Difference between revisions of "Mayflower" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:MayflowerHarbor.jpg|thumb|300px|right| ''Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor'' by [[William Halsall]] (1882)]]
 
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{{otheruses}}
 
  
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The '''''Mayflower''''' was the famous [[ship]] that transported the [[Pilgrims]] from [[Plymouth]], [[England]], to [[Plymouth Colony]], [[Massachusetts]] ([[United States]]), in [[1620]].
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[[Image:MayflowerHarbor.jpg|thumb|300px|right|'''Mayflower ''in Plymouth Harbor''''' by [[William Halsall]] (1882)]]
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<ref name=sos>
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[[Image:Cape_cod_bay.jpg|thumb|200px|''Mayflower'' arrived inside the tip of [[Cape Cod]] fishhook on November 11, 1620]]
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    "The Pilgrim-Fathers’ Voyage with the 'Mayflower'" (history),
+
'''''Mayflower''''' was the famous ship that transported the [[Pilgrim Fathers]] from Plymouth, [[United Kingdom|England]], to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts ([[United States]]), in 1620. ''Mayflower'' was not originally intended for passengers and was used primarily as a cargo ship, involved in active trade of goods (often wine) between England and other European countries (principally [[France]], but also [[Norway]], [[Germany]], and [[Spain]]).
−
    Bjoern Moritz, [[2003]], ''ShipsOnStamps.org'' webpage:
 
−
    [http://www.shipsonstamps.org/Topics/html/pilgrim.htm SoS-Pilgrim]:
 
−
    states, "The 'Mayflower' was employed bringing wine from the Mediterranean to England and outward bound, she carried furs and bales of cloth to France"
 
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    and "anchored off today's Provincetown in the Bay of Cape Cod"
 
−
    and "December 15 the 'Mayflower' sailed to this place...called Plymouth"
 
−
    and "throughout the winter the passengers remained on board"
 
−
    and "contagious disease...mixture of scurvy, pneumonia & tuberculosis"
 
−
    and "53 persons still alive, half of the Pilgrims, half of the crew"
 
−
    and "March 21, 1621, the surviving passengers left the 'Mayflower'"
 
−
    and "on April 5 Captain Jones sailed back to England with an empty ship"
 
−
    and "November 11, 1621, the ship 'Fortune' arrived...with 35 settlers."
 
−
</ref>
 
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The vessel disembarked from England on [[September 6]], and after a grueling journey marked by disease, the ship dropped [[anchor]] inside the hook tip of [[Cape Cod]] ([[Provincetown Harbor]]) on [[November 11]] (dates in [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style]], [[Julian Calendar]]).<ref name=sos/> The ''Mayflower'' originally was destined for the [[Hudson River]], north of the [[1607]] [[Jamestown Settlement]].
 
−
<ref>
 
−
    Bradford (original destination: [[Hudson River]]), webpage:
 
−
    [http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/english/coke/bradford.htm GTC-Brad].
 
−
</ref>
 
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However, the ''Mayflower'' went severely off-course as the winter approached and remained in Cape Cod Bay (mapped in [[1602]] by [[Bartholomew Gosnold|Gosnold]]).
 
  
−
On [[March 21]], [[1621]], all surviving passengers, who had inhabited the ship during the winter, moved ashore as [[Plymouth Colony]], and on [[April 5]], the ''Mayflower,'' a privately-commissioned vessel, returned to England (details below).<ref name=sos/>
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The vessel disembarked from England on September 6, and after a grueling journey marked by disease, the ship dropped anchor on November 11 inside the hook tip of [[Cape Cod]] at what is now called Provincetown Harbor.
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<!-- (Hide text until sourced, NPOV objective: Mayflower has much literature.)
 
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The ''Mayflower'' has a famous place in American history as a symbol of early European colonization of the future US. With their religion oppressed by governments, the small party of religious separatists who comprised about half of the passengers on the ship desired a life where they could practice their religion freely. {{fact}} This symbol of religious freedom resonates in US society and the story of the Mayflower is a staple for any American history textbook.
 
