The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, or The Mayflower Society, is a genealogical organization of individuals who have documented their descent from one or more of the 102 passengers who arrived on the "Mayflower" in 1620. The Society, founded at Plymouth in 1897, claims that tens of millions of Americans are descended from these passengers, and it offers research services for people seeking to document their descent.
The Mayflower Society
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony | The Mayflower Society
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what year did the mayflower land on plymouth bay
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December 16, 1620
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where was this colony located?
user
Plymouth, Massachusetts
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which is the ship they traveled to this place in?
user
"Mayflower"
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is there a society bearing the same name as the ship?
user
Yes, The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, or The Mayflower Society
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what was the language spoken by the people who came on the ship?
user
Because of this, they chose to relocate to the New World, with their voyage being financed by English investors. In September 1620, 102 passengers set sail aboard the "Mayflower", eventually settling at Plymouth Colony in November. Of the passengers on the Mayflower, 41 men signed the "Mayflower Compact" aboard ship on November 11, 1620, while anchored in Provincetown Harbor. Signers included Carver, Alden, Standish, Howland, Bradford, Allerton, and Fuller. This story has become a central theme in the United States cultural identity. A number of English colonies were established under a system of proprietary governors, who were appointed under mercantile charters to English joint stock companies to found and run settlements.
English Americans | Early settlement and colonization
"Mayflower II" is docked near Plymouth Rock and is also under the care of the museum. Colonial first-person interpreters represent the sailors and officers of the ship circa the 1620s. At some times, the "sailors" go on week-long trips to experience what it was like for the Pilgrims.
Plimoth Plantation | History
The "Mayflower" passengers sighted land on November 9, 1620 after enduring miserable conditions for about 65 days, and William Brewster led them in reading Psalm 100 as a prayer of thanksgiving. They confirmed that the area was Cape Cod within the New England territory recommended by Weston. They attempted to sail the ship around the cape towards the Hudson River, also within the New England grant area, but they encountered shoals and difficult currents around Cape Malabar (the old French name for Monomoy Island). They decided to turn around, and the ship was anchored in Provincetown Harbor by November 11/21.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | Arrival in America
The English settlers of the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies initially referred to Massachusett as the Indian language, at first because they were unaware of the ethnic and linguistic boundaries between peoples, and later as they discovered that nearly all the Indians spoke the same language. Massachusett was adopted as a general term, although due to the influence of the Indian mission and the success of the Praying Town of Natick, Natick also was a common reference to the language, especially in written form. In the Plymouth Colony, both Massachusett and Wampanoag, especially since the colony covered most of their traditional territory, were in general use.
Massachusett language | Exonyms
Commercial activity in the harbor, which included pirateering, could have been transacted simultaneously in any of a number of tongues. In some cases people Batavianized their names to conform with the Dutch vernacular and official language, which also greatly influenced place naming. English language speakers mostly arrived from New England and Long Island. In mid-seventeenth century, for political and religious unrest in England, emigrated to the Atlantic coast of North America, numerous Protestant Puritans, who settled in New Amsterdam. Among the early English settlers were two religious leaders, Anabaptist Lady Deborah Moody in 1645 and Anne Hutchinson, who took refuge in the province, as well as Elizabeth Hallet (nee Fones), niece of Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop, who sought refuge from religious persecution.
New Netherlander | Language
As a result, when the "Mayflower" landed and the English began to establish colonies in the southern end of Abenaki territory, relations between the English and natives remained guarded. The religious leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony discouraged social interaction with the natives. By contrast, the French had already planted the colonies of New France in the northern part of Abenaki territory, and maintained reasonably cordial relations with the natives. Intermarriage between the French and natives gave rise to the Métis people. Over the next hundred years, conflicts between the French and the English often included their colonies and their respective native allies.
Abenaki language | History
After the failed settlement of Roanoke (1585) and the first permanent settlement at Jamestown (1607)—near speakers of Powhatan languages—shifted to New England with failed attempts at Cuttyhunk (1602) and Cape Ann (1624) and successful settlement of Plymouth (1621), Salem (1628), Massachusetts Bay (1629)—all in what is now Massachusetts and in the midst of Massachusett-speaking peoples—and a few other sites in New England. The earliest settlers struggled in the colder climate of New England, with their lives dependent on the Native American peoples for education on local agriculture, food aid, protection from less welcoming tribes and a market for trade. Through these close interactions, the English settlers adopted hundreds of words, probably hundreds more when compounds and calques of Massachusett phrases are included.
Massachusett language | Massachusett influences in the English language
In November 1621 Philip Delano arrived in Plymouth Colony as a single man on the ship "Fortune". While Bangs states that he was 16 years of age when he arrived he was actually closer to 20 though it is speculated he must at this time have been a servant of one of the other passengers, as he was a minor.. Approximately 65 passengers embarked on Mayflower in the middle of July 1620 at either Blackwall or Wapping on the River Thames.[10] The ship then proceeded down the Thames into the English Channel and then on to the south coast of England to anchor at Southampton Water.
Philip Delano | In New England
The first English settlements, the Plymouth Colony by the Pilgrims in 1620, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the Puritans in 1629, both were founded in Massachusett-language speaking territory. The colonists depended on the Indians for survival, and some learned how to communicate with the Indians for trade. As the population of the English increased with further Puritan migrations, and the Indians became outnumbered, moves to assimilate the Indians were enacted. With colonial backing and funding from the Society for the Propagation of the Bible, missionaries such as John Eliot, Thomas Mayhew and his descendants amongst the Wampanoag, and Roger Williams began to learn the local languages and convert the Indians.
Massachusett language | Early colonial period
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, or The Mayflower Society, is a genealogical organization of individuals who have documented their descent from one or more of the 102 passengers who arrived on the "Mayflower" in 1620. The Society, founded at Plymouth in 1897, claims that tens of millions of Americans are descended from these passengers, and it offers research services for people seeking to document their descent.
