There were only about 140 people who attended the first harvest feast in the fall of 1621. But on November 20, 2021 thousands lined the route of this year’s Thanksgiving parade held in historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. Plymouth Rock Foundation, parent organization of America’s Hometown Thanksgiving and original sponsor was again proud to be involved in…
William Bradford wrote under the title of “Anno 1621”: “They now began to dispatch the ship away which brought them over, which lay till about this time, or the beginning of April.” Though there are practical reasons Bradford states as to why the Mayflower had stayed so long through the winter of 1620-21, even after…
Beginning in January, 1621, after enduring a very difficult voyage, one of the most remarkable testimonies in the midst of suffering by the Pilgrim church began to take place. They had already elected John Carver as Govervor after the Compact had been signed. Now that they settled on a spot to establish their Colony, however,…
The historic voyage of the Mayflower began on Wednesday, September 6 (new style the 16th) as it departed Plymouth harbor in England. There was now one ship, the Speedwell having been sold and twenty remaining in England, probably returning to London or Leyden. Bradford writes: “These troubles being blown over, and now all being compact…
The persecution, hardships, suffering and discouragement that accompanied the Pilgrims before they even began their journey has caused many to wonder how their conviction to continue remained so constant. Consider first, not all of the congregation could depart in 1620, so a remnant had to volunteer. Second, the change in their contract was a huge…
Members of the Leiden Congregation knelt in prayer on the deck of the Speedwell on Wednesday, July 22nd in Delftshaven, Holland. This was captured by artist Robert Weir and shows Pastor John Robinson (with hands outstretched) and William Brewster (holding the open Geneva Bible) and several parents and children in prayer.
Upon their departure from Leiden in the Speedwell, Bradford relates “So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.”
Christopher Jones, a businessman and part owner of the Mayflower was from Harwich, England. He probably purchased it, along with Robert Childe, Thomas Short and Christopher Nichols in 1608 when he was 38 years old. It was a typical cargo ship carrying fish, lumber, tar, wine, cognac and vinegar.
Historian and Director Emeritus of the Pilgrim Society Peggy Baker has noted, “Family is at the heart of the Pilgrim story….that makes Plymouth Colony unique amid a sea of other settlements – English, Dutch, French, and Spanish alike – that were almost exclusively masculine… The Separatist movement, from its earliest beginnings, was built around strong…
There were 29 children under 18 on board the Mayflower when the Pilgrims anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor in late 1620. Two (Oceanus Hopkins and Peregrine White), were born on board! The other 27 ranged in age from 1 to 17.
Though a few women had gone on previous explorations, the Plymouth Colony was unique in that the family was designed to be the foundation of the colony from the start. There were 24 family units on the Mayflower with 18 adult women (and 7 younger girls). Three of the women, Elizabeth Hopkins, Susanna White and…
On January 1, 1776, while the British laid siege to Boston, George Washington raised the Grand Union Flag on Prospect Hill near his headquarters in Cambridge. It was the first flag of the united colonies. It was known as the Congress Colors, the First Navy Ensign and the Cambridge Flag and could be considered the…