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The main record for the voyage of the Mayflower and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from [[William Bradford]] who was a guiding force and later the [[governor]] of the [[colony]].
 
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— (Hide text above) —
 
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—>
 
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In [[1623]], a year after the death of captain [[Christopher Jones]], the ''Mayflower'' was dismantled for scrap lumber in [[Rotherhithe]], [[London, England]].{{fact}}
 
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[[Image:Cape_cod_bay.jpg|thumb|''Mayflower'' arrived inside tip of [[Cape Cod]] fishhook, [[11 November]] [[1620]]]]
 
  
 
==Ship==
 
==Ship==
 +
''Mayflower'' was purchased by Christopher Jones and several of his business partners in 1607. The ship's first voyage under Captain Jones was to [[Norway]], in 1609, to transport [[lumber]], [[tar]], and [[fish]] back to [[United Kingdom|England]]. The return trip was nearly fatal for the crew of ''Mayflower'' as it was caught in a winter storm on the way home. They survived and arrived back in England after several weeks of being veered off course. Not wanting to encounter another fierce winter storm, the captain never sailed the North Sea again. The ship sailed to [[France]] and [[Spain]] for the next ten years until in May 1620, the Pilgrims met Captain Jones and hired him to transport them to America.
  
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The ''Mayflower'' was used primarily as a cargo ship, involved in active trade of goods (often wine) between England and other European countries,<ref name=sos/>
+
Details of the ship's dimensions are unknown; but estimates based on its load weight and the typical size of 180-ton merchant ships of its day suggest an estimated length of 90 to 110 feet (27.4 to 33.5 meters) and a width of about 25 feet (7.6 meters). The ship was manned by a crew of 25 to 30 men.
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<ref name=MHcrew>
 
−
  "The Mayflower's Crew" (biographies),
 
−
  MayflowerHistory.com, 2007, webpage:
 
−
  [http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/crew.php].
 
−
</ref>
 
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(principally [[France]], but also [[Norway]], [[Germany]], and [[Spain]]). At least between [[1609]] and [[1622]], it was mastered by [[Christopher Jones (sailor)|Christopher Jones]], who would command the ship on the famous transatlantic voyage, and based in [[Rotherhithe]], London, England.<ref name=sos/>  After the famous voyage of the Mayflower, the ship returned to England, likely dismantled for scrap lumber in Rotherhithe in [[1623]], only a year after Jones's death in March [[1622]]. The [[Mayflower Barn]], just outside the [[Quaker]] village of [[Jordans]], in [[Buckinghamshire]], England, is said to be built from these timbers.{{fact}}
 
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Details of the ship's dimensions are unknown; but estimates based on its load weight and the typical size of 180-[[Tonnage|ton]] merchant ships of its day suggest an estimated length of 90–110 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]] (27.4–33.5 [[Metre|m]]) and a width of about 25 feet (7.6 m). The ship was manned by a crew of 25-30.<ref name=MHcrew/>
 
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===Replica===
 
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Careful research went into designing a replica, the ''[[Mayflower II]]'' (launched [[September 22]], [[1956]]), to resemble its namesake in every detail. This vessel is now part of the [[Plimoth Plantation]] [[living museum]], near [[Plymouth (town), Massachusetts|Plymouth, Massachusetts]].
 
  
 
==Pilgrims' voyage==
 
==Pilgrims' voyage==
−
[[Image:Southampton-MayflowerMemorial.jpg|thumb|right|100px|The Mayflower Memorial in [[Southampton]].]]
+
[[Image:Southampton-MayflowerMemorial.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The ''Mayflower'' Memorial in Southampton]]
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Initially, the plan was for the voyage to be made in two vessels, the other being the smaller ''[[Speedwell (ship)|Speedwell]]''.
+
The original destination of the Pilgrim's voyage on the ''Mayflower'' was the [[Hudson River]] by agreement with the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] who had established a colony there, north of the [[Jamestown Settlement]]. However, ''Mayflower'' went drastically off-course during a mid-crossing Northeaster storm and made land on the sheltered side of what is now known as [[Cape Cod]]. As the winter approached they remained in Cape Cod Bay.
−
The first voyage of the ships departed [[Southampton]], England,
 
−
<ref name=MayPPM>
 
−
    "Press Kit - Mayflower II" (with history of the ''Mayflower''),
 
−
    Plimouth Plantation Museum, 2004, ''Plimouth.org'' webpage:
 
−
    [http://www.plimoth.org/about/presskit/mayflowerBG.asp PlimouthOrg-MayflowerBG].
 