Plymouth Colony | The Mayflower Society
A handful of Indians had rudimentary knowledge of English through occasional contacts with English seafarers, adventurers, fishermen and traders for a few decades before the first permanent English settlement of New England at Plymouth. When the Pilgrims established their outpost, they were greeted in English by Samoset, originally an Abenaki of coastal Maine, and Tisquantum ('Squanto'), a local Wôpanâak, but both of their home villages were also wiped out by an epidemic caused by infectious agents unknown in the New World. Tisquantum was abducted by an English vessel, sold into slavery in Spain, mysteriously found his way to London where gained employment on English explorations of the North American coast and later escaped and took up residence in a neighboring Wôpanâak village.
Massachusett language | Massachusett Pidgin English
Continuing westward, the shallop's mast and rudder were broken by storms and the sail was lost. They rowed for safety, encountering the harbor formed by Duxbury and Plymouth barrier beaches and stumbling on land in the darkness. They remained at this spot for two days to recuperate and repair equipment. They named it Clark's Island for a "Mayflower" mate who first set foot on it. They resumed exploration on Monday, December 11/21 when the party crossed over to the mainland and surveyed the area that ultimately became the settlement. The anniversary of this survey is observed in Massachusetts as Forefathers' Day and is traditionally associated with the Plymouth Rock landing tradition.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | Settlement
As the colonies came under direct rule, and interest in the Indian mission waned, the Society last commissioned a reprint of Mayhew's "Indiane Primer asuh Negonneuyeuuk" in 1747. The end of the missionary translations impacted, but did not finish off, Native literacy, which continued until the close of the eighteenth century. The following is a list of the Society's publications and their year of printing:
Massachusett language | Translation and literature
Two dogs are known to have participated in settling Plymouth. In "Mourt's Relation", Edward Winslow writes that a female English Mastiff and a small English Springer Spaniel came ashore on the first explorations of Provincetown. The ship was probably also carrying small domestic animals such as goats, pigs, and chickens. Larger domestic animals came later, such as cows and sheep.
List of Mayflower passengers | Animals on board
Anecdotal evidence suggests that some Indians were literate up until the middle of the nineteenth century, although no documents from this period survive. The spoken language remained in vibrant use in the 1750s on the mainland and as late as the 1770s in the larger, more isolated Wampanoag communities of the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. By 1798, only one speaker of advanced age was found in Natick. The language survived on Nantucket until the death of the widow Dorcas Honorable in 1855. On Martha's Vineyard, the language survived the longest. In 1808, a church official named Elisha Clap writing about the small congregation of the Baptist minister Zachariah Howwaswee (Hossueit) remarked, 'Only a few aged Indians, who do not understand English, attend his meeting, as he preaches in the native language ...' Howwaswee continued preaching until his death sometime in the 1830s.
Massachusett language | Extinction
His daughter Sarah, married to a man named Blunden, was his estate administrator, as requested in Mullins will. Recording those on board the "Mayflower", William Bradford wrote of Mullins as "Mr. William Mullins", possibly as he was somewhat more prosperous than many of the original settlers: "Mr. William Mullines, and his wife, and *2* children, Joseph and Priscila; and a servant, Robart Carter." The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill.
William Mullins (Mayflower passenger) | On the "Mayflower"
Samoset was a sagamore (subordinate chief) of an Eastern Abenaki tribe that resided in what now is Maine, and an English fishing camp had been established in the Gulf of Maine. Samoset learned some English from fishermen who came to fish off Monhegan Island and he knew most ship captains by name. The Abenaki language is an Algonquian language related to the Massachusett language of the Nauset and Wampanoag people of the area around Plymouth Colony, and Samoset was visiting Wampanoag chief Massasoit at the time of the historic event. He entered the settlement at Plymouth on March 16, 1621, greeted the colonists in English, and asked for beer.
Samoset | History
Myles Standish was selected to make sure the rules were obeyed, as there was a consensus that discipline would need to be enforced to ensure the survival of the planned colony. Once they agreed to settle and build a self-governing community, they came ashore. The moment the Pilgrims stepped ashore was described by William Bradford, the second Governor of the Plymouth Colony:
Mayflower | Arrival in America
They named their settlement "Plimouth" (sometimes spelled "Plimoth") after the major port city in Devon, England from which the "Mayflower" ultimately sailed.
Plymouth, Massachusetts | Colonial era
The Pilgrims had originally hoped to reach America in early October using two ships, but delays and complications meant they could use only one, the "Mayflower". Arriving in November, they had to survive unprepared through a harsh winter. As a result, only half of the original Pilgrims survived the first winter at Plymouth. Without the help of local Indigenous peoples to teach them food gathering and other survival skills, all of the colonists may have perished. The following winter, they celebrated the colony's first fall harvest along with the Indigenous people, which became the first Thanksgiving.
Mayflower | Introduction
The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England, on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, getting wet. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, contributed to sicknesses. On the way, there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger. After arriving at their destination, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in the cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
John Howland | Voyage
Horatio Hale, a philologist who took part in the United States Exploring Expedition led by Charles Wilkes, made the first description of their language.
Geawegal | Language
It is not known when the last speakers perished, but Tamsen Weekes, who died in 1890 at the age of 90, was likely one of the last fluent speakers. Studies of the Wampanoag tribe in the 1920s did not find any native speakers, but only those who remembered small bits of the language. War also greatly reduced the population. The ravages of King Philip's War (1675–76) is believed to have reduced the population by 40%, due to executions, retaliatory attacks and displacement. Many of the Praying Indians that remained neutral were rounded up and left on islands in Boston Harbor where many perished from disease, starvation and exposure to the elements.
Massachusett language | Extinction
In 1609 John Vassall was recorded as a shareholder on the Second Charter of The Virginia Company. Anne Russell was John Vassall's second of three wives and with her had five children, William being the youngest. The GSMD (Mayflower Society) states that the building date and original owner of the ship "Mayflower" that came to Plymouth in 1620 is unknown. Additionally, the Society states that "Mayflower" was a common ship's name in the period and that the "Mayflower" captained by Christopher Jones from about 1609 has never been adequately researched prior to his time as ship's captain.
William Vassall | Vassall family and the "Mayflower"
Contrary to conditions on the "Mayflower" one year earlier, everyone on the "Fortune" seemed to be in good health upon arrival. One birth was recorded soon after arrival – Martha Ford gave birth to a son, although her husband William Ford may have died about that time as well as the son. On the ship were a large number of non-religious passengers having been given the sobriquet of "Strangers," many of them single men who would greatly out-number the single, marriageable females in the colony. With arrival of the "Fortune" the colony had a total of sixty-six men and just sixteen women.
