Please post your Mayflower line that came into Barry County so that we can enjoy the connection. And above all else, have a happy Thanksgiving. The pilgrims did not come to America for religious freedom they had that in Holland while they lived there for ten years. It was more than that. They saw a government that would be separate from church. They were breaking away from the old ways in England and had new and better ideas that they wanted to put to the test. With Governor William Bradford's help, they gave America all of these things: 1. The first northern colony in America, 2. The Mayflower Compact, a first Constitution, 3. Separation of Church and State, 4. Vision of a Christian Government, 5. Realization of Socialization and what it meant, 6. Thanksgiving Day - A public day to be thankful Donna Cooper, descendant of Gov. William Bradford who came on the Mayflower.