List of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620–1621
During the first winter in the New World, the Mayflower colonists suffered greatly from diseases like scurvy, lack of shelter, and general conditions onboard ship.[1] Forty-five of the 102 emigrants died the first winter and were buried on Cole's Hill. Additional deaths during the first year meant that only 53 people were alive in November 1621 to celebrate the First Thanksgiving.[2] Of the 18 adult women, 13 died the first winter, while another died in May. Only four adult women were left alive for the Thanksgiving.[3] No women died aboard the ship, though a newborn baby and three men, including the captain, did.
Men
Women
- Mary (Norris) Allerton, February 25, wife of Isaac Allerton, reportedly in childbirth, baby was stillborn.[4]
- Dorothy (May) Bradford, December 7
- Mrs. James Chilton
- Sarah Eaton
- Mrs. Edward Fuller
- Mary (Prower) Martin, January 11
- Alice Mullins, February 22-28
- Alice Rigsdale
- Ann (Cooper) Tilley
- Joan (Hurst) Tilley
- Mrs. Thomas Tinker
- Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, March 24
- Alice Closford, October 24
- Mrs. Thomas Tinker
Children
- William Butten/Button, November 6 (died at sea, the only passenger to die during the journey)
- John Hooke, age 13
- Ellen More, age 8
- Jasper More, age 7, December 6
- Mary More, age 4
- Joseph Mullins, age 14, February 22-28
- Solomon Prower, age ca. 14-17, December 24
- the son of Thomas Tinker
- both sons of John Turner
Statistics by month
Winter
According to Bradford's Register[5], a contemporary source
- November, 1 death
- December, 6
- January, 8, 11
- February, 17
- March, 13
Spring
- April uncertain, between 1 and 5[6] (including Governor John Carver, not in above list)
- May or June, at least 1 (Mrs. Katherine (White) Carver, not in above list)
Four deaths occurred in months unknown before the first Thanksgiving bringing the total deaths to 51.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Rothbard, Murray Rothbard (1975). ""The Founding of Plymouth Colony"". Conceived in Liberty. 1. Arlington House Publishers.
- ^ First Thanksgiving, [1], 1998, Pilgrim Hall Museum, accessed August 29, 2006. Note that this list omits Mr. Ely, a hired seaman, and Dorothy, a servant.
- ^ Dorothy, the servant of John Carver, and Priscilla Mullins were both old enough to be married within a year or two of that first winter, although their exact ages are unknown. The number of adult women surviving to the First Thanksgiving may be as many as six (out of 20).
- ^ Mintz, S. (2003). Childbirth in Early America, [2], Digital History, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ The Plymouth Colony Archive Project MAYFLOWER PASSENGER DEATHS, 1620-1621 [3], 2000, Patricia Scott Deetz and James Deetz, accessed August 29, 2006
- ^ The death dates of Alice Mullins and her son Joseph are not clear, perhaps after April 5 when the Mayflower left with her husband William's will naming them as heirs but with no attachment concerning their deaths.
Further reading
- Cheney, Glenn Alan, Thanksgiving: The Pilgrims' First Year in America, (New London: New London Librarium, 2007) ISBN 978-0-9798039-0-1
- Philbrick, Nathaniel, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, (New York: Viking, 2006) ISBN 0-670-03760-5