Fortune (Plymouth Colony ship) | "Fortune" passengers
However, the extent to which the Brythonic Cornish language was spoken east of the Tamar remains a point of conjecture.
History of Plymouth | Early history
During the voyage, the ship was buffeted by strong westerly gales. The caulking of its planks was failing to keep out sea water, and the passengers' berths were not always dry. On the journey there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger. After being blown off course by gales, the "Mayflower" made a landing at Cape Cod. Finding the area near Provincetown occupied by indigenous people, the ship's company decided to continue exploring along the nearby coast. The group arrived in the area near present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 21, 1620. In the space of several months almost half the passengers perished in the cold, harsh New England winter.
William Brewster (Mayflower passenger) | "Mayflower" voyage
After the departure of Massasoit and his men, Squanto remained in Plymouth to teach the Pilgrims how to survive in New England, such as using dead fish to fertilize the soil. For the first few years of colonial life, the fur trade was the dominant source of income beyond subsistence farming, buying furs from Natives and selling to Europeans. Governor Carver suddenly died shortly after the "Mayflower" returned to England. William Bradford was elected to replace him and went on to lead the colony through much of its formative years. As promised by Massasoit, numerous indigenous arrived at Plymouth throughout the middle of 1621 with pledges of peace.
Plymouth Colony | Early relations with the Native Americans
Samuel Fuller boarded the "Mayflower" with only his servant William Butten, leaving his wife Bridget and his young daughter Bridget behind in Leiden, awaiting until the colony conditions would better suit families. His brother, Edward Fuller was also a passenger and traveled with his wife and a son, also named Samuel. The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship carried 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill.
Samuel Fuller (Pilgrim) | "Mayflower" Voyage
Of the 120 combined passengers, 102 were chosen to travel on the "Mayflower" with the supplies consolidated. Of these, about half had come by way of Leiden, and about 28 of the adults were members of the congregation. The reduced party finally sailed successfully on September 6 (Old Style)/September 16 (New Style), 1620. Initially the trip went smoothly, but under way they were met with strong winds and storms. One of these caused a main beam to crack, and the possibility was considered of turning back, even though they were more than halfway to their destination. However, they repaired the ship sufficiently to continue using a "great iron screw" brought along by the colonists (probably a jack to be used for either house construction or a cider press).
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | Atlantic crossing
This may be explained by the fact that the original settlers of Natick were Massachusett people from Neponset, but after King Philip's War, the community attracted many Nipmuc whose dialects generally prefer . As Eliot employed the form in his translations, this form spread as the 'standard' in writing. Many instances seem to have been standardized by colonial mapmakers and Indian translators themselves. For instance, the colonists referred to a hill that once existed as Hassunek or Hassunet Hill, but the name survives today as Assonet Street in Worcester. Similarly, Asnacomet Pond, in a formerly Nipmuc-language area, was recorded as 'Asacancomic in the older colonial sources.
Massachusett language | Locative vs
Describing the Pilgrims' safe arrival at Cape Cod aboard the Mayflower: Being thus arived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees & blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast & furious ocean, and delivered them from all ye periles & miseries therof, againe to set their feete on ye firme and stable earth, their proper elemente. And no marvell if they were thus joyefull, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on ye coast of his owne Italy; as he affirmed, that he had rather remaine[d] twentie years on his way by land, then pass by sea to any place in a short time; so tedious & dreadfull was ye same unto him.
Of Plymouth Plantation | From the journal
It is likely that the Africans on Manhattan spoke their mother tongues but were taught Dutch from 1638 by Adam Roelantsz van Dokkum. The arrival of refugees from New Holland in Brazil may have brought speakers of Portuguese, Spanish, and Ladino (with Hebrew as a liturgical language). Commercial activity in the harbor could have been transacted simultaneously in any of a number of tongues. The Dutch West India Company introduced slavery in 1625 with the importation of 11 black slaves who worked as farmers, fur traders, and builders. They had a few basic rights and families were usually kept intact.
New Netherland | Society
It is possible that Philippe went separately to England rather than aboard "Speedwell". They gathered in England with other Pilgrims and hireling colonizers to stage the onward voyage with the two ships. The "Speedwell" proved unseaworthy and eleven of its passengers were able to join the "Mayflower". It is unknown if the twenty (including Robert Cushman and Phillipe de Lannoy) who could not sail on the "Mayflower" returned to Leiden or remained in England. The "Mayflower" proceeded solo with a combined company of 103, leaving Plymouth on September 6, 1620, arriving Cape Cod Harbor on November 11, 1620. The "Fortune" eventually substituted for the "Speedwell", sailing for Plymouth Colony in early July 1621, arriving on November 9, 1621, with Philippe among its passengers.
Delano family | Migration to America
Literate Indian ministers and teachers taught literacy to the elites and other members of their communities, influencing a widespread acceptance. This is attested in the numerous court petitions, church records, praying town administrative records, notes on book margins, personal letters, and widespread distribution of other translations of religious tracts throughout the colonial period. The dialects of the language were formerly spoken by several peoples of southern New England, including all the coastal and insular areas of eastern Massachusetts, as well as southeastern New Hampshire, the southernmost tip of Maine and eastern Rhode Island, and it was also a common second or third language across most of New England and portions of Long Island.
Massachusett language | Introduction
The English word "ship" has been pronounced without the the longest, the word being descended from Old English "" , which already also had the , though the Old English spelling etymologically indicated that the old had once been present.
Voiceless postalveolar fricative | Occurrence
A second ship arrived in November 1621 named the "Fortune", sent by the Merchant Adventurers one year after the Pilgrims first set foot in New England. It arrived with 37 new settlers for Plymouth. However, the ship had arrived unexpectedly and also without many supplies, so the additional settlers put a strain on the resources of the colony. Among the passengers of the "Fortune" were several of the original Leiden congregation, including William Brewster's son Jonathan, Edward Winslow's brother John, and Philip Delano (the family name was earlier "de la Noye") whose descendants include President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The "Fortune" also carried a letter from the Merchant Adventurers chastising the colony for failure to return goods with the "Mayflower" that had been promised in return for their support.