−
</ref>
 
−
on [[August 5]], [[1620]]; but the ''Speedwell'' developed a leak, and had to be refitted at [[Dartmouth, England|Dartmouth]].
 
  
−
On the second attempt, the ships reached the [[Atlantic Ocean]] but again were forced to return to Plymouth because of the ''Speedwell'''s leak.
+
The voyage to the New World was a perilous undertaking for its 102 passengers and 30 crew members. It was reported that at times it seemed the ship would tip over with the rough seas and strong gusts of [[wind]]. The Pilgrims ate the same food everyday: sea biscuits, salted [[meat]], dried [[fish]] and [[cheese]]. Due to the exposure and cramped conditions, many of the passengers remained ill for weeks on end. However, there was only one death on the ''Mayflower'' voyage, 22-year-old William Butten, the servant of Deacon Samuel Fuller. Butten was buried at sea.
  
−
After reorganisation, the final sixty-six day voyage was made by the ''Mayflower'' alone, leaving [[Plymouth, England]] on [[September 6]].<ref name=MayPPM/> With 102 passengers plus crew, each family was allotted a very confined amount of space for personal belongings.  
+
On March 21, 1621, the [[Pilgrim Fathers|passengers]] who had inhabited the ship during the winter moved ashore at Plymouth Colony, and on April 5, ''Mayflower'' returned to England.
  
−
The ship probably had a crew of twenty-five to thirty, along with other hired personnel; however, only the names of five are known, including [[John Alden]].[http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/crew.php]  William Bradford, who penned our only account of the ''Mayflower'' voyage, wrote that John Alden (archaic spellings) "''was hired for a cooper'' [barrel-maker], ''at [[Southampton|South-Hampton]], where the ship victuled; and being a hopefull yong man, was much desired, but left to his owne liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed, and [[marriage|maryed]] here.''"
+
The main record for the voyage of ''Mayflower'' and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from [[William Bradford]], a guiding force and later the governor of the colony.  
−
<ref>
 
−
    "JOHN ALDEN" (history),
 
−
    Pilgrim Hall Museum, 1998-07-14, ''PilgrimHall.org'' webpage:
 
−
    [http://www.pilgrimhall.org/aldenjohn.htm PilgrimHall-Alden-John]:
 
−
    was "hired for a cooper" at [[Southampton, England]].
 
−
</ref>
 
  
−
The intended destination was an area near the [[Hudson River]], in "[[Virginia Company|North Virginia]]". However the ship was forced far off-course by inclement weather and drifted well north of the intended Virginia settlement. As a result of the delay, the settlers did not arrive in Cape Cod till the onset of a harsh [[New England]] winter. The settlers ultimately failed to reach Virginia where they had already obtained permission from the [[London Company]] to settle. {{fact}}
+
Initially, the plan was for the voyage to be made in two vessels, the other being the smaller ''Speedwell''. The first voyage of the ships departed Southampton, [[United Kingdom|England]], on August 5, 1620; but the ''Speedwell'' developed a leak, and had to be refitted at Dartmouth. On the second attempt, the ships reached the open waters of the [[Atlantic Ocean]] but again were forced to return to Plymouth because ''Speedwell'' again sprang a leak. After reorganization, the final 36 day voyage was made by ''Mayflower'' alone.  
  
−
To establish legal order and to quell increasing strife within the ranks, the settlers wrote and signed the [[Mayflower Compact]] after the ship dropped anchor at the tip of Cape Cod on [[November 11]], in what is now [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]].<ref name=sos/>
+
During the crossing, the ship was forced far off-course by inclement weather and drifted well north of the intended Virginia settlement. As a result of the delay, the settlers did not arrive in Cape Cod until the onset of a harsh [[New England]] winter. The settlers ultimately failed to reach Virginia where they had already obtained permission from the London Company to settle.  
  
