History of the Mayflower Voyage

On July 22, 1620, the Pilgrims boarded the ship Speedwell in Delfthaven, Holland, and said their tearful good-byes to their friends and church-members whom they were leaving behind. In fact, they were leaving the majority of their church congregation behind--even their pastor, John Robinson, was not coming with them. But the intent was to send these first few men and women to establish the colony: then the rest of the church would be able to come over later. Pastor Robinson preached a sermon on Ezra 8:21. As the time to depart arrived, Pastor Robinson fell to his knees and "with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers."

The Pilgrims sailed on the Speedwell from Delfthaven, Holland to Southampton, England, where they met up with the Mayflower that had just come down from London. The Mayflower had a number of other passengers from England that the Pilgrims did not really know yet--they were friends or investors that had become interested in the voyage while the Pilgrims were trying to raise enough money to undertake the trip. In Southampton, the ships were loaded with food and supplies for the voyage: but the Pilgrims were so short of money they had to sell off most of their oil and butter before they could leave.

Mayflower & Speedwell in Dartmouth Harbor
painting by Wilcox

The Mayflower and Speedwell departed for America on August 5 from Southampton, but after just a short time sailing through the English Channel they were forced into Dartmouth because the Speedwell was leaking. They were delayed several weeks, but finally headed off to America from Dartmouth on August 24. They Mayflower and Speedwell cleared the English channel, and were nearly 300 miles into the Atlantic when word came that the Speedwell was again leaking, and would have to turn back. The two ships returned to Plymouth, England, where it was decided that the Speedwell was not capable of making the voyage. About 20 passengers, most quite frustrated with the voyage and very happy for an excuse to quit, were sent home to England and Holland. The remaining passengers and cargo were transferred from the Speedwell over to the Mayflower.

Finally, after a month of delays and problems, the Mayflower put to sea again, leaving Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, with 102 passengers (three of which were pregnant women), and a crew of about 30. For the first half of the voyage, the Mayflower had good winds and weather. The majority of the passengers were troubled by sea-sickness, but they would get used to it.

Unfortunately for the passengers, smooth sailing came to an end about half-way across the ocean. The Mayflower was hit with many strong storms and cross-winds, and the ship was so badly shaken that she became very leaky, with water dripping and falling down upon the passengers that were living between the decks. The storms were often bad enough that the Mayflower's crew had to take down the sails, and just let the storm blow the ship wherever it wanted. During one of these bad storms, one of the main beams of the ship bowed and cracked, causing some of the crewmembers and passengers to fear the ship would not be able to continue the voyage. After consulting with the master, Christopher Jones, it was decided the ship was sturdy, and had a good history of surviving such storms, so a great iron screw was used to raise the main beam back into place.

During another storm, passenger John Howland happened to come above deck, and was swept off the ship into the ocean. He just managed to grab a hold of the topsail halyards, and held on long enough for the Mayflower's crew to rescue him with a boathook. William Bradford noted, "though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after and became a profitable member both of church and commonwealth". Howland is an ancestor to many people, including Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and George Bush, actor Humphrey Bogart, and founder of the Mormons Joseph Smith.

Finally, the passengers and crew began to sense they were getting close to land. Three days out, a young boy, William Button, who came on the Mayflower in the custody of doctor Samuel Fuller, died. He was the first passenger to die, and the only passenger to die while the ship was at sea. On the morning of November 9, after more than two months at sea (not to mention a month of delays on board the ships back in England), they spotted land, which they later found to be Cape Cod. After 2750 miles, traveling at an average speed of just under 2 mph, the voyage was nearly over.

On November 9, 1620, Mayflower's crew first sighted land off Cape Cod near the Wampanoag village of Pamet. The next day, the ship attempted to travel south around the Cape to the colonists' intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River (present-day New York). Bad weather and dangerous shoals forced Mayflower's master to turn back. The ship made landfall on November 11 at the tip of Cape Cod (present-day Provincetown). After exploring the Cape Cod area for several weeks, the colonists finally decided to settle at present-day Plymouth.

The First Landing of the Pilgrims, 1620
Published in New York by Johnson in 1859
Plate drawn by Charles Lucey and engraved by T. Phillibrown

Captain John Smith explored the New England coast in 1614 and gave his map to Prince Charles (who became King in 1625). Charles put English names on the map, such as Plymouth and the Charles River.

For thousands of years before the English colonists built their town, the Wampanoag village of Patuxet had been there. From 1616-1618, many of the Wampanoag people who lived in Patuxet died in an epidemic most likely spread by European fishermen and traders. The few survivors of the sickness left Patuxet for other villages. This made it easy for the English to lay claim to the hillside in the midst of the Wampanoag homeland.

Mayflower passengers "lived" on board anywhere from seven to nine months depending on when they joined the voyage and how soon they left the ship for shelter on land

Two people died during the 1620 voyage of Mayflower. The first was a sailor whose name was not recorded. The second was a passenger, a young servant named William Butten. After the ship arrived many other passengers and sailors died of illness.