Plymouth Colony | Growth of Plymouth
After exchanging pleasantries with the Winslow and the other representatives of the Plymouth Colony, the conversation between the "sachem"s was not understood by Winslow save a few words. Similar accounts are recorded by the Dutch and Swedish colonists of what is now the Mid-Atlantic States and the traditional homeland of the Lenape peoples. Like Winslow, the Dutch and Swedish settlers thought they were speaking the local language, but were actually speaking pidgin varieties thereof. Massachusett Pidgin spread with the fur trade, allowing Indians to communicate with northern and interior tribes and exchange items for beaver pelts, which were highly prized by the English settlers.
Massachusett Pidgin | Colonial attestation
The "Mayflower" anchored at Provincetown Harbor on November 11, 1620. The Pilgrims did not have a patent to settle this area, and some passengers began to question their right to land, complaining that there was no legal authority to establish a colony. In response to this, a group of colonists drafted and signed the first governing document of the colony, the Mayflower Compact, while still aboard the ship as it lay off-shore. The intent of the compact was to establish a means of governing the colony, though it did little more than confirm that the colony would be governed like any English town.
Plymouth Colony | Landings at Provincetown and Plymouth
The Pilgrims referred to themselves as the "Saints", "First Comers", "Ancient Brethren", or "Ancient Men". They used such terms to indicate their place as God's elect, as they subscribed to the Calvinist belief in predestination. "The First Comers" was a term more loosely used in their day to refer to any of the Mayflower passengers. There were also a number of indentured servants among the colonists. Indentured servants were mostly poor children whose families were receiving church relief and "homeless waifs from the streets of London sent as laborers". In addition to the Pilgrims, the "Mayflower" carried "Strangers", the non-Puritan settlers placed on the "Mayflower" by the Merchant Adventurers who provided various skills needed to establish a colony.
Plymouth Colony | English
'Abenakian syncope' was an areal feature that had spread from the Abenakian languages to Mahican, a Delawaran language, and was beginning to spread into SNEA during the early colonial period. The feature was obligatory in the Quiripi, Unquachoag, Montauk, Mohegan and Pequot dialects of the Long Island sound, frequent in Nipmuc and mostly absent in Massachusett and Narragansett. For example the 'Fox Sachem' of the Pequot was known to late-stage speakers as whereas the English name 'Uncas' likely preserves an older dialectal and pre-syncopated stage pronunciation of , cf. Massachusett () , indicating that the transition was not complete in New England when the English colonists arrived.
Massachusett language | Lack of syncope
This caused about 10-12 armed men to search for them, in fear they were captured by Indians. As it happened, Browne and Goodman were eating lunch when their dogs starting chasing a deer and they were soon lost. According to records, "they wandered all that afternoon being wet, and at night it did freeze and snow, they were slenderly appareled and had no weapons but each one sickle." At night they thought they heard "lions" in the forest and climbed a tree for shelter. They stayed by the tree that night in case they had to escape to safety. The next day they finally climbed the highest hill they could find, were able to see their harbor and find their way back to the settlement.
Peter Browne (Mayflower passenger) | In Plymouth Colony
Thorough exploration of the area was delayed for more than two weeks because the shallop or pinnace (a smaller sailing vessel) which they brought had been partially dismantled to fit aboard the "Mayflower" and was further damaged in transit. Small parties, however, waded to the beach to fetch firewood and attend to long-deferred personal hygiene. Exploratory parties were undertaken while awaiting the shallop, led by Myles Standish (an English soldier whom the colonists had met while in Leiden) and Christopher Jones. They encountered an old European-built house and iron kettle, left behind by some ship's crew, and a few recently cultivated fields, showing corn stubble.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | First landings
The books represent the University's focus on learning and scholarship. The scattering of small stars represents navigation, which has played a key role in the history of the city and the university. The scallop shells in gold represent pilgrimage, a sign of the importance of the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from the Barbican aboard the Mayflower in 1620. A Pelican and a Golden Hind support the shield and reflect both the original and later, better known, name of Sir Francis Drake's ship. The crest contains the Latin motto "Indagate Fingite Invenite" ('Explore Dream Discover'), a quote from Mark Twain, reflecting the university's ambitions for its students and Plymouth's history of great seafarers.
English heraldry | Educational Institutions
On December 21, 1620, the first landing party arrived at the site of Plymouth. Plans to build houses, however, were delayed by bad weather until December 23. As the building progressed, 20 men always remained ashore for security purposes while the rest of the work crews returned each night to the "Mayflower". Women, children, and the infirm remained on board the "Mayflower", and many had not left the ship for six months. The first structure was a common house of wattle and daub, and it took two weeks to complete in the harsh New England winter. In the following weeks, the rest of the settlement slowly took shape.
Plymouth Colony | First winter
The White family, as recalled by William Bradford in 1651: "Mr. William White, and Susana, his wife, and one son, called Resolved, and one borne a ship-bord, called Peregrine; and *2* servants, named William Holbeck and Edward Thomson." The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill.
Peregrine White | "Mayflower" voyage
Some families traveled together, while some men came alone, leaving families in England and Leiden. Just over a third of the passengers were Puritan separatists who sought to break away from the established Church of England and create a society along the lines of their religious ideals. Other passengers were hired hands, servants, or farmers recruited by London merchants, all originally destined for the Colony of Virginia. The passengers mostly slept and lived in the low-ceilinged great cabins and on the main deck, which was 75 by 20 feet large (23 m × 6 m) at most. The cabins were thin-walled and extremely cramped, and the total area was 25 ft by 15 ft (7.6 m × 4.5 m) at its largest.
Mayflower | Passengers
The Plymouth colonists resolved to meet with the Massachusetts Indians who had frequently threatened them. On August 18, a crew of ten settlers set off around midnight, with Squanto and two other Indians as interpreters, hoping to arrive before daybreak. But they misjudged the distance and were forced to anchor off shore and stay in the shallop over the next night. Once ashore, they found a woman coming to collect the trapped lobsters, and she told them where the villagers were. Squanto was sent to make contact, and they discovered that the sachem presided over a considerably reduced band of followers.