−
The settlers, upon initially setting anchor, explored the snow-covered area and discovered an empty Native American village. The curious settlers dug up some artificially-made mounds, some of which had stored corn while others were burial sites. The settlers stole the corn sparking friction with the locals. {{fact}} They explored the area of Cape Cod for several weeks and decided to relocate after a difficult encounter with the local native Americans, the Nausets.
+
To establish legal order and to quell increasing strife within the ranks, the settlers wrote and signed the [[Mayflower Compact]] after the ship dropped anchor at the tip of Cape Cod on November 11, in what is now Provincetown.
  
−
During the winter the passengers remained on board the 'Mayflower', suffering an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of [[scurvy]], [[pneumonia]] and [[tuberculosis]].<ref name=sos/> When it ended, there were only 53 persons still alive, half of the passengers and half of the crew.<ref name=sos/> In spring, they built huts ashore, and on [[March 21]], [[1621]], the surviving passengers left the 'Mayflower'.<ref name=sos/>
+
The settlers, upon initially setting anchor, explored the snow-covered area and discovered an empty [[Native Americans|Native American]] village. The curious settlers dug up some artificially-made mounds, in some they discovered stored corn, while others were found to be burial sites. The settlers took the corn, which sparked friction with the natives. They explored the area of Cape Cod for several weeks and decided to relocate after a difficult encounter with the now-unfriendly local Native Americans from the Nauset tribe.
  
−
On [[April 5]], [[1621]], the ''Mayflower'' set sail from [[Plymouth Colony]] to return to England,<ref name=sos/> where she arrived on [[May 6]], [[1621]].
+
Rather than disembark the passengers as the original agreement to deliver the pilgrims to North America, the captain and crew of ''Mayflower'' remained and provided the ship as shelter for the pilgrim passengers. For that first winter, the passengers remained aboard ''Mayflower'', suffering an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of [[scurvy]], [[pneumonia]] and [[tuberculosis]]. When it ended, only 53 remained alive, less than half the original passengers and crew. In the spring of 1621, the pilgrims came ashore and built huts, and on March 21, 1621, the surviving passengers left ''Mayflower''.
−
<ref>
 
−
    "Saga Of The Pilgrims" (historical analysis),
 
−
    John Harris, Globe Newspaper Co., [[1983]], webpages (no links between):
 
−
    [http://www.unityinchrist.com/history/print/saga1.htm UCcom-saga1] and
 
−
    [http://www.unityinchrist.com/history/print/saga11.htm UCcom-saga11]:
 
−
    states, "Mayflower reached London in roughly a month, May 6,
 
−
    a quick passage."
 
−
</ref>
 
  
−
{{unreferenced|date=December 2006}}
+
On April 5, 1621, ''Mayflower'' set sail from [[Plymouth Colony]] to return to England, where she arrived on May 6, 1621.
  
 
==Passengers==
 
==Passengers==
−
The 102 passengers on the ''Mayflower'' were the earliest permanent European settlers in New England;{{fact}} some of their descendants have taken great interest in tracing their ancestry back to one or more of these Pilgrims. (See [[The Society of Mayflower Descendants]], "[[list of passengers on the Mayflower|List of passengers on the ''Mayflower'']]" for a complete accounting. See also "[[list of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620 - 1621|List of ''Mayflower'' passengers who died in the winter of 1620–1621]]".) Throughout the winter, the passengers spent time ashore preparing homesites and searching for food but partly remained based aboard the ''Mayflower''. Only about half of the settlers would still be alive when the ''Mayflower'' left in the spring. Governor Bradford noted that about half the sailors died also.<ref name=sos/>
+
The 102 passengers on ''Mayflower'' were the earliest permanent European settlers in New England; some of their descendants have taken great interest in tracing their ancestry back to one or more of these Pilgrims. Throughout the winter, the passengers spent time ashore preparing homesites and searching for food but remained aboard ''Mayflower''. Only about half of the settlers were still alive when ''Mayflower'' returned to its home port in the spring. Governor Bradford noted that about half the sailors died.
  
