John P. Hansel is a graduate of Princeton University, class of 1946. He is the originator and  sponsor of  the Alpheus T. Mason lecture series on Constitutional Law and Political Thought: “The Quest for Freedom” an event of Princeton’s James Madison program. The lectures are dedicated to his history professor Alpheus T. Mason.

For 50 years he was president of his family’s company Filtrine Manufacturing, Keene, NH which has been in the family since 1901.

He founded the non-profit Elm Research Institute in 1965 to preserve and protect the American elm.

He is also founder of the Liberty Tree Society, Walpole, NH whose mission is to celebrate the original Liberty Tree of Boston

and to develop a clone of “Herbie”, America’s oldest elm when it died of Dutch elm disease in 2010 at over 225 years of age.

 

Having left Plymouth, England in September 1620, the Mayflower arrived in Provincetown. Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. Before they got off the ship the passengers, under the leadership of William Bradford, often called the Father of our Country,  needed an agreement to organize themselves…to know who was in charge…how to deal with “indiscretions and problems” once they got on shore. They called that agreement a Compact and it is recognized by many prominent historians as America’s “First Constitution.”

Liberty Tree Society, Walpole, NH is offering, at no cost, to groups of 20 or more people, a live 30 minute presentation about the Mayflower Compact, and the men who drafted it. John Hansel, Founder of the Liberty Tree Society will give details of the voyage of the Mayflower.

In addition, the Society is offering Mayflower Compact Certificates at no cost.  Mr. Hansel’s wife, Frances Soule, was a daughter of a descendant of Pilgrim George Soule. She was also related to more than (10) of the other Mayflower passengers. Her death in 2016, after 71 years of marriage, prompted him to investigate the importance of the Mayflower Compact. He wishes to honor her memory with this presentation and by making the Certificates available.