Prepared by George Ernest Bowman
Editor of “The Mayflower Descendant”
There were only one hundred and four (104) Mayflower Passengers. Every
one of them is included in the two lists following. There were no other
passengers.
The 50 passengers from whom descent can be proved:
John Alden
Isaac Allerton
wife Mary
daughter Mary
daughter Remember
John Billington
wife Eleanor
son Francis
William Bradford
William Brewster
wife Mary
son Love
Peter Brown
James Chilton
wife ——
daughter Mary
Francis Cooke
son John
Edward Doty
Francis Eaton
wife Sarah
son Samuel
Edward Fuller
wife ——
son Samuel
Dr. Samuel Fuller
Stephen Hopkins
2nd wife, Elizabeth
son Gyles (by 1st wife)
daughter Constance (by 1st wife)
John Howland
Richard More
William Mullins
wife Alice
daughter Priscilla
Degory Priest
Thomas Rogers
son Joseph
Henry Samson
George Soule
Myles Standish
John Tilley, and wife ——
daughter Elizabeth
Richard Warren
William White
wife Susanna
son Resolved
son Peregrine
Edward Winslow
The 54 passengers from whom descent cannot be proved.
Bartholomew Allerton
John Allerton
John Billington
Dorothy Bradford
(1st wife of William)
Wrestling Brewster
Richard Britterige
William Butten
Robert Carter
John Carver
Katherine Carver
(wife of John)
Maid servant of the Carvers
Richard Clarke
Humility Cooper
John Crakston
son John
—— Ely
Thomas English
Moses Fletcher
Richard Gardiner
John Goodman
William Holbeck
John Hooke
Damaris Hopkins
Oceanus Hopkins
John Langmore
William Latham
Edward Leister
Edmund Margeson
Christopher Martin
wife ——
Desire Minter
Ellen More
Jasper More
(a boy) More
Joseph Mullins
Solomon Prower
John Rigdale
wife Alice
Rose Standish
(1st wife of Myles)
Elias Story
Edward Thomson
Edward Tilley
wife Ann
Thomas Tinker
wife ——
son ——
William Trevore
John Turner
son ——
son ——
Roger Wilder
Thomas Williams
Elizabeth Winslow
(1st wife of Edward)
Gilbert Winslow
[Illustration: {Illustrated capital}]
The migration of the Pilgrim company was the result of years of friction
between the adherents of the established Church of England with its
perfunctory ritualisms and those who demanded the right to worship
according to their conscience and the simplicity of the gospel as
exemplified in the scriptures.
This determined attitude on the part of the dissenters was met by
arbitrary rulings on the part of the reigning monarch, King James I, of
England and the bishops who received their support from the crown. The
oppression became so great that in 1608 the congregation of the Pilgrim
Church at Scrooby moved to Amsterdam, Holland, whence in 1609 they moved
to Leyden, twenty-two miles distant. Here they remained for twelve
years. It was a temporary refuge, however. There was the constantly
growing fear of assimilation into Dutch life and habits as well as the
absorption of a language foreign to themselves and their posterity. They
preferred to remain English men and women although their relations had
been friendly with the Dutch who commended their industry and their
peaceful contacts. Nevertheless, King James was beginning to exercise
his influence in the low countries again much to their discomfiture.
Finally deciding to leave Leyden, application was made to the Virginia
Company which had been established in 1606, and held patents to land
along the Atlantic coast of North America from the 34th to 45th degrees
of north latitude, for a patent to land suitable for settlement.
Having secured their patent, estates were liquidated and, with the
proceeds therefrom, together with money subscribed by the London
company, styled the Merchant Adventurers, with whom they had formed a
business alliance, the Speedwell, a small vessel of sixty tons, was
secured and sent to Delfthaven to transport the colonists to Southampton
where the Mayflower, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, was to
join them.
On the 15th of August, 1620, both vessels left Southampton, but the
Speedwell proving unseaworthy, they were obliged to return, putting into
the harbor of Dartmouth for repairs. A second attempt resulted in
abandoning the Speedwell at Plymouth, from which port the Mayflower
sailed alone on the 16th of September. After a tempestuous voyage of
sixty-six days, refuge was taken in Cape Cod harbor (Provincetown) on
November 21st, 1620.
From here exploring parties set out in the shallop (small boat) to
locate a suitable home site and on December 21st a landing was made at
Plymouth, the Mayflower following on December 26th. And here a permanent
settlement was established.
[Illustration: THE DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA]
As the patent they held covered land in the vicinity of the Virginia
capes, and settlement was made outside the limits defined therein, a
second patent was obtained covering land contiguous to Cape Cod Bay.
