List of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620-1621
Encyclopedia
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. 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. 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. No women died aboard the ship, though a newborn baby and three men, including the captain, did.
Four deaths occurred in months unknown before the first Thanksgiving bringing the total deaths to 51.
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
, lack of shelter, and general conditions onboard ship. Forty-five of the 102 emigrants died the first winter and were buried on Cole's Hill
Cole's Hill
Cole's Hill is a National Historic Landmark containing the first cemetery used by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. The hill is located on Carver Street near the foot of Leyden Street and across the street from Plymouth Rock.-History:...
. Additional deaths during the first year meant that only 53 people were alive in November 1621 to celebrate the First Thanksgiving. 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. No women died aboard the ship, though a newborn baby and three men, including the captain, did.
Men
- John Allerton
- Richard Britteridge, December 21
- Robert Carter, after February 21
- James ChiltonJames ChiltonJames Chilton was an English Separatist who came to America aboard the ship Mayflower. He was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and was probably the oldest Mayflower passenger.- In Canterbury :...
, December 8 - Richard Clarke
- John Crackstone Sr.
- Thomas English
- Moses Fletcher
- Edward FullerEdward Fuller (Mayflower)Edward Fuller crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower...
- John Goodman
- William Holbeck
- John Langmore
- Edmund Margesson
- Christopher Martin, January 8
- William Mullins, February 21
- Degory PriestDegory PriestDegory Priest was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and one of the original 102 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Alternate spellings of his name were: "Digory" "Gregory", "Degorie", or "Digorie" Priest.Little information remains regarding Degory Priest's...
, January 1 - John Rigsdale
- Thomas RogersThomas Rogers (Mayflower Pilgrim)Thomas Rogers, a Mayflower Pilgrim and one of forty-one signatories of the Mayflower Compact, was among those who did not survive that first harsh Plymouth, Massachusetts winter of 1620-1621....
- Elias Story
- Edward Thompson, December 4
- Edward TilleyEdward TilleyEdward Tilley was one of the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Tilley was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact, which has been called the world's first written constitution....
- John TilleyJohn Tilley (Pilgrim)John Tilley was one of the Pilgrims who traveled from England to North America on the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact. Tilley died shortly after arrival in New England.-Overview:...
- Thomas TinkerThomas TinkerThomas Tinker was one of the Pilgrims who made the voyage on the Mayflower. He was a wood-sawyer, and was granted citizenship in Leyden January 6, 1617...
, along with his wife and son - John Turner
- William White, December 21
- Roger Wilder
- Thomas Williams
Women
- Mary (Norris) Allerton, February 25, wife of Isaac AllertonIsaac AllertonIsaac Allerton was one of the original Pilgrim fathers who came on the Mayflower to settle the Plymouth Colony in 1620. Allerton is an ancestor to Presidents of the United States Zachary Taylor and Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, reportedly in childbirth, baby was stillborn. - 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 MoreKatherine MoreKatherine More was the centre of a seventeenth century controversy in England.Katherine was the youngest daughter of an ancient Shropshire family...
, age 8 - Jasper MoreKatherine MoreKatherine More was the centre of a seventeenth century controversy in England.Katherine was the youngest daughter of an ancient Shropshire family...
, age 7, December 6 - Mary MoreKatherine MoreKatherine More was the centre of a seventeenth century controversy in England.Katherine was the youngest daughter of an ancient Shropshire family...
, 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
Winter
According to Bradford's Register, a contemporary source- November, 1 death
- December, 6
- January, 8, 11
- February, 17
- March, 13
Spring
- April uncertain, between 1 and 5 (including Governor John CarverJohn CarverJohn Carver was a Pilgrim leader. He was the first governor of Plymouth Colony and his is the first signature on the Mayflower Compact.-Mayflower:...
, 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
- Plymouth ColonyPlymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
- List of passengers on the Mayflower
- MayflowerMayflowerThe Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
- Cole's HillCole's HillCole's Hill is a National Historic Landmark containing the first cemetery used by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. The hill is located on Carver Street near the foot of Leyden Street and across the street from Plymouth Rock.-History:...
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