The Drew surname is found
around the world. Here is a little about our Drew branch.
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Our earliest known Drew ancestor was William
Drewe, born abt. 1425 at Sharpham, Devonshire, England. William married
Joan or Jane Prideaux in 1448 in Sharpham. Devonshire is a
county on the south coast of England. One of his descendants was
John Drew an early settler of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
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We don't have a lot of information about
our early Drew ancestors of Plymouth, Massachusetts. We know that
the first American member of our Drew family was John Drew who was born
in 1642 at Sharpham, Devonshire, England. He migrated to the colonies
in approximately 1660 and married Hannah Churchill in 1672 in Plymouth.
They lived west of Plymouth Rock in a slight geographical depression called
"Hobbs Hole". John and Hannah Drew are buried on Burial Hill in Plymouth.
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Many of our Drew ancestors made a living
as sail makers. Some sons in the family went to sea, although
there aren't good records of those who chose that life. Eventually,
our ancestors built a large home in Plymouth that is located at 51 Pleasant
Street, across the street west of the Park. The family lived there
for four generations. The home is still there today and has become
a "Bed and Breakfast" Inn.
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The earliest ancestor of the "Western"
Drew family was David Lewis Drew who moved to Calaveras County California
during the Gold Rush era. His first year in the gold fields is chronicled
in his diary.
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Other Drew immigrants settled in Maine,
Canada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Ireland and other sites around the
world. It appears that they all trace their roots to England, and
those who can trace lineage the farthest back in time come from Devonshire.
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The reader who looks at the genealogical
information on this site will find the names of many families who lived
in Plymouth for generations. Across the centuries, their descendants
married and created a large commonly related decadency. Today,
the thoughts of their current day descendants are often drawn back to Plymouth.
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