Historical Non-fiction. I am an amateur genealogist, and The Rayners of Massachusetts is the story of my ancestors from 1989 in the United States back in time to England in 1415AD. As such, it combines genealogy, biography, and history. The story begins with my 16-G Grandfather John Raynor, during a period in English history characterized by wars, beheadings and the Black Plague pandemic. The early Raynors were successful merchants in the lucrative wool trade, then the backbone of the English economy, however subsequent generations included nobles, lords, ladies, knights, and other aristocrats. The story follows my ancestors in England until the Rev. John Reyner Sr. migrated across the stormy Atlantic together with his family to Plymouth in British Colonial America in 1635. Succeeding generations in my family tree settled mostly in Cambridge, Reading, and Boston. Most were primarily farmers, but there were also a colorful collection of tradesmen, bakers, clerics, tavern keepers, soldiers and sea captains (plus one pirate!). I wrote this story with my descendants in mind so that they may know where they came from, but other genealogists may also find my research useful, perhaps standing on my shoulders, as I did with the others that came before me.