Primary and Secondary
Source Materials
For
Plymouth Settlement
Unit 4.2 Three Worlds Collide
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
Plymouth -
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LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document A
A
The Mayflower, Source: National Geographic Society Picture Pack
Transparencies Colonial America, Washington, D.C., 1997.
Its old wooden beams creaked and groaned in the rhythm of little waves. Rats
scurried up the tie ropes in search of treasures from the hold. The great canvass
sails were rolled and neatly tied while in port, though the patches from many a
storm made the rolls bulky and uneven. The more than one hundred staring from
the dock could scarcely believe they would all fit, much less survive. In silent
personal prayer, they paused from the bustle of loading, and cast their lives in with
all who had sailed the seas before them.
The Mayflower, a creaky merchant ship past its prime, carried a group of religious
settlers-later known as Pilgrims-across the Atlantic in 1620. Each of the 101
passengers had about 18 square feet, the size of a single bed. Life at sea was hard:
Dripping water chilled passengers in the between-deck area (1). Cooking fires in
the galley (2) were doused in rough weather. Latrine buckets appeared when high
seas kept the breakhead (3) awash. Fresh provisions stocked in the hold (4) had
run out by November 11, when the Mayflower dropped anchor in Cape Cod Bay.
Only one life was lost at sea, but half the Pilgrims died from hunger and disease by
the following spring.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
Plymouth -
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LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document B
B
Mayflower Passengers List, Printed with Permission from Plimoth Plantation, P.O.
Box 1620, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02362; (508) 746-1622
MAYFLOWER PASSENGERS
[Note: Members of the Leiden Separatist church were the Puritans, later called The Pilgrims by
historians]
John Alden He was hired as ship’s cooper in Southampton, England. He chose to stay in
Plymouth Colony, and married fellow passenger Priscilla Mullins. (see also MAYFLOWER
CREW)
Isaac Allerton He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church (Puritans, later called Pilgrims
by historians); and the first assistant governor for Plymouth Colony
Mary (wife) She died the first winter.
Bartholomew (son)
Remember (daughter)
Mary (daughter)
John Allerton
He died the first winter.
John Billington He was one of the more outspoken critics of Governor Bradford.
Elinor (wife)
John (son)
Francis (son)
William Bradford He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church; for many years governor
of Plymouth Colony, and author of Of Plimmouth Plantation.
Dorothy (wife) She died by drowning the first winter.
William Brewster He was an elder of the Leiden Separatist church; and Plymouth Colony’s
spiritual leader for many years.
Mary (wife)
Love (son)
Wrestling (son)
Richard Britteridge He died the first winter.
Peter Browne He married Fortune passenger Martha Ford after her husband’s death.
William Button He was a servant of Samuel Fuller and the only passenger to die during the
voyage.
Robert Carter He was a servant of William Mullins, but died the first winter.
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John Carver He was member of the Leiden Separatist church and the colony’s first governor.
He died in the early summer of 1621.
Catherine (wife) She died several weeks after her husband.
Carver's unnamed maidservant Her name was probably Dorothy, and she married fellow
passenger Francis Eaton as his second wife.
B
James Chilton He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church, and died the first winter.
Susanna (wife) She died the first winter.
Mary (daughter) She married Fortune passenger John Winslow.
Richard Clarke He died the first winter.
Francis Cooke He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church. His wife and other children
came over in 1623.
John (son)
Humility Cooper She was most probably a young daughter of a member of the Leiden
Separatist church. She later returned to England.
John Crackstone He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
John (son)
Edward Doty He was a servant of Stephen Hopkins. He stayed in Plymouth Colony after his
service was ended.
Francis Eaton He remarried twice; first, most probably, to John Carver’s maidservant and after
her death, to Fortune passenger Christian Penn.
Sarah (wife) She died the first winter.
Samuel (son)
______ Ely He was a seaman hired to stay one year in the colony. When his time was up, he
returned to England. His first name is unknown.
Thomas English He died the first winter.
Moses Fletcher He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
Edward Fuller He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
_______ (wife) She died the first winter.
Samuel (son)
Samuel Fuller He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and served as the colony’s
surgeon as well as deacon of Plymouth Colony’s church until his death in 1633.
Richard Gardener He became a seaman and died in England or at sea.
John Goodman He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
William Holbeck He was a servant of William White and died the first winter.
John Hooke He was from a Leiden Separatist family and came over as a servant of Isaac
Allerton. He died the first winter.
Stephen Hopkins He may be identical with the Stephen Hopkins who was shipwrecked in
Bermuda aboard the Sea Venture in 1609.
Elizabeth (wife)
Constance (daughter) She married Nicholas Snow who arrived in 1623.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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Gyles (son)
Damaris (daughter)
Oceanus (son) He was born during the voyage across the Atlantic, but died young.
B
John Howland He was a servant of John Carver and married fellow passenger Elizabeth Tilley.
John Langmore He was a servant of Christopher Martin and died the first winter.