Squanto | Mission to the Massachuset people
From their first arrival aboard the Mayflower in 1620, until 1629, only about 300 Puritans had survived in New England, scattered in small and isolated settlements. In 1630, their population was increased when the ship "Mary and John" arrived in New England carrying 140 passengers from the English West Country counties of Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. These included Nicholas Upsall, Roger Ludlowe, John Mason, Samuel Maverick, William Phelps, Henry Wolcott and other men who would become prominent in the founding of a new nation. It was the first of the ships later called the Winthrop Fleet to land in Massachusetts.
Nicholas Upsall | Arrival in the colonies
By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
Henry Samson | Voyage on the "Mayflower"
The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620 with 102 passengers and about 30 crew members in the small, 106 foot-long ship. The seas were not severe during the first month in the Atlantic but, by the second month, the ship was being hit by strong north-Atlantic winter gales, causing it to be badly shaken with water leaks from structural damage. There were many obstacles throughout the trip, including multiple cases of seasickness and the bending and cracking of a main beam of the ship. One death occurred, that of William Button.
Plymouth Colony | "Mayflower" voyage
"Speedwell" was re-rigged with larger masts before leaving Holland and setting out to meet "Mayflower" in Southampton, England, around the end of July 1620. The Mayflower was purchased in London. The original captains were Captain Reynolds for "Speedwell" and Captain Christopher Jones for "Mayflower". Other passengers joined the group in Southampton, including William Brewster, who had been in hiding for the better part of a year, and a group of people known to the Leiden congregation as "The Strangers." This group was largely made up of people recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide practical assistance to the colony and additional hands to work for the colony's ventures.
Plymouth Colony | "Mayflower" voyage
The term was also used for many of the indentured servants. Among the Strangers were Myles Standish, who was the colony's military leader; Christopher Martin, who had been designated by the Merchant Adventurers to act as shipboard governor during the trans-Atlantic trip; and Stephen Hopkins, a veteran of a failed colonial venture that may have inspired Shakespeare's "The Tempest". The group who later became the Leiden Leaders after the merging of ships included John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, and Isaac Allerton. The departure of the "Mayflower" and "Speedwell" was beset by delays. Further disagreements with the Merchant Adventurers held up the departure in Southampton.
Plymouth Colony | "Mayflower" voyage
A group of Puritans known as the Pilgrims arrived on the "Mayflower" from England and the Netherlands to establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, the second successful English colony in North America following Jamestown, Virginia. About half of the one hundred-plus passengers on the "Mayflower" died that first winter, mostly because of diseases contracted on the voyage followed by a harsh winter. In 1621, a Native American named Squanto taught the colonists how to grow corn and where to catch eels and fish. His assistance was invaluable and helped them to survive the early years of the colonization. The Pilgrims lived on the same site where Squanto's Patuxet tribe had established a village before they were wiped out from diseases.
New England Colonies | Establishing the New England Colonies
The "Mayflower" remained in Plymouth Harbor through the winter and then on 5 April, with her empty hold ballasted by stones from the Plymouth Harbor shore, Jones set sail for England. As with the Pilgrims, her sailors had been decimated by illness, with Jones having lost his boatswain, his gunner, three quartermasters, the cook, and more than a dozen sailors. The "Mayflower" made excellent time on her return voyage back to England. The westerly winds that had buffeted the ship on departure pushed her along going home and she arrived at her home port in Rotherhithe on the Thames on 5 May 1621 – less than half the time it had taken her to sail to America.
Christopher Jones (Mayflower captain) | Voyage of the Pilgrim Ship "Mayflower"
The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
James Chilton | On the "Mayflower"
The ship the English saw pass before the town was not French, but rather a shallop from the "Sparrow", a shipping vessel sponsored by Thomas Weston and one other of the Plymouth settlement's sponsors, which was plying the eastern fishing grounds. This boat brought seven additional settlers but no provisions whatsoever "nor any hope of any". In a letter they brought, Weston explained that the settlers were to set up a salt pan operation on one of the islands in the harbor for the private account of Weston. He asked the Plymouth colony, however, to house and feed these newcomers, provide them with seed stock and (ironically) salt, until he was able to send the salt pan to them.
Squanto | Arrival of the "Sparrow"
With personal and business matters agreed upon, the Puritans procured supplies and a small ship. "Speedwell" was to bring some passengers from the Netherlands to England, then on to America where it would be kept for the fishing business, with a crew hired for support services during the first year. The larger ship "Mayflower" was leased for transport and exploration services.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | Preparations
A total of 120 passengers finally departed on August 5—90 on the "Mayflower" and 30 on the "Speedwell". Leaving Southampton, the "Speedwell" suffered significant leakage, which required the ships to immediately put in at Dartmouth. The leakage was partly caused by being overmasted and being pressed too much with sail. Repairs were completed, and a further delay ensued as they awaited favorable winds. The two ships finally set sail on August 23; they traveled only two hundred miles beyond Land's End before another major leak in the "Speedwell" forced the expedition to return again to England, this time to the port of Plymouth.
Plymouth Colony | "Mayflower" voyage
The colonists retrieved their firearms and shot back, then chased them into the woods but did not find them. There was no more contact with Indians for several months. The local Indians were already familiar with the English, who had intermittently visited the area for fishing and trade before "Mayflower" arrived. In the Cape Cod area, relations were poor following a visit several years earlier by Thomas Hunt. Hunt kidnapped 20 people from Patuxet (the site of Plymouth Colony) and another seven from Nausett, and he attempted to sell them as slaves in Europe. One of the Patuxet abductees was Squanto, who became an ally of the Plymouth Colony.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | First contact
(16 September, N.S.). After 66 days of fighting gales and with the ship's timbers rupturing, and with a detriment to the health of all on board, the "Mayflower" finally arrived within the waters of the Cape Cod Bay on 11 November before anchoring off what is now Provincetown. Recent research has revealed that the ship docked at the tiny fishing village of Renews in Newfoundland for fresh water and food before arriving in Provincetown. The "Mayflower" and its passengers and crew would proceed to establish a settlement at Plymouth, on the other side of the Cape Cod Bay from Provincetown.
