Brewster was born in
Scrooby,
Nottinghamshire, on August 12, 1593. In around 1610, he accompanied his family to
Leiden in
Holland, where he married his first wife. Brewster did not join his family on the
Mayflower in 1620, however. He stayed behind in Leiden instead with his wife, who died soon after, and their infant son, who also died. Brewster would have been 27 at the time. Brewster came to America on the ship
Fortune in 1621. On April 10, 1624, in
Plymouth, Brewster married Lucretia Oldham, the daughter of William Oldham and Phillipa Sowter; her brother was Captain
John Oldham, whose slaying led to the
Pequot Indian war. Brewster and Oldham had eight children. From 1652 to 1658 he put considerable effort into searching for the
philosopher's stone. Brewster died on August 7, 1659, in
New London, Connecticut, at the age of 65. He was buried in Brewster's Plain, Norwich, Connecticut. ==Descendants==