Catholic church. The Catholic and Orthodox churches were part of the original apostolic Christian church that date back to the founding of Christianity.
Why do Protestants not believe in purgatory?
The classic Protestant argument against Purgatory , aside from the lack of biblical support, is that Jesus’ death eliminated the need for any afterlife redress of sin. Catholics reply that divine mercy doesn’t exonerate a person from the need to be transformed.
Does the Catholic Church still believe in purgatory?
The Catholic Church holds that “all who die in God’s grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified” undergo the process of purification which the Church calls purgatory , “so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven”.You might be interested: Catholic view on cremation
Was England ever a Catholic country?
The Roman Catholic Church remained the dominant form of Western Christianity in Britain throughout the Middle Ages, but the (Anglican) Church of England became the independent established church in England and Wales in 1534 as a result of the English Reformation.
What churches broke away from the Catholic Church?
Another split from the Roman Catholic Church happened in England. King Henry VIII, in 1528, declared himself head of the Church of England in order to secure an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. In time the Anglican Church spread to many countries.
What percentage of England is Catholic?
9.6 percent
What did Luther not like about the Catholic Church?
Luther didn’t like the fact people could buy indulgences — or reduced punishment after death. Luther had a problem with the fact the Catholic Church of his day was essentially selling indulgences — indeed, according to Professor MacCulloch, they helped pay for the rebuilding of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
What did the 95 theses say?
Martin Luther posts 95 theses In his theses , Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins.
Does the Catholic Church still believe in limbo?
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo , the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went. The verdict that limbo could now rest in peace had been expected for years.
You might be interested: Catholic mass on television
Do Protestants believe in Mary?
The Roman Catholic Church reveres Mary , the mother of Jesus, as “Queen of Heaven.” However, there are few biblical references to support the Catholic Marian dogmas — which include the Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and her Assumption into heaven. This is why they are rejected by Protestants .
What is the first Protestant religion?
Protestantism began in Germany in 1517, when Martin Luther published his Ninety-five Theses as a reaction against abuses in the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church , which purported to offer the remission of the temporal punishment of sins to their purchasers.
Do Protestants believe in saints?
In many Protestant churches, the word “saint” is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian. Many Protestants consider intercessory prayers to the saints to be idolatry, since an application of divine worship that should be given only to God himself is being given to other believers, dead or alive. https://www.elrenosacredheart.com/interesting/when-did-protestants-separate-from-the-catholic-church.html
Puritanism, a religious reform movement in the late 16th and 17th centuries that sought to “purify” the Church of England of remnants of the Roman Catholic “popery” that the Puritans claimed had been retained after the religious settlement reached early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Puritans became noted in the 17th century for a spirit of moral and religious earnestness that informed their whole way of life, and they sought through church reform to make their lifestyle the pattern for the whole nation. Their efforts to transform the nation contributed both to civil war in England and to the founding of colonies in America as working models of the Puritan way of life. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Puritanism
Theology
Puritanism may be defined primarily by the intensity of the religious experience that it fostered. Puritans believed that it was necessary to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be redeemed from one’s sinful condition, that God had chosen to reveal salvation through preaching, and that the Holy Spirit was the energizing instrument of salvation. Calvinist theology and polity proved to be major influences in the formation of Puritan teachings. This naturally led to the rejection of much that was characteristic of Anglican ritual at the time, these being viewed as “popish idolatry.” In its place the Puritans emphasized preaching that drew on images from scripture and from everyday experience. Still, because of the importance of preaching, the Puritans placed a premium on a learned ministry. The moral and religious earnestness that was characteristic of Puritans was combined with the doctrine of predestination inherited from Calvinism to produce a “covenant theology,” a sense of themselves as the elect chosen by God to live godly lives both as individuals and as a community.