Christopher Jones (Mayflower captain) | Voyage of the Pilgrim Ship "Mayflower"
The "Speedwell" was found to be unseaworthy; some passengers abandoned their attempt to emigrate, while others joined the "Mayflower", crowding the already heavily burdened ship. Later, it was speculated that the crew of the "Speedwell" had intentionally sabotaged the ship to avoid having to make the treacherous trans-Atlantic voyage. The delays had significant consequences; the cost of the repairs and port fees required that the colonists sell some of their invaluable provisions. More importantly, the delays meant that everyone had to spend the entire winter on board the "Mayflower" off Cape Cod in what could only be described as squalid conditions.
Plymouth Colony | "Mayflower" voyage
The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England, on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
William Butten | "Mayflower" Voyage
The expedition sighted Cape Cod on November 9, 1620, and landed at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts. Two days later, the men signed the "Mayflower" Compact, wherein all agreed to submit themselves to the will of the majority—one of the foundation documents of American democracy. Running short of provisions, they did not proceed to Virginia, but established a settlement at Plymouth Colony (today Plymouth, Massachusetts), although they had expected to settle further south and were ill-equipped for a Massachusetts winter. Half died before spring came. There had been few Native Americans in the area, but in 1621, the settlers were approached by a group, including two, Samoset and Squanto, who spoke some English.
Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar | Background
Plymouth faced many difficulties during its first winter, the most notable being the risk of starvation and the lack of suitable shelter. The Pilgrims had no way of knowing that the ground would be frozen by the middle of November, making it impossible to do any planting. Nor were they prepared for the snow storms that would make the countryside impassable without snowshoes. And in their haste to leave, they did not think to bring any fishing rods. From the beginning, the assistance they received from the local Native Americans was vital. One colonist's journal reported, "We dug and found some more corn, two or three baskets full, and a bag of beans.
Mayflower | First winter
Another ship called "Mayflower" made a voyage from London to Plymouth Colony in 1629 carrying 35 passengers, many from the Pilgrim congregation in Leiden that organized the first voyage. This was not the same ship that made the original voyage with the first settlers. The 1629 voyage began in May and reached Plymouth in August; this ship also made the crossing from England to America in 1630 (as part of the Winthrop Fleet), 1633, 1634, and 1639. It attempted the trip again in 1641, departing London in October of that year under master John Cole, with 140 passengers bound for Virginia.
Mayflower | Second "Mayflower"
In September 1623, another ship arrived carrying settlers destined to refound the failed colony at Weymouth, and they stayed temporarily in Plymouth. In March 1624, a ship arrived bearing a few additional settlers and the first cattle. A 1627 division of cattle lists 156 colonists divided into twelve lots of thirteen colonists each. Another ship arrived in August 1629, also named the "Mayflower", with 35 additional members of the Leiden congregation. Ships arrived throughout the period between 1629 and 1630 carrying new settlers, though the exact number is unknown; contemporaneous documents indicate that the colony had almost 300 people by January 1630.
Plymouth Colony | Growth of Plymouth
The Heiltsuk terms for Americans during this time was "Boston" or 'Boston-man' – derived from Chinook and pronounced "booston". Most American fur trade vessels originated in New England – hence the term Boston. A Brit was a "King-George-Man". Through a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, the Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre, the Bella Bella Community School and the University of British Columbia's First Nations and Endangered Languages Program are partnering in an effort to collaboratively create new opportunities for speaking, writing and reading the Híɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) language by expanding and deepening existing community language revitalization and cultural documentation in a digital environment.
Heiltsuk | Language
The Nauset are extinct as a people today. The Nauset were able to survive the ravages of King Philip's War unscathed due to their isolation, trust of the local English settlers and neutrality. Most of the Nauset relocated to Mashpee where they joined the local Wampanoag when it was established as a Praying town of the Plymouth Colony, and thus, many Mashpee Wampanoag likely have significant Nauset ancestry in their Native bloodlines. The unique features of the speech of the Wampanoag remembers from Mashpee recorded by Speck may be due to Nauset features but could just as easily be considered dialectal variation, late-stage language usage and incorrect 'remembering' of the language as it was recorded from elders that did not speak the language.
Massachusett dialects | Nauset
Those Native Americans who lived on the east end of the island were related to the Pequot of eastern Connecticut. They spoke a Y-dialect of the Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language.
Metoac | Languages
At the time of the "Mayflower's" voyage in 1620, Richard and his wife had five daughters: Mary, Ann, Sarah, Elizabeth and Abigail. But Richard came on the "Mayflower" alone, deciding to wait until conditions in the New World were satisfactory before bringing over his family. Governor William Bradford recalled of that time, "Mr. Richard Warren, but his wife and children were lefte behind, and came afterwards." The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on 6/16 September 1620. The small, ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill.
Richard Warren | The "Mayflower"
The religious disputes that prompted settlement in America were important topics of early American literature. A journal written by John Winthrop, "The History of New England", discussed the religious foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Edward Winslow also recorded a diary of the first years after the "Mayflower's" arrival. "A modell of Christian Charity" by John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, was a Sermon preached on the "Arbella" (the flagship of the Winthrop Fleet) in 1630. This work outlined the ideal society that he and the other Separatists would build in an attempt to realize a "Puritan utopia". Other religious writers included Increase Mather and William Bradford, author of the journal published as a "History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620–47".
American literature | Topics of early prose
At 55 tons displacement, and about one-third the tonnage of the "Mayflower", the "Fortune" was tasked with delivering thirty-five new settlers to Plymouth Colony. Their leader was Robert Cushman who, in 1620, had been the Leiden agent in London for the "Mayflower" and "Speedwell". It is believed that the majority of the passengers of the "Fortune" were gathered together in London by Thomas Weston and his partner. And although William Bradford stated that there were thirty-five persons on board "Fortune", the names of only twenty-eight persons are noted as receiving lots credited to those arriving as noted in the 1623 Division of Land.
Fortune (Plymouth Colony ship) | Preparing for the voyage
Growing acculturation, intermarriage, and dwindling populations led to the extinction of the Natick Dialect of the Massachusett language, and only one speaker could be found in 1798. One of the traditional things that survived was the peddling of native square-edged splint baskets and medicines. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, after investigating the condition of the Native Americans, decided to grant citizenship to the Native Americans with the passage of the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869, which ultimately led to the sale of any of the remaining lands. Hassanamessit was divided up among a few families. In 1897, the last of the Dudley lands were sold, and the remaining Native Americans were housed in the 'poor house' on Lake Street in Webster, Massachusetts.
