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The Mayflower :
In 1620, some wealthy Englishmen hired the Mayflower and the
Speedwell to make a trip to start a colony in Northern Virginia. The
Speedwell turned out to be a leaky ship, and so was unable to make
the famous voyage with the Mayflower.
Christopher Jones was the captain of the Mayflower when it took the
Pilgrims to New England in 1620. They came to the tip of Cape Cod
(Massachusetts) on November 11, 1620.
Mayflower was a very common ship name, and other ships called the
Mayflower made trips to New England; but none of them were the same
ship that brought the Pilgrims to America.
The Mayflower stayed in America that winter, and it suffered the
effects of the first winter just as the Pilgrims did, with almost
half dying. The Mayflower set sail for home on April 5, 1621,
arriving back May sixth. The ship made a few more trading runs, to
Spain, Ireland, and lastly to France. However, Captain Christopher
Jones died shortly thereafter, and was buried in England.
The exact size of the Mayflower is unknown. No pictures, paintings,
or detailed description of the Mayflower exist today. However it is
estimated the size of the Mayflower was about 113 feet long from the
back rail to the front. A duplicate of the Mayflower, called the
Mayflower II, is in Plymouth, Mass. Today it is a tourist
attraction, and available for touring.
The voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth Harbor is about 2,750
miles, and took the Mayflower 66 days. The Mayflower left England
with 102 passengers, including three pregnant women, and a crew of
unknown number. One child was born at sea. After the Mayflower had
arrived and was anchored in Provincetown Harbor off the tip of Cape
Cod, Susanna White gave birth to a son. The Mayflower then sailed
across the bay to Plymouth Harbor. There, Mary Allerton gave birth
to a stillborn son. One passenger died while the Mayflower was at
sea--a young man named William Butten, a servant-apprentice to Dr.
Samuel Fuller. The death occurred just three days before land was
sighted. One Mayflower crew member also died at sea, but his name is
not known.
The men of the Mayflower wrote "The Mayflower Compact", a set of
laws for the new colony. This was the first time that immigrants to
the new country had set down rule of the majority. It is still used
today. The place they stayed was called the Plymouth Colony.
The Mayflower's Voyage :
DEPARTURE: The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6,
1620
ARRIVAL: The Mayflower crew sighted land off Cape Cod on November 9,
1620, and first landfall was made November 11, 1620.
DISTANCE AND TIME: The voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth
Harbor is about 2,750 miles, and took the Mayflower 66 days.
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS: The Mayflower left England with 102
passengers, including three pregnant women, and a crew of unknown
number. While the Mayflower was at sea, Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth
to a son which she named Oceanus. After the Mayflower had arrived
and was anchored in Provincetown Harbor off the tip of Cape Cod,
Susanna White gave birth to a son, which she named Peregrine (which
means "one who has made a journey"). The Mayflower then sailed
across the bay and anchored in Plymouth Harbor. There, Mary Allerton
gave birth to a stillborn son. One passenger died while the
Mayflower was at sea--a youth named William Butten, a
servant-apprentice to Dr. Samuel Fuller. The death occurred just
three days before land was sighted. One Mayflower crew member also
died at sea, but his name is not known. |
