The Pilgrims and the Pilgrim Story - Part 1

This article is a brief interlude from family member discussion. In order to understand the people I am writing about, it is important to know what in the world motivated them to come thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620 to pioneer an untamed land, and who were these Pilgrims at the very least.

These Mayflower Pilgrims did not call themselves Pilgrims, nor did anyone else at the time call them such. They called themselves the saints of God, and others called them Separatists. Some would have called them heretics. They were originally from England, the core having arisen from a place called Scooby in Yorkshire. In a nutshell, a man by the name of John Robinson, formed a little illegal prayer and Bible study group. It was illegal because this group did not form under the auspices of the state church - the Church of England. Such groups were frowned upon in England at the time, and Mr. Robinson and all of the members of this group were subject to being charged for heresy, since heresy was a crime in 17th century England. They eventually had to flee to The Netherlands, to the town of Leiden, in order to escape prosecution. The Dutch were a bit more tolerant of religious dissidents

In essence, this group of "Pilgrims" was considered a dangerous and heretical cult, by the English authorities. These Robinsonites rejected the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, and instead, dared to rest upon the Bible as their authority in matters of faith. Needless to say, there are many similarities between this group and today's Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christians, except today in the English speaking world, religious persecution is seldom practiced.

After living in Holland for many years, these Robinsonites were becoming slowly absorbed into the Dutch culture, and this worried them. Their children were beginning to speak Dutch better than English. They did not want to lose their English heritage, and they still considered themselves as Englishmen. They also did not live the lifestyle they were used to - many of this group came from well-to-do homes and families in England and they were employed as mere menial labourers in Leiden. They could only return to England facing possible imprisonment or even death, but there was a New World that had been partially charted in the Americas, and there they could practice their own religion, free from fear of prosecution by the English authorities.

I will not go into the details as to how they arrived in the New World. Personally, I find the details rather tedious. The fact is, these Robinsonites were sponsored by investors and they came to the New World in a ship named, The Mayflower. They picked up some passengers in England along the way, and that is where I believe, William, Susanna and Resolved White boarded the ship, since it is doubtful they were part of the Leiden community.

These Robinsonites were not the only passengers on board, however. About half of the passengers were what they called, "Strangers" - those who were not Robinsonites. These Strangers were farmers, carpenters, and others with the needed skills to form a viable colony. For you see, the investors were wise. They knew that these "Pilgrims" or Robinsonites, which is what I prefer to call them, would not survive in a pioneer environment. They had the skills of only common labourers in Holland, and prior to that, they had come from wealthy families in England, and were thus well "book-learned," but totally useless for survival in a harsh frontier. Their servants, which were many, did not have the needed skills either.

Initially, the voyage was to set out in the Spring of 1620, but due to many long and involved setbacks, it finally set out in late summer. It was supposed to have arrived in what was then called "Northern Virginia," which was what we now know as Manhattan Island and Long Island - where New York City is now. However, instead, the Mayflower landed at in what we now know as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Yes, the eastern coast of North America had been fairly well charted by 1620, and many places already given names. They knew where they were, and that caused some trouble.

This was when the famous Mayflower Compact came into being. Since due to the weather conditions, they were not able to go where their assigned "land patent" was located, at the mouth of the Hudson River, they had to settle where they were - in and around Cape Cod Bay. The Strangers were particularly upset. So under the authority of Governor John Carver the Mayflower Compact was drafted, which in essence said that they would agree to the the mutual benefit of all. It was "signed" by 41 men, even including male adult servants. William White was the 11th signatory, and I am sure he signed his actual name, rather than leaving "his mark." Many of these Robinsonite men could write as well as read.

... to be continued...