Degory Priest was one of the Pilgrim passengers on the Mayflower in 1620. His wife, Sarah Allerton, and children Mary and Sarah stayed behind in Holland in Leiden where some of the Pilgrims had moved to escape religious persecution in England. He died during that first desperate winter in Plymouth. His wife and children came to North America on the "Anne" in 1623. At least one of his grandchildren was an early resident of Nantucket Island. Alternate spellings of his name are "Gregory", "Degorie", or "Digorie" Priest. Sarah Allerton's brother Isaac Allerton and his family were also passengers on the Mayflower.

Degory and Sarah have many notable descendents including Franklin Delano Roosevelt.