Biographical Summary
George Soule's origins in England have
not been discovered. The most promising record found to date is
the baptism of a George Soule on 9 February 1595 at Tingrith, Bedford,
son of William. Other Soule families using the name George can
also be found in Sudbury, Suffolk, and Flitwick, Bedford.
George Soule came on the Mayflower
as a servant to the Edward Winslow family, indicating he was under 25
years old at the time; however, he did sign the Mayflower Compact,
suggesting he was over 21. This puts his birth year at around
1595-1599. This matches well with his apparent marriage date of
around 1625 at Plymouth: by the May 1627 Division of Cattle, he was
married to Mary, and they had had one son, Zachariah.
George Soule and family moved to
Duxbury very early on, and he was a deputy to the Plymouth Court for a
number of years beginning in 1642. He had volunteered for the
Pequot War of 1637, but Plymouth's troops were not needed. He was
on various committees, juries, and survey teams, during his life in
Duxbury. In 1646, for example, he was appointed to the committee
to deal with Duxbury's problem of the disorderly smoking of tobacco.
George Soule made out his will on 11
August 1677, and added a codicil to it on 20 September 1677. The
codicil is quite interesting as it gives a little insight into a family
squabble between son John and daughter Patience:
"If my son John Soule above-named or
his heirs or assigns or any of them shall at any time disturb my
daughter Patience or her heirs or assigns or any of them in peaceable
possession or enjoyment of the lands I have given her at Nemasket alias
Middleboro and recover the same from her or her heirs or assigns or any
of them; that then my gift to my son John Soule shall be void; and that
then my will is my daughter Patience shall have all my lands at Duxbury
and she shall be my sole executrix of this my last will and testament
and enter into my housing lands and meadows at Duxbury."
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