−
==Second Mayflower==
+
==References==
−
In [[1629]], a ship called the ''Mayflower'' made a voyage from London to Plymouth Colony carrying thirty-five passengers, many from Leiden. This was not the same ship that made the original voyage with the first settlers. This voyage began in May and reached Plymouth in August.{{fact}}
+
* Beale, David. ''The Mayflower Pilgrims: Roots of Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist Heritage''. Greenville, SC: Emerald House Group, 2000. ISBN 978-1889893518
  
−
==Popular culture==
+
* Drinan, Paul, Erin Raftery, Sam Redford, Chris K. Layman, Lisa Wolfinger, Rocky Collins. ''Desperate crossing the untold story of the Mayflower''. The Lone Wolf Documentary Group, A&E Home Video and the New Video Group. New York: A&E Home Video (Distributed by New Video), 2007. ISBN 9780767093415
−
The ''Mayflower'' voyage and the ship became famous as an icon of a perilous one-way trip to a new life, with many things named for it:
 
−
*The Mayflower is the emblem of the English football club [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.]], who are known as "The Pilgrims" (nickname).
 
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*Songwriter [[Paul Simon]] mentions the ship in his "American Tune" (song).
 
−
*Folk/Rock singer [[Bob Dylan]] mentions the ship in his song "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" on the album [[Bringing It All Back Home]].
 
−
*The space-shuttle parody in the movie [[Airplane II: The Sequel]] is called ''Mayflower One''.
 
  
−
Among the most popular myths of [[Americana]] is that the ''Mayflower'' was the original ship that brought our first American ancestors, e.g. that somebody's ancestors go "all the way back to the ''Mayflower''" (expression).
+
* Gébler, Ernest. ''The Plymouth Adventure: A Chronicle Novel of the Voyage of the Mayflower''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1950. Historical fiction.
−
<ref>
 
−
    "Stories in our December 2001 issue include" (on [[genealogy]] research),
 
−
    ''Family Tree Magazine'', 2001, ''FamilyTreeMagazine.com'' webpage:
 
−
    [http://www.familytreemagazine.com/magazine_dec01.asp FamilyTree-Dec2001]:
 
−
    contains expression in "Whether your New England roots go back to the Mayflower."
 
−
</ref>
 
−
The myth is most notable, perhaps, for comparison to other settlements in North America:
 
−
* The Mayflower sailed in 1620, but [[Virginia]] was settled in [[1607]] at [[Jamestown]], [[1610]] at [[Hampton]], [[1611]] at [[Henrico]], [[1613]] at [[Newport News]], [[1613]] at New Bermuda, and several other Virginia settlements which pre-date Plymouth. Virginia even had black [[indentured servant]]s by 1619 and a population of about 4,500 in [[1623]].<ref>
 
−
    "Virginia Records Timeline 1553-1743" (history),
 
−
    The Thomas Jefferson Papers, [[Library of Congress]], American Memories, webpage:
 
−
    [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjvatm3.html LOC-TJPapers]:
 
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    in August [[1619]], the first African [[slave]]s were brought to Virginia by
 
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    Captain Jope in a Dutch ship. Governor Yeardley and the merchant Abraham Piersey
 
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    exchanged twenty slaves for supplies; however, these Africans became
 
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    [[indentured servants]] like white men trading passage for servitude.
 
−
</ref> Also, [[Albany, NY]], was settled by the Dutch in [[1614]], [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]] by the [[Spain|Spanish]] in [[1610]], and [[St. Augustine, Florida]] dates back to the [[16th century]].
 
−
* Considering [[Puerto Rico]], the towns of [[Caparra]] and [[Old San Juan]] would be the first European settlement in the USA, in [[1508]].<ref>
 
−
    "[[Guaynabo]] — Encyclopædia Britannica" (with history of [[Puerto Rico]]),
 
−
    ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', 2006, ''Britannica.com'' webpage:
 
−
    [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038345/Guaynabo EB-Guaynabo-Puerto-Rico]:
 
−
    names: [[Caparra]], the first Spanish settlement of Puerto Rico ([[1508]]).
 