William Latham He was a servant of John Carver and died on Eleuthera in the Bahamas some
years later.
Edward Lester He was a servant of Stephen Hopkins; after his service had ended he went to
Virginia and died there.
Edmund Margesson He died the first winter.
Christopher Martin He was the Governor of the Mayflower and died the first winter.
Marie (wife) She died the first winter.
Solomon Prower (her son) He died the first winter.
Ellen Moore A child who was "put to" (assigned to) Edward Winslow and died the first winter.
Jasper Moore A child who was "put to" (assigned to) John Carver and died the first winter.
Mary Moore A child who was "put to" (assigned to) William Brewster and died the first winter.
Richard Moore A child who was "put to" (assigned to) William Brewster. He later moved to
Salem and became a sea captain.
William Mullins He died the first winter.
Alice (wife) She died the first winter.
Priscilla (daughter) She married ship's cooper John Alden.
Joseph (son) He died the first winter.
Digory Priest He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter. His
wife came over with their two daughters as the wife of Godbert Godbertson in 1623.
John Rigsdale He died the first winter.
Alice (wife) She died the first winter.
Thomas Rogers He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
Joseph (son)
Henry Sampson He was a cousin of Edward and Ann Tilley and Humilty Cooper. He stayed in
Plymouth Colony and married.
George Soule He was a servant of Edward Winslow. He married Mary Buckett, who arrived in
1623.
Myles Standish He came as miltary leader of the colony. He remarried to a woman named
Barbara, who arrived in 1623.
Rose (wife) She died the first winter.
Elias Story He was a servant of Edward Winslow and died the first winter.
Edward Thompson He was a servant of William White and died the first winter.
Edward Tilley He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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Agnes (wife) She died the first winter.
B
John Tilley He died the first winter.
Joan (wife) She died the first winter.
Elizabeth (daughter) She married fellow passenger John Howland.
Thomas Tinker He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter
Jane (wife) She died the first winter.
______ (son) died the first winter
William Trevore He was seaman hired to stay a year in the colony. He returned to England after
his time was up.
John Turner He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter
______ (son) He died the first winter.
______ (son) He died the first winter.
Richard Warren His wife and daughters arrived in Plymouth in 1623.
William White He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
Susanna (wife) She remarried to Edward Winslow, the first marriage in the colony.
Resolved (son)
Peregrine (son) He was born while the ship was in Cape Cod Harbor.
Roger Wilder He was a servant of John Carver and died the first winter.
Thomas Williams He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church and died the first winter.
Edward Winslow He was a member of the Leiden Separatist church. He later served as both
assistant governor and governor of Plymouth Colony. He died in the West Indies while on a
expedition for the Cromwell government.
Elizabeth (wife) She died the first winter.
Gilbert Winslow He was a brother of Edward. After a number of years in Plymouth Colony he
returned to England and died there.
Fun Fact: Are the Pilgrims the same as Separatists and Puritans?
Yes and no. The Leiden Separatists were the first English to settle in what is now the state of
Massachusetts. Historians later called these people who came over on the Mayflower "Our
Pilgrim Fathers." This was later shortened to "The Pilgrims."
The thousands of people who came after the Mayflower and settled in other parts of
Massachusetts also wanted to separate from the King's church, but many of these were Puritans.
The Puritans believed in "purifying" themselves and the church by dressing very plainly and
severely punishing people who did not follow their rules. People mistakenly think the Puritans
(wearing dark clothes and the big hats) were involved with Plymouth, but they were not.
Then why were the Pilgrims also called "Leiden Separatists?"
Before they sailed to what we now call America, the Pilgrims tried setting up their
"Separate" religion in the city pictured above, Leiden, in Holland. You can tell this city
is in Holland by the many windmills in this drawing from the time of the Pilgrims.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document C
C
Signing the Mayflower Compact, Source: National Geographic Society
Picture Pack Transparencies Colonial America, Washington, D.C., 1997.
The Mayflower Compact, signed aboard ship, established the beginnings of
democracy among the settlers in America. Forty-one men signed the contract,
pledging loyalty to King James-and also to officers they would elect to create laws
"for the general Good of the Colony." The Mayflower Compact paved the way for
the Declaration of Independence, which declares that "governments are instituted
among men," which means the people vote for their leader. This was a radical idea
at a time when most believed the King had the natural right to lead.
LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document D
D
First Winter in Plymouth, Source: National Geographic Society Picture Pack
Transparencies Colonial America, Washington, D.C., 1997.
"It is not with us as with other men, whom small things discourage," wrote one
settler who landed at Plymouth. The winter was bitter. At one point only 7 of the
101 who came could stay on their feet to tend the sick and dying. Yet none of
those who survived chose to go home when the Mayflower set sail in the spring.
E
LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document E
Squanto, Source: National Geographic Society Picture Pack Transparencies
Colonial America, Washington, D.C., 1997.