This second patent was brought over in the Fortune in 1621 and is now
preserved in Pilgrim Hall.
It was while the Mayflower lay in Provincetown harbor that, to quote
from Mourt’s Relation under date of November 23rd, 1620, “Our people
went on shore to refresh themselves and our women to wash as they had
great need.” This was on Monday, and is supposed to be the origin of our
national “Wash Day.”
[Illustration: SCENE OF LANDING]
It was here also that the famous document referred to by Bradford as a
“combination” but later known as the Compact was drawn and signed. This
document has often been referred to as the genesis of our present form
of constitutional government as expounded in the Constitution of the
United States and later expressed by Lincoln as “of the people, by the
people and for the people.” It anticipates future growth and development
and the enactment of laws necessary to meet changing conditions as “by
vertue hereof to enacte, constitute and frame such just & equall lawes,
ordinances, Acts, constitutions & offices, from time to time, as shall
be thought most meete & conuenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie.”
(sic)
It has been said of the Pilgrims that “They builded better than they
knew.” This should not be interpreted too literally. They laid a solid
foundation upon which future generations could and did build, and upon
this foundation rests the security of the structure that is our present
form of government.
The literal text of this immortal document follows:
THE COMPACT
(Copied from Bradford’s “History of Plymouth Plantation”)
[Illustration: {Illustrated capital}]
In ye name of God Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
subjects of our dread soueraigne Lord King James, by ye grace of God, of
Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &c. Haueing
undertaken, for ye glorie of God, and aduancemente of ye christian faith
and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colonie in
ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly & mutualy
in ye presence of God, and one of another; couenant, & combine our
selues togeather into a ciuill body politick; for our better ordering, &
preseruation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hereof to
enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances,
Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought
most meete & conuenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie; unto which
we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we haue
hereunder subscribed our names at Cap-Codd ye .11. of Nouember in ye
year of ye raigne of our soueraigne Lord King James of England, France,
& Ireland ye eighteenth, and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano: Dom.
1620.
John Carver
William Bradford
Edward Winslow
William Brewster
Isaac Allerton
Myles Standish
John Alden
John Turner
Francis Eaton
James Chilton
John Crakston
John Billington
Moses Fletcher
John Goodman
Samuel Fuller
Christopher Martin
William Mullins
Degory Priest
Thomas Williams
Gilbert Winslow
Edmund Margeson
Peter Brown
Richard Britterige
George Soule
Edward Tilley
John Tilley
Francis Cooke
Thomas Rogers
Thomas Tinker
John Rigdale
Edward Fuller
Richard Clark
Richard Gardiner
John Allerton
William White
Richard Warren
John Howland
Stephen Hopkins
Thomas English
Edward Doty
Edward Leister
During the first year the colony was reduced nearly one-half through
exposure and disease. These losses were later offset by arrivals in the
Fortune in 1621 and the Little James in 1623.
In April, 1621, a treaty was made with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag
Indians, who occupied the surrounding territory. This was brought about
through the good offices of Samoset and Squanto, two friendly Indians,
the former having learned some English from contact with fishermen along
the coast of Maine whence he had come, while the latter had been taken
with a number of others by a Captain Hunt who had “got them under cover
of trucking with them and carried them away and sold them as slaves.” He
had made his escape and returned to his home with the Nausets on Cape
Cod.
This treaty was held inviolate during the life of Massasoit and
thereafter until the outbreak of the King Philip War in 1675.
Precautionary measures were taken however to protect the settlement, and
in 1622 a fort was erected on Burial Hill. This was supplemented by a
watch tower in 1643. During the King Philip War a larger fort was
erected on the same site. Fortunately the Plymouth colony escaped Indian
attack although in 1676 a small community to the south near Eel River
was attacked and eleven settlers killed.
It is hard to realize in these days of material comforts, not to speak
of luxuries, the hardships of our forebears. It was a case of work for
survival. And there must have been work for by December, 1621, “seven
dwelling houses and four for the use of the plantation” had been
erected. The harvest of 1621 had been successful and a season of
Thanksgiving had been observed, wherein some of the friendly Indians had
participated, this being the origin of our present Thanksgiving Day.
Nevertheless their existence was fraught with uncertainties. Their
stocks of provisions were soon depleted and the problem of food supply
became one of increasing concern. The very life of the colony depended
upon the success of their crops. Corn had become increasingly valuable,
not only as an article of food but as a medium of exchange, the
colonists having little or no money.
Up to 1623 they worked together on company land, sharing the fruits of
their combined labor. This year owing to the shortage of crops “they
begane to think how they might raise as much corne as they could and
abtaine a better crope than they had done that they might not still thus
languish in miserie.”