Biography of Thomas Cartwright:
Thomas Cartwright (1535–1603), English Puritan divine, was born in Hertfordshire. He studied divinity at St John’s College, Cambridge, but on Mary’s accession had to leave the university, and found occupation as clerk to a counsellor-at-law. On the accession of Elizabeth, he resumed his theological studies, and was soon afterwards elected fellow of St John’s and later of Trinity College. In 1564 he opposed John Preston in a theological disputation held on the occasion of Elizabeth’s state visit, and in the following year helped to bring to a head the Puritan attitude on church ceremonial and organization. He was popular in Ireland as chaplain to the archbishop of Armagh (1565–1567), and in 1569 he was appointed Lady Margaret professor of divinity at Cambridge; but John Whitgift, on becoming vice-chancellor, deprived him of the post in December 1570, and—as master of Trinity—of his fellowship in September 1571. This was a natural consequence of the use which he made of his position; he inveighed bitterly against the hierarchy and constitution of the Anglican Church, which he compared unfavourably with the primitive Christian organization. So keen was the struggle between him and Whitgift that the chancellor, William Cecil, had to intervene. After his deprivation by Whitgift, Cartwright visited Beza at Geneva. He returned to England in 1572, and might have become professor of Hebrew at Cambridge but for his expressed sympathy with the notorious
“Admonition to the Parliament” by John Field and Thomas Wilcox. To escape arrest he again went abroad, and officiated as clergyman to the English residents at Antwerp and then at Middelburg. In 1576 he visited and organized the Huguenot churches of the Channel Islands, and after revising the Rhenish version of the New Testament, again settled as pastor at Antwerp, declining the offer of a chair at St Andrews. In 1585 he returned without permission to London, was imprisoned for a short time, and became master of the earl of Leicester’s hospital at Warwick. In 1590 he was summoned before the court of high commission and imprisoned, and in 1591 he was once more committed to the Fleet. But he was not treated harshly, and powerful influence soon secured his liberation. He visited Guernsey (1595–1598), and spent his closing years in honour and prosperity at Warwick, where he died on the 27th of December 1603. Cartwright was a man of much culture and originality, but exceedingly impulsive. His views were distinctly Presbyterian, and he stoutly opposed the Brownists or Independents. He never conceived of a separation between church and state, and would probably have refused to tolerate any Nonconformity with his reformed national Presbyterian church. To him, however, the Puritanism of his day owed its systematization and much of its force. https://www.apuritansmind.com/puritan-favorites/thomas-cartwright-1535-1603/
Admonition to Parliament, Puritan manifesto, published in 1572 and written by the London clergymen John Field and Thomas Wilcox, that demanded that Queen Elizabeth I restore the “purity” of New Testament worship in the Church of England and eliminate the remaining Roman Catholic elements and practices from the Church of England. Reflecting wide Presbyterian influence among Puritans, the admonition advocated greater direct reliance on the authority of the Scriptures and also church government by ministers and elders rather than by a higher order of clergy (bishops). The Queen, however, resisted this document. The authors were imprisoned and the leader of the Presbyterians, Thomas Cartwright, was forced to flee England after publishing “A Second Admonition to Parliament” in support of the first. The clergy who refused to conform to the compulsory form of worship that had been promulgated by Elizabeth in 1559 (as the Act of Uniformity) lost their pulpits or were imprisoned. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Admonition-to-Parliament
The Brownists were a group of English Dissenters or early Separatists from the Church of England. They were named after Robert Browne, who was born at Tolethorpe Hall in Rutland, England, in the 1550s. A majority of the Separatists aboard the Mayflower in 1620 were Brownists, and indeed the Pilgrims were known into the 20th century as the Brownist Emigration.
Tim Ballard Abolitionist, Saver of Souls, Fellow Latter-day Saint
In Tim Ballard’s own words, hear about his newest book titled, “Pilgrim Hypothesis Purchase here . Watch Podcast #6.1 as Rod Meldrum interviews Tim Ballard. Tim speaks about John Howland about 75% into the video.
As you can see by the Pedigree chart below, Joseph Smith is a direct descendant of John and Elizabeth Howland through their oldest son named John. Emma Smith is a direct Descendant of John and Elizabeth Howland through their 2nd oldest daughter, Hope.
I just found out May 29th, 2020 that John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley are my 10th great grand parents through their oldest daughter Desire. That is unbelievable. I am so humbled to know who my ancestors are. This gives me a greater desire in this life to share the gospel with others. I was led to this information from a good friend named Vicki Darais who has a mother with the name Nelson. She gave me the information and I had my Sister Lori Nelson Merritt look up our genealogy. It is amazing what she found. What is interesting is that I am the 10th great grand son of John Howland through my Tueller and Dustin line, not through my Nelson line.
On Aug. 16, 2021 I was in the home of my dear friend Allen C. Christensen of American Fork, Utah. He was the author of “Joseph’s Remnant, Lamanites of the Latter Days” Purchase here. I was visiting with my good friend Paul Whippy from Fiji an Area Authority Seventy who I baptized 46 years ago. Paul had worked with Allen in Fiji on finding the first Temple site for the saints of Fiji, and I was reacquainting them. Allen had spent that week studying Paul Whippy’s Family History and Allen discovered that Paul Whippy’s father David Whippy was from Massachusetts and was a descendant of John Howland from his oldest daughter Desire, just as I was. Amazing. Even more incredible was that Allen Christensen found out he was also a direct descendant of John Howland’s second daughter Hope, who Emma Smith was also a direct relative of. We also know that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a direct descendant of John Howland’s oldest son named John Howland. What a beautiful reunion Paul and Allen and I had, knowing we are all direct descendants. What a beautiful world this is.
Elizabeth Tilley came on the Mayflower at age 7 with her parents John Tilley and Joan Hurst. John and Joan Tilley died shortly after arriving in America. Elizabeth was the only one of their 5 children to come with them on the Mayflower. At age 16 Elizabeth Tilley married John Howland who had been saved at sea. Their first daughter Desire Howland (1625-1683) married Captain John Gorham Sr. (1619-1676) who was later killed during King Philip’s War, which was also the First Indian War. They are my 9th great grand parents.
