See Book of Corrections Vol. 2 No. 4
Lee Kugler
Published Date : August 1985
Lee Kugler’s column on the Book of Corrections recently brought to light a curious document which most descendants of Austin Bearse sooner or later run across. It has fascinated me for years. I refer to Who Our Forefathers Really Were, by Franklyn Bearce, a descendant (of Austin Bearse) with a considerable Indian background. The chief feature of this document is that it makes seemingly preposterous claims. Among these are that Austin Bearse was a gypsy, that he married a granddaughter of the Sachem. Hyanno, that Mary Hyanno had flaming red hair, and that Gabriel Wheldon jumped ship and married an Indian girl. Central to these claims is that Austin’s grandson, Josiah, had children by an Indian woman, Mary Sissel, which were accepted by his wife, Zerviah Newcomb, a native of Edgartown, Massachusetts.