Edward Winslow - The Impeccable Statesman

Edward Winslow is not a blood relative of mine, but he did marry my 9th great grandmother, Susanna White. Therefore, his children and their descendants through Susanna, do become my blood relatives. He also adopted both Resolved and Peregrine White, as these were Susanna's children from her previous marriage. He became their father for all intents and purposes. Only Resolved, who was about 6 years of age when he gained a new father, would have had some memories of his real father, William White.

Edward Winslow - 1651

This portrait of Edward Winslow is a very significant image. It is the only known image created from life that we now have available, that represents any of the Mayflower passengers. It was painted in London, England in 1651, by an unknown artist, when Edward was about 56 years of age. Only the wealthy could afford portraits of this nature in the 17th century, and Edward was quite wealthy and was a relatively prominent English statesman for the time. This portrait was done when Edward was sitting in council with Oliver Cromwell, but I am getting ahead of myself. Let us step back a bit.

Edward Winslow was born into a wealthy English family in October of 1595. He was the eldest son, and attended St. Martin's, a private (though called public school) in Worchester. He was trained as a printer, and this was a useful skill for the John Robinson group of Separatists exiled in The Netherlands, and which Edward joined as a young man. The Robinsonites loved to make religious tracts, have them printed in Holland, and then distributed in England. English authorities were very upset with this group that we now call, the Pilgrims.

Mr. Winslow married Elizabeth Barker in Leiden, and they had two sons, both of which died as infants. However, when they boarded the Mayflower to set out to the New World in 1620, their family group also included 3 others: George Soule, a servant; Ellen Moore, an indentured servant; and Elias Story, a youth in the care of Edward Winslow. Those of Edward's status, just like William White, brought with them servants.

Mr. Winslow was very prominent in the Plymouth Colony, after the likes of men such as William Bradford and William Brewster. He seemed to be completely and totally absorbed in every way he could to make the colony succeed, even to the point of jeopardizing his own life. For instance, when the first formal meeting was held to negotiate a treaty with Massasoit, the premier sachem (chief) of the Wampanoag nation, Winslow volunteered to be held hostage by Massasoit's warriors while the treaty negotiations were in process. In other words, Mr. Winslow displayed an act of pure courage to further the success of the colony.

In 1623, a couple of years after the treaty was finalized between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims, the chief sachem, Massasoit, fell gravely ill. Winslow, without hesitation, journeyed to Massasoit's village and was allowed to treat the sachem with the Western medical means of the day. He determined that Massasoit was suffering from typhus. Mr. Winslow scraped the gray coating from Massasoit's tongue and mouth, and fed him basic foods in liquid form. After a couple of days, Massasoit recovered, and was exceedingly touched by this kindness shown by a white man, and it is recorded that he stated the following: "whilst I live I will never forget this kindness they have showed me." There was lasting peace between the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag for over half a century.

In order to ensure the colony's success, in 1624, Winslow journeyed to England and brought back with him the first shipload of English cattle for the New World. He was proactive, resourceful, and not shy from taking a risk. Most certainly, his being well connected by being born into a wealthy English family helped him in all his endeavours. He was a gentleman, well educated and eloquent in speech. Although his enemies did accuse him of being "smoothed mouthed and cunning," being the impeccable statesman that he was, having such well-spoken enemies was more of an honour.

Edward Winslow served three terms as governor of Plymouth Colony - 1633, 1636, and 1644 - and when he wasn't serving as governor, he was an assistant governor, or, he served as the colony's representative in the courts of London, England - 1623, 1624, 1644, and 1655. Once, while in England, he was thrown into prison for several months on the accusation of performing a wedding without being an ordained minister. As a Separatist (a Pilgrim), it was always a danger visiting England. The Pilgrims performed only civil marriages, and as governor at Plymouth, had performed some. Regarding marriage as being under civil authority was something the Pilgrims picked up while living in Holland. Edward did have his political enemies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

His political expertise seemed concentrated upon his diplomatic skills, and he was appointed to serve as a commissioner representing Plymouth at the formation of the United New England Confederation, wherein most of the New England colonies in the mid 1640s gathered together to align themselves together as one group, with one voice, to be able to exert more influence upon English authorities in London. Regardless, he was quite conservative by nature, and not a radical by any means. He continually pushed to have the Plymouth Colony to succeed and to prosper.

Winslow's kindness seemed to transcend his political alignments. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was the biggest and most influential colony in New England. It was also the most oppressive one, having been formed by and run by Puritans whose intolerance of those of varying religious beliefs was well known. The Bay colony had tried to exile a minister by the name of Roger Williams. He escaped exile to England by leaving the Bay colony and taking refuge in an area just west of the Plymouth Colony, now known as Rhode Island. When Mrs. Roger Williams travelled to join him, she passed through Plymouth, and stopped by to see their old friend, Edward Winslow. Winslow, understanding her plight, gave her a large sum of money to buy provisions for her and her husband, so that they would not starve in the upcoming winter. Even though Roger Williams and Edward Winslow did not see eye to eye in their theology, and even though Winslow knew that giving the Williams a chance for survival was something the Massachusetts Bay Colony would not hold well with them, Winslow chose compassion over political expediency. Rhode Island eventually became a refuge for many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony dissidents.

Oliver Cromwell - 1653

The English Civil War occurred between the years 1642-1646. The Parliamentarians, led by Puritan Oliver Cromwell won the war, and Cromwell, wanting to surround himself with trusted Puritan-like thinkers from all over, called upon Edward Winslow to join his administration. Winslow complied without hesitation and left for England, never to return. However, he did bring with him his adopted son, Peregrine White, who was about 25 years old at the time. Peregrine did not stay with him for very long and left within a few months. Regardless, Winslow, the perpetual politician, I am sure used Peregrine's status as the first born Englishman in New England as a symbol to Oliver Cromwell of Plymouth's importance to England. Peregrine White, my 8th great granduncle, became a celebrity even to the English court; of this, I am fairly certain.

This was probably the down side of Edward Winslow - he was married to his career as a politician. He left his wife, Susanna, in 1646 and never returned to the Plymouth Colony and to her. He died on board ship, and was buried at sea in 1655, on the service of Oliver Cromwell as head commissioner for a task in the Caribbean. He died of a fever - perhaps yellow fever or malaria. He left Susanna a widow after being absent from her for 9 years. It was good that Susanna had a large family for support. It was hard for just one woman to run such a vast estate all by herself, without the help of someone. The Careswell Estate in Marshfield, the home of the White-Winslow family was 1200 acres is size; almost 2 square miles. The dwelling was described as a fortified medieval manor house. Apparently Peregrine stepped in to help his mother manage the estate, but then, he had his own problems too, but that is another story.


Bibliographical Online References:

Genealogy of Edward Winslow of the Mayflower and His Descendants, from 1620 to 1865

Hypocrisy Unmasked, by Edward Winslow

New England's Salamander Discovered, by Edward Winslow

Note: Although Edward Winslow was not a prolific writer, what he did write had a specific purpose. What he wrote, he published and printed himself; and thus, the inclusion of the two original works by him, above.