While we were spending time with the Gilbert Miller family in Farmington Maine, we learned that Gilbert’s wife Kimberly is a direct descendant of Thomas Mayhew, a minister who had a colorful testimony in the 17th century for his work with the Indians in the colonies. He started preaching to the Indians at Martha’s Vineyard at age 70, and preached for 23 years to age 93. He witnessed the awakening in Martha’s Vineyard and other places that included the building of “praying towns”. These praying towns were places of unusual spiritual activity and were established by the Indians. At one point, he became the governor of Martha’s Vineyard. After Thomas Mayhew died, there were eight generations of Mayhew’s who were pastors in succession at Martha’s Vineyard.

 

At one point he left the island for a trip to England, but the Indians loved him so much that they wept as he left.

 

The revival among the Indians was characterized by their adopting biblical practices for every area of life. One such area of life was the way they wanted to be buried.

 

His last and dying words were, ‘I have lived by faith, and have found God in His Son, and there I find Him now, therefore, if you would find God, look for Him in His Son, there He is to be found and nowhere else.”

 

Gilbert and Kim showed us a family tree revealing how the family grew from the earliest days. In this genealogical family tree, there are fascinating childrens names like Experience, Reliance, Prudence, Fear, Thankful, as well as Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Jerusha, and Bathsheba.