−
</ref>
 
−
* Centuries earlier, 500 hundred years before the voyage of [[Christopher Columbus]], the [[Vikings]], from [[Scandinavia]], had established a permanent settlement in [[Greenland]] (see: ''[[Western Settlement (Greenland)]]'') from 1000 C.E. until circa 1500 C.E.  That settlement lasted 500 years, almost 100 years older than the entire colonial history of the [[United States]].
 
  
−
However, with the ''Mayflower'' voyage in [[1620]], more emphasis is placed on the so-called "[[Thanksgiving|First Thanksgiving]]" and the peaceful co-existence with the native [[Wampanoag]] tribe, as issues of civilized culture, among the 13 original colonies of the [[U.S.]]
+
* Hilton, Christopher. ''Mayflower: The Voyage that Changed the World''. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0750936545
  
−
==Notes==
+
* Lassieur, Allison and Peter McDonnell. ''The Voyage of the Mayflower''. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2006. ISBN 9780736843713
−
<references/>
 
  
−
==External links==
+
* Philbrick, Nathaniel. ''Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War''. New York: Penguin, 2007. ISBN 978-0143111979
−
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Mayflower.ogg|2006-01-02}}
 
−
* [http://www.plimoth.org/visit/what/mayflower2.asp Mayflower II] at Plymouth Plantation Museum
 
−
* [http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/passengers.php Mayflower passengers] from MayflowerHistory.com
 
−
* [http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/history.php Mayflower history] from MayflowerHistory.com
 
−
* [http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ Pilgrim Hall Museum] of Plymouth, Massachusetts
 
−
* [http://www.mayflower.org/ General Society of Mayflower Descendants]
 
−
* [http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/BIBREC/BR4107.HTM The Mayflower And Her Log]; [[Azel Ames]], [[Project Gutenberg]] edition.
 
−
* DEAD LINK >> [http://www.oldjordans.org.uk/ The village of Jordans and the Mayflower today]
 
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* [http://straightdope.com/columns/051125.html The Straight Dope: "Did the Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer?"]
 
−
* [http://www.familyforest.com/Mayflower_Descendants.html Mayflower Descendants Chart].
 
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* [http://members.aol.com/RichClark7/pilgrims.htm Pilgrims and the Mayflower] Mayflower Interior Pictured
 
  
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[[Category:History]]

Latest revision as of 12:03, 2 April 2008


Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882)
Mayflower arrived inside the tip of Cape Cod fishhook on November 11, 1620

Mayflower was the famous ship that transported the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts (United States), in 1620. Mayflower was not originally intended for passengers and was used primarily as a cargo ship, involved in active trade of goods (often wine) between England and other European countries (principally France, but also Norway, Germany, and Spain).

The vessel disembarked from England on September 6, and after a grueling journey marked by disease, the ship dropped anchor on November 11 inside the hook tip of Cape Cod at what is now called Provincetown Harbor.

Ship

Mayflower was purchased by Christopher Jones and several of his business partners in 1607. The ship's first voyage under Captain Jones was to Norway, in 1609, to transport lumber, tar, and fish back to England. The return trip was nearly fatal for the crew of Mayflower as it was caught in a winter storm on the way home. They survived and arrived back in England after several weeks of being veered off course. Not wanting to encounter another fierce winter storm, the captain never sailed the North Sea again. The ship sailed to France and Spain for the next ten years until in May 1620, the Pilgrims met Captain Jones and hired him to transport them to America.

Details of the ship's dimensions are unknown; but estimates based on its load weight and the typical size of 180-ton merchant ships of its day suggest an estimated length of 90 to 110 feet (27.4 to 33.5 meters) and a width of about 25 feet (7.6 meters). The ship was manned by a crew of 25 to 30 men.

Pilgrims' voyage

The Mayflower Memorial in Southampton

The original destination of the Pilgrim's voyage on the Mayflower was the Hudson River by agreement with the Dutch who had established a colony there, north of the Jamestown Settlement. However, Mayflower went drastically off-course during a mid-crossing Northeaster storm and made land on the sheltered side of what is now known as Cape Cod. As the winter approached they remained in Cape Cod Bay.

