Francis Cooke and Hester Mahieu (1583-1663)
( -1666)
Francis Cooke was a woolcomber from England who had arrived in Leiden around 1603, earlier than the Separatist migration to the area. Although not being part of the Separatist group from England, Francis and Hester had an affinity to the Separatist movement along with other members of their Leiden Walloon Church. Hester was part of the French Waloon refuges that had fled to Canterbury, England where she was born in 1584, and whom Francis had married in 1603. The Huguenots and Walloons were Protestant exiles from Europe. Those from France were known as the Huguenots, and those from present-day Belgium were known as Walloons. Both were persecuted for their religion and left in large numbers, with a large influx coming to England.
Francis came on the Mayflower with his son John, and Hester arrived aboard the Anne in 1623 along with Jane and Jacob. Their other children Hester and Mary were born in Plymouth. A nephew of Hester's was Philipe de la Noye, a passenger aboard the Fortune. He had been a member of the Leiden French Huguenot church and joined the Plymouth church. In subsequent years the name became Anglicized to Delano (as in Franklin Delano Roosevelt). Another passenger aboard the Fortune, Edouad Bompasse also had his name Anglicized to Edward Bumpus.
My line of descent from Francis Cooke: Deborah Hubbard13, N. J.
Hubbard12, Gayle Hubbard11, Luva Waterman10,
William Waterman9, Elias
Waterman 8, Jonathan Waterman7, Rebecca Cushman6,
Elkanah Cushman5, Lt Josiah Cushman4 ,
Martha Cooke3 , Jacob Cooke2 , Francis Cooke1