Nipmuc | 19th century
Those not sailing accompanied us to the ship, but were not able to speak to one another for the abundance of sorrow before parting." William Bradford, another leader who would be the second Governor of the Plymouth Colony, similarly described the departure: The trip to the south coast of England took three days, where the ship took anchor at Southampton on , 1620. From there, the Pilgrims first laid eyes on their larger ship, the "Mayflower", as it was being loaded with provisions.
Mayflower | Leaving Holland
Historically, the Pequots spoke a dialect of the Mohegan-Pequot language, an Eastern Algonquian language. The Treaty of Hartford concluded the Pequot War in 1637, when the colonists made speaking the language a capital offense. Within a generation or so, it became largely extinct. Pequots from both the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation and Mashantucket Pequots speak English. In the 21st century, the Mashantucket Pequots are undertaking aggressive efforts to revive the language through careful analysis of historical documents containing Pequot words and comparison with extant closely related languages. So far, they have reclaimed more than 1,000 words, though that is a small fraction of what would be necessary for a functional language.
Pequots | Language
But during the transit from Cape Cod to Plymouth the passengers were shocked by the barren and bleak shoreline, much as the "Mayflower" passengers had been. The "Fortune" passengers found it hard to believe that anything could exist in such a forbidding land. Per Bradford, "..and ther saw nothing but a naked and barren place.." And when they saw the depressing conditions within the colony being experienced by the settlers, they became quite panicked. The passengers were so disheartened and had such misgivings about this place they even advised the ship’s master they wanted to reembark and leave if the colony did not meet their expectations, but were talked out of such action by the master and ship’s crew although they were promised that if need be, they would be taken down the coast to Virginia.
Fortune (Plymouth Colony ship) | "Fortune" arrival in the New World
Plymouth played a very important role in American colonial history. It was the final landing site of the first voyage of the "Mayflower" and the location of the original settlement of Plymouth Colony. Plymouth was established in December 1620 by English separatist Puritans who had broken away from the Church of England, believing that the Church had not completed the work of the Protestant Reformation. Today, these settlers are much better known as the "Pilgrims", a term coined by William Bradford. The Mayflower first anchored in the harbor of Provincetown, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620. The ship was headed for the mouth of the Hudson River near Manhattan, which was part of the Colony of Virginia at the time, but it did not go beyond Cape Cod.
Plymouth, Massachusetts | Colonial era
Over the next five months of the winter and spring of 1620-1621, Captain Jones, his crew and the "Mayflower" would remain in Plymouth. He had originally planned to return to England as soon as the Pilgrims found a settlement site, but members of his ship's crew were ravaged by the same illnesses that overcame the "Mayflower" passengers, and he had to remain in Plymouth Harbor "till he saw his men began to recover". John Alden also fell ill but was nursed back to health by his eventual wife Priscilla Mullins. Priscilla lost all of her family to the unknown illness, whom she also nursed during that fateful winter.
Christopher Jones (Mayflower captain) | Voyage of the Pilgrim Ship "Mayflower"
At the time of the pilgrims' arrival in Plymouth, the realm of the Pokanokets included parts of Rhode Island and much of southeastern Massachusetts. Massasoit lived in Sowams, a village at Pokanoket in Warren, Rhode Island. He held the allegiance of a number of lesser Pokanoket sachems. In 1621, he sent Squanto to live among the colonists at Plymouth. Outbreaks of smallpox had devastated the Pokanokets, and Massasoit sought an alliance with the colonies of New England against the neighboring Narragansetts who controlled an area west of Narragansett Bay in the Rhode Island. Samoset was a minor Abenakki sachem ("sagamore") who hailed from the Muscongus Bay area of Maine, and he learned to speak English from fishermen who plied those waters.
Massasoit | English at Plymouth
In a note dated 2 May 1770, Isaac Smith, able seaman aboard "Endeavour", recorded that Hicks had given him the following translations of indigenous speech: "boorwee" meaning three; "warregal" meaning dog; "mareeyang" meaning large bird; "mayanga" meaning to fly; "gong" meaning sun; "eednarda" meaning moon; "padoo" meaning water; "bemalle" meaning earth; and "gooiyong" meaning fire.
Zachary Hickes | Footnotes
The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, contributed to the deaths of many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst came after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half of the passengers perished in the cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
Resolved White | "Mayflower" voyage
It was ratified by majority rule, with 41 adult male Pilgrims signing for the 102 passengers (73 males and 29 females). Included in the company were 19 male servants and three female servants, along with some sailors and craftsmen hired for short-term service to the colony. At this time, John Carver was chosen as the colony's first governor. It was Carver who had chartered the "Mayflower" and his is the first signature on the Mayflower Compact, being the most respected and affluent member of the group. The Mayflower Compact is considered to be one of the seeds of American democracy and one source has called it the world's first written constitution.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | The Mayflower Compact
On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter. On November 9/19, 1620, after about three months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was the Cape Cod Hook, now called Provincetown Harbor. After several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on November 11/21.
Thomas Tinker | On the "Mayflower"
Some families traveled together, while some men came alone, leaving families in England and Leiden. Two wives on board were pregnant; Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to son Oceanus while at sea, and Susanna White gave birth to son Peregrine in late November while the ship was anchored in Cape Cod Harbor. He is historically recognized as the first European child born in the New England area. One child died during the voyage, and there was one stillbirth during the construction of the colony. According to the "Mayflower" passenger list, just over a third of the passengers were Puritan Separatists who sought to break away from the established Church of England and create a society along the lines of their religious ideals.
List of Mayflower passengers | Passenger activities and care
"Of Plimoth Plantation" (1630 and 1651) by William Bradford and "Mourt's Relation" (1622) by Bradford, Edward Winslow, and others are both accounts written by "Mayflower" passengers that provide much of the information which we have today regarding the trans-Atlantic voyage and early years of the settlement. Benjamin Church wrote several accounts of King Philip's War, including "Entertaining Passages Relating to Philip's War", which remained popular throughout the 18th century. An edition of the work was illustrated by Paul Revere in 1772. "The Sovereignty and Goodness of God" provides an account of King Philip's War from the perspective of Mary Rowlandson, an Englishwoman who was captured and spent some time in the company of Native Americans during the war.