The voyage to the New World was a perilous undertaking for its 102 passengers and 30 crew members. It was reported that at times it seemed the ship would tip over with the rough seas and strong gusts of wind. The Pilgrims ate the same food everyday: sea biscuits, salted meat, dried fish and cheese. Due to the exposure and cramped conditions, many of the passengers remained ill for weeks on end. However, there was only one death on the Mayflower voyage, 22-year-old William Butten, the servant of Deacon Samuel Fuller. Butten was buried at sea.

On March 21, 1621, the passengers who had inhabited the ship during the winter moved ashore at Plymouth Colony, and on April 5, Mayflower returned to England.

The main record for the voyage of Mayflower and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from William Bradford, a guiding force and later the governor of the colony.

Initially, the plan was for the voyage to be made in two vessels, the other being the smaller Speedwell. The first voyage of the ships departed Southampton, England, on August 5, 1620; but the Speedwell developed a leak, and had to be refitted at Dartmouth. On the second attempt, the ships reached the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean but again were forced to return to Plymouth because Speedwell again sprang a leak. After reorganization, the final 36 day voyage was made by Mayflower alone.

During the crossing, the ship was forced far off-course by inclement weather and drifted well north of the intended Virginia settlement. As a result of the delay, the settlers did not arrive in Cape Cod until the onset of a harsh New England winter. The settlers ultimately failed to reach Virginia where they had already obtained permission from the London Company to settle.

To establish legal order and to quell increasing strife within the ranks, the settlers wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact after the ship dropped anchor at the tip of Cape Cod on November 11, in what is now Provincetown.

The settlers, upon initially setting anchor, explored the snow-covered area and discovered an empty Native American village. The curious settlers dug up some artificially-made mounds, in some they discovered stored corn, while others were found to be burial sites. The settlers took the corn, which sparked friction with the natives. They explored the area of Cape Cod for several weeks and decided to relocate after a difficult encounter with the now-unfriendly local Native Americans from the Nauset tribe.

Rather than disembark the passengers as the original agreement to deliver the pilgrims to North America, the captain and crew of Mayflower remained and provided the ship as shelter for the pilgrim passengers. For that first winter, the passengers remained aboard Mayflower, suffering an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of scurvy, pneumonia and tuberculosis. When it ended, only 53 remained alive, less than half the original passengers and crew. In the spring of 1621, the pilgrims came ashore and built huts, and on March 21, 1621, the surviving passengers left Mayflower.

On April 5, 1621, Mayflower set sail from Plymouth Colony to return to England, where she arrived on May 6, 1621.

Passengers

The 102 passengers on Mayflower were the earliest permanent European settlers in New England; some of their descendants have taken great interest in tracing their ancestry back to one or more of these Pilgrims. Throughout the winter, the passengers spent time ashore preparing homesites and searching for food but remained aboard Mayflower. Only about half of the settlers were still alive when Mayflower returned to its home port in the spring. Governor Bradford noted that about half the sailors died.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Beale, David. The Mayflower Pilgrims: Roots of Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist Heritage. Greenville, SC: Emerald House Group, 2000. ISBN 978-1889893518
  • Drinan, Paul, Erin Raftery, Sam Redford, Chris K. Layman, Lisa Wolfinger, Rocky Collins. Desperate crossing the untold story of the Mayflower. The Lone Wolf Documentary Group, A&E Home Video and the New Video Group. New York: A&E Home Video (Distributed by New Video), 2007. ISBN 9780767093415
  • Gébler, Ernest. The Plymouth Adventure: A Chronicle Novel of the Voyage of the Mayflower. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1950. Historical fiction.
  • Hilton, Christopher. Mayflower: The Voyage that Changed the World. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0750936545
  • Lassieur, Allison and Peter McDonnell. The Voyage of the Mayflower. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2006. ISBN 9780736843713
  • Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War. New York: Penguin, 2007. ISBN 978-0143111979

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