Three babies were born on Mayflower. While at sea, a boy aptly named Oceanus Hopkins was born to the Stephens Hopkins family. After the ship had arrived at Cape Cod, Susanna White gave birth to a son, Peregrine White. Shortly thereafter, Mary Allerton gave birth to a stillborn son.

On November 11, 1620, before they came ashore on Cape Cod, the Mayflower passengers made an agreement to join together as a “civil body politic.” They also agreed to submit to the government which would be chosen by common consent, and to obey all laws made for the common good of the colony.

"Signing the Mayflower Compact"
Painting by Edward Percy Moran

However, this agreement was not called the “Mayflower Compact” until many years later. The document only became famous at the time of the American Revolution. Politicians from the two major parties used the Plymouth colonists and their agreement to support their own beliefs about government.

For a complete Mayflower passenger list and their genealogy visit:
>>>>>>>>>>>Caleb Johnson's web site: www.mayflowerhistory.com

THE UTAH MAYFLOWER SOCIETY - CHARTER MEMBERS

Mr. John Mason Boutwell Hon. Reva (Beck) Bosone Mr. Harlow Eldridge Smoot Rev. Mortimer Chester Mr. Sereno Bayard Tuttle Mrs. Eunice Howard Mr. Riley Cooper Mr. Horace Chipman Beck Miss Zilpha Teresa Bosone Mr. Clarence Marion Beck

Mrs. Mildred E.(Tuttle) Stockman Mrs. Elva (Chipman) Olpin Mr. Sydney B. Cooper Mr. Robert Wallace Mr. Dorius LuZell Chipman Mr. Palmer Hall Cushman Mr. George Albert Smith Mrs. Emily (Smith) Stewart Mrs. Edith (Smith) Elliott Mr. Samuel P. Smoot

Mr. Reed Smoot Dr. Seth Eldridge Smoot Mrs. Anita (Smoot) Hammond Mr. Benjamin L. Rich Mrs. Andrea (Rich) Watkins Mr. Harold Pegram Fabian Mr. James Harold Hance Mr. Carl J. Harris Mr. George Albert Smith, Jr.

A person who is able to document his or her lineal descent from one or more of the Mayflower passengers is eligible to apply for membership in the Mayflower Society.   There are 26 male passengers who are known to have descendants.  The following list gives the names of these Mayflower ancestors, from whom all the members directly descend:

George F. Willison says in his book, Saints and Strangers, "The Forefathers were never ones for mummery and ceremonial. They had no use for precedent and tradition, and deliberately flouted both. They were innovators, revolutionaries, never being restrained by the dead hand of the past. They were interested in the immediate scene about them and in trying to make it even better, even at the cost of their lives. They had no time for ancestor worship, no taste for monuments. Rather, they had the supreme human qualities--an intelligent awareness of the things about them, a sensitive desire to do something to bring them closer to their heart's desire, and an absolutely indomitable spirit in pursuing their own high purposes."

1. Richard Warren (born 1580 in St. Leonards, London, England; died 1627 or 1628 in Plymouth, Massachusetts) and his wife, Elizabeth (born in England; died October 22, 1673 in Plymouth, Massachusetts)

2. Richard Warren Jr. (1645-1697) + Sarah Torrey (1660-1722)

3. John Warren (1690-1768) + Naomi Bates (1692-1737

4. Nathaniel Warren (1721-1789) + Jemima Fuller (1731-1748)

5. Nathaniel Warren (1757-1827) + Persis Sumner (1761-1855)

6. Horace Austin Warren (1799-1872) + Susannah Hathaway (1800-1876)

7. Elihue Warren (1828-1910) + Marie Stalle (1845-1929)

8. Elihu Nathan Warren (1864-1949) + Mary Priscilla Bailey (1867-1929)

Samuel Fuller

1. Stephen Hopkins 1578 – 1644 +Mary  ??  Unknown - 1613

2. Constance Hopkins 1606 – 1677 (Mayflower passenger-age 13) + Nicholas Snow 1598/99 – 1676

3. John Snow 1638 – Bef.1692 + Mary Smalley 1647 – 1703

4. Deacon John Snow 1678 - 1738 + Elizabeth Ridley 1678 – 1736

5. Deacon Isaac Snow      1713/14 - 1799 + Apphia Atwood  1713 – 1792  

6. Elder/Reverend Elisha Snow 1739 - 1832 + Elizabeth Jordan 1740 – 1834 

7. Captain Isaac Snow 1773 - 1820 + Ruth Hayden 1770 - 1832 

8. Rebecca J. Snow 1803 - 1893 + Joseph North 1804 - 1900

9. Martha Elizabeth North 1829 - 1914 + John Ash 1829 – 1902

10. William James Ash 1859 - 1916 + Effie B. Linda Seymour 1863 – 1950

11. John Warren Ash 1891 - 1989 + Mable Anna Howell 1894 – 1953

 

WEBPAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
MORE TO BE ADDED

Sources:

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org