" Names" Originally published in the Mayflower Quarterly, Autumn, 2021 By Patricia Claus Names. In the end, that’s all we have of many of our ancestors — if we’re lucky. For all of us in this group of cousins, we are so very blessed to have at least the names of ancestors to love, to thank for the fact that we are alive, and on whom we can bestow our gratitude for all we have today. The ability to find the names, not only of our ancestors but also of the ships that they came over to America on, is a precious thing which ties us inexorably to this nation. Before I discovered that I was indeed a Mayflower descendant, as I was just beginning my genealogical journey back into New England’s history, I discovered that my Witherell ancestors, the Reverend William and his family, including his pregnant wife, came over to Massachusetts from Sandwich, England on the ship “Hercules.” I cannot begin to tell you how utterly thrilled I was to discover the name of that ship. And of cou