Plymouth Colony | Art, literature, and film
Elinor perished the winter of 1620 with only one brother Richard More surviving. The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and the crew is estimated to be approximately 30 but the exact number is unknown. They lived in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children.
Edward Winslow | "Mayflower" voyage
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the male passengers of the "Mayflower," consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, and tradesmen. The Puritans were fleeing from religious persecution by King James I of England. The Mayflower Compact was signed aboard ship on , 1620. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship's 101 passengers while the "Mayflower" was anchored in Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod.
Mayflower Compact | Introduction
Historical accounts are unclear about whether the "Mayflower" was sailing under her own power, or she was being towed by the "Cory A. Sheldon".
Mayflower (shipwreck) | Final voyage
It would remain with the Pilgrims when the "Mayflower" returned to England. On November 15, Captain Myles Standish led a party of 16 men on an exploratory mission, during which they disturbed an Indian grave and located a buried cache of Indian corn. The following week, Susanna White gave birth to son Peregrine White on the "Mayflower". He was the first child born to the Pilgrims in the New World. The shallop was finished on November 27, and a second expedition was undertaken using it, under the direction of "Mayflower" master Christopher Jones. Thirty-four men went, but the expedition was beset by bad weather; the only positive result was that they found an Indian burial ground and corn that had been intended for the dead, taking the corn for future planting.
Plymouth Colony | Landings at Provincetown and Plymouth
The "Speedwell", however, proved to be not structurally sound enough to make the voyage, and some of the passengers were transferred aboard the "Mayflower", making crowded conditions. Joining the Scrooby congregation were about 50 colonists who had been recruited by the Merchant Adventurers for their vocational skills, which would prove useful in establishing a colony. These passengers of the "Mayflower", both Separatist and non-Separatist, are commonly referred to today as "Pilgrims." The term is derived from a passage in Bradford's journal, written years later, describing their departure from the Netherlands (itself an allusion to Hebrews 11:13 in the Bible):
William Bradford (governor) | Departure aboard the "Speedwell"
Per William Bradford's later recollection of this family on the "Mayflower": "John Tillie, and his wife; and Elizabeth, their daughter." The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on 6/16 September 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children.
John Tilley (Mayflower passenger) | On the "Mayflower" and in the New World
Furthermore, a group of Strangers founded the nearby settlement of Wessagussett and the Pilgrims were highly strained by their lack of discipline, both emotionally and in terms of resources. They looked at the eventual failure of the Wessagussett settlement as Divine Providence against a sinful people. The residents of Plymouth also used terms to distinguish between the earliest settlers of the colony and those who came later. The first generation of settlers called themselves the "Old Comers" or "Planters", those who arrived before 1627. Later generations of Plymouth residents referred to this group as the "Forefathers".
Plymouth Colony | English
The Pilgrim ship "Mayflower" has a famous place in American history as a symbol of early European colonization of the future United States. As described by the European "History" channel: The main record for the voyage of "Mayflower" and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from the letters and journal of William Bradford, who was a guiding force and later the governor of the colony. His detailed record of the journey is one of the primary sources used by historians, and the most complete history of Plymouth Colony that was written by a Mayflower passenger. The American national holiday, Thanksgiving, originated from the first Thanksgiving feast held by the Pilgrims in 1621, a prayer event and dinner to mark the first harvest of the Mayflower settlers.
Mayflower | Legacy
The "Mayflower" arrived in Plymouth Bay on December 20, 1620. The settlers began building the colony's first house on December 25 (Christmas). Their efforts were slowed, however, when a widespread sickness struck the settlers. The sickness had begun on the ship. On January 11, 1621, Bradford was helping to build houses when he was suddenly struck with great pain in his hipbone and collapsed. He was taken to the "common house" (the only finished house built then) and it was feared that he would not last the night. Bradford recovered, but many of the other settlers were not so fortunate.
William Bradford (governor) | Great sickness
"He was tenderhearted and compassionate of such as were in misery," Bradford wrote, "but especially of such as had been of good estate and rank and fallen unto want and poverty." Brewster was granted land amongst the islands of Boston Harbor, and four of the outer islands (Great Brewster, Little Brewster, Middle Brewster and Outer Brewster) now bear his name. In 1632, Brewster received lands in nearby Duxbury and removed from Plymouth to create a farm there. In 1634, smallpox and influenza ravaged both the English and the Indians in the region. William Brewster, whose family had managed to survive the first terrible winter unscathed, lost two daughters, Fear and Patience, now married to Isaac Allerton and Thomas Prence, respectively.
William Brewster (Mayflower passenger) | In Plymouth Colony
But hear I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amased at this poore peoples presente condition; and so I thinke will the reader too, when he well considers ye same. Being thus passed ye vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation (as may be remembered by yt which wente before), they had now no friends to wellcome them, nor inns to entertaine or refresh their weatherbeaten bodys, no houses or much less townes to repaire too, to seeke for succoure ...
Of Plymouth Plantation | From the journal
Brewster acquired typesetting equipment about 1616 in a venture financed by Thomas Brewer, and began publishing the debates through a local press. The Netherlands, however, was a land whose culture and language were strange and difficult for the English congregation to understand or learn. They found the Dutch morals much too libertine, and their children were becoming more and more Dutch as the years passed. The congregation came to believe that they faced eventual extinction if they remained there.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) | Leiden
It did, however, serve the purpose of relieving the concerns of many of the settlers. This social contract was written and signed by 41 Puritan men. It was modeled on the church covenants that Congregationalists used to form new congregations. It made clear that the colony should be governed by "just and equal laws," and those who signed it promised to keep those laws. The group remained on board the ship through the next day, a Sunday, for prayer and worship. They finally set foot on land at Provincetown on November 13. The first task was to rebuild a shallop, a shallow draft boat that had been built in England and disassembled for transport aboard the "Mayflower".
Plymouth Colony | Landings at Provincetown and Plymouth
The Allerton family boarded the "Mayflower" consisting of Allerton's wife Mary, three children and an apprentice, John Hooke. The "Mayflower" departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children.
Isaac Allerton | The "Mayflower" voyage