"A special instrument sent of God," wrote Pilgrim governor William Bradford,
describing a young Indian named Squanto who spoke English. Squanto taught the
settlers survival skills--such as using fish to fertilize corn for a successful harvest-after many died of starvation. Here at Plimoth Plantation, a modern-day Squanto
reenacts the 17th century event.
LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document F
Pilgrims Walking to Church, Source: National Geographic Society Picture
Pack Transparencies Colonial America, Washington, D.C., 1997.
F
Having left England mainly because they wanted to worship in their own way, the
Separatists were serious churchgoers. Here they walk to church carrying guns to
protect themselves from wild animals and unfriendly Indians.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
Plymouth -
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LS 4 Session 2
Student Resource: Document G
G
Landing in Plymouth, Montgomery County Public Schools, 2001.
Separatists Leave England
In the early 1600s, a group of people in
England were looking for religious freedom.
The king of England, King James, made a law
that said everyone must worship at England's
official church, the Church of England. This
was the King's church. A group of people
known as Separatists wanted to have a
different, separate church.
They strongly
opposed the Church of England. They tried to
worship privately, but they were criticized for
their beliefs and were avoided by members of
their communities. That is when they decided
to try to leave England so they could worship
freely. In September of 1620, 100 men,
women, and children left Plymouth, England,
their homeland, for a chance to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and live freely in the colony of
Virginia. They left behind their friends and
their belongings for an uncertain future. These
Separatists were later called the Pilgrims by
historians.
King James had just joined
Scotland and England
together as one nation. He
was in no mood to allow
separate religions develop
other than his own Anglican
Church. The Separatists
knew they had to leave.
The Voyage
The Pilgrims, as migrants with a religious goal are
known, crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the ship called
the Mayflower. Like all ocean-going travelers of the
time, they lived in cramped quarters, each person
having the space of about one small bed. The
beginning of the crossing was pleasant enough
although many of the passengers were sick. The air
under the deck became foul. Many wanted to bathe but there was not
enough fresh water available for this luxury. Most people made the entire
journey without a bath.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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A period of severe storms came. The storms were often fierce. The
Pilgrims felt they were in great danger. They didn't know if the creaky old
Mayflower was strong enough to withstand the storms. Waves were strong
and high, the sea sprayed its saltwater over the ship. They survived the
storms, but they were far off course. After more than two months at sea, the
Pilgrims saw land. Although they were initially headed for the Hudson River
where New York is now located, they ended up to the north, off the tip of
what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. There were not English settlements
in this area. After a long beating at sea the Mayflower with its Pilgrims
sighted land on November 9, 1620. On the 16th of December, 1620, the
Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor.
The original
Mayflower
Compact was lost,
but one of the
Pilgrims who later
became governor,
William Bradford,
wrote it down in
his diary ten years
later. This is a copy
of what he wrote in
his diary in 1630
Establishing a Government
The settlers had expected to live where there was already a governor and laws
to guide them. Now they would be on their own. They wanted to live
together peacefully so the Pilgrims decided that they would not set foot on
land until they agreed upon a set of laws that described the way they planned
to govern themselves in their new settlement. Forty-one men aboard the
Mayflower signed these rules for governing themselves, and they called this
document the Mayflower Compact. They chose one of the settlers, the
businessman John Carver, to be their governor.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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Survival
When they left the ship, the settlers fell to their knees and kissed the
ground. The Pilgrims refreshed themselves with water and wood. What a
pleasure it was to be able to bathe and cook. The construction of the
settlement began on December 23rd. During the months that the passengers
built their houses the Mayflower was still their home. The Mayflower stayed
in the harbor and left for England in the spring. The first winter was
particularly cold and harsh. The winds blew and the snow fell. The Pilgrims
had landed too late in the year to plant crops and did not have enough food.
They were starving. At one point, only a few, six or seven, of them were
strong enough to take care of the others. Almost half of the 102 died of
starvation or diseases like scurvy during the first winter. Yet none of the
surviving settlers returned to England when the Mayflower set sail for
England in the spring. Many of the settlers did not have skills to survive in
this new wilderness. It wasn't until they received help from a Native
American tribe called the Wampanoags that things started to improve.
Squanto, a Wampanoag, who first
visited the new settlers in March of
1621, was particularly helpful to
the settlers. He taught the settlers
how to hunt wild animals, how to
clear land to plant corn, and
showed them where to catch fish.
He also showed them how to get
sweet syrup from Maple trees.
What a treat. He spoke English and
was able to translate between the
settlers and his tribe. This helped
keep relations between the two
groups peaceful. The Wampanoags
and the Pilgrims promised not to
attack each other.
The settlers were very grateful to Squanto and the Wampanoags. After a
great harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims showed their gratitude to the Wampanoags
by sharing their food with them in a festival. The settlers had goose, wild
turkey, lobster, and corn bread. The Wampanoags brought deer. Hundreds
of years later historians began calling this event the First Thanksgiving.
©2001 MCPS Social Studies
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