Editorial
Although not absolute, we appear to be descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. As we remember Thanksgiving, we think of the Pilgrims, but what do we really know of them and their reason for coming. What is often depicted as a fanciful children's story is, in reality, a tragic adult drama.
The Mayflower descendancy is shown on RootsWeb for your information. Just click on the Alden House to display.
The Pilgrims experienced great conflict with the Church of England and were persecuted, exiled, executed, and deported. In their haste to flee, they left family and wealth behind and, taking their religious standards with them, headed for northern Virginia Colony (Hudson Bay). Virginia Colony had been established in 1607. Only one passenger died during the voyage and two were born. Arriving off Cape Cod in November, 1620 with rough seas, they had no choice but to try to survive. The men. upon forming a statement of government, The Mayflower Compact, proceeded to carve a place to survive while the women spent the winter still aboard the Mayflower. [there will be more on this story and other links very soon]
The following site http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html is an excellent source of accurate Mayflower information.
William Mullins, the father of Priscilla was a wealthy shoe and boot dealer of Dorking, Surrey, England and John Alden was a Mayflower crew member, a cooper, possibly of Harwich, Essex, England. For more about these and other often misunderstood facts, click on the image above.
Pertinent
links:
The Wisconsin Society of Mayflower Descendants http://www.execpc.com/~drg/wimfd.html
Cyndi's List of ships and passengers http://www.cyndislist.com/ships.htm
A Window Into Pilgrim Life http://www.mayflower.org/pil-life.htm
Pilgrim and Puritan: A Delicate Distinction http://www.mayflower.org/distinct.htm
Were the Pilgrims intolerant? http://www.mayflower.org/intolera.htm
The First Thanksgiving http://www.mayflower.org/thanksg.htm
A Study Guide http://www.rootsweb.com/~mosmd/