This is a month to be thankful

I am a new author on this blog and am lucky that Tara is trusting of me to post some thoughts here. I just wanted to say that I am grateful for ancestors who stood up for what they felt was right. One of my ancestors that came to the United States belonged to one of the most wealthy and powerful families in England. He was dissatisfied with the newly formed church of England and the direction it was taking with so much power given the King and the thought that the King was divinely appointed to be king, and even dictate the affairs of the church. He followed a movement called the "puritan movement." He ended up losing his inheritance, his home, and was so persecuted that he left the country and came to the United States to live with people who believed the way he believed.
The new colony in the America's was only a couple of years old and had suffered many hardships and privations. When he arrived he found that there were some disagreements, some people were ostracized, and there was some discrimination toward the Native Americans. He picked up a couple of years later and followed Roger Williams to Providence, Rhode Island to start a new settlement. I know that took a lot of courage. He changed his name to Winsor so that he would no longer be affiliated with the family that was not only responsible for some of the pain he faced, but responsible for much of the pain the colonials felt as a whole.
Even though he was not on the ship with those that we call Pilgrims, his story is one and the same. He knew them, suffered with many of them, started a new community, and followed his heart to do what was right. He was a part of the group that was first to actually purchase part of a swamp from the Native's. Now that area is a flourishing city called Providence. His children and his children's children were also great people. They served in their community and were invaluable in the growth